Vacation cruises??

[IndianaSlim]

Here's the deal. I just marked on my calendar an elk hunt for 2011 with a good friend of mine. Public ground, cheap, 12 day hunt. BUT, to get this arranged, I had to promise to take my girlfeiend on vacation. I didn't really HAVE to, but we haven't been on a real vacation so it's only fair.

I'm thinking about a cruise, sometime around Jan/Feb 2011. I would prefer to sail out of somewhere close enough to drive there. No real destination in mind, but probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7 nights. NO MORE THAN 7 NIGHTS!!! I've never been on a cruise but they seem like a pretty decent bang for the buck and there's quite a few activities both on and off the boat. I've been looking at some carnival cruises because a friend recommended them. Any other ones to look at? What can we expect to spend on booze/food/entertainment once on the boat? I'd like to keep the cost of the cruise to around $1,000 for the two of us if I could, that way we can have some spending $$ with us. Any other tricks of the trade I need to know about? I appreciate any help you guys can throw my way!

 

[IndyMonkey]

You are starting out the relationship on the wrong foot.

Just saying.

Dont get in the habit of letting her keep score.

 

[ironjaw]

You are starting out the relationship on the wrong foot.

Just saying.

Dont get in the habit of letting her keep score.

+1,000,000 nip it in the bud!

 

[E5RANGER375]

I just marked on my calendar an elk hunt for 2011 with a good friend of mine. Public ground, cheap, 12 day hunt.


BUT, to get this arranged, I had to promise to take my girlfriend on vacation. I didn't really HAVE to, but we haven't been on a real vacation so it's only fair.

SWEET!! A MANCATION!!!! and why do yu still get to have a MANcation??? see the answer in bold above ........ your not married, lol. just wait till you are , no more mancations

 

[Hoosier Gun Coat]

Most if not all Caribbean cruises leave from the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. Food is really good. Booze is VERY expensive. I went on my first cruise back in may. It was a 10 day cruise. Lots of old people on rascals. Nice ports but I don't like being stuck on a ship.

 

[shawkpilot]

Most cruises give you a card, and they don't bill you for drinks until the end. Good way to rack up a huge bill, without knowing it. Also, we ate dinner with the captain every night, and the service was excellent, however they expect a nice cash tip at the last meal. The maid service is also looking for a nice cash tip at the end of the cruise.

Personally, I stay at hotels all the time, and I'm not a fan of lots of people, so I probably won't do another one. Most people enjoy them though.

 

[rmabrey]

I left on a 5 day in march from Tampa. Went to grand caymen and cozumel. Paid $500 each for 2 of us to share a room and we were eating lobster the first night. Alcohol is expensive!!!

 

[Benny]

You are headed down a dark path, brotha.

 

[rmabrey]

You are headed down a dark path, brotha.

I agree with Joe here, I estimate the money ive spent on Girlfriends that got me nothing in return could buy a lot of new toys and the ammo to feed them.

You wont catch me on dates trying to impress that new girl, or buying drinks. She can pick her tab up till i give her a ring.

 

[Arm America]

If you have not been on a cruise, you should go.

Five days is about right, seven would be to much for me.
Been on a few, the food is fairly decent with no end in sight of it.
Depending on the Company, there is a lot of entertainment available.
Full Basket ball Courts, exercise equipment, rock climbing and gambling.
Magic shows, comedians, you name it, just depends on what you
want to do and who you cruise with.
(Different cruise lines cater to different age groups with different activities)
Adult drinks are salty and you are not supposed to bring your own. They do check!!
Tips during and at the end are just part of it.
Don't let the tipping prevent you from going.
They don't throw your luggage overboard.
Most offer short notice cancellations on the net.
If you and the GF's time off is flexible,(week or two notice)
you can do it for even less.

