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Talk to me about cruises (1 Viewer)

WedgeRock

WedgeRock

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Wife and I kicked around the idea of taking a cruise with the fam. Initially, we we're planning on winter break in Feb, but hockey and non-aligned school schedules is bumping it to likely June. Thinking 5-7 days. Done a few cruises in the past (Norwegian and RCL, both Carribean), but not with kids.

Haven't cruised since 9/11. Are they stricter on the passport issue now?

Kids are (or will be by June) 16, 14 and 12. Pitch me on destinations and/or Cruise lines for a tween-ager/teenager.

Any tips/tricks/insight to save a few bucks? I was using a travel agency, but I kinda fell off the radar because it's so far out and that's okay, I can handle booking myself. Thinking of adjoining staterooms, one for me/wife and one for the boys, so last-minute bookings are probably out. I guess we could do non-adjoinint staterooms if the savings justify it.

Go!
 
1. I know nada about teens. We do hear that Carnival is the most kid-friendly, but have no evidence.

2. After the end of April, those ships repositioning to Europe have departed, so there are fewer available here.

3. I've booked all but one of our cruises through vacationstogo.com. I have yet to beat their prices, and their service has been excellent.

We're leaving on Dec.16 for a 21-night Caribbean cruise on Holland American just to avoid the boring holidays and bowl season ... looking forward to seeing a few new (to us) islands: Bonaire, Curacao, St. Kitts, St. Lucia. :cool:

Good luck with the booking!
 
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I've heard Carnival is kid and milkshake friendly. We aren't really either. My kids don't need "activities" to keep them occupied. I recall RCL had a rock wall and basket ball court... My kids would dig something like that, but really, just the pools would keep them occupied.

Good tip on the booking site... So I can just put in the dates and it'll give me the options available? Thanks bwoukd be a great place to start
 
Cruisecritic.com for information and reviews on each ship

cruisesonly.com can help find a sailing

I usually will book through crucon.com as they always seem to have the best add-on (gratuity, beverages, ship board credit, etc.).
 
pltrgyst said:
looking forward to seeing a few new (to us) islands: Bonaire, Curacao, St. Kitts, St. Lucia. :cool:
Click to expand...

1. Bonaire
2. St Kitts
3. St. Lucia
4. Curacao

I used to work on a ship and spent some time on the Caribbean. I would rate those islands as noted above. Bonaire is truly incredible with some of the most amazing beaches and clearest blue water I have ever seen.
 
Lemonzest said:
1. Bonaire
2. St Kitts
3. St. Lucia
4. Curacao

I used to work on a ship and spent some time on the Caribbean. I would rate those islands as noted above. Bonaire is truly incredible with some of the most amazing beaches and clearest blue water I have ever seen.
Click to expand...

Any islands rate higher? The itinerary is wide open at this point...
 
WedgeRock said:
I've heard Carnival is kid and milkshake friendly. We aren't really either. My kids don't need "activities" to keep them occupied. I recall RCL had a rock wall and basket ball court... My kids would dig something like that, but really, just the pools would keep them occupied.

Good tip on the booking site... So I can just put in the dates and it'll give me the options available? Thanks bwoukd be a great place to start
Click to expand...

Just my 2c. but for the money I would book an all inclusive in Mexico or Cuba and not be bound to a vessel unless you like the idea of being on a ship.
 
WedgeRock said:
Any islands rate higher? The itinerary is wide open at this point...
Click to expand...

No. Bonaire is my hands down favourite spot in all the Caribbean and we went to almost all the islands. Bermuda is very nice as well but crazy expensive.

Cancun and surrounding resorts are also really nice.

Trinidad and Tobago is cool if you want to experience the stereotypical Caribbean culture and music etc.

I would avoid Jamaica unless you plan on being inside the resort the entire time. Jamaica is actually dangerous.
 
Lemonzest said:
Just my 2c. but for the money I would book an all inclusive in Mexico or Cuba and not be bound to a vessel unless you like the idea of being on a ship.
Click to expand...

Speak on it.

