Best Room for US on a Cruise Ship?

[Sunset]

Any recommendations for Cruise Travel agents? Again sorry for the questions we have never booked a cruise before. All cruises were provided by Company as Bonus' so they were all booked for us. TIA

Check out Costco if you are a member, sometimes their price after you account for the ship board credits (SBC) plus costco card they send you, make it cheapest. However not always the cheapest.

Otherwise, I've done it directly with the cruiseline website.

One warning: check the ports you will be stopping in, sometimes the cruise ships stop in what I can only call, ports with lots of criminal activity, and if you simply go wandering around, you could be robbed. Other ports are great and you can walk all over pretty safely.
Remember you are a super rich person that can afford a cruise ship vacation, compared to many of the locals.

 

[Gulfbeach]

Thanks for that, you folks did a lot of stuff that we probably would not do.



I am concerned that there does not seem to be an "All Included" option for cruises. 3 decent cocktails a night for 2 people for 11 nights could end up adding $1300 (Including Gratuities) to the trip alone. Some folk I have spoken to have paid their initial PP cost again in extras. I am one that hates uncertainty, but likes a few GOOD cocktails, proper whiskey and DW likes her GG Vodka. Then comes the "Better" food and Wifi access. We probably would not do many excursions, so that does not worry me much, we just like to walk the cities we visit for do the city tour.



But I cannot seem to find another way to see all the cities and sights available on the Partial Panama Cruises that initiate in Florida. Plus, if it is anything like the other cruises we have done, one is inundated with aggressive vendors at every stop, something we detest and have VERY little tolerance for.

There are all inclusive cruises available through the Panama Canal. Suggest you look at Regent, Seabourn and Silverseas. However if you are primarily interested in drinks being included, almost all the lines have a drinks package you can buy in advance to avoid paying as you go.
Lots of choices and planning is half the fun. Whichever you choose, the Panama Canal is awesome.
Happy sailing!

 

[gerntz]

Inside cabins can be pretty dark. Away from elevator crowds help.

 

[Sunset]

OP - A warning about the drink packages, for Carnival, RCL, type ships, they include drinks up to about $10 value. Really fancy drinks will cost extra.
I don't take the drink package, as I'd have to drink 5-6 drinks per day to get my money's worth as I'm a cheap booze drinker.

I once saw a fellow at the customer service, really mad at his 4 page bill which included a lot of booze charges. Turned out his wife loved ordering the $15->$20 fancy drinks and thought they would all be covered under the booze package.

 

[sengsational]

On the original topic of "best room" and the concern with noise, I have a recent example...


I got a randomly assigned room for cheap, so I didn't/couldn't pick one, but I did look, once the room was assigned, and thought it would be quiet. The problem was that the deck plan published by RCL was deceptive; they made it look like the adjacent hallway was a public hallway. If public, there would be very little traffic. But as it turns out, it was a crew-only hallway, and included a freight elevator. So lots of rumbling in the morning. The problem was solved by using ear plugs. If the deck plan was more forthcoming, I'd not be making this post, but I think you can expect for the cruise lines to sugar coat the rooms that are adjacent to crew-only areas, if not outright lie, as in the case of this example. IMO, they should not show that hallway...the red should be all one block of 'undefined', and then you could expect that something noisy could go on in that space.

 

[mystang52]

Plenty of good suggestions already. Just a comment on the additional costs.
Cruise cost is paid for, of course, before you board the ship. As already noted, the only required additional fees are the $12-$15 per person daily charge for staff "tips." Yes, onboard expenses must be paid with your room card so at end of trip there are additional charges. But these are only charges you voluntarily incurred. No different than buying something with your credit card back home so no surprises.
Beyond the mandatory service charge one can leave a cruise paying nothing extra. Don't buy a drink, don't take any shore excursions, etc. It's all a matter of choice. Re: drinking one has to be a serious drinker for the prepaid drink packages to be worth it. First, the prepayment is for each adult in the room, so immediately that fee has doubled. And, at least on NCL, there is a mandatory service charge added to that total.
I only have one drink a day, at most, when on a cruise so clearly this is not worth it to me. But as I recall one has to drink A LOT, and every day, just to break even.

 

[Starsky]

Great suggestions here. Just one recommendation to try and narrow down where you want to go and what ships you want to travel on.

Once you know where you want to go and what cruise lines you prefer, you can shop for the best deals online. Often, travel agencies (especially ones that are cruise-focused like Cruise Masters or Cruise Holidays) will hold blocks of rooms and will offer them at a discount with additional amenities as booking incentives - i.e. early booking discounts, shipboard credits, special tours, etc. The cheapest fares will usually be when the itinerary is first released - i.e. 'early booking' - or last minute when they are selling the leftover cabins. (If you like to cruise with less crowds - and are not on a very tight budget - I can't recommend enough looking for last minute deals on smaller boutique ships. They are so much nicer, IMO! That's how we found Seadream Yacht Club - on Orbitz!) 40-50% off their posted prices is not uncommon.

