Any experienced cruisers here?

[marlathrall]

I'm currently experiencing a little post-holiday blues and decided it was time to start planning our vacation. My hubby is a farmer and works constantly- Spring, Summer, and Fall so we try to go somewhere in the Winter/early Spring.

I think we have decided to go on a cruise this year. We will probably leave out of New Orleans (because it's only 1,000 miles away in case we decided to drive). We still haven't decided if we want to go to the western Caribbean or the eastern Caribbean. I'd prefer western but my hubby is nervous about Cozumel (which I've read is perfectly safe these days).

We are going to go get our passport pictures on Saturday and then apply for them on Monday. After we get those back, we will hopefully pick a ship, date, and cabin.

Anyway, neither one of us has ever cruised before. If anyone has any veteran advice we'd love to hear it. Have you been to the Caribbean? Did you prefer the east or the west? Did you get sea sick? What about off-shore excursions? Which cabin should we book? There are just so many choices and I'm beginning to get overwhelmed.

[Nutmeg]

I've only done two cruises, but I love it!

We did the Western Caribbean the first time and the Southern Caribbean our second. Southern Caribbean is actually my favorite. It felt to me like the Southern Caribbean is more relaxed, and the Western is more of a party. Western Caribbean was fun though, and Cozumel was the place where we felt the safest and had the most fun out of all the stops on that cruise. Our favorite excursion was the "drive your own motorboat to a private island" one. We also did Tulum, and while I'm glad I went for the photos, it wasn't much fun.

We've had both a regular room with tiny window and a junior suite. The suite was awesome and it was fun to have a balcony, but it was a splurge for our honeymoon and the normal rooms weren't bad.

I didn't have problems with seasickness. On one cruise I was fine as long as I look the non-drowsy dramamine, and I didn't end up needing anything on the other. A lot of people wore patches to prevent getting sea sick.

Hope that helps!

[Julie Billingsley]

I have only been on one cruise but it was incredible! Since it was our honeymoon, we sprung for the whole jr. suite with a terrace, but that was really more than we needed. If I was planning a trip, I would get an interior room to save money because you don't really spend a lot of time just hanging out in your room. The excursions we did were a learn to snorkel trip, a parasail trip, a speed boat tour of St. Thomas and Megan's Bay, and a rum tour in Puerto Rico. Looking back, we had fun on all of them, but probably only would do the snorkel trip again. Our destinations were St. Thomas, Haiti (this was long before the earthquake there), Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. My husband gets sea sick, but didn't get sick at all on the ship! It was truly magical for us and I hope you have a wonderful time!

[BrattyMeg]

I prefer the Eastern Caribbean over Western..the islands there are just way less commercialized than Cozumel and stuff. We looked at a cruise over Christmas this year (2012) but not sure yet if we'll go thru with one or not.

[ScrappieJackie]

Since i don't like to fly...we've cruised a ton of times =) but never to the caribbean...I've never gotten sea sick...even with 17 foot swells in Hawaii but I live at the beach and everyone is different...for a first time cruiser they always suggest to book a cabin in the middle of the boat cause that is the most ~stable~ area... we always get a suite with a balcony...I gotta have fresh air...our fav cruise line is Celebrity...but we have also sailed with Royal Caribbean... Disney... Holland America...Norweigan and Carnival...not Princess for some reason =) definitely book your shore excursions before you go...one less thing you have to deal with when you get on board...and we always dine at the second setting... less crowded and rushed... I would work with either the cruise line or a travel agent... they can answer all your questions and get you the best deal...have fun and if you want any more info...just PM me =)

[emmasmommy]

We just booked a cruise last night . We went two years ago and looooooved it. This time we're leaving from new Orleans and cruising to Cozumel for 4 days. We usually go in February bc that's when my seasonal depression is the worst.

IMO, it's totally the best way to go. We drive to our port and just make it a road trip/cruise adventure. LOL. It's much cheaper for us to cruise than anything else. Carnival has awesome past guest relations.

[mrshobbes]

I always say cruising is traveling for lazy people. You board, you check in, you unpack, and then you journey to lots of places at once without packing up again and again I love it! I wish I could cruise more.

We did a Princess cruise to Alaska in 2009--it was 10 days (which is too long imho) but you can plan outdoor excursions and customize your trip that way. Such good food, and a 24-hour buffet, omg. I gained 10 pounds in 10 days, gah.