My wife loved cruising. @detroitdad has done the all inclusives a few times and they also looked like a blast. Is there a huge price difference? The novelty of moving your hotel room to a new destination every other day appeals to me more than the same pool/restaurant/lobby. Plus, international waters. I heard you can kill people with impugnity. :cautious: I mean they have gambling.
 
I enjoy waking up somewhere different without needing to unpack.

For wife and I, Grenada was probably best cruise stop. If you can do it, sail out of San Juan and catch 5-6 islands vs. most 7 days you have 2-4 stops. St. John also a favorite.
 
WedgeRock said:
Speak on it.

My wife loved cruising. @detroitdad has done the all inclusives a few times and they also looked like a blast. Is there a huge price difference? The novelty of moving your hotel room to a new destination every other day appeals to me more than the same pool/restaurant/lobby. Plus, international waters. I heard you can kill people with impugnity. :cautious: I mean they have gambling.
Click to expand...

If that sounds fun to you then do it. I know people who cruise and love it. For me if I am paying a few K for holidays I don't want a small room. As I mentioned before I worked on a ship for a while so the idea of being at sea in a small room really doesn't appeal to me. Also I dislike the idea of being on a huge ship with tons of other people.

I like being in the same place for holidays. After the first couple days you know where everything is and then you can really relax....but maybe thats just me. The mexico all inclusives really have it dialed in. At the nice resorts there are bars everywhere. Swim up bars in the pools...bars right on the beach. Kids play in the pool and you sit in the sun with a drink in your hand...sounds perfect to me :)

We went to Grand Palladium for our honeymoon back in 2011 and loved it
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Re...nial_Resort_Spa-Akumal_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

The one thing that is cool about cruises is seeing different islands or places. Having a new adventure every day or 2 would be fun. Just be aware all the ports where the vessels dock are often touristy with jewelers and high end stores etc.
 
Gambling (well poker, because that's my fun-zone) on a cruise ship is negative EV. Crazy high rakes.

One of my players came back from a cruise recently. He thought he was doing well, but realized he was down. Then he asked around the table, and EVERY SINGLE PERSON was down. Nobody had left, so where did the money go?

15% rake, uncapped.

Carnival Cruises. :mad:

...and electronic poker tables. :wtf:
 
Yeah, not going to gamble... Rakes aside, I want to spend time with the family. When l taught the wife to play craps, it was fun... But grinding six hours in a casino while the family is in the pool without me? No thanks.
 
WedgeRock said:
Wife and I kicked around the idea of taking a cruise with the fam. Initially, we we're planning on winter break in Feb, but hockey and non-aligned school schedules is bumping it to likely June. Thinking 5-7 days. Done a few cruises in the past (Norwegian and RCL, both Carribean), but not with kids.

Haven't cruised since 9/11. Are they stricter on the passport issue now?

Kids are (or will be by June) 16, 14 and 12. Pitch me on destinations and/or Cruise lines for a tween-ager/teenager.

Any tips/tricks/insight to save a few bucks? I was using a travel agency, but I kinda fell off the radar because it's so far out and that's okay, I can handle booking myself. Thinking of adjoining staterooms, one for me/wife and one for the boys, so last-minute bookings are probably out. I guess we could do non-adjoinint staterooms if the savings justify it.

Go!
Click to expand...
I am taking our kids on our second family cruise in March. My kids are 17,15,14,13,10. They LOVED the first one. We use Carnival because we have a port just a short drive from Dallas - and our kid friendly destinations are Cozumel, Belieze, and Rotan. We hit the beaches when we are in port and usually a themed restaurant (Senior Frogs, Margaritaville) We get two cabins and put the kids all in one. We do not do adjoining rooms, because frankly, we don't want to deal with that. Carnival allows them to be three or four doors away with a teenager - so we are covered. It's max 4 per room, my mom usually goes with us, so my only Daughter takes a bed in grandma's room.

