Rockette

August... probably on the Mardi Gras. It'll be my first time on Carnival!

Well, I did buy new luggage last month. I am being very hopeful for travel in 2021 period, not just cruising.

🤞

I'll echo a bit what others said on making sure it's at least a week. I'd also avoid any time in March or April due to college & school spring break. The early part of it can turn any ship into a party ship, and the latter part of it will have at least a 1:1 ratio of kids to adults making for a different kind of hectic cruise. I personally like cruising the Caribbean in late May/early June as the schools haven't let out yet, and you get some really warm weather and ocean temps which make for great days on the beach. 

Also consider what line you'll be sailing on. Of the big 3, it's really a question whether or not you like more of a party atmosphere (Carnival), active atmosphere (Royal Caribbean), or a bit of a mix of both (Norwegian). Then you also have the luxury lines from Carnival's such as Holland America, and Royal Caribbean's Celebrity, which are much different from each other in their own right. If you want to stay on a big ship, but want a luxury experience, you can go with the Haven on Norwegian's ships too which is a great experience. 

Generally 7 day Western Caribbean cruises have 1 more port day than Eastern Caribbean ones, so that's another thing to consider. 

I hope they don't change it either. It's one of the reasons why I'm the most curious about Virgin in the first place. 

On 11/4/2018 at 3:24 PM, MissingTurtle said:

We are a family of experienced travelers, but have never cruised before. We thought that might be a nice family trip in the last 2019 time window. Since then, I've been trying to do research and I have ended up kind of flummoxed by ship reviews. It seems that every ship I look at on the major mainstream cruise lines -- new or old, big or little -- has a reasonable number of reviews that report that the ship is awful in some way.

 

I completely understand experiences can vary and folks are looking for different things on any given cruise. But the breadth of these kinds of feedback leave me really confused. And they seem out of alignment with the Cruise Critic editor's scores. Is this a huge problems in the cruise industry? Unrealistic expectations? Something else?

 

More to the point: I'm not sure what the right path is for a new cruiser. Is it safe to assume a modern ship on a major line will be a decent experience and discount the strongly negative reviews?

 

For what it's worth, we're pretty low maintenance -- we want a clean, comfortable room and to have a nice time, but we don't need anything really fancy. At the same time, it doesn't need to be a super-low rate. We're looking to cruise in the Caribbean somewhere in the week range.

Given that you're new, I would probably go with what another poster on here said and go with the Oasis Class Ships from Royal Caribbean:

1. Oasis of the Seas

2. Allure of the Seas

3. Harmony of the Seas

4. Symphony of the Seas

As far as week long itineraries go, I think they only run 7 day Caribbean Cruises off of various ports from the east coast of Florida. You're in the Midwest, so flying into MCO and looking for any of these ships based out of Port Canaveral might be your best bet.

There is just so much to do on these ships it's simply ridiculous. The only reason I haven't been on one in awhile is that they tend to run the same basic eastern/western Caribbean itinerary - and I prefer going somewhere different.

Look for a reputable travel agent to search for you! I remember when I started cruising I really didn't want to listen. I'm extremely tech savvy and I just though the idea of "hiring" someone to look for me was simply silly. But the reality of it is that they do save you money, and I've received countless upgrades and on-board credits because of them. 

Don't plan everything - especially shore excursions. Ship excursions give you a great guarantee of getting back on time, but after possibly a few days of being crammed into a tight space, it's good to get away from the pack - get a good taxi, and find a secluded spot to relax. I love some Caribbean excursions, but prefer the less crowded beaches. 

Don't be afraid of the "formal" dress code. The atmosphere is still as laid back as ever. 

Meet & mingle with fellow passengers. You never know who you might meet.

On 2/15/2018 at 12:59 PM, Tennant said:

We are planning a trip on Celebrity and my grandparents who are avid ballroom dancers are very hesitant to go due to the lack of live entertainment for dancing on Celebrity these days.

 

Can any dancers out there comment on your experiences?

 

We cruised recently on Celebrity but didn’t pay that much attention!

 

Thanks!

 

 

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This might be a bit late, but the Koningsdam and the upcoming Nieuw Statendam have beautiful venues called the "queens room" much like on Cunard. They have a house band that plays all sorts of ballroom music. It's nice to hear that someone at Holland America heard people complaining when they said they'd take away ballroom dancing from their cruises.

The dance group I go with is going on the Nieuw Statendam in April of 2019.

The lack of a closed hold is frustrating... but I see that everywhere I go. Closed hold in Standard is the only way to go once you get the connection right. It makes things much more enjoyable.

I'm with the Stardust cruise right now, I can confirm there are quite a few beginners. Stardust has its own private sessions as well as plenty of classes at various levels, and Costa Deliziosa also has lots of music for dancing plus one of the best dance floors at sea.

Dancers At Sea I found to be rather expensive, although the host/passenger ratio is higher, and they use ships with a lot less non-group dancing.

There are a few other groups but I haven't met anyone with recent first-hand experience.

This is great to hear. How do they run their workshops at sea? Is it exactly like their weekend events up in the Catskills? Do they book a private room during the day?

If you dive at all, you're bound to see Caribbean Reef Sharks. They're more active at dusk, and are very timid. Keeping your distance and understanding their body language is important. They won't bother people, but they will attack and flee if provoked.