We dined at the second seating too! So dinner was usually around 9PM, which was fine because the sun was still out at 10PM! lol

[emmasmommy]

Ooh we get the dine anytime option. I hate to have a schedule when I'm supposed to be relaxing. Then I can nap whenever I want! LOL

[nonnie]

We are doing a cruise this year too - I am doing it for my 40th birthday and combining it with my daughter who turns 16 - For their 16th birthday each of my kids gets to pick one place to go - and my daughter and I both wanted to go to Greece. So we are cruising out of Venice - we had booked a trip in May, but Jay will be deployed so we had to push it back - we are thinking Sept. I prefer to go off season so to speak - not so many kids running around. Also my daughter gets to bring her best friend. So 10 days Greece, Turkey and Split Croatia. Right now it is a toss up between Royal Caribbean or Holland America. RCL is cheaper but the ship is really old and there is no special dining - Jay and I are HUGE foodies - and the food on Holland is suposto be amazing, so I think even though it will cost us a little more we are going to do the Holland Cruise. I know it has a reputation for being an old people cruise line, but we also like to dress for dinner and all that corny stuff. I like the napkin folding class... It has actually come in useful on more than one occasion!!!!
Jacob my 17 year old was on a princess cruise that tipped off the coast of Fla in 2007 and after the way the cruise line handled that fiasco I will never cruise with them again.

This just all sounds good because we live overseas - we could NEVER afford these if we were stateside!!! And even though the kids get a cruise for their 16th it is the cheapest room, next to the laundry and the bathroom in the lowest deck.... Jay compares it to the steerage class on the movie Titanic.
We could actually drive there and take a ferry to Greece, but with 2 teenagers the food bill alone would KILL us - plus Europeans charge room rate based on the the number of people, It would end up costing us at least double a cruise trip

[nonnie]

I forgot to add - I LOVE LOVE LOVE cruise critic.com - the boards there are amazing - they totally help my OCD in planning vacations - also I LOVE trip advisor to see what to do when we get to a port. It helps with planning shore excursions -

[crecia27]

We LOVE to cruise! I'm actually lucky enough to get to go on 2 in 2012! Both out of Galveston. I think NO is the same in that you just get what itinerary they have available. I've yet to be on a bad cruise!

We usually pick an inside cabin, whatever is cheapest. We like not having a window so we can sleep whenever we choose - but I know that some people really love being able to open the window or sit alone out on the balcony. I find we are only in our room to sleep and change so this hasnt been an issue - however maybe we'd spend more time in our room if we had a window? Also, I've never cruised not as part of a group, so perhaps I'd be less busy if it was just the 2 of us.

I highly recommend booking excursions through the ship. You can get it cheaper if you wait to do it there - but then you also run a risk and I hate taking risks in other countries.

What cruise line are you going on? We did RC out of Galveston last year and that ship is moving to NO this year. We LOVED it! Best ship we've sailed on so far. And our favorite evening entertainer went with that ship!

[marlathrall]

You girls are all so helpful! I'm thinking either Carnival or RC. When we go on vacation, I always want to be on the go- seeing this, that, and everything, so the hubby is looking forward to actually be stuck on a ship so I won't want to be on the go all the time. Hopefully, I will actually relax.

I'm thinking we might get a room with a window- but no balcony. I'm still torn over whether to go on a 5 day cruise or a 7 day. I will have 53 hours of vacation time built up in March, so we could fit the 7 day one in with a quick road trip.

This is all making me so excited. I'm glad to hear such great things about cruises...

[crecia27]

You'd be surprised how much there is to do on a ship!! Now granted I had my kids to help keep me busy, but on the RC ship we were on last year I left the ship with things unseen and undone! The new ones have rock walls and movie theaters and putt putt golf! My kids even got to ice skate for the first time! On a ship!

Keep in mind the 1st and last day are really just boarding / disembarking. I'd go with 7 days IMHO.

[abm234]

We LOVED our Disney Cruise but then again its the only one we've ever been on! My husband just called me a few hours ago to tell me he found a great deal on them in April!

[julifish]

I'm an avid cruiser!!! I've been on 8 cruises in the past six years (and going on #9 in March). I have to second checking out cruise critic dot com. I use that site to help me read reviews on ships, plan our activities in port and get the scoop on what to expect on board. There are lots of threads in the forum with info for new cruisers that include answers to every question you have!

