Daytona_MAc

HAL and Celebrity are good options, though one needs to remember the age group on HAL. Also, there is much to be said for the smaller ships on RCCL and NCL cruises. We have had some great times on these ships, as have many others in this online community. I've received good reviews from friends on Azamara, though we have not yet sailed on those ships.

We love our sea days but with only 5 days to cruise, I think we would take the Western Caribbean rather than the Bermuda. Having three stops will help the trip feel longer. And trust me, the last day on any cruise is always sad, whether is is the 4th day, or the 16th day. Wishing you both a Bon Voyage and happy honeymoon!

On 5/14/2020 at 12:58 AM, jules181 said:

I just booked a HAL cruise solo (my first solo cruise), I will be attending the FoD meetup on the first days to see if I can make cruise friends, (and I don't care how old you are, how fat you are, how black you are, how poor you are etc...) but there needs to be some common interest.  I will also be attending other non-gay events and activities in the hopes of making cruise friends. 

 

I'll know within 5 minutes of chatting with you whether I want to spend any more time with you, and if I don't, I won't be rude or standoffish, I'll politely decline any invitation and if pressed will be completely honest. 

 

I'm pretty picky about who I spend my time with.  Time is the most valuable commodity we have, I'd rather not waste it in a situation where I don't feel totally comfortable. We should all be free to experience our vacation in the way that makes us happiest, without judgement.  Sometimes it involves being alone, sometimes it involves surround oneself with people. 

My husband and I have been on several HAL cruises and have found some interesting cruise companions at some of the meetups. If the timing matches your schedule, they can be an interesting cocktail hour. But I agree with you - there at least has to be some common interest.

My apologies to SRQbeachgirl and rkacruiser who seem to think that my comment  "Carnival caters to the "we just want to party" crowd" implies that everyone is a drunk. Chill out! If you follow the videos posted on YouTube one can see that Carnival passengers do like to party, and by that I mean they focus on the nightlife and dance clubs, the pool parties and activities on board, and where to go for this or that food on the ship. Do some of them drink? Yes. Drink too much? Perhaps. But you can find drunks on any cruise, if you look for them. What you might not find on another ship is a group of fun-loving people who came to play on board. THAT is Carnival's biggest draw, and that is what i would call a party crowd. And that is definitely one aspect of a cruise to consider when choosing a ship.

For your first cruise, I'd suggest you choose by itinerary and price. MSC has more tiers (levels) to the services they offer, Carnival caters to the "we just want to party" crowd. I would encourage you to check the message boards for each of the ships, and see what past travelers have to say about the pluses and minuses for each ship. 

And once you do make a decision -- stop looking at other options and instead spend time doing research on your selected cruise and the ports of call.

Yes, there are options out there but as sanger727 says, this website doesn't allow us to list travel agents by name or website so you'll have to google it. And I would also not rule out checking via two or more online agencies since each one has different add-ons to offer and you might find a deal that fits your needs better if you look at several sites.

We would agree that CC works most of the time but if you do like to get out and about on your own, local cash is a boon. Sometimes we can change money on the ship, but most of the time it is easiest to use your debit card and a local ATM, provided your bank supports foreign ATM networks.

I will use the online check in option as soon as it is available, simple because I like to know that everything is ready for boarding. Is there a benefit? If reduced stress can be counted, then yes!

I can agree with those who recommend checking the times-in-port part of the cruise if you are interested in the cities on the cruise. Also, we would look for ships of 2000 passengers or less, and if we could afford it, ships under 1000 passengers. Smaller ships can often visit ports that the larger ships do not, and then the number of people ashore might be less as well.

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Hopefully, you're checking ITA Matrix for the best routing/pricing on multi-city air.

Always one of the options when searching flights, but that trip was found by searching for the lowest cost one-way from Europe and then searching for the best inter-city flight from Rome.

We considered an overnight high-speed rail connection to Amsterdam but it did not leave from Rome and the best connecting rail out of Rome did not get us to the overnight train in time to board the same day.

It's mostly about examining all options. We also considered renting a car and driving, and had the ship not docked in Italy, we could have done that. (Rentals leaving Italy are very expensive - in-country is not so bad.) It would have meant no overnights in Amsterdam, but we would have had some interesting cross-country travel by car.

We also enjoy these types of cruises. I've been on 3 transatlantics and would like to try a transpacific someday. We like the increased number of sea days, though I prefer to opt for a balcony room so I have plenty of outside space to myself. As for the one-way airfare, I find that is not a problem if you seach all options. For example, our return from Italy at the end of the cruise was much cheaper by flying from Rome to Amsterdam and then back to USA, plus we has a couple days to sightsee in Amsterdam.

We, too, would choose Azamara over Carnival but only because we prefer smaller ships, and more refined dining and service. If you're looking forward to lots of nights out, and like to bar-hop and party, then Carnival might suit you better. You will be pampered in the Grand Suite, plus there are more entertainment options on Carnival's larger ships. Carnival is going to offer poolside parties, loud music, and probably more games and organized activities - it's what their ships are known for.

