tommygun32

Just wondering....[&:]

If you have, where'd you go, what cruiseline did you use, what was the experience like, what was your cabin like, what headaches did you have? All that....

We're thinking of taking a Med cruise this summer. I've never been on one, so I'm just wondering what to expect...[&:]

Thanks

FahrtAutoRC

Expect to be treated like royalty, no joke. Ive been on Carnival, Norweigan, Royal Caribbean and a couple others. My mom is atravel agent so we would go like twicea year. Ive been to Southern Mexico, Puerto Rico, several Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and a number of other places. Ask me if you have any concerns, Im plenty well versed in this area!

tommygun32

Nice one....I bet she gest a few freebies here and there...

Best way for a travel agent to sell the location....take them there so they experience it first hand [8D].

I was just wondering about things like cabin positioning. What's better, upper decks, lower decks, one that's located more aft or forward or right in the middle?

I used to work in the sports fishing fleet in San Diego, so getting sea sick is not an issue for myself, I'm more worried about the wife and kids feeling it. I know the movement of the ship isn't going to be anything close to what we would feel on the fishing boats, but just curious.

Treated like royalty...[&:]...I can live with that, and I'm more than positive the wife will be able to bear the burden as well....

FahrtAutoRC

The closer to the lower middle sections of the ship you can get, the best. Less movememnt there. Of course, once you have an exterior cabin with a window, youll love it. Ive been in one for a week with a 10'X14' patio off of the back of the ship, best one yet! As for motion sickness, just keep poppin that Dramamine and no worries, that what i always did!!!

Last place you want to be tho is right in the front of the ship.

tommygun32

Ha...LOL...I used to love having a bunk in the bow...used to rock me to sleep...[&:], unless of course we had 25' swells breaking over the bow and water over of the wheel house...[:@]

That was like going parabolic....negative G's as you float in the air and slam back into the bunk...[]

Thanks HH, center of the ship, lower center of gravity...gotccha..

DaveG55

Our theory on cruise ship cabins is to spend as little as possible on the cabin. That usually puts us in an interior cabin somewhere in the middle. Our reasoning is that we spend VERY LITTLE time in the cabin so why spend money on one when all we do is sleep for a few hours in it. Cabins with windows (patios) are nice for a bit of scenery but the entire ship is available for that too. And it's super easy to sleep in the total darkness an interior cabin provides - no matter the time of day you sleep. When we cruise we are often up very late (early) and the inner cabin lets us sleep whenever we want without the interuption of daylight. Traveling with a family with small children may require a different stratagy though.

There are a couple of things I'll mention that new cruisers may not know. First, you will use NO CASH on the ship unless you decide to settle your onboard account with the purser with cash. You will be given a credit card like device that acts as ID and payment for everything that you do on the ship. Well, there is one place where you can use cash, the casino. Also, the cruise line will add a gratuity to your account. This is mandatory and in addation to anything (cash also) extra that you give to your cabin steward. Next is drinks. The drinks with meals consist of things like tea (iced & hot), coffie, milk, water and some juices and are "free". Anything else, including bottled water, is not free. You will be required to buy a drink package of some kind and there are a lot to choose from. They range from soda packages to hard liquor packages to wine packages and there is usually an all inclusive package that includes unlimited beverages of any kind. There are rules like you can only order two drinks at a time and must wait 10 minutes between orders but they are not hard to deal with. These packages are priced per day, per person and tied back to your ID card. The cruise lines want you to purchase a beverage package for each person in your party. No sharing is allowed though it can be done if your are carefull. If I remember correctly the unlimited package on our cruise last summer was about $85/day but at $12/cocktail and $5 for bottled water it doesn't take long for the package to pay for itself. Finally, I reccomend that you book any shore excursions ahead of time apart from the cruise line. You'll often find the same excursions the ship offers for less and you can find things the ship does not offer. Just be sure the excursion knows you are on a cruise ship and they will ususally have things that will get you back to the ship in plenty of time for departure. For example, last summer we cruised the east coast of Mexico and found a beach resort that limited their guests to 150 people per day, each guest was given their own lounger under a cabana with a steward, ALL drinks were included (yes beer and premium alcohol too), and a three course lunch - all for $50/person. It was a GREAT day on a wonderfully uncrowded beach. I still remember standing shoulder deep in that clear blue water, drink in hand and no one else within 100 yards. Another excursion we booked outside of the ship was to the Myian ruins. Included was an hour bus ride to and from, snacks, a native guide and a guarentee to be back on time for departure. That one was $65/ person I think. If you choose not to do excursions I guarentee that the ship will have things to keep you entertained nearly 24 hours per day. We actually had to priortize what we wanted to see/do because there was just too do to do it all.
One other thing I'll reccomend is that you look for a cruise that is "kid friendly" for the ages of your childern. Many lines cater to familys providing sitting services that include special activities taylore to kids. They can keep kids entertained from early in the morning untill late at night so mom and dad can have some alone time.

Bottom line is it's hard to beat a cruise for a pampered, cost effective, fun vacation. We are already planning a Med cruise sometime in 2012 and an Alaska one a year or two later.

Go, you will 100% love it and I bet it won't be your last cruise!!!!!

elven wizard

I've never been on a cruise, [sm=71_71.gif] let alone on a boat expect the Mark Twain Riverboat
at Disneyland. I always hear people say that have went on a cruise, You got to go ! You got to go !

tommygun32

OMG...The Elven Wizard has posted in one of my threads....I bow good sir...

Nice to see you back on-line mate.

Dave, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! Two thumbs up for the insight. I've nver been on a cruise myself. So one of the first things to bring with us back to the ship is 'bottled water' and a few other things.

Much appreciated for the insight Dave, thanks again.