I personally prefer the Eastern Carribean (San Juan, St. Thomas, Grand Turk, ship islands) versus Western (Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya), but both are fun...especially if you've never been to the ports. I am someone who gets motion sickness so I travel with Sea Bands and a script for motion sickness medicines to take when needed. I've found that as long as I'm out on deck I do pretty well with the motion sickness, which only hits on rough sea days. Most of the time I do perfectly fine. I think some pre-planning if you are prone to motion sickness will help you be prepared. I also take a bag with any kind of medicine we might need so I'm super prepared no matter what happens. My SIL tried the patch on our family cruise last year and it didn't work so great for her (the switching the patch totally goofed her up!) So definitely talk to your doctor about your options if this a worry!

Researching your shore excursions will make your trip better. We like to go with a private company versus the ship unless we will be traveling a long distance from the port. So if we were going to Mexico and wanted to see Mayana ruins we'd used a ship excursion so we were sure if the tour was late coming back the ship would be there waiting for us. However, ship excursions are more expensive and generally have more people on them. We've done some ports on our own using advice we've found online and then other ports we use local tour companies and have always felt safe and had a great time. (It's part of the adventure of it all!). We usually will pay for an inside room on board and then splurge on one great excursion on the trip and do some cheaper excursions/adventures in other ports.

Location on board (inside, outside, up, down, front, and back) are all a matter of your personal preferrence. I like inside because it's cheap (LOL!) and having it really dark is great if you want to sleep in and while the rooms are small...we always seem to fit (even when we take our 2 girls with us).

I'd be happy to answer any other specific questions you have if you want to PM me. I don't want to bore everyone to death with all my cruise advice. I absolutely LOVE to cruise and I think that as long as you have the attitude that a cruise is what you make of it you will have a fabulous time!!!! Have fun planning your trip!

[julifish]

Originally Posted by marlathrall

You girls are all so helpful! I'm thinking either Carnival or RC. When we go on vacation, I always want to be on the go- seeing this, that, and everything, so the hubby is looking forward to actually be stuck on a ship so I won't want to be on the go all the time. Hopefully, I will actually relax.

I'm thinking we might get a room with a window- but no balcony. I'm still torn over whether to go on a 5 day cruise or a 7 day. I will have 53 hours of vacation time built up in March, so we could fit the 7 day one in with a quick road trip.

This is all making me so excited. I'm glad to hear such great things about cruises...

If you can afford 7 and it fits in your time budget then do 7!!! The first day you don't get on until 12-1 pm and the ship generally doesn't leave port until 4-5pm so you basically spend your time getting to know the ship, unpacking, etc. Then the last day everyone is generally off the ship by 9:30 am. So it's breakfast and good bye - you have plenty of time on the last day to go do something else from where you are getting off or even drive home depending on your drive time.

[Andrea G]

How fun! I'd say pick the 7 day cruise for sure!

Both of the companies you're looking at are great IMO, and I've done both. I do remember thinking RC had more older people on it, and Carnival has younger people... you guys are young'ons so the Carnival might be more appealing, but it's been awhile since I've cruised and that might have changed.

My favorite islands are St. Thomas, Barbados, Martinique, Cozumel, Grand Caymen, so obviously a bit of a mix between the western and eastern! I'm sure whichever you pick, you'll end up loving.

For advice, I'd recommend the early dinner eating schedule, it's better for breakfast, too, you can eat earlier and then head out to your ports where you stop. Those who have the later, can do other options, but not the nice, posh breakfast on those days unless they want to leave the ship much later, which, I'm all for leaving earlier, you usually have quite limited time on each island.

I also recommend the inner cabin on a lower floor. We've had a window a few of the times and it was fun, but not necessary. Also, if you want a nap mid day, it's easier to sleep in an inner cabin, you can black out the room. It's been a long time since I've cruised, 2000, but back then they had room service you could get for free. If you're spent and feel too lazy, it's a nice option! I'm sure they have that now, and it was all included, you didn't have to pay extra.

Also, plan on $150 of extra cash (prolly more by now, since I haven't cruised in a bit) for the last day when you pay your cabin stewards, waiters, etc.

One other thing, if you have any friends that want to come, bring them! The more the merrier with cruises. You end up hanging out with strangers (that are at your assigned dining table) or whoever you bring, either way, it's fun!

I'm so excited for you guys, you will LOVE it!

P.S. You may want to get some sort of seasick medicine (ie: the patch, whatever they have now) just in case. Even if neither of you have ever been seasick, just get some, you never know... one of my friends was sick the whole time and wished she had brought something.

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by julifish

I don't want to bore everyone to death with all my cruise advice.

I promise you won't be boring me! Feel free to keep talking!