The ship is great for kids (well behaved) as they have the freedom to do pretty much anything they want. They have a age group focused hangout spot, where they can meet kids their age and join in on the planned activities. My kids hang out in the clubs, pools, basketball courts, golf and at the bars. They each have their sail and sign card with a $25/day limit - so they can't spend like crazy. We get them the soda package and they love the virgin drinks. I would caution you on the arcade, my kid dropped his $25 daily limit there in all of 5 minutes - swipe, play. swipe. play.

I'm not sure about passport issues - all my kids have one. Pretty sure you can do birth certificates, but I would make sure you were dead nuts on that before booking and arriving to find out you were wrong.

I just call carnival and ask for the best rate. They have a price promise, so if the fare drops, they will adjust it if you call. I just saved $300 on my original booking on their Black Friday sale. Easy peasy.

If you have any questions - let me know. We love cruising with the kids, because it's a vacation for all of us. Kids go away on at sea days, we meet for meals, and they go off again. They love it, we love it.
 
Is Galveston cheaper than, say Miami? Both flying in and sailing out.

Selfishly, there's a baseball park in Houston that isn't going to see itself... And the rest of the guys have already been there. :whistle: :whistling:
 
WedgeRock said:
Any islands rate higher? The itinerary is wide open at this point...
Click to expand...

From Lemonzest:
1. Bonaire
2. St Kitts
3. St. Lucia
4. Curacao

I think Lemonzest's rankings are based on differing factors from ours. :cool:

Ours are based on food, booze, shopping, touring the island -- very little on outdoor activities, other than the beach, since we already live in Florida

But as I said, we haven't been to those above. All the raves we hear for Bonaire come from people who really enjoy snorkeling, diving, etc.

And we are very much looking forward to the famous downtown of Willemstad, Curacao.

Of the other islands we've visited, our favorites would be Aruba, Martinique, St. Croix, Barbados, Puerto Rico, BVIs, St. John, and Anguilla, in that order. Our hands-down favorite used to be St. Martin, but the French side has been utterly devastated.
 
@pltrgyst your analysis is correct. I am mainly ranking Bonaire as the "best" from a nature point of view. I can't speak to restaurants or nightlife etc.

I forgot about Aruba. Aruba and Bonaire are tied for the best.
 
WedgeRock said:
Is Galveston cheaper than, say Miami? Both flying in and sailing out.

Selfishly, there's a baseball park in Houston that isn't going to see itself... And the rest of the guys have already been there. :whistle: :whistling:
Click to expand...
You have to fly into Houston and take a transfer to the port by bus - probably not significantly cheaper. And Texas gets out of school before you, so prices already increase.
 
We have gone two cruises in the last two years with the son. He loves the teen club on NCL. The teen club keeps him busy all day.

CraigT78 said:
we love cruising with the kids, because it's a vacation for all of us. Kids go away on at sea days, we meet for meals, and they go off again. They love it, we love it.
Click to expand...

pretty much this.

You can surf the deals at NCL.com and compare pricing with any of the cruise booking sites. If you are set on a balcony or better then try Costcotravel.com because they always throw in something extra like Costco cards.
 
Any issues with traveling toward the equator in June? I figure in ports it'll probably be sticky, but on board with the ship moving it shouldn't be too bad. Thoughts?
 
As I understand it, it is always summer in the Caribbean. However, if you are looking more temperate climates, I have heard great things about Alaskan cruises in the summer.
 
WedgeRock said:
Any issues with traveling toward the equator in June? I figure in ports it'll probably be sticky, but on board with the ship moving it shouldn't be too bad. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
No issue with a June cruise. Ports aren't horrible, usually an island breeze.
 
Posting so I can follow, wife wants a winter vacation at some point so there looks to be helpful advice in here
 
Cruises are not my cup of tea. My wife loves them and nowadays she goes with groups of girls but when our boys were younger they loved Disney cruises. Kat could answer all your questions and she is currently planning one with her girlfriends as we speak. For the money I don’t love it enough to be worth it for me, I have a hard time sitting still. Kat is all Carnival all the time. Also Jim O. Is very high on the Disney cruise experience, and very knowledgeable!
 

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