If you can be flexible, many lines offer substantial discounts during certain times of the year. Panama Canal [and trans-Atlantic] trips are relatively infrequent, and are usually considered re-positioning trips that can be much cheaper because they may not include as many resort destinations as their typical regional itineraries. (Cruise lines will move some of their ships around the world during the year to service their most popular routes.) Lines with fewer ships will often break up the repositioning cruises into a series of smaller itineraries where you can jump on or off along the way.

One last suggestion: there are lots of travel agents who specialize in cruising. I would highly recommend using one of them if you need help choosing the right destinations, cruise lines, cabins, shore excursions, etc. Most of those agents have cruised a LOT - they love to cruise, and the lines offer them free and almost-free cruises regularly. They have personally travelled on many of the ships you will be looking at, and they can really help you avoid the pitfalls of the uninitiated.

 

[Sunset]

I do feel taking some excursions make the cruise more worthwhile, as long as it's something interesting (like visiting Mayan ruins).
Paying to see a beach is not high on my list, and can often be done for the cost of a taxi ride.

 

[sengsational]

Paying to see a beach is not high on my list, and can often be done for the cost of a taxi ride.

Or even a bus ride. If you have a data plan on your phone, Google maps, or moovit will tell you right were the buses go, and when (for the places with developed public transit). It used to be that information was hard to get, and so more worry about "missing the boat", but you can see the schedules so clearly, and always can call a taxi or "summon" an Uber. Technology is great for getting around! And you don't book an over-priced non-refundable rainy beach day.

 

[FireFool]

Taking an inner state room can guarantee you the pitch black that you might want, but at the cost of never having any natural daylight in your room. Assuming you are U.S. based this may be o.k. for your Panama cruise, but I'll share for others that when we did our Asian cruise with an inner state room I felt like I never truly adjusted to the time zone change - natural morning daylight, however slight through the curtains, helps me. Drone from the engines is less the higher the deck you go. As to people noise, the timing and the cruise line you pick, can make a huge difference. Traveling during the school year can cut down noise from children. Prefacing this as acknowledging it's elitism, but avoiding the budget cruise lines will also cut out noise - less affordable for family travel and the harder drinking/louder young adults.

As to all in pricing, it is available on the uppermost luxury lines - I haven't traveled with them yet, but I believe Oceania and Regency have this model - but in the end you're still paying one way or the other.

Oftentimes you can get "extras" thrown in depending on who you buy your cruise through - our last Celebrity cruise we purchased through Costco and got the "standard" drink package, internet, and an on-board credit thrown in - a better deal than what we found directly on Celebrity's site. For lighter drinkers, especially if you'll be off the boat a lot with excursions, the economics of a drink package typically don't work out. First off both you AND your room companion have to buy it, so you both better like to drink. Secondly the per drink prices really aren't that crazy - typically $7 - $9 for beer, G&T, or other straightforward drinks. Many lines include non-premium wine or beer with their lunch/dinners, so for the one drink a day crowd you may already be covered. I think I've figured the break even point is typically >4 drinks per person EVERY day of the cruise. Then there's also the more expensive "Premium" drink packages for those wanting top shelf and more complicated cocktails, i.e. don't be surprised that even with a drink package (standard) that some cocktails might not be included.

Excursions can also quickly add up if done at every port and through the cruise line. Depending on where you're traveling the port can be a distance away from any sights. I haven't done a Panama cruise yet so I can't speak to that trip. I will say we got a much better tour, at less expense, arranging our private tour in Beijing. For our Viking Rhine river cruise the standard/included excursions at each port were completely fine, for that cruise I wouldn't recommend any of the optional ones in their stead. Celebrity does not include any excursions standard, all are an extra cost.

Wishing you safe and happy travels.

 

[Moemg]

I would go to cruise critic.com and check out the ports of call for private excursion recommendations .We usually go with ocean view or occasionally balcony rooms depending on the cruise .I check the room plan carefully as we were once over a band area . Never again! We are average drinkers plus I buy bottled water occasionally .Our liquor bill for a 7 day cruise is usually $500.We are not picky eaters so we skip the extra restaurants .

 

[audreyh1]

I think that is what we have, the plan does say grandfathered and only costs $60 for both lines.

The price is grandfathered, but the plan is still available. Free data in >200 countries.

 

[Bamaman]

I've been to virtually every popular island in the Caribbean and the Bahamas throughout the 42 years I've been cruising. We've recently been taking repositioning cruises to Europe when the rates are too low to turn down.