[marlathrall]

Thank you all so much. And Julie, I will totally come to you if I have any more questions. I think I'm now leaning more towards the Eastern Carribean now... And an interior room. I'm all about cheap and we have a very dark room at home. I'm getting way excited. Thanks so much girls!

[crecia27]

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

I promise you won't be boring me! Feel free to keep talking!

ditto! I'm going in 39 days so I'm loving reading about it!

[emmasmommy]

Originally Posted by crecia27

ditto! I'm going in 39 days so I'm loving reading about it!

weee! we go in 42!

[crecia27]

Originally Posted by emmasmommy

weee! we go in 42!

Woo Hoo!! Out of New Orleans? What cruise line?

[Robin Carlton]

I'll go against the crowd and say we aren't cruise people lol.

I did post a recap of our 7 night western caribbean cruise though awhile back - maybe there's something there you'll find helpful.

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ad.php?t=43164

Good luck planning your trip! Even though I dont like cruising that much, I am strongly in the camp of any vacation is better than no vacation!

Robin

[marlathrall]

Originally Posted by Robin Carlton

I'll go against the crowd and say we aren't cruise people lol.

I did post a recap of our 7 night western caribbean cruise though awhile back - maybe there's something there you'll find helpful.

https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...ad.php?t=43164

Good luck planning your trip! Even though I dont like cruising that much, I am strongly in the camp of any vacation is better than no vacation!

Robin

Thanks for the post! That's actually pretty much the same trip we will be taking, except out of TX (I think). We are typically rush around and freak out over schedule type of travelers so this didn't really scare me away. lol. And no kiddies either, so we won't have to leave them while we do adult stuff.

I'm getting so ridiculously excited about this.

[emmasmommy]

Originally Posted by crecia27

Woo Hoo!! Out of New Orleans? What cruise line?

LOL yep! New Orleans. Carnival.

how freakin' funny!

[julifish]

We leave in 67 days and it's time to start planning our shore excursions. Has anyone ever been to Grand Cayman on a cruise and loved their excursion? What about Ocho Rios?

We cruise pretty much exclusively Carnival (it's what we can afford and the kids LOVE their kids program!), but my parents absolutely love RC so I don't think you can go wrong either way. It's all what you make of it in my mind.

Here are few tips I've learned on Carnival that make our trips more enjoyable - they might work on any cruise line.
1. Carnival allows you to bring on your own water and soda. We bring one rolling duffle bag and get a 12 pack of soda and some bottled waters and check this bag (it's very sturdy so I don't worry that something is going to break and wet other passenger's luggage). Also, Carnival allows 1 bottle of wine per adult and that you carry on. I always bring 2 bottles and open it in my room to avoid the dining room corkage fee. Don't forget the wine opener!
2. In the room we empty the fridge of the Carnival stuff (put it where your room attendant can see it so they know you didn't use it, like a high shelf) and then put our own drinks in the fridge. If the ship doesn't have a fridge (or if we are going on longer excursions) we take a collapsable cooler and keep it in the bathroom and ask that it be filled daily with ice.
3. Don't take your own towels to the beach. They come back sandy and there is no where to clean them to take them home (duh!). Use the ship's towels when you go ashore.
4. If you like to snorkel invest in your own gear and take it with you. It saves you money in the long run and then you know whose mouth was last on your snorkel.
5. Hand sanitzer is your friend, use it often and especially before you eat. We always make a special trip to B&BW to get new hand sanitizers before each trip. While they do have some on board to use in the buffet lines and when you come back on board it's nice to have after being the elevator, at a show, holding on to hand rails and of course when you are in a foreign coutry.
6. Things I always take on board with me: 6 plug, alarm clock, soft sided cooler, wine opener, large envelopes to take home the daily papers, key cards, post cards and other paper souviners to add to my scrapbook, any medications (over the counter type stuff) we might possibly need - at least one to two days worth, dry snacks, Post It Notes and pens/highlighters, Laundry bag for dirty clothes.
7. Anytime Dining is a great thing! While it's nice to dine with the same people every night it's also really nice to dine when you want to and either alone or with other people. We switched to Anytime Dining a few years ago and some nights we eat just our family and sometimes we chose to eat with others and share our day having the flexibility to fit dinner in when we want to eat rather than when we are assigned to eat out weighs getting to know your waiter.
8. Taking time to research the ports you are going to and book your excursion ahead of time is worth every minute. We've been on some awesom excursions and learned lots about the countries and cities we've visited by researching where we are going before we leave.

[marlathrall]

Juli, this knowledge is amazing- especially the part about drinks. We will totally be packing my hubby's mountain dew supply in with us.