FahrtAutoRC

Youll love the Alaskan cruise, if scenery is your thing


I went to the ruins too, Chichen Itza and Teoticlan, know I spelled that wrong but someone will correct me haha


It seems like Mr. Dave is fairly knowledgable too so there ya have it!!!

elven wizard

Hi Tommygun32 [8D] It's good to be on your thread. [sm=thumbs_up.gif]Back on RCU for a bit, just been investigating UFO's and stuff. Hope you do go on a cruise.
My take from what people say is that had alot of fun on and all day there always eating.

The_Shark

i would want to leap out of the ship too much it would be fun till you hit the water.

never been on a cruise ship, only went to one vacation in my life, and can i tell you even a shoddy vacation is wonderfull, you get to leave your town leave all that crap behind, and focus on yourself and your family... heaven.

DaveG55

One of the things you should check is whether or not the ship/line will allow you to bring on bottled water. Some do not allow you to bring very much in the way of food or drink on. And alcohol is a big no-no to bring on board. You can buy it by the bottle on the ship at a substantial discount BUT the ship holds it untill it's time to disembark. You cannot take it to your cabin and drink it. The same goes for any purchased ashore, the ship will take it from you as you board and deliver it to you shortly befor you disembark. It may be possible to bribe a steward or waiter to get you a bottle or two, I have, but really, it's easier to just buy a drink package and use the heck out of it.

tommygun32

Ahhh...there goes that idea then...[:@] LOL

Drinks package it is. Thanks again Dave.

Shark, one of my favorite types of holidays are 'staycations'....just stay at home and do whatever you want...LOL

Elven....I thought by now you'd had a few visitors come and take you away...keeping you off this "universe" and taking you to theirs...hahaha. Dig any new info up? Anyone find those lost Nazi's yet?

Thanks again guys.

elven wizard

Tommygun32 - Still waiting for those visitors to come by lol . I am going to be doing some astral traveling this summer going to a place where not many people have ever ventured before. Were space and time stand still and past and future are now one. Yes far out stuff, I know. I have digged up new Nazi info that is quite amazing and other related UFO's stuff. Sometime in the future I will be posting.

FahrtAutoRC

Shark- Very bad idea haha biggest ship Ive been on, it would have been like hitting concrete, at least at a total height of 236 ft above the waterline (Oasis class cruise ship)

Dave- Ive done that. I remember being fifteen and getting all the drinks my friends and I wanted for free just by bringing food from the restraunts to the pool deck bartenders late-night. I also remember being 16 and being hand delivered back to my ship in a wheelbarrow, courtesy of Carlos 'n' Charlies haha ahhhh Mexico. If you are going to buy drinks to consume while at port, it's cheaper than hell to do it at port, most cruise lines will allow you to bring on X amount of alcohol as long as it follows certain guidlines, you'll need to do some checking into it tho as I am not sure how it works (been a while)



And who is this Elven Wizard guy? Seems like an interesting character, definitly colorful. Pleased to meet you Mr Elven.

elven wizard

Lol, Nice to meet you Mr. Himmerlerhimself Greeting's to all

tommygun32

Epic!!! Himlerhimself meets Elven Wizard.... You should check out some of Elven Wizards past posts and threads in this 'off-topic' forum Himler.....

Let's hope this doesn't occur on my cruise....OUCH!!! (ya I know, not likely in a Med cruise in the middle of summer)

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=975_1283799588

K-Train

I went on one when I was like 15. Crazy crazy experience, people my age were getting tipsy, it was just ghetto at times on the ship. On the islands was amazing though.

I was on Carnival btw, so I wouldn't recommend them. Heard great things about Royal Carribean.

tommygun32

Ha!!...nice one K-train. Sounds like you had a good time...

We're going to be doing a Med cruise actually, not a Caribbean cruise.

Why would you NOT use Carnival again? Did all the kids' parents' not pay attention to what they were doing? Basically let them run wild and the stewards couldn't control the situation or what?? Or did the teens have the standard "open ended" credit card? Where were they getting their booz from?

FahrtAutoRC

Carnival is more family oriented and less adult oriented. Its not like walking into a grade school, adults will have great fun but there are more kids on board. If he had a bad time, he must have tried to tho, Ive been on five Carnival cruises and never had a bad one!

And I will search back thru Mr. Elven's posts later, Im in class right now and just bs'in until I feel like leaving haha Damn College Comp

tommygun32

Hmmmm....I think once you find his threads, you will be properly impressed.

Let me start you off Himmler: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10..._1/key_/tm.htm

elven wizard

Viewer Descretion is Advised especially the younger audience ! Read before you watch. You may slip in and out of conscious. Take breaks and deep breaths. There is manipulative methods of thought control going on.


Do Not Stare at the Grey to long !


Thank you for posting Tommygun32. So the people know the truth of what's really going on.

dsales

Went on a cruise about a decade ago when I was still quite young. I remember sleeping on the bunk bed, and then I'd wake up again an hour later pointing in opposite directions, this happened a few times then I fell off [&:]

Meh, not for me. Haven't been on a proper ship in 8 years come to think of it.

FahrtAutoRC

Ahhhh I see I see. I remember this guy. While I do not believe they are "in the White House" in this way, I believe our wonderful government does have its secrets. Given probability, there is little to no chance that we are alone in our universe. The chances of planets similar to ours are far from stark, given we have a near twin in our own solar system in the form of Saturn's moon "Io", which is more or less a carbon copy of us but with methane instead of water. Mr. Elven, I will state it here first, you and me will have many great conversations here, as well as many great debates. While it has been said that great minds think alike, they were never meant to agree. That said, I toast to you for your personally intellectual thought processes and I shall meet you on the fields of wisdom

elven wizard

Very well said and impressed by your intellect Mr. Himmerlerhimself. We shall meet again !