Thews40 Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 (edited) So we’re planning on taking a cruise late December for our honeymoon. Leaving from Denver, we can either go to California or Florida, but assume the water will be better leaving from Florida. From those of you that have taken a cruise before (neither of us have), I’d really appreciate any advice or things to consider in booking the trip. Things I’ve been told: Book a balcony room Royal Caribbean is supposed to be better than Carnival? Again, any advice or recommendations greatly appreciated. danka Edit to add we're looking at 7 days and leaving between Dec20th and Jan 10th. Edited September 24, 2009 by Thews40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'canes2004 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 So far so good Thews. Balcony room for sure. The interior rooms are tiny and I mean really tiny. That time of year the Caribbean is really nice. The weather is great and the rainy season is over. We've been on Royal Caribbean's boats twice and have had a great time. Let's see, here are some things that come to me: - when you're on the boat, you use a ship credit card for everything. This is used instead of your regular cc but it is tied into it. So everytime you order a drink, you just use your card and sign for it. Remember one thing. They tack on 15% gratuity for every thing you buy. If the guy hands you a 4 dollar beer, 15% is tacked on. I didn't know this until the 2nd day and was tipping like crazy on top of it. Needless to say my bill for booze alone reached close to a grand! Also you can use your ship card to get more chips at the casino, so be careful! LOL! -Most of the ship sponsored shore excursions are lame. Do some research on your port of calls before hand and figure out what you want to do when you get there. Diving, sailboating, hiking, jet ski's, sightseeing etc... can all be done away from the boat tours. Don't let them know your on a cruise. Just tell them your on vacation. You can haggle with all of them on getting a better deal if they don't think youre on a cruise and are strapped for time. All the excursions tied to the ship are run by operators who have deals with the cruise lines and will gouge you for everything. -You have to tip like 20 people at the end of the cruise. Don't worry they provide you with envelopes and an instructional video on who gets what. It adds up to about 120 bucks or so. Ill add more as it comes to me. You'll have a blast for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxfactor Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Don't forget your good duds for the captain's dinner. I thought of everything except a damn pair of black socks and by the time I realized it, the stores were closed so I went with no socks. Congrats, my friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Royal Carribean is definately better than Carnival. I have heard, although I don't have direct knowledge, that Norwegian is better than RC, so you may want to check that out. If you are going out of FLA, try to find a cruise that does not include Jamaica. I've been to that island twice and never need to go back. The peddlers there are worse than any other island and i never felt completely safe there. Also, on the excursions, if you are a little adventurous, don't do the ones the ship sets up. When you get into port, you'll be able to find the same thing for much cheaper. Although, you won't have the security in knowing that the ship has contracted with the company you can usually find a better deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big F'n Dave Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) Again, any advice or recommendations greatly appreciated. Avoid conversations about religion and existence. And Royal Caribbean, definitely. Edited September 24, 2009 by Big F'n Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Our Carnival ship was a pile of chit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thews40 Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I always thought drinks and food were included on these things? Anyway, after looking at air fare from Denver, it's a lot cheaper to fly to LA and go through Mexico. Anyone been through both Florida and LA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggieFries Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I always thought drinks and food were included on these things? Anyway, after looking at air fare from Denver, it's a lot cheaper to fly to LA and go through Mexico. Anyone been through both Florida and LA? Food is usually included except for the specialty restaurants. The only drinks that were "included" were iced tea, juices and water. Wife and I took RC cruise of the Mediterranean a few years ago. One of the best vacations I've ever had. You guys will have a great time. I don't agree, however, about the Balcony cabins. It'll probably cost quite a bit more and the only things you should be doing in there are sleeping, showering and . We had an interior cabin which over looked the Promenade (basically the "mall" within the ship) and it was perfectly fine. We were barely in there anyway. Good luck and congrats! Edited September 24, 2009 by BiggieFries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big F'n Dave Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I'm gonna disagree with Biggie on the balcony room. Loved the balcony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 The wife and I took a 7 day Royal Caribbean. Definitely balcony. Definitely alcohol not included... we had a $1000 bar tab at the end of the week. Our cruise was Jamaica, Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya. Jamaica was fricking awful... but the other stops made up for it. If you go to Jamaica, avoid Dunn's Falls, it's a hell hole. There's got to be something better to do there. If you do end up on this route, I can definitely give you some recommendations for outings, we had a blast on most of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 honeymoon...i'd think a balcony would be a must. have you thought about smaller "cruises?" ........... sailboat/cat with fewer rooms. something like moorings or barefoot cruises. are you a AAA member? might be some