Some can get quite big, 4-6 feet is common, and supposedly they grow up to 10 feet. I've never seen one that big though.

I can also add that there are shark feeding dives in the Bahamas in Nassau... although they are subject to a large source of controversy because you could say they associate people with food. It is certainly an experience of a lifetime though.

http://www.golfanddiving.com/services/packages/shark-feeding-course-bahamas/

Enjoy! PM me if the link gets removed. It's not cheap.

It doesn't hurt, but it's like sticking your face in a garden hose. Bathing suit malfunctions can happen too!

Over half of any given sailing is first timers. Not everyone is a veteran like you

 

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Yep.

Honestly I would say to find a different itinerary. Allure has Western Caribbean itineraries that don't stop in Jamaica. It's definitely worth checking those out.

I have similar feelings about Jamaica though as the original poster. I'm not crazy about it... but any day to get off the ship, I find at least something to do. A beach day, at minimum.

Here's a list from RCCL of things to do at the Port of Falmouth:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/destinations/shoreExcursions/subGateWayByPort/search.do?LocationCode=FMT

"Full English Breakfast"

I rarely eat a big breakfast when I'm home, but when I'm on the ship I really look forward to it.

I've been on a few Carnival party cruises with friends... I'm in my late 20s. Fights are probably the craziest things I've seen on a cruise ship, especially amongst the late night crowd. Who in their right mind goes on cruise to fight someone? The last one I saw ended up with the two fighters in tears as security restrained them.

On a sillier note, when I was on Oasis of the Seas I kept seeing this group of teenagers that were more or less being immature. One of the days they had a food fight in the Windjammer. The staff was less than thrilled and only warned them. The next sea day, they all decided to eat off their plates... using only their mouths. It was somewhat entertaining.

I usually put a bathing suit in my purse and change into it ASAP. Pool time! Maybe the hot tub if it's chillier out.

I usually don't eat on a ship until the main dining room seating that first evening.

I've been a part of the ballroom dance groups that have joined the princess ships before as an instructor/host. I have heard some mild complaints that we "take over the dance floors" and don't let enough people on.

For this, I apologize, but we're sometimes just having our own fun to notice. A quick "ahem" will get us to recognize you and apologize for hogging up all the space.

The largest group I was with a part of was 30 student dancers and 10 professionals.. so quite a bit smaller than "half the ship."

Now are these Stardust cruises for accomplished dancers- or will beginners also be on board?

I've actually performed at their dance weekends with my pro partner. If the cruise is anything like those events, they have a huge mix of total beginners, to near pro level amateurs dancing there.

They're a very inclusive group and the organizers make sure everyone has a great time.

"Dancers at Sea" is another one to look up, they're based out of Florida. I've been a pro as part of their workshops every now and then.

I'm the type that can live in a bathing suit and linen clothing... So to me summer cruising is great.

My husband and I are ballroom dancers... So our song choices reflect that.

1. Ceremony: "Canon in D"

2. Grand entrance: "I Love You" by Micheal Franti & Spearhead

3. First dance: "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls

Unless you're bringing a dance partner, don't count on dancing really unless it's in a line with really any other cruise line other than Holland America, Cunard, or Crystal. Holland is doing away with it as well.

Unfortunately dance floors take up too much space and there's less commercialization to them.

I've had some great luck with men willing to dance on Costa cruises... but they are not employees.

The night before sea days I'm usually up late. I always find things to be much more fun on those evenings. The night before an early port of call though? You better believe I'm one of the first ones off that ship, so I'm asleep by around midnight at the latest.

I think one could get away with taking ones jacket off for the Paso Doble; instead of ones partner playing the part of the cape they could play the part of the bull. You could whisk your jacket away at the last minute as her tiara is just about to impale you. It would look very artistic but I think wearing a red tuxedo is over the top.

 

Regards John

I always preferred paso where the woman was portrayed as the cape, not the bull.:)

I don't think I've ever seen a man dance for more than one song in a Jacket. I'd imagine it gets super hot. I doubt the Fashion Police would say anything either.

Most dance groups never make it onto the Internet. The local group in January was just a bunch of friends who decided to book on the Mediterranea at the same time. Nobody was really in charge and we mostly dance International style at the bronze/silver level. Incidentally there were equal numbers of singles- sometimes we end up with more single guys than women. There was a dance studio group from Florida who hadn't posted either. dancinglist.com has some cruises, but I personally know of one with Southern Star chapter of USA Dance next October that isn't listed.

I decided a long time ago not to hire partners for social dancing. I did try one of the companies that provides hostesses, but it was quite expensive and not all that much fun. I do travel with Stardust. They were getting 500+ people when they were on Costa Fortuna but Adventure of the Seas (San Juan) a much smaller group and I didn't like the ship (should have done trip report, will dig out my notes). Linda says she wants to sail from Florida next year but is having trouble finding a ship.

If you want "cheap" and "dancing" then, for all its many and varied faults Costa is your only real choice, so the best odds of finding other dancers is on whatever ship they have sailing from the US.

We do, but they're usually through ballroom message boards and just email groups. There are about 60 of us going on a Caribbean Cruise in February with Princess.

Ballroom dancer here who just got talked into going to my first Zumba class last week. Loved it! It will definitely become a permanent part of my workout routine.