1st Cruise - have some questions for the experienced cruiser

[Gone Fishing]

I found your idea of traveling around the way you plan to and starting with a cruise very intriguing and was about to give some suggestions.

However.....I got to the point where you mention the "rowdy locals" from Puerto Rico.

So, agreeing with Little Miss Magic about several things....including keeping an open mind, I've decided not to even try to help.

Also anyone who can be bored staring at the ocean shouldn't even consider a cruise. It's sad.

I am a non-rowdy local.

 

I was on the sernade with many "rowdy and non-roudy locals" out of Puerto Rico. They had parties and several events where spanish was the main language.

 

My only regret was that my spanish is so poor I missed out on a ton of fun. Most of the folks i had the chance to talk to spoke perfect english as well as spanish and were very friendly. So my suggestion is to brush up on the spanish and dont miss out on a great time.

 

Otherwise just smile a lot. People usually smile back even if they speak a different language.

 

You could also try some Spainish that my friends taught me.

 

Me permite pagar por las bebidas

 

I am not sure what it means but it sure seemed to make me a popular guy at the bars.:)

[Hambergler]

I came on this board and asked some very straight forward specific questions. 1/3 of the people offered completely unsolicited ignorant personal judgments. They do not know me or where I've been, or who I am, or how much money I make or what race I am and they didn't answer any of my questions. The next 1/3 are defending me from these ignorant opinions; thank you BTW. And the last third gave me constructive advice that was pertinent to the questions I asked; TY for that. I am a member of many boards and this one is very immature for an adult site. When you offer off topic - inflammatory remarks, that's called trolling. 33% trolls? On an adult forum? This is worse then the Halo forums. Now I'm really looking forward to being trapped on a ship with these people.

[Gone Fishing]

I came on this board and asked some very straight forward specific questions. 1/3 of the people offered completely unsolicited ignorant personal judgments. They do not know me or where I've been, or who I am, or how much money I make or what race I am and they didn't answer any of my questions. The next 1/3 are defending me from these ignorant opinions; thank you BTW. And the last third gave me constructive advice that was pertinent to the questions I asked; TY for that. I am a member of many boards and this one is very immature for an adult site. When you offer off topic - inflammatory remarks, that's called trolling. 33% trolls? On an adult forum? This is worse then the Halo forums. Now I'm really looking forward to being trapped on a ship with these people.

 

Well not sure how to take that.... My last post was not directed at you. Rather a general statement from my own experiance with an attempt at humor tossed in. I suppose you do have a point, I did not address your question directly.

 

I chimed in becase my neice has been all over the world when she was younger on a tight budget and sometimes very little money at all. She is doing great and has had many adventures.

 

I am not sure why this thread has such a weird vibe... I am going to leave it now and i hope your trip turns out well.

[mjldvlks]

Which one of the Royal Carribean Cruises I linked to would you recommend?

 

Part of the answer is based on personal preference into which I obviously have no insight. My own personal criteria include itinerary, length of cruise and price. I would probably choose one of the longer cruises. But that is me -- I like sea days. I would encourage you to not count one out because it has a stop or two you don't find interesting at first glance. On our TA, one of my favorite stops was in the Azores, a place I never would have gone if it had not been on the itinerary I picked for other reasons. I would probably pick one of the longer cruises that end in Rome on a Voyager class ship. I wouldn't get overly concerned about weather. There are obviously no guarantees, but, except for Jewel these cruises tend to be fairly well south. It probably won't be hot, but it will be pleasant most days. If I recall correctly, the flowrider on Independence got a lot of use [but not by me].

 

When is the best time to book? The prices seam to fluctuate.

These days it seems early is the best option.

 

Where are the more desirable places on the ship to book your room? Any places to avoid? Someone said to be under and over another stateroom is good.

 

Having staterooms above and below is good for limited noise. We had a balcony on deck 9 [of Independence -- Identical to Liberty] and loved it. If you have concerns about motion sickness, middle of the ship and low is best. That rules out most balconies. If you are uncertain, and are able, you might try a short 3 or 4 day cruise before hand and see how you do. I think most people have no real problems with it. The captains are also very good about avoiding the worst weather.

 

Some rooms have a "promenade view" Are these rooms very noisy? My understanding is that they face a busy mall area.

 

I will defer to those who have stayed in these cabins -- I have not. I personally would not choose one.

 

Is there internet on the ship?

 

As others have said, it is very slow. I would not expect to do more than check email from time to time. If you try to schedule your usage for times when fewer other guests are using it, you may get a little bit more speed. There are indeed times at mid ocean it may be down, but I don't recall it being for very long. Although it is slow, I will add that guest relations has always been very good about crediting us with additional time when it was so slow it was unusable.

 

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

We loved our TA -- had another scheduled this fall but had to cancel due to work commitments. Would do another in a second if I could.

 

Thanks

 

You are welcome -- if you think of other questions, fire away.

[storm1of4]

I came on this board and asked some very straight forward specific questions. 1/3 of the people offered completely unsolicited ignorant personal judgments. They do not know me or where I've been, or who I am, or how much money I make or what race I am and they didn't answer any of my questions. The next 1/3 are defending me from these ignorant opinions; thank you BTW. And the last third gave me constructive advice that was pertinent to the questions I asked; TY for that. I am a member of many boards and this one is very immature for an adult site. When you offer off topic - inflammatory remarks, that's called trolling. 33% trolls? On an adult forum? This is worse then the Halo forums. Now I'm really looking forward to being trapped on a ship with these people.