We've booked direct and through an online TA and the determining factor has always been the total package. We have had good luck booking direct with the cruise line, including one or two great upgrades, but if a TA offered a better total package, we would take it.

I guess my best answer then is to do your research, check prices, and ask friends. We do have a couple of tips:

1. Don't pay the complete price before the due date, especially if booking direct. Should the room rate drop, you can always ask for the new rate, or an upgrade, and not having made final payment gives you better leverage.
2. Get the travel insurance, but it's not necessary to buy it until the final payment due date. Should you need to cancel before final payment, you will not be refunded the insurance payment in most cases.

My dad would make us work for at least one gift each year by writing riddles. He'd start with one hanging on the tree. You had to answer the riddle, which gave you the next place to look. After 3 to 6 successive riddles, which often took us all over the house, the last one would lead to the gift. By that time, ANYthing was better than another riddle and something we really wanted was just so much better.

Be creative - the kids will enjoy the gifting, and then later, the cruise. (And years later, the memories ...)

If you are experienced with searching on your own, then do so, otherwise I would encourage you to work with a travel agent (TA), since price is foremost and you also need airfare. A good TA can help you by knowing which cruise lines offer the best perks. For example, earlier this year NCL had some cruises with airfare included or at a reduced rate. We have used cruise line airfare with Holland America and had no issues with the service, and we have also searched for and booked our flights first, then booked the cruise afterwards (it was a transatlantic, so we were searching for the best return flight.)

When we can afford the upgrade, we have never regretted spending the money, whether it was a small increase for a spa balcony or a larger increase for a concierge suite. We sail to enjoy ourselves and if these extras help and we can afford it, then by all means take them.

Every cruise ship I have been on has at least one socket for US and one for European connections (British DC type, usually). I also bring a short non-surge 3 plug strip with USB sockets which ensures I can plug in anything and my tablet/camera/phone.

On 9/8/2019 at 12:13 PM, Stem2stern said:

This may be a stupid question, but this is my first cruise. I am cruising on Royal Caribbean next May and the pricing for my room is $800.51per person with a 50% off for second guest promotion. The way I calculate it is I should be paying $719.50 for myself and my guest should be paying $359.75 for a total of $1059.75 for 2 people, plus taxes and fees of course. But when I look at the pricing, I am being charged for both occupancies and my guest is being charged for both occupancies. The amount being charged per person is $1439 plus $162.02, totaling $1601.02 each then they took $720 off for the 50% off second guest. I don’t understand the calculations. Am I being charged double or am I just not understanding it? Someone please help me understand this. Thanks in advance.

RCCI adverts can be a bit misleading and I have seen confusion around this type of sale previously. When the ad says "50% off the second guest, prices from $800.51" what they are telling you is the two guests will start at 1601.02. RCCI does you the advantage of doing the math before writing the ad (even though it is confusing). Not that 1 guest will start at $800.51 and the second guest will start at $400.26. If you check the fine print on the website, you will find the actual room price before any discounts are applied. If you are lucky, some decent math skills will make this all clear for you.

My best advice is to use a good travel agent (TA), whether local or online, because the TA will understand these offers, help you understand the actual costs, and may even find you a better deal.

I have sailed on ships up to 3200 pax and while I enjoy the smaller ships I must say I have never felt crowded on the largest. We were always able to find deck space or quiet corners of the ship in which to sit. Then again, we tend to keep to ourselves for most of our cruise, spending time on the balcony and finding excursions with smaller group sizes and so that's part of it.

It depends on what the choice is, actually. If the option is for a guarantee cabin, then I would decline and pick my own. A guarantee means you pay for a cabin class (inside, outside or balcony) but the  cruise line doesn't assign a cabin until a couple of weeks before sailing. You won't know what it is until assigned and you have no option to refuse.

When the cruise line picks the cabin and gives you a cabin number at booking, you have a chance to check the ship decks and decide if that's where you want to be. This is not always a bad choice and we have had some great cabins by accepting the one assigned at booking.

Nor can I, TBH. The line is from an old John Waters movie I was dragged to see (against my better judgement) by a dear friend who shall remain nameless. It was a delight, and this line from the movie is one which pops up from time-to-time. 

Unfortunately, no. It would be nice to spend the holidays on a cruise so I hope you guys enjoy it. We're more inclined to sail during the shoulder seasons.

On 5/28/2019 at 3:01 PM, zitsky said:

This is why we can't have meetings.  No one gets along.  😞

 "Could we please say grace, can we at least do that?"   --Divine

😉

On a TA to Rome, or anywhere in the Mediterranean, we would choose the port side. Sailing east, puts the shoreline off the port side so for us, that means more scenery. It would also mean less full sun on the balcony, so consider that if you like to sit in the sun.

The Columbia Restaurant is always a good choice for Tampa. It is always on our preferred list when we visit.