Cruise liners.

[Bill Douglas]

Who has been on a cruise ship, and what did you think of it?

Girlfriend and I are thinking of teaming up with a few friends and going on a cruise. I'd always dismissed the idea of a cruise thinking they were only for old people, but now I am one it seems like a nice idea.

Traveling in the past to me had usually been with a backpack, reading bus timetables in a foreign language and sleeping in some cheap dive. Sounds rough but I'd go on holidays for three months to a year So this is different.

I'd like it to be slightly up market, no kids or booze cruise louts on board.

At first a practice one around Australia + pacific islands. Then if I survive the seasickness thing I'd like to do around the Mediterranean thing of Monaco, Nice...

Or San Francisco to Alaska.

[Tervuren]

If you want to avoid kids, don't go when they are out of school.

Cruise lines tend to specialize on different extras to "make their money", up until you hit the point of cost per cruise of regular cruises is about the cost per day on a 4.5 or 5 star cruise line.

If you're planning on getting of at locations(which is the norm), you might want to be looking up the specific docks and locales the cruise lines will stop at in each location.

One might tender in direct to the center of town, another might dock at an industrial port and you need transit systems to get where you really wanted to go. Some dump you in their own isolated theme park wonder land that imitates where you're supposed to be.

Food will vary, some emphasize sit down, others buffet style. Dress up required? Not required? Anyway...

[scottmandue]

Not a big fan... but...

My parents loved going on cruises and they had a big anniversary and convinced the whole family to go along.

I had never been on a cruse so I figured I could check it off my bucket list.

They liked Princess line so that is what we went with.

Pros - the food was fantastic... to the point were I almost made myself sick by stuffing my face with rich fatty food my system was not accustom to... and it is available almost 24/7 (they closed down for an hour or so to switch between breakfast/lunch/dinner/late night snacks).

Food was included but drinks were not, and drinks are expensive.

Entertainment was meh... I found a jazz trio and followed them around the boat. They do have shows (I never went to one) and a casino (being that I am so close to Las Vegas wasn't much interested in gambling). I think there was maybe a movie theater. Frankly I spent my afternoons reading a good book out on deck and the evenings checking out the bars for decent music.

If you are at all susceptible to motion sickness at all you can have your Dr prescribe the patch. My dad claimed "these boats are so big and have stabilizers so you never feel the movement" but that ain't necessarily so... especially if you get a little bad weather. Fortunately my sister-in-law bought a super sized box of patches so I just kept one behind my ear the whole time.

They picked a Mexico trip (we are in Los Angeles and take about 15 minutes to get to the docks). Mexico is nice, very pretty country and very friendly people but frankly it was kinda culture shock to go from the uber luxury of the ship to the third world conditions on the land (I know that is not relevant to the trip you are planning).

If I ever do it again I would do Alaska and probably stick with Princess... not a party boat and a decent cross section of young family's with kids and middle age couples.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Cruise lines tend to specialize on different extras to "make their money", up until you hit the point of cost per cruise of regular cruises is about the cost per day on a 4.5 or 5 star cruise line.

If you're planning on getting of at locations(which is the norm), you might want to be looking up the specific docks and locales the cruise lines will stop at in each location.

One might tender in direct to the center of town, another might dock at an industrial port and you need transit systems to get where you really wanted to go. Some dump you in their own isolated theme park wonder land that imitates where you're supposed to be.

Food will vary, some emphasize sit down, others buffet style. Dress up required? Not required? Anyway...

Oh yeah, they have restaurants if you want to do the dress up thing or hit the buffet in shorts and flip flops.

I booked all my day trips through the cruise line... there is some debate as to if it is better to do that or book you own extracurricular days trips. Being that I was in Mexico I figured it was best to stick with a group off the boat.

[Gogar]

Do a Med cruise on this, not a cruise ship. The crowd is a little older and mostly european but if you don't mind that it's unbeatable.

https://www.starclippers.com/us-dom

[jwasbury]

Mrs. jwasbury and I just did our first cruise two weeks ago. It was a 7 day Alaska inside passage cruise and we had a fantastic trip. We were on a Princess ship. The food was surprisingly good, especially the sit down venues. We were fortunate to have perfect weather, but also chose a stateroom mid ship which tends to have the least motion in heavy seas. We also sprang for a mini-suite stateroom which included a larger bathroom with a tub/shower combo (the smaller ones had only a tiny shower) and also a sitting area with a sofa and chair which was worth it to have a quiet and private place to chill out away from the other passengers. Alaska is a very cool place to visit with many incredible sights, and getting there via cruise ship made sense. A great vacation that I heartily recommend.

[motion]

No.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Do a Med cruise on this, not a cruise ship. The crowd is a little older and mostly european but if you don't mind that it's unbeatable.

https://www.starclippers.com/us-dom

Very cool!

I have also looked at barges that tour the canals of Europe.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Very cool!

I have also looked at barges that tour the canals of Europe.

I've been on a couple of European river cruises. The boats are opulent, not "barges" (though technically they may have started out as barges). Good food, relaxing, not adventurous. OK if you want to kick back and get a little culture. No cruise is what you want if you want to experience a country.

