Cruising: LBYM. NOT.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

dang good trade!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

We just got back from our first cruise to the Western Caribbean. I actually think it's a pretty darned good deal, and LBYM as far as nice vacations go! We had a 7 day cruise for something like $1120 per person.

I think this 10-day cruise will only cost us about $1500 per person, plus the usual tips, extras, etc. We can drive to the cruise terminal. So, $3-$4K for two people including meals, entertainment and all the rest. Not bad, and a well-neede break form the job.

 

[Achiever51]

Love cruising! First one was on our honeymoon - in 1976. The only folks who took cruise vacations at that time were OLD RETIREES! On that ship, we were the youngest vacationers and took a lot of ribbing for being on the ship with these old timers. (Thinking back, those retirees weren't much older than DH and I are now. Bummer.)

We've taken cruises to Eastern, Western and Southern Carribean; Bermuda and Panama Canal. Loved the Panama Canal transit and had the chance to do some eco-touring in Costa Rica.

The Bermuda cruise was wonderful as well. It departed from and returned to New York City so we got a little sense of what the European immigrants must have felt when they first saw the Statue of Liberty upon arriving in New York Harbor. At Bermuda, the ship docked for three days at St. Georges and then relocated for three days at Hamilton. So the ship was like our hotel and we could come and go as we pleased during the day. Highly recommend.

Yes, the ships are really cracking down on folks bringing adult beverages on board. Even if you buy alcohol in port, you are supposed to check it when you re-board and it is delivered to your cabin on the last day. Most ships now do have wine packages you can purchase for your dinners, at the end of the cruise, you can take home any bottles you bought but not opened.

We generally go through cruise consolidators like Discount Cruises, Last Minute Cruises, Cruise, Cruise Line, Cruise Vacation or Cruises, Last Minute Cruises, Cheap Cruises, Cruise Deals, Cruise Bargain, Cruise Line -- we've saved as much as 75% off the brochure rates on cruises.

 

[simple girl]

We had a 7 day cruise for something like $1120 per [-]person[/-] couple. That is $160 per day per couple for a room, all the food you want, free entertainment, and transportation to various ports.

Just noticed the error above. We booked an inside room which was really cheap. Also, we organized a small group (4 couples total) and got a discount on the fare, plus our travel agent gave us each a $25 on board credit. It was a pretty sweet deal, especially since we could drive to the port (New Orleans).

 

[Nords]

I think Nords has been on a couple. I've been on 4 or 5.

Two great retirement leisure activities that my PILs taught me are Elderhostel (sorry, I'm still too young) and cruises. They've been cruising for over 20 years and have probably done 30 of them.

We've been on a couple NCL interisland cruises and I highly recommend them. I've read reviews about Caribbean storms and high seas that just don't seem to apply around here, even in winter. But I don't know if that has to do with ship displacement, better stabilizers, or the weather.

I take the same aggressive approach as Rich, plus I add a morning promenade (one mile) and the afternoon workout is designed to pay off the cookie buffet. NCL doesn't have mealtimes or dress codes (unless you want to) so it was even easier to avoid the crowds. We stroll around in the ports but generally stay on the ship. We also enjoy the talks, activities, and cheesy theatrical productions. I bring a pile of paperbacks and then swap them in the ship's library. I might check an Internet café at a port but I don't bother with shipboard web access. Judging from the crowd response, the highlight of the week is the chocolate buffet.

Cruising is a great (perhaps expensive*) way to entertain a kid between the ages of 7-18. NCL works hard at the "[-]Kid's[/-] Teen Club" activities and ours just enjoyed having her own room (which is well worth the single's fee). She pretty much roamed free during the day or wore down the grandparents. But spouse and I managed to find ways to pass the time without her.

If you can't settle into visiting one part of Hawaii, then a few days in Waikiki (or a neighbor island) around a seven-day cruise is a great way to see all the islands.

*I guess that assessment depends whether the typical family vacation is a month of camping or a week at a DisneyWorld resort.

P.S. It helps when you smuggle alcohol on board Or at least that's what I hear....

How difficult is it to put some bottles in your luggage. Or, am I missing something?

The most stringent of cruiselines is supposed to be Norwegian. They scan the luggage.

Don't even bother. The luggage is x-rayed, the hassle is merciless, and you're on their "bad cruiser" list for the rest of your life. Ironically 10 minutes after they finish chewing you out, you'll leave steerage to meet a roving crewmember who'll be happy to serve you alcoholic beverages for a "small" fee.

