First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions

On 6/4/10 4:41 PM, Ohioguy wrote:
It looks like my wife and I will be going on a cruise in early
October. It just works out that several relatives can come by and watch
our kids (all are 7 or under). I think this will be the first time my
wife and I have had a week to ourselves since our first child was born
over 7 years ago.

My preference for a vacation is actually hiking in the wilderness for a
week or so, but my wife wasn't interested in that. I find that when I'm
around crowds of people, it typically makes me feel worn out. I tend to
recharge when I have time to reflect in nature, in my garden, or similar
activities. Probably has something to do with growing up in the country,
out on a farm.

Anyway, details: we can take a 7 day cruise, with up to a day allowed
for travel on both ends. In other words, we can be gone a grand total of
about 9 days, and wouldn't want to push it past that. Due to a "Disney
on Ice" show that various folks in the family want to see, we can leave
either October 1, 2, 3 or 4. Sort of wish there was a website that could
also lump in airfare - I'm trying to do it separately. (from Dayton,
Ohio) I think we will focus on the Caribbean 7 day trips.

I would also suggest staying away from Carnival.

In addition... regarding your question about travel agents. Cruise
lines include commission in the quoted fares. If you book through a TA,
the TA gets the commission. If you book directly with the cruise line,
the cruise line keeps the commission. But that's never a good idea.
First off, you want an ally in case something goes wrong (airline
delays, etc.). Second, if there are potential upgrades to better cabins
to be had, or if there is a price drop, a TA can help get those, but if
you book directly with the cruise line... little chance of that
happening. And you want a TA with major cruise experience like many of
the TA's who post here, like Susette and George.

Let me offer some "trade offs"... or other things to think about.

Some cruise lines like Royal Caribbean have the BEST ships. Period.
Ice shows, rock walls, surfing pool, mini golf. But food isn't their forte.

On the other hand, lines like Celebrity and Princess do better with food
and pampering, but the ships aren't like the Royal Caribbean ships with
a zillion things to do. They're more into elegance, rather than non
stop action and activities.

You mention that you do have a day on each end to travel.

Given that... would you consider something in Europe? You might find
something more active, with things to see and do, than the Caribbean.
Maybe something in the Mediterranean. I believe there are a number of 7
day Med sailings. You could visit places like Monte Carlo, Nice, Rome,
the Greek Isles.

Or maybe a northern Europe sailing around the British Isles (England,
Ireland, Scotland).

Or, how about Alaska? Hiking glaciers. Going on a sled dog excursion?
Whale watching? It's a little late for the Alaska season, so prices
might be very inexpensive in early October.

If you had a little longer, you could even look at something like the
Norwegian Fjords, where you could hike along 10,000 foot cliffs, get wet
from waterfalls

I guess I'm saying, don't just think Carnival in the Caribbean.

In fact... if my only option was Carnival... I wouldn't go. I did one
Carnival sailing out of 40+ cruises. It was my first and last Carnival.
To me... the other options (Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean) are
just much better cruise experiences.

And while I do love the Caribbean (snorkeling with Stingrays in Grand
Cayman is wonderful), there's a whole world out there besides the Caribbean.

But if you decide Caribbean... at least expand your horizons past
Carnival. Look at Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess.

--Tom

On Jun 4, 8:07*pm, Jack Hamilton wrote:
On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:00:15 -0400, Ohioguy wrote:
* Is it true that you get some perks if you book your cruise with an
American Express credit card, or is this just some sort of Urban Myth?

I occasionally get special offers, but I don't think there's any kind of
always-on discount. *You might get some kind of travel protection,
depending on the type of card you have. *The Platinum card supposedly
offers discounts and upgrades on some cruises.

Amex Platinum and I believe some other cards provide onboard credits
for many lines (amounts vary, but IIRC, our Amex Platinum credit was
$100-150 for our upcoming cruise. The specifics vary by line and often
by the length of cruise) Generally, the cruise credit, in itself, is
not worth the annual charge for the qualifying cards, but it's a nice
extra if you've got one.

Mark

Kudos for trying to please your wife. But exactly what is it about a cruise
that she thinks she'd enjoy? The more you write, the more it sounds like
you'd be pretty miserable in the Caribbean, particularly on any main stream
cruise ship.

You could look into river cruises, or one in the Great Lakes area.

The Canada NE ones would alleviate your concerns about heat, but the ships
might still be too crowded for you to enjoy very much. The ports might not
be as crowded though, and that's a plus. The cruise you provided a link to
is nine nights, and the ship says it holds 2,376 passengers. That's double
occupancy, so it could easily be more.