 

 

OH PLEASE LIGHTEN UP MY FRIEND.

Youre gonna meet up with a lot more diversity when you sail off for a year in this big world of ours.....The fine folk of these boards are like mother's milk in comparison. Have a good day:)

[Hambergler]

OH PLEASE LIGHTEN UP MY FRIEND.

Youre gonna meet up with a lot more diversity when you sail off for a year in this big world of ours.....The fine folk of these boards are like mother's milk in comparison. Have a good day:)

 

Case in point.

[Jimnbigd]

A smaller ship might be rough in the Atlantic. Larger ships have less movement because it take more water to move them. Also, larger ships usually have more to do, like the ice rink. You can judge the size of the ship by its "tons". Of the ones listed in your link, the Liberty of the Seas is the largest -- a Freedom class ship. Next is size is the Voyage class ship, and this includes the Voyager of the Seas, the Mariner of the Seas, the Navigator of the Seas, and the Adventure of the Seas.

 

I would rule out the Mariner of the Seas. It is going to dry dock just before the trans-Atlantic sailing. Dry Dock is when stop sailing for a week or so and do all sorts of repairs and replacements. You might think this is good, but I have read the repairs can and probably will continue during the trans-Atlantic crossing, perhaps closing off some public areas for a while.

 

I would rule one leaving from Puerto Rico because you are on a budget, and flying to Puerto Rico I think is more expensive that other places.

 

The Liberty of the Seas from Ft. Lauderdale would be my choice. I think it just did dry dock. Price looks great right now. You should book it now -- you can always cancel before final payment date and get a full refund but if you wait you might not have a good cabin selection.

 

I like inside cabins myself. On the Liberty of the Seas or any of the Voyager class ships, I would choose an inside cabin on deck 6, 7, or 8, between the back elevators and the back of the ship. Deck 6 there is fine -- just above the deck 5 dining room, but deck 5 is used only for dinner -- we never heard any noise from the deck 5 dining room. Usually the higher the deck, the more expensive the cabin. Promenade cabins (the inside cabins with a window view of the Royal Promenade) are more expensive -- not worth it to me. I'd get this only if you don't want the "closed in" feeling of an inside cabin but don't want to spend the money for an ocean view or balcony. There are some inside cabins on deck 3, but these might be directly under the casino and might be noisy. I think the Liberty had some inside cabins on deck 2, but not the Voyager class. No cabin is ever under the water line -- deck 1 is the where you go to leave the ship on port days, and even then you have to walk down a ramp to get to the dock, and of course the dock is well above the water.

 

Now, the flight home might be as much as the cruise.

[Sequim88]

Me permite pagar por las bebidas

Well, that's one way to inflate the SeaPass account. ;)

 

Another thought for serious ship based travel around the world.... low "features and comfort" level but high adventure would be to travel by commercial freighter. Many have fairly decent passenger features - some even with pool and exercise room but are lower cost and very relaxing. Meals are same as officers eat (usually with them). No entertainment of course but in the course of a year that would probably get old fast anyway. Where else could you hang out on the bridge all day?

 

Check out: http://freighterworld.com/

Click link for routes and the 124 day Around the World for $13K to $17K. Stops at places that will never see a cruise ship.

 

Probably not a perfect option for first cruise but perhaps some legs via freighter would be an OK change up once it is determined cruising is OK.

[loman]

I came on this board and asked some very straight forward specific questions. 1/3 of the people offered completely unsolicited ignorant personal judgments. They do not know me or where I've been, or who I am, or how much money I make or what race I am and they didn't answer any of my questions. The next 1/3 are defending me from these ignorant opinions; thank you BTW. And the last third gave me constructive advice that was pertinent to the questions I asked; TY for that. I am a member of many boards and this one is very immature for an adult site. When you offer off topic - inflammatory remarks, that's called trolling. 33% trolls? On an adult forum? This is worse then the Halo forums. Now I'm really looking forward to being trapped on a ship with these people.

No need to worry , less than 5 % of the cruising public uses this website , so the chances of running into the ignorant ones is small. Its funny i used the word ignorant on my last post also. i was not impressed with responses , as people find it real easy to hide behind their computer.

Good luck and best wishes in your travels.

[oldguysandgalls]

Transatlantic voyages have a certain charm and mystic about them. Imagine, days and days of nothing but sky and sea as far as the eye can see; it's magical. You'll want to be out and about on deck as much as possible, feeling the wind blow through your hair, watching the majestic waves rolling on and on.

 

Explore distant ports and lands, take in as much as you can, experience the unexpected and build your memories along the way. Your cruise/trip may only be for one year, but your memories will last a life-time. And...please don't worry about some of the negative feed-back.

 

Wishing you happy sailings and many, many happy memories.

[oldguysandgalls]

Addendum:

Inside cabins, midship, with passenger cabins above and below your cabin are in our experience, the most economical. Also, after you have 'toured the world' so to speak, instead of flying back to your home town, you may wish to consider booking a re-positioning cruise. A perfect ending to your grand adventure!!