 

[steepo17]

Here's the deal. I just marked on my calendar an elk hunt for 2011 with a good friend of mine. Public ground, cheap, 12 day hunt. BUT, to get this arranged, I had to promise to take my girlfeiend on vacation. I didn't really HAVE to, but we haven't been on a real vacation so it's only fair.

I'm thinking about a cruise, sometime around Jan/Feb 2011. I would prefer to sail out of somewhere close enough to drive there. No real destination in mind, but probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7 nights. NO MORE THAN 7 NIGHTS!!! I've never been on a cruise but they seem like a pretty decent bang for the buck and there's quite a few activities both on and off the boat. I've been looking at some carnival cruises because a friend recommended them. Any other ones to look at? What can we expect to spend on booze/food/entertainment once on the boat? I'd like to keep the cost of the cruise to around $1,000 for the two of us if I could, that way we can have some spending $$ with us. Any other tricks of the trade I need to know about? I appreciate any help you guys can throw my way!

Been on a couple of 3 day cruises in the Caribbean with my wife - tried carnival & norwegian; they are pretty similar. I couldn't do 7 days, too long. Watch the alcohol, it is not included in the price and adds up quick.

 

[IndianaSlim]

I'm not headed down a dark path guys...promise. I've been with this girl for 2 1/2 years and I've got it pretty damn good. Never makes a peep when I bring a new Kimber home, house is always clean, cooks regularly, really good family etc. I will marry this girl I'm sure in due time. She didnt make a fuss about the elk hunt she kind sighed the dissapointed sigh.

I was kind of afraid of the expensive booze part, I've heard a couple horror stories. I'm thinking a 4 or 5 day would be about right. If I'm going to drive to FL to get on a ship, I'd rather make it worth the drive.

 

[rmabrey]

I'm not headed down a dark path guys...promise. I've been with this girl for 2 1/2 years and I've got it pretty damn good. Never makes a peep when I bring a new Kimber home, house is always clean, cooks regularly, really good family etc. I will marry this girl I'm sure in due time. She didnt make a fuss about the elk hunt she kind sighed the dissapointed sigh.

I was kind of afraid of the expensive booze part, I've heard a couple horror stories. I'm thinking a 4 or 5 day would be about right. If I'm going to drive to FL to get on a ship, I'd rather make it worth the drive.

If you do Carnival, the best deal i found was captain and coke ~$.6.50 for maybe a 6.0z glass or Long Islands ~$8.00 for a pint and very strong. I remember buckets of 4 16.0z beers was ~ $25

 

[IndySSD]

Here's the deal. I just marked on my calendar an elk hunt for 2011 with a good friend of mine. Public ground, cheap, 12 day hunt. BUT, to get this arranged, I had to promise to take my girlfeiend on vacation. I didn't really HAVE to, but we haven't been on a real vacation so it's only fair.

I'm thinking about a cruise, sometime around Jan/Feb 2011. I would prefer to sail out of somewhere close enough to drive there. No real destination in mind, but probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7 nights. NO MORE THAN 7 NIGHTS!!! I've never been on a cruise but they seem like a pretty decent bang for the buck and there's quite a few activities both on and off the boat. I've been looking at some carnival cruises because a friend recommended them. Any other ones to look at? What can we expect to spend on booze/food/entertainment once on the boat? I'd like to keep the cost of the cruise to around $1,000 for the two of us if I could, that way we can have some spending $$ with us. Any other tricks of the trade I need to know about? I appreciate any help you guys can throw my way!

** TL,DR version at bottom **


Good luck getting a quality cruise for 1000$. Plan on spending 2k$ for a good cruise vacation.

Don't drop a ton on the cabin but definitely get one with a sea view, even though your time is best spent outside the cabin, you're going to be starting and ending your days there and the views can be romantic and beautiful. Nothing like waking up in the morning to dolphins swimming/jumping 25 yards outside your window.