Or you can go to the daily art auctions (of which "daily" is the only accurate description) and slug back the free wine.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Has anyone done any Mediterranean or Nordic cruises? Civilian that is They look amazing from the literature. Of course that is what the literature is supposed to do

 

[mickeyd]

DW and I went on a cruise last summer to Alaska. The actual cruise was not too expensive, especially when you factor in all that is included. We did a number of other things related to the cruise that upped the price, and of course, our air fare was not cheap (Texas-Anchorage/Vancouver-Texas).

I thought that the overall experience was worth the opportunity to blow the 2007 budget.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Has anyone done any Mediterranean or Nordic cruises?

If by "mediterranean" you mean "went to greece and found myself regularly regaining consciousness on various boats somewhere in the mediterranean, swearing I'd never drink ouzo ever again", well...yes!

 

[Zathras]

Alaskan Cruise and it was completely worth it
We loved it and are looking forward to another, or possibly one in the Scandanavian area.

 

[Nords]

If by "mediterranean" you mean "went to greece and found myself regularly regaining consciousness on various boats somewhere in the mediterranean, swearing I'd never drink ouzo ever again", well...yes!

I think he meant as in "standing midwatches"...

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

my brother does cruises all the time and my mother used to love them. they were very good vacations for my parents especially when the ol'man's health was failing and he was no longer able to cruise on his own boat.

my brother & mom talked me into a cruise once. i thought it was going to be horrible and not that i'll be doing another any time soon but i did have a great time. it was a disney cruise out of cape canaveral. the kids had a deck all to themselves and were kept busy all day.

the biggest part of the cruise i didn't like was having so much excess thrown in your face. the amount of food is obscene. and the pollution those ships put out is just sad. i have some trouble going out to enjoy nature while i'm destroying it.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

If by "mediterranean" you mean "went to greece and found myself regularly regaining consciousness on various boats somewhere in the mediterranean, swearing I'd never drink ouzo ever again", well...yes!

Did you enjoy it

 

[LRS]

How are those interior rooms? Too claustrophobic? I'm trying to put together a cruise vacation for my family next year. I think we will need 2 cabins, one for the parents and one for the teenagers.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Did you enjoy it

So I was told.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

How are those interior rooms? Too claustrophobic? I'm trying to put together a cruise vacation for my family next year. I think we will need 2 cabins, one for the parents and one for the teenagers.

Two rooms for sure.

Interior cabins allegedly have less rolling motion but I don't know if that is a big deal unless someone is really sensitive. We tend to use our cabin very little during the day other than for a nap, shower, change of clothes, short break, etc. While a window is nice in the outer cabins, I wouldn't miss it that much personally.

 

[simple girl]

How are those interior rooms? Too claustrophobic? I'm trying to put together a cruise vacation for my family next year. I think we will need 2 cabins, one for the parents and one for the teenagers.

We didn't have any trouble with the inside cabin at all. Like Rich said, you aren't in your room all that much.

Our friends had a balcony and although it was great, I wouldn't say spending the extra money on that would have been worth it for us. We figured we'd use that extra money towards excursions, etc.

I agree, though, that 2 rooms are a must if you have 4 people.

 

[grumpy]

Has anyone done any Mediterranean or Nordic cruises? Civilian that is They look amazing from the literature. Of course that is what the literature is supposed to do

Last year we did an Italy/Greece cruise on Princess with two other couples we have been friends with for many years. We flew to Rome and spent two days there before boarding the ship. Stops were in Monte Carlo, Livorno, Naples, Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Kusadasi (Turkey), Corfu, and Venice. Then we spent two days in Venice before flying home. We saw Pompeii, the Colosseum, the Parthenon, Ephesus, and some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever encountered (Santorini). Venice was the highlight of the trip. DW wants to go back there soon for a longer stay.

The cruise was wonderful. We raved about it here in our 55 or better community. A few couples here signed up for the same cruise this May on the same ship. Then a few more signed up, then a few more ... now there are 60 couples going! We almost regret that we already did this particular itinerary because it would be fun to go with that group.

The hotels in Rome and Venice were VERY expensive and with the recent fall of the dollar against the Euro, they are even worse. Other than that I would highly recommend this cruise.

Grumpy

 

[Nords]

How are those interior rooms? Too claustrophobic? I'm trying to put together a cruise vacation for my family next year. I think we will need 2 cabins, one for the parents and one for the teenagers.

You're rarely inside the cabin since there are so many better places to lounge around (and to receive drink service). The only times you're in the cabin, well, you're not concerned about its volume or the decor or even the lighting. Unless you upgrade to a suite or apt, they're all about the same degree of compactness but they usually have seven-foot [-]overheads[/-] ceilings with plenty of room to move about.

