Anyone go on a cruise yet this winter...??

What cruise line and what ports?

We're off next week to the Caribbean

Any tips....??? Advice? From recent cruisers?

Been on most of the mainstream cruise lines and Caribbean ports, what do you need to know?

Tips? Here are the biggest money makers for a cruise line:
-casino/bingo
-photo gallery
-booze
-shore excursions
-shops on board

minimize your consumption/spending on those and you'll be ahead (cruise lines depend on onboard spending as they don't make much on the discounted base fare).

not sure if they still have this setup in Miami, but when debarking for US customs, look for the closest non-US citizen line that's closest to the US citizen line. Usually when there are no US citizens to be processed, they'll call the Canadian citizens over. The non-US citizens line is much slower due to the fingerprinting and photographing.

Originally Posted by rc51

What cruise line and what ports?

We're off next week to the Caribbean

Any tips....??? Advice? From recent cruisers?

don't book any on shore excursions through the cruise line. they jack up prices like crazy. when you get off the boat onto your port, there will be about 5-10 local tour guides offering the same excursions as the cruise for at least 1/2 the price. One word of caution though, if there is something special, the local guides may not have it. eg, atv tour through jungle. but otherwise they pretty much have everything else.

Have you thought about what line is best for you? HAL is mostly older (but that is changing), Carnival is mostly younger (but again, that is changing), with Celebrity, RCCL and Princess in the middle.

The newer bigger ships from RCI seem to get pretty good reviews, as they are large, and have many activities (including rock-climbing).

Eastern and western Caribbean out of Miami have a few sea days, with western best-suited to watersports like snorkelling. Southern, out of San Juan tends to have more port days.

But the majority of the fun is everything you've just listed.

Originally Posted by HighFlyer

Been on most of the mainstream cruise lines and Caribbean ports, what do you need to know?

Tips? Here are the biggest money makers for a cruise line:
-casino/bingo
-photo gallery
-booze
-shore excursions
-shops on board

minimize your consumption/spending on those and you'll be ahead (cruise lines depend on onboard spending as they don't make much on the discounted base fare).

not sure if they still have this setup in Miami, but when debarking for US customs, look for the closest non-US citizen line that's closest to the US citizen line. Usually when there are no US citizens to be processed, they'll call the Canadian citizens over. The non-US citizens line is much slower due to the fingerprinting and photographing.

Originally Posted by Ben Jr

But the majority of the fun is everything you've just listed.

I didn't say not to do those things, I just said minimize. If you go on cruises often enough, you can eliminate trips to the photo gallery, shore excursion desk, casino (once you play enough, you'll figure out that the payout is obscenely low), shops on board (you'll soon notice that you're not missing out on much).

Also a first time cruiser but taking a Mediterranean cruise. I'm leaving on April 4th. I'm looking forward to it, but the excursions are very expensive. Any different tips or suggestions for the Med?

Leaving from Genoa then Naples (Italy), Alexandria (Cairo), Limassol (Cyprus), Rhodes (Greece), Marmaris (Turkey), Piraeus (Athens), and Katakolon (Greece).

Originally Posted by gacomeau1

Also a first time cruiser but taking a Mediterranean cruise. I'm leaving on April 4th. I'm looking forward to it, but the excursions are very expensive. Any different tips or suggestions for the Med?

Leaving from Genoa then Naples (Italy), Alexandria (Cairo), Limassol (Cyprus), Rhodes (Greece), Marmaris (Turkey), Piraeus (Athens), and Katakolon (Greece).

If you don't mind, how much are you paying and who are booking it through? Is it online? Thanks!

I was on Adventurer of the Seas (with rock climbing and ice skating), sailing from Puerto Rico.

Getting on the ship was a breeze - heres a tip - you can prebook your rooms online for faster service. Well, not exactly.

85% of the passengers did that and inspite of being savvy about things like this, I didn't know you could do it.

So the line for people who didn't do the internet express thingy was completely empty, we walked right to the counter. We boarded 30 mins after arrival, passing many of the folks in the 'internet line-up'.

We sailed to Aruba, Curacao, St Thomas and St Martin.

It was interesting cruising but for me, definitely not relaxing. With 3000+ passengers plus another 1500 staff, it was like staying at a floating 2500-room resort.