Also, I can't express the importance of getting a cruise that makes stops in interesting locations, there's only so much you can do on the cruise ship unless you just want to lay by a pool drinking (which you can do much more cheaply at a Florida hotel) or hang out in the cheesy casino area (Think riverboat type casino). While our cruise offered rock climbing and a few other things, once you ring the bell and look out over the ocean a time or two... it get's old pretty quick.

My wife always wanted to go to Atlantis so we chose a cruise that stopped there and we actually had booked a room ahead of time for the 18 hours of porting and it was definitely worth the 500$ including meals that we spent for the day just for her memories and all the activities, but we're big "seaworld" type fans. I just wish we could have gotten a cruise that stopped there overnight.

The private island stop was 90% tourist trap but the 10% of time there that we spent in the hammock together on a secluded part of the island was totally worth the 50$ in junk my wife bought from the touristy area. She's still bugging me to put one up here!

My wife and I used to travel domestically a lot (like 5-8 trips a year around the US, no real international travel unless you count southern Arizona ) and the cruise is by far the most romantic adventure we've ever had.


**TL,DR**

1. Spend more than 1k$ on a cruise vacation, it's the difference between an OK getaway and potentially the most romantic memories of your life.

2. Decide whether you really want a cruise or just a warm place to go and drink.

3. If you decide you want a cruise, take the one where you can make the best memories you can afford and make sure to get/use a waterproof camera, my wife and I aren't huge "Go back and look at pictures" people but our pics of our cruise are the one exception. We [STRIKE]probably[/STRIKE] definitely look at those more than our wedding pics.

4. If you do follow suggestions 1 and 3 and you're serious about marrying her, you might want to talk to her Father before you guys leave and invest in something shiny because you'll be hard pressed to have a more romantic evening than watching an amazing sunset over a Caribbean Island beach.


Good luck and have fun!!

 

[Indy317]

I went on a cruise via the Carnival Glory back in 2006. It left Port Canaveral when we took our cruise. We did the eastern Caribbean which hits Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Marten. It was my first and only cruise. It was the cheapest initial fee that I could get, and was a seven day cruise. The one thing I quickly learned is that depending on the package you buy, once on board you get charged for lots of stuff: To play bingo, to drink soft drinks, booze, etc.. My wife and I are picky eaters, and we never did the dress up dining. The buffet, burger, and pizza place were more than enough for us.

Our ship also was somewhat older. Some of the newer ships, with various companies, offer much more than what the Glory offered. There are huge ships with lazy rivers, larger water parks, rock climbing walls, surf/wave pools, telescopes (so I heard) etc.. See what interest you and pick that cruise. If you just like laying out in the sun, on a pool deck, something like the Glory would fit you fine.

Also, think about what you want to do at the locations. All the ship excursions costs money, but most are fun. Also note that laws differ in some countries. I thought I was being smart by renting a car via Hertz with my AAA discount in St. Martin. Come to find out, they don't offer full coverage insurance like in the states. They offer full insurance, but there is an $800.00 deductible. Not only that, but St. Martin has almost no road signs, and very little directional signage. It is better to just pay the $10-$20 per person, one way, cab fair. You can also try to haggle with them.

 

[Sailor]

Sign up for Travelzoo, they will email you weekly deals. Like this.


$199 -- Caribbean 6-Night Cruise to Costa Rica & Panama
Caribbean Cruises: $199 -- Caribbean 6-Night Cruise to Costa Rica & Panama | Travelzoo
Source: Royal Caribbean

We took a 7 day Mediterranean cruise and it was dirt cheap. Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Sorrento etc.

Get you passports now if you dont have them.

 

[photoshooter]

+1 on Cruising the Caribbean in the winter.

What SafeShootingDad said is on target.

I looooooove cruising. My goal is to have my butt on the back end of the ship watching the ocean every day. My wife makes me get off the ship and see the sights in the ports... but I get to be back on the ship.

First: if there are no Travel Agents on INGO, PM me, and I can recommend mine to you. (I've been trying to get him to join here, not sure if he has). They do not increase the cost, and do help when you're not sure what you're looking at.