Our favorite cruises in this hemisphere would be out of San Juan where you hit a different island most every day. We have no desire to lock up into a lake in Panama, turn around and come back out. And we're not going back to the Mexican ports or Jamaica again.

As far as ships go, we prefer Celebrity and other "non-party" mid line cruise lines. For a fair price, we can go on three trips for the cost of one "luxury" cruise line. Norwegian right now is offering free drinks and other "freebies"--and they're improving as a cruise line.

If you're needing dark and quiet, reserve an inside cabin toward the front on a middle floor. Get up high or too low in the ship and you might find yourself under the pool deck or above a night club that rocks until 1:00 a.m. (Don't ask how I know.")

 

[HFWR]

The best room is one that doesn’t get rammed by another ship!

It is possible to smuggle liquor. I have a flask that looks like binoculars. But a buddy sneaked a liter of vodka, in a plastic bottle, inside a shoe in his luggage.

Of course, we drank our booze for “cocktail hour”, then continued by drinking their liquor. A win-win!

 

[Sunset]

The best room is one that doesn’t get rammed by another ship!

It is possible to smuggle liquor. I have a flask that looks like binoculars. But a buddy sneaked a liter of vodka, in a plastic bottle, inside a shoe in his luggage.

Of course, we drank our booze for “cocktail hour”, then continued by drinking their liquor. A win-win!

He must have BIG feet

 

[Munchkin]

Cruise Quotes

I've had good luck with Cruise Compete and Vacationstogo. CC will let you post what you want cruise-wise and companies will bid it out for you. VTG is a good benchmark for any quotes you get. Just be careful comparing everything. Every cabin is monetized and with various promotions (cash on board, booze, discounts, free shore excursions etc). There is less margin to negotiate with the inside cabins (great for darkness) so you might end up with a great deal if you can book within the 90 day window prior to departure. VTG has a great list of itineraries within 30 days and you can filter for what you want...but when you find a great deal you have to pull the trigger as it will not stay around.

 

[IMATERP]

I've been to virtually every popular island in the Caribbean and the Bahamas throughout the 42 years I've been cruising. We've recently been taking repositioning cruises to Europe when the rates are too low to turn down.

Our favorite cruises in this hemisphere would be out of San Juan where you hit a different island most every day. We have no desire to lock up into a lake in Panama, turn around and come back out. And we're not going back to the Mexican ports or Jamaica again.

As far as ships go, we prefer Celebrity and other "non-party" mid line cruise lines. For a fair price, we can go on three trips for the cost of one "luxury" cruise line. Norwegian right now is offering free drinks and other "freebies"--and they're improving as a cruise line.

If you're needing dark and quiet, reserve an inside cabin toward the front on a middle floor. Get up high or too low in the ship and you might find yourself under the pool deck or above a night club that rocks until 1:00 a.m. (Don't ask how I know.")

+1 on Celebrity

We’ve done 7 cruises on Celebrity and 1 on NCL. We liked the food on Celebrity better. Best deals are cruises outside of the holiday season and Transatlantic Cruises. Best TA’s are in the fall where you get an extra hour per night due to time change.

Regarding frugality - we usually do not partake in internet, specialty restaurants, etc. I do not drink and generally pick up a few sodas in different ports. We just enjoy the entertainment, the activities, and being away.

Quiet rooms are on floors 2 and 3. Select a guarantee interior.

 

[rayvt]

I am concerned that there does not seem to be an "All Included" option for cruises. 3 decent cocktails a night for 2 people for 11 nights could end up adding $1300 (Including Gratuities) to the trip alone.

We always figured that the drinkers subsidized the cruise cost for us non-drinkers. Like restaurants, cruise lines make a ton of money on booze.

OTOH, when they had the end-of-cruise introduction of the various staff departments, the bartender department always got the biggest applause.

There are a couple of cruise lines that include a drink package -- and the cruise fare reflects that. Last few cruises we were on, they have different levels of all-you-can-drink packages for purchase. The AYCD soda came to something like $11/day. The AYCD beer & AYCD wine and cocktail packages were similarly exhorbitantly priced.
That's per person, $11 times the # of days of the cruise. $11 * 2 * 11 = more than we spend on soda in a year.

 

[Joggernot]

We just completed a cruise from San Diego through the Panama Canal and up to Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed on level 8 slightly forward of the centerline. Holland American probably had about 10 kids under 20 on the whole ship. Our rooms were not very noisy (I sleep with ear plugs always) and the "pendulum" effect was barely noticeable. Only problem for me was walking to the food areas (handicapped), which are all the way in back. Going through the canal we couldn't see much. Best rooms to see the canal would be those in the very back (rear facing best) or the very front. We ended up watching the video feeds from the front and back cameras from our stateroom.