cruise deals in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big F'n Dave Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Jamaica was fricking awful... There's got to be something better to do there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Needless to say my bill for booze alone reached close to a grand! we had a $1000 bar tab at the end of the week. Even with a gratuity added on, that is hard-friggin-core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Even with a gratuity added on, that is hard-friggin-core. Worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thews40 Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks again for the input... taking notes. Did you guys book this yourselfs on line, or through a travel agent? I really do appreciate the advice... Hati and Jamacia don't sound like much fun. I'll check the prices for the balcony, but on some of them it's $1000 more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks again for the input... taking notes. Did you guys book this yourselfs on line, or through a travel agent? I really do appreciate the advice... Hati and Jamacia don't sound like much fun. I'll check the prices for the balcony, but on some of them it's $1000 more. If you've never done a cruise before, I'd at least get an outside room. Balconies are nice, but if price is a concern, definately an area to save money. If you decide you like cruising, then in the future, you can probably be fine with an interior room. It is fun to look out your window and see the ocean, but it is not a must have. If you have a budget, would you rather have a balcony and not drink, gamble, sitesee as much, or have a window and not have to worry about how expensive drinks are? I think in this day, booking online will be pretty easy and I doubt a travel agent will be able to get you a cheaper rate. Could be wrong though. I haven't been on a crouise in ~10 years and back then we always went through an agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millerx Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 maybe get a gps chip embedded under the skin in case your wife chunks your arse overboard because you're in a drunkin' stupor raging on about how this trip is okay but you wish you had your buddies form the huddle here... and that for your next draft party you're gonna suggest cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 http://www.cruisecheap.com/windjammer_barefoot_cruises.asp http://www.cruisesonly.com/promotion/lastm...imageField.y=11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenzal rhomb Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 take the second seating for dinner - less kids and no rush to get in from the island, showered and dressed and yes - Royal Caribbean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oriole33 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I'm gonna disagree with Biggie on the balcony room. Loved the balcony. Especially in the morning with a pot of coffee and a hangover. Good place to kick back while you contemplate NOTHING! And steal some chocolate form the midnight buffet to have with your morning java. Balcony is very nice if you can afford the extra cost! HAVE FUN!! and earlier poster was correct about Jamaica- nothing but thieves and scammers there. A friend bought some reefer there. guy who sold it went straight over to a cop and told him so he could get a payoff. cop then wants money from tourist. Takes drugs. Then drugs end up back with the original Jamoke! Eff Jamaica! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oriole33 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks again for the input... taking notes. Did you guys book this yourselfs on line, or through a travel agent? I really do appreciate the advice... Hati and Jamacia don't sound like much fun. I'll check the prices for the balcony, but on some of them it's $1000 more. Oh, I forgot. I loved the FRENCH side of St. Martin! The Dutch side is called San Marteen and is where the ship arrives. But go to the French side and hang out with the super hot women (oops, I forgot about your wife) and check out the totally nude beaches, good french wine, jeep and motorboat rentals and great waterside bars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrudge Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 So far so good Thews. Balcony room for sure. The interior rooms are tiny and I mean really tiny.It's his honeymoon. A closet next to the engine room is more then enough as long as it has a twin bed with a solid base and good springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I've only been on one cruise in my life, my honeymoon. Definitely a great choice after the crazyness that was our wedding. It was a Carnival cruise and it was way ok. Of course, this was 20 years ago as well. I can't speak as to how it compares to other cruise lines. You seem to be thinking Carribbean, have you thought about a west coast cruise at all? We did the Love Boat cruise (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas) and had a blast. Just letting you know you have some options if you want to tack on airfare to LA. What everyone else has said is pretty much spot on. There is bsaically food available the entire time, drinks are all on you. There are a ton of things to do on board ship, what time we spent in the room was negligible. I know we had an outside room and I may have looked out the window once or twice. Unless you want to pay the big bucks for a suite, get something small and inside. Like Biggie, I don't think you'll notice much. Yes, definitely prepare to dress for dinner. It's even fun. Then laugh at the doofus that just bought a tux from the ship's store for dinner. There is always one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinatieri Is God Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 If you drink wine, smuggle as many bottles as you can in your suitcases. You can bring the bottles with you to dinner if you like. Saves some $$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I am still trying to figure out why you are getting married during football season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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