Second: $1,000 per person is about the basic for a decent Ocean View cabin. plus travel expenses, souvenirs, port excursions, booze. $3K is a better starting number for the whole package. Wife and I can usually get a good vacation for about $3,500 total.

More: if you're worried about motion sickness - get a lower deck mid ship. Usually about deck 4 or 5 depending on the ship. Ocean view means you have a window that doesn't open.

Unless you spend the really big bucks, all cabins are teeny tiny. You only need to do three things in the cabin (sleep, shower, and shag), so don't worry about the size.

There is a GREAT forum for cruisers - called Cruise Critic. Once you know what cruise line you're thinking of, you can hit a forum specially for that line, and read lots of reviews as well as tips on how to cruise effectively - what to pack, etc.

If you're a beer drinker, bucket of beer is usually the cheapest alcohol route. Cruise lines need about $200 per person in booze sales to have the bar staff make their base line profit, so the waiters are everywhere. That is why they don't like you to sneak booze on board. They have to pay their staff, and still make money for the stockholders.

Each cruise line has a different flavor. I LOOOVE NCL. Because you do your own thing... they call it freestyle cruising. They cater to a non-standard crowd with a good mix of ages. Each ship has a variety of restaurants, and you don't have to eat at a specified time. Pick a place, and go. If the line's too long, go somewhere else. About 1/2 the restaurants are included in your standard pricing. Some of them, like the steakhouse and the sushi bar have an upcharge. If you plan on eating in those, get your reservations early.

Tipping on NCL (and some of the other lines have an option for this) is figured per cruiser/per day. I think it's currently $12/day on NCL (so 5 days x $12=$60 charged to you and another $60 charged to your girlfriend.) They just add it to your onboard charges at the end of the cruise. Other, more traditional cruises, give you a series of envelopes marked for the appropriate staff (Cabin Steward, asst steward, waiter, assist waiter, matre Dufus, etc) and you put cash (or a signed receipt for what to pay them which gets billed to your account) and pass the envelopes out.

The bar staff is tipped seperately. Just add it to the charge ticket when you sign for your booze.

Friends of ours love RCI, which is a slightly more upscale line, with a bit more pampering. The younger, party crowd tends toward Carnival.

There are a variety of ship sizes and ports. Miami is the popular one. Other ships sail from NYCity, South Carolina, New Orleans.

If you're serious, set a budget of about $3K for the cruise (counting air fair, a night of hotel at whatever port you decide to leave from) and get the girlfriend planning it. Direct her to Cruise Critic, and tie her in with a good travel person.

Anyone thinking of cruising NCL is welcome to PM me. I'm a fan-boy of their Jewel class ships, and will be happy to share the good and bad of each of the ships I've sailed on.

 

[Citronman1980]

Sign up for Travelzoo, they will email you weekly deals. Like this.


$199 -- Caribbean 6-Night Cruise to Costa Rica & Panama
Caribbean Cruises: $199 -- Caribbean 6-Night Cruise to Costa Rica & Panama | Travelzoo
Source: Royal Caribbean

We took a 7 day Mediterranean cruise and it was dirt cheap. Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Sorrento etc.

Get you passports now if you dont have them.

Yes! Sign up for this. Been using Travelzoo for years. Should be getting my weekly Wednesday update anytime now! Great deals for all over the world.

I used this site to book my honeymoon 2 weeks before we got married. My fiance was freaking out a tad that I hadn't booked the honeymoon yet. Once I did and she saw how cheap we got it for (6 day all inclusive to Rivieara Mya, Mexico. Even had first class round trip airfare all for $1,500) she hasn't complained again about us waiting to book our vacations last minute.

When you think you have found the ship or place you are wanting to go check out: Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor I use this site to reference the place we want to go (from destinations to hotels along the way). It's a good site to see other peoples feedback of places.

I don't have to give on a civilian cruise, I just know about the big gray ships that go out for 6 months at a time and blow things up in the process.