If she wants pampering, meals included, and the knowledge that you'll be
with her for a romantic vacation for two, there are other options, and you
might even find something closer to home. The first thing that occurred to
me is Mohunk Mountain House, in the Hudson Valley, but it's pretty pricey.
http://www.mohonk.com/ If it sounds like something that might appeal to both
of you though, it could give you another direction to look in. Another idea
would be a bed and breakfast or an inn. Again, romantic and as far or as
close to home as you want it to be.

"Ohioguy" wrote in message
...

I was just trying to think of any positives I might run into on one of
those huge ships. The schooner idea is probably a lot closer to what I
would enjoy, but I have to consider my wife. Also, I hate hot weather -
and I think anything over about 77 degrees is too warm. I'm worried that
a Caribbean cruise would just be in the 80's all the time, and really
humid.

Although resistant at first, she did say she would go one one of the New
England/Canada cruises, like these:

http://res.cruisecheap.com/travel/cr...portid=&page=1

I worry that they might be the opposite issue, though - too cold and
rainy. I see that they seem to be 2-3 hundred more than the Caribbean
cruises, on average. I'm guessing that this is because of the Fall
foliage?

Anybody ever done one of these Canada/New England cruises? How do they
compare to the ones down South?

On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:12:00 -0700, Jack Hamilton wrote:

Get a balcony cabin and you can sit out there and avoid the crowds.
Sitting out on the balcony overlooking the sea is restful and you can
reflect in the nature of the sea. Even on a crowded ship.

Be careful, though, not to get a balcony right under the pool deck, or
you will not have quiet.

There were some pictures doing the rounds a few years back of a couple going at it on
their "private" balcony on a cruise ship. Problem was the ship was docked at the time and
their balcony was on the dock side.

In article , Ohioguy
wrote:

I was just trying to think of any positives I might run into on one
of those huge ships. The schooner idea is probably a lot closer to what
I would enjoy, but I have to consider my wife. Also, I hate hot weather
- and I think anything over about 77 degrees is too warm. I'm worried
that a Caribbean cruise would just be in the 80's all the time, and
really humid.

The Caribbean is going to be warm. People go on a Caribbean cruises
because they want warm.

--
Charles

In article
,
Warren wrote:

You can't spend an entire cruise sitting on the cabin balcony.
Carnival=Crowds on ships with seriously flawed passenger flow which
accentuate just how crowded it is.

I have seen honeymoon couples on cruises who rarely venture out of
their cabins. Even for dining they would order from room service.

On a crowded cruise ship a balcony would provide a respite.

I never could find a noiseless, relaxing public area, on the Carnival
ship I was on. Everything was busy. I would have to have a balcony on a
Carnival ship to have a getaway place. Not to spend the entire cruise
on but for respite. Our Viking group cruise is on Valor this December
and I booked a balcony for that reason.

Obviously a cruise looks like a poor idea for Ohioguy except in the
context of being considerate of his wife. Being considerate of his wife
may be more important than what he likes and worth some suffering on
his part. That is something he has to decide. And you never know. If he
goes on the cruise it might not turn out that bad. I thought I would
not like cruises before I went on one.

--
Charles

On 6/4/2010 4:41 PM, Ohioguy wrote:
It looks like my wife and I will be going on a cruise in early
October. It just works out that several relatives can come by and watch
our kids (all are 7 or under). I think this will be the first time my
wife and I have had a week to ourselves since our first child was born
over 7 years ago.


Don't forget to check into passport requirements.

Marsha

On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:41:17 -0400, Ohioguy wrote:

I'm most interested in buffets, magic shows, and perhaps
40's/50's/60's type nostalgia music shows, or just some variety shows.

All the ships will have buffets and some kind of variety show.

I'm not very interested in formal dining, because by the time you've
waited to be seated, waited to order, waited to get your food, and
waited for the bill - I find myself thinking, "gee, I could have fixed
something like that in half the time". I am looking forward to having
time to relax and read as well, rather than change diapers, get kids
ready for school, etc.

The formal dining does not take any more time than any other kind of
dining on a ship. You either have an assigned table which you go
directly to at the assigned time, or you go to the dining room and are
seated - wait time depending on when you go. We usually go early and
are seated right away but going late is the same. You only have to
wait if you go between 6 and 7 which is when most other people go.
There's no waiting for the bill as others have mentioned.