When I am on holiday, i don't bring a watch with me. I get up, eat breakfast and head to the beach. I didn't like taking an elevator to the Lido deck to see if there was any lawnchairs. There were few places one could chill out in a lawnchair. Always people jogging around you, dance contests, pool contests, the same crappy band all week long. Then the waiters come around with these $11 drinks, but u get to keep the glass! Wow, wonder if that'll make it past a p!ssed off baggage handler?

We always had to be mindful....if you eat dinner at the late sitting, you have to go to the show before dinner. Which means now you have to leave the relaxing pool area (!) at 4pm to be ready for the show at 6 so u can eat at 8:30.

Schedules, humbug!! I thought I left all that behind!

I agree, the tours on the ship are a waste. Where else would u spend $50 US for a bicycle and walking tour? Grab a taxi and ask them for an hourly rate.

Do your shopping in St Martin and St Thomas, not on the ship.
If u are at St. Thomas, spend a few hours at Magens Bay, its spectacular.

I'm assuming you will bring a camera....have someone take a nice pic of you and your SO. You don't need to pay a professional photog to take your picture.

And get ready for the tipping nightmare - U will see by weeks end, they will suggest you tip the room steward $5US / day, the waiter $7US/day, the assistant waiter $5US/day, the waiter captain( I saw this guy once, he cut my scampi from the shell. I'm 250lbs, getting food has not been a problem yet. I don't need to pay him $20US for this service unless HE is a SHE and there's other services included )

Rooms steward = $35US
Waiter = $49US
Waiter Ass't = $35US
Waiter Captain = $20US.

Total is $139USD each or $278USD for both of you.
Nice $350CAD surprise at the end of the trip!

Uhh, won't see me on cruise ship again until I'm retired.
I'll be spending my $ on a Sandals resort where to food is better, the booze is free, scuba is free, your room is bigger than a standard sized walk-in closet (See:cruiseships) and its as relaxing as u want it to be.

I'm hoping to go in May, I'm questioning the idea of taking the wife dolphin swimming...I'm not sure whether she's gonna be ecstatic, or mentally scar'd for life.
But ya your right, limit those excursions and it won't cost a fortune.

Originally Posted by HighFlyer

I didn't say not to do those things, I just said minimize. If you go on cruises often enough, you can eliminate trips to the photo gallery, shore excursion desk, casino (once you play enough, you'll figure out that the payout is obscenely low), shops on board (you'll soon notice that you're not missing out on much).

Originally Posted by Ben Jr

I'm hoping to go in May, I'm questioning the idea of taking the wife dolphin swimming...I'm not sure whether she's gonna be ecstatic, or mentally scar'd for life.
But ya your right, limit those excursions and it won't cost a fortune.

When booked away from a cruise ship, dolphin adventures is about $85USD each. I did it at Xcaret in Playa Del Carmen. It was worth it for me. Very cool.

Originally Posted by mlc2000

We always had to be mindful....if you eat dinner at the late sitting, you have to go to the show before dinner. Which means now you have to leave the relaxing pool area (!) at 4pm to be ready for the show at 6 so u can eat at 8:30.

Schedules, humbug!! I thought I left all that behind!

i went on NCL, no eating schedules. do all the other cruise lines have set times to eat??

Originally Posted by mma

i went on NCL, no eating schedules. do all the other cruise lines have set times to eat??

Princess has dining rooms split into Traditional Dining (set times) and Personal Choice dining (eat whenever you want). Carnival has split the times up between the 2 dining rooms, so that early in one dining room is earlier than the other, the same being true for late seating. Also, most ships now also have alternative dining for a surcharge.

Originally Posted by Shaf

If you don't mind, how much are you paying and who are booking it through? Is it online? Thanks!

I booked this through my local B&M travel agent, but you can book it online at http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=13004.

I paid a couple hundred less than the online price with my travel agent.

Went two years ago on Carnival, the food was musch better than Cancun this year in a heartbeat, even though the price pre-tips and such were the same.

The early sitting dinner is always better and book at least the balcony, or a window, you don't want to feel like your inside a show box. A cruise is more for fun, if you want relax go to a beachside resort with everything included.