We got the beverage package for sodas only. Found out later that we could have had the ship put a big bottle of Jack in our room before we left. Would have saved some money that way.

 

[rayvt]

Any recommendations for Cruise Travel agents? Again sorry for the questions we have never booked a cruise before. All cruises were provided by Company as Bonus' so they were all booked for us. TIA

travelwithalan.com Get on their email list. He puts together package deals for VERY cheap. As in **VERY!!!!!** We have been on Alaska cruises and river cruises with them that included airfare and hotels for half what the cruise line wanted for the cruise fare alone.

The deal is, they are not a normal travel agency. You don't call and tell them where you want to go. They send out an email telling you what their current deal is. He generally gets enough cabins for 200-400 people. They usually sell out in 1 or 2 days, so you have to decide that night if you want to take the deal, and call as soon as they open the next morning.
Here's the Alaska deal that he sent out a few days ago. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Travel-With-Alan.html?soid=1131983021905&aid=i70gonwRBtc
and a typical deal, this time to Hawaii: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Travel-With-Alan.html?soid=1131983021905&aid=rGDtkS_bLt8

 

[sengsational]

It's hard to tell if the price is good or not on those kinds of package deals. They have $2,499 per person, double occupancy for a cruise and land tour. On the VTG site, I see that the cruise itself is $617 ppdo. And we can also price-out the Fairbanks to Seatle air return at $150. So that means the transfers, tours, hotels and meals are $288 per day per person, so $576 per day for a couple. On the surface, I think it would be pretty easy to live on that kind of money, doing your own hotels, meals and tours. And you wouldn't have to "have your bags out by 5AM".

 

[catii]

Is there such a thing as a quiet room on a Cruise Ship?

I'm an "edutainment" speaker on cruise ships, which is a nice way for wife & me to get free cruises. Like you, I prefer quiet, black rooms for sleeping, & I've found that the mid-deck bow rooms, as far forward as possible, are the best. No engine vibrations, little traffic, & no windows or port holes!

 

[Dash man]

We primarily cruise Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines. Loyalty does pay by providing discounts and perks. We book directly through the cruise line typically. You may find a better price elsewhere, but lose a perk. It all balances out. They’ll make their money and you’ll have fun.

 

[Harrald]

My bride and I have booked inside, outside and outside with balcony's. If you want dark, get an inside. It's as dark as you can get. Most cruise ships have pretty good black out curtains but if you're sensitive, get a sleeping mask.



When you're looking at cost, go to the cruise line website, look at the price and double it. That's about the cost to just be on the boat. Parking, airfare, taxis, excursions etc are on you. Always call the cruise line and see if they're willing to give you a discount. If you can travel at the drop of a hat, you might get a great deal. Our last cruise was booked 2 days before departure and was about 1/3 of the price others paid for the same accommodation.


Alcohol...This is where it gets tricky. A lot of cruise lines will allow a small number of bottles of wine (for a small fee) to be brought onboard. If you drink wine then bring some. Hard liquor is a different story. I always order a bottle of Vodka to our room as soon as we board. It's overpriced but cheaper than buying drinks also it will usually come with a 6 pack of soda or juice as mixers. A few powdered mixers and we are good to go. We both like to have a cocktail while we get ready for dinner. We may order a couple of drinks on the cruise but not many. Cruise ships are just resorts. They make a lot of money on liquor. They count on the "I'm on holiday..screw it" attitude.



WIFI & phone...We shut off our phones and put them in the room safe as soon as we get into our room. There's more than enough to do and if some one really needs us and can't get us on the phone or text they'll call our son and he'll tell them what boat we're on. Then they can decide if it's really important enough to go through the cruise line to contact us. It probably isn't.


Cheers and enjoy the time on board.


P.S.
Make friends with an assistant cruise director. They can do some amazing things for you on board.

 

[gayl]

Can someone please shed some light on the TOTAL cost of their trip? Say one spends ~$2k PP (~$4,000) for the initial package, how much extra can we expect to be "added" for our preferred meals, cocktails and Wifi?

I can only speak about Princess Cruises. Cruise, gratuities, coffee card are on the cruise personalizer so that'll give you those costs. Not charged for 1st 2 bottles of wine carried (1 bottle per person). $15 a bottle after that - generally 4 glasses per bottle. So if you want to scrimp carry on 4 bottles @ $60. Or pay about $10 per glass. Specialty restaurants are $25 Italian or $29 steakhouse but I'm just fine with main dining room (included in price). Wifi $9.95 a day or free in each port terminal. I mean how connected do you need to be?

My onboard costs add less than $100 but I don't shop or buy fancy prints AKA art auction