Most of the ship's plans are online with photos and square footages. You can get a feel for the space when you know what size bed is in the room.

With consumers threatening to slam shut their wallets, you might inquire about prices for a family suite (two bedrooms around a common area). The cruise line could cut you a deal. However during negotiations it's best to give the impression that (at least) one adult (18 or older) will be sleeping in each room. NCL didn't check up on our sleeping arrangements and they handed out plenty of extra keycards but they wouldn't book a room for someone under that age without an adult.

 

[FlogBlogger]

Yes, you can LBYM and still cruise by choosing your cabin, destination and timing carefully. Four in a cabin can still cruise for as little as $50 pp per day in Mexico and the Caribbean in the off-season. Our last cruise on Celebrity allowed two bottles pp brought onboard. We also saved on excursions by booking our own, hiring a taxi to tour an island, and walking around the city. I'm convinced we still absorbed 90% of the cruise experience enjoyed by those in the penthouse suites...

Regarding a Nordic cruise, we are looking at that this summer on the Hurtigurten line, though not exactly LBYM at $300 pp per day. Plus air. Pretty steep, though a fjordable vacation...

 

[TromboneAl]

After decades of professing to hate cruises (we've taken maybe 6), they have grown on me.

Can you elaborate on that? How many does it take before you stop hating them? What didn't you like that you now like?

Has anyone done any Mediterranean or Nordic cruises?

We did a one or two day run from Stockholm to Helsinki. Tons of food, nice trip through the archipelago. We were in the center cube of a Rubik's cube, but that was OK.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Can you elaborate on that? How many does it take before you stop hating them? What didn't you like that you now like?

First one turned out to be a spring break party 24/7. Naive choice on our part. Another was 90% octogenarians, too sedate. Then they got better - we chose the late seating, became a little more outgoing so we met people. After a few visits to the usual Caribbean ports we got bored with tourist traps so started either remaining on the ship and relaxing or scheduling excursions on our own (better, cheaper, more interesting).

Now we are in a nice routine where we relax a lot, spend much of the day doing our own separate things but checking in with each other periodically. We always meet interesting people. In fact, we have actually cruised twice by arrangement with a couple from Virginia whom we met on an earlier cruise.

Overall it's a matter of 1) being more savvy about what to ask for and decline, and 2) adjusting expectations and just chilling out.

 

[Achiever51]

I agree wholeheartedly with Rich. Some cruise lines are more "sedate"; others are "all party all the time". Talking with the cruise agent or checking out sites like Cruisecritic.com can help you avoid a bad experience.

As for the inside vs. outside cabin debate, it is nice to have a balcony when you're going thru the Panama Canal for example so you see what's happening even before you go on deck and the outside view does make the cabin seem larger, but I only book those cabins when I can get them at a really significant discount and am only paying 5% - 10% more than an inside cabin. Once you get used to the size -- think small -- of the cabins and the fact that you really do not spend much time in it except to sleep, shower and whatever else you do to relax....it's more important IMHO to be satisfied with the public rooms, itinerary, etc.

And since all of the modern ships have very sophisticated stabilizers the amount of roll inside vs. outside cabins is negligable. However, the cabins at the very, very back of the ship and the very front of the ship do give you much more of the feeling of the sea!

 

[RunningBum]

Been twice. First was a Carribbean cruise. Inside stateroom. 2nd one was an Alaska inside passage cruise. I took my 8 yr old daughter on the Alaska cruise, and got an outside stateroom since I figured we wouldn't be up so late and with the long hours of daylight I'd be able to see the sights. A balcony might have even been worth the price. It was on NCL, and I agree with Nords that they have great kids programs.

 

[KM]

We did Bermuda, Western and then the Eastern Caribbean when our kids were teenagers and became hooked. Once the youngest went off to college we started to do the longer ones. We did the 12 day Panama Canal transit from west to east and it was amazing. Last year was Alaksa, with a 5 day land also. This year it is 2 weeks and Hawaii. I still have Scandanavia and South America on my list. DH just packs his bag when it is time and says "Where are we going this year?"

I agree, maybe I won't enjoy them as much when I retire (yeah....right), but they are the most relaxing thing while working. I can't and don't worry about anything for 2 whole weeks. Something about being out on the ocean does that for me.

We're also of the mind, "find the cheapest cabin we can", because other than to sleep - we are never in it. And they all look the same with your eyes closed.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Real interesting observations. Thanks for sharing. Im a cruise virgin and plan to go real soon. Anyone have any links they find valuable?