I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some
possibilities. They are all Carnival ships - Legend, Victory & Liberty.
Oct. 3 7 night Western Caribbean from Tampa shows $569 for balcony, so
that is one possibility.

Once you decide on your trip, buy it from a travel agent that knows
about cruises. Can be on-line but use an individual person and not a
mass marketing agency. The travel agent's fee is paid by the cruise
line and they do NOT give you a lower price because you don't use and
agent.

Also I would caution about using cruise line air. I talked to a
couple from Toronto on our last cruise who had done that, and they had
three flights to connect on, starting at 5 am and getting to the ship
just before it sailed. It was January and they were worried about the
weather disrupting one of the connections which were pretty tight.

I'm also considering the Norwegian Epic. I think I heard that it has
Blue Man Group show, which I've always wanted to see - and was trying to
decide if it was worth the extra cost. (and smaller room, most likely)

NCL does not really have formal dining or assigned seating. Also this
cruise goes mostly to Mexico and Central America.

If anyone has advice or suggestions, I'm very interested in
benefiting from your experience to hopefully improve the quality of the
trip.

I looked on Vacations to Go for cruises a max of 7 days leaving Oct 1,
2, 3 or 4 and I have some other suggestions that might suit you better
than what you have listed as the weather will be cooler.

Bermuda for 7 nights departing October 3, 2010 on Holland America's
Veendam from New York. This is a smaller ship and Bermuda is cooler
than the Caribbean. If there is a hurricane the cruise will probably
default to Canada. When you get to Bermuda you can get off the ship
and walk around on your own - ride the bus, hike the old railroad
trailbed or whatever. And your wife can shop or even stay on the
ship. There's also a shorter 5 day cruise to Bermuda from Baltimore

There are four 7 day cruises going to Canada on those dates
Oct 2 out of Boston, MA Royal Caribbean / Jewel of the Seas
Oct 2 New York (Brooklyn), NY Caribbean Princess
Oct 2 New York (Manhattan), Carnival Glory
Oct 3 New York (Manhattan), NY Norwegian Dawn

There is a 7 day Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Pride out of
Baltimore. Later in the winter the Bahamas will be a lot cooler than
the Caribbean, but probably this time of year it will be warm. However
the trip down will be cooler. There is a danger of hurricanes on this
itinerary.

There are also two river cruises out of Portland Oregon.

On 6/4/2010 3:41 PM, Ohioguy wrote:
I've used a website, cruisecheap.com, to come up with some
possibilities. They are all Carnival ships - Legend, Victory &
Liberty. Oct. 3 7 night Western Caribbean from Tampa shows $569 for
balcony, so that is one possibility.

Since you have young children, I will assume you and your wife are also
fairly young. Royal Caribbean and Carnival would be good choices for a
first cruise. I have cruised on the Legend and the Victory and I
enjoyed both of those ships. The food was wonderful, so was the
entertainment. If you like comedy, I think Carnival has the best
late-night stand up comedians. They also have jugglers, magic shows,
etc. The Legend is a Spirit Class ship and, IMO, they are the best
ships Carnival has built.

If traditional dining is not for you, you can choose Your Choice dining
on Carnival, so you can eat whenever you feel like it. The buffet is
another option, they are open during dining hours. The Deli is open
from 11:00am-11:00pm and the pizzeria is open 24 hours a day. Room
service is free, but you should offer a tip.

Since you are a first time cruiser, you will have a lot of questions and
this is a great place to find answers.

A bunch of us "cruise addicts" are going to a picnic in Ohio, there were
about 50 people there last year. It is on a farm in a wooded area, with
horses. You are welcome to join us.

http://cruisemaster.com/ohio.htm

Becca

On Jun 5, 9:22*am, D Ball wrote:
Hi, Ohioguy, welcome to RTC.
....
WOW - Send me a cuppa that coffee, Diana!
Excellent advice, all around (and amazingly comprehensive)

I think that Diana's conclusions are right-on, but let me offer one
more alternative itinerary - Alaska - if you can cruise a month or two
earlier.

I suspect that the pricing and convenience of the Carribbean are best
for your needs, but if you're looking at a quieter, more northern
cruise, Alaska might be a better choice then New England.

There are more ships (and hopefully some great deals) and, especially
for some, the passenger mix might be younger than New England (still
significantly older than Caribbean, however) There are many wildlife
excursions that are simply outstanding.

Please keep us posted on how it turns out!

Mark