[Jolly Amaranto]

I have been on a few. I have lately been gravitating to the smaller ships. The BIG humongous tubby ships have just too many damn people for me. The last one I went on had around 300 passengers and the next one planned will be about 200. Small ports of call that are not overrun by tourists, plenty of booze, excellent food, attentive crew and OK entertainment if you are into that. My wife and I do not get sea sick so weathered some real heavy seas in the past. Once in the Mediterranean and then in the Tasman. The Med was the roughest during a short storm that seemed to come out of nowhere. The passage between New Zealand and Melbourne had huge swells coming up from Antarctica that put most folks in their cabins driving the "Porcelain Bus".

[berettafan]

did one with Celebrity about 14 years ago. first time out of the country for my wife and i. enjoyed it immensely. amazing service, great food and a brief look at several neat places. almost didn't leave Grand Cayman.

[Gogar]

Those boats I posted are 175-200 people, and don't park in cruise ship ports so that's a huge plus. And the food is edible.

[ckelly78z]

Not a fan of cruise ships, I would much rather have an all-inclusive resort on an island....we loved Sandals in White House Jamaica, and would od it again. Go upscale to get a better class of people, and find one with no kids, they seem to dominate everything.

[LakeCleElum]

Not a fan of Cruise Lines, BUT - It is a great way to see places you could never drive to or afford to stay. Only did 3:

1) About 2,500 drunk party goers on a Carnival boat thru the Caribbean...I said NEVER AGAIN

2) 3 back to back cruises for 25 days around the Mediterranean. Venice, Crotia, Greece, Sicily (x2), Rome, Monaco, Barcelona, Sardinia, Naples, Amalfi Coast, etc....Great to not pack up bags and move every day or two.

3) Did this 14 day in the South Pacific about 8 months ago:

Cabins & Rates - Marquesas, Tuamotus & Society Islands | Paul Gauguin Cruises

Great small ship with a max of 322 passengers (ours had 275) and a staff 210....No a single kid on board. We know the director of marketing and got a last minute price of under 1/2 price....Can do the same for you Bill if your schedule is flexible...One again, great to visit small, remote islands.

[JossP80]

I've done a few through the Bahamas, and one in the Baltic... Enjoyed each and will probably start doing one every other year or so.

Everyone pretty much covered the main points. Different lines cater to different crowds. Depending on the ship, time of year, etc you can minimizing rough seas. Stay hydrated! Dehydration is a major cause of sea sickness (and even worse if you're a drinker)...

The food is usually very good (but for long-duration cruises you'll find the same dishes), entertainment varies in quality depending on what you're into. My gf ran 8-10 miles every morning and out into the towns on mornings we were at port. It's an easy way to package multi-country/city travel.

[Bill Douglas]

Thanks guys. Definitely food for thought. I think we will do it. A couple of years ago a group of us did the "Pina Colada tour of Rarotonga" which was a huge success. So I may try to get the same team together for a cruise ship adventure.

GF and I thought we may do a practice run of https://secure.royalcaribbean.com.au/cruises/10NightSouthPacificCruise-VY10K066?currencyCode=NZD&sCruiseType=CO&sDateMin=2017-11-01&sDateMax=2017-11-30&sRate=SR&sailDate=11%2F21%2F2017 to see if we like it. I'll eat crystallized ginger and seasick pills and hopefully will not be an embarrassment on board.

[stomachmonkey]

I like cruises.

They are the perfect vacation if all you want to do is "stare at air"

When I take a vacation it's because I need it for downtime.

I like that the choices are limited.

I don't want to have to decide where I'm eating.

I want to be catered to.

I don't want to spend a week or two bouncing from hotel to hotel.

There is a consistency and predictability to them that forces you chill.

As far as lines, Carnival has a reputation for "fun". You'll find a younger crowd and kids.

Royal Caribbean is a step up, more mature crowd, not sophomoric like Carnival.

Then there is Princess and Celebrity, both higher end but different crowd. Princess will be more mature up scale while Celebrity tends to be younger up scale so aesthetics are a bit different.

Don't save money by getting an interior cabin. Took a last minute spur of the moment cruise once and it was all that was left. About the only thing blacker than an interior room is a Spinal Tap album cover. It's really unnerving.

If you live close to a port you can do a 3 day dry run and book last minute and pay $0.50 on the dollar.

All modern ships have ridiculous stabilization, unless it gets really rough the risk of getting seasick is way less than back in the day.

[Gogar]

Another option for the Caribbean (I know it's far for you) is to rent a catamaran for 6-8 people and a captain for about the same price as a cruise, and do whatever you want. One of my pals is a qualified captain and we fly to St. Thomas or Tortola and start from there. Perhaps there is a similar option your way!

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by tcar

Have heard many say do NOT go on Carnival.

^^^ This! They are usually the cheapest cost and so it attracts the 'cheapest' people..

[Heel n Toe]

Chris/Legion posted a thread all about a cruise he went on a good while ago. I thought it was a very long thread, but this is all I could find with a quick search.

I'm Back

Chris, was there another cruise you went on? Maybe another search term other than cruise line would turn it up. It seems like I remember you posted a lot more pre- and post-trip stuff.