is it me or does this bother anyone?

[jonle1]

Hi all... I am looking to book my very first cruise for November [around thanksgiving] and have found some information that seems to bother me, and just wanting to know if it bother's anyone else.

 

 

 

Does it bother anyone that on some eastern Caribbean cruises from mia and ftl you are not getting the bang out of your buck on 7-night cruises?

 

Here is what I mean; the NCL Epic is 7 night cruise with only 3 stops

both RCCL Oasis and Allure also have 3-stops

 

but yet they all seem to cost more than then other cruises that have one additional stop like the princess ruby...i hope this makes sense.

 

 

Perhaps I should also say that I take two "big" vacations a year; one to miami and the other to Europe [this has been for the past 10 years or so] This year is a little bit different because 1. airfare to europe is now about 1200 and not coming down and second; i just bought a new BMW and need to scale back on my costs. In going to eruope; i tour, do tourist stuff and always on the go.

 

 

does it bother anyone that you pay more to go to less places? or with having 3 days at sea really worth it?

 

thanks!

[SadieN]

Not many places have the capacity to handle those mega-ships.

 

Anyway I do not know why you are complaining. Out here we have one ship doing only 3 stops and only two different ports on the 7day. Very few choices otherwise.

 

If you want port intensive sail out of San Juan- 7 days, 6 ports, no sea days.

[paul929207]

Personally, I prefer sea days.

[bluemarble]

When it comes to mega-ships such as the Epic, Oasis, and Allure, the ships themselves are as much a destination as the ports of call, if not more so.

 

We did the 7-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Epic in 2010. For us the itinerary was secondary to experiencing all the entertainment and dining venues on the ship. Most of the time I would agree the itinerary is the most important factor for us when selecting a cruise, but in this case the ship trumped the itinerary.

[beachbum53]

You might want take a look at the on board amenities on the ship(s) you're considering. Things like a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, Flo-rider pool, etc. all add to the cost, much like apartment complexes that have a tennis court, swimming pool, club house, etc. add to the cost of the rent. Even if you don't use any of those extra amenities, you're still paying for them. Try expanding your search to ships that don't have so many extras, but instead have more ports of call and fewer at-sea days. That's why we like Carnival. Typically, on a 7-day Caribbean cruise, Carnival will have 4 ports of call, instead of 3, like RCCL and some of the others. I think we get a lot of "bang for our buck" on Carnival. Don't get me wrong, we also like RCCL, and may some day cruise with them again. But for now, we're very happy with Carnival.

[Sauer-kraut]

You mention the EPIC prices are a bit higher on her because she is the newest ship in the Norwegian fleet, she also has a TON of entertainment from Blue Man Group, to Legends in Concert and many other professional shows.

 

I don't know the other ships, but I do know that I enjoy my sea days, it is a totally relaxing way to travel. I love them so much that I enjoy transatlantic cruises that may only hit one or two ports.

 

If your question is "is it worth it" to cruise, I would say yes! You don't have to worry about meals, everything is basically taken care of for you. Just figure in your daily service charge and you still come out ahead of a land based hotel type vacation.

 

The new ships do offer a lot of bang for the buck, but even doing the Panama Canal on an "older" ship is something very special too.

[jonle1]

paul929207, bluemarble, beachbum53, Sauer-kraut;

 

 

you all make excellent replies and thank you! and congrats to beachbum on your wedding anniversary!

 

 

 

the other cruise we were thinking of is the carnival victory out of SJU or even the celebrity summit

 

thanks again!

[Cuizer2]

Hi all... I am looking to book my very first cruise for November [around thanksgiving] and have found some information that seems to bother me, and just wanting to know if it bother's anyone else.

 

 

 

Does it bother anyone that on some eastern Caribbean cruises from mia and ftl you are not getting the bang out of your buck on 7-night cruises?

 

Here is what I mean; the NCL Epic is 7 night cruise with only 3 stops

both RCCL Oasis and Allure also have 3-stops

 

but yet they all seem to cost more than then other cruises that have one additional stop like the princess ruby...i hope this makes sense.

 

 

Perhaps I should also say that I take two "big" vacations a year; one to miami and the other to Europe [this has been for the past 10 years or so] This year is a little bit different because 1. airfare to europe is now about 1200 and not coming down and second; i just bought a new BMW and need to scale back on my costs. In going to eruope; i tour, do tourist stuff and always on the go.

 

 

does it bother anyone that you pay more to go to less places? or with having 3 days at sea really worth it?

 

thanks!

 

Since you have never cruised you don't appreciate the value of a day at sea. Cruising in the Caribbean is not about how many islands one visits, it is about relaxing for a week. Nothing is more relaxing than a day at sea.

 

Finally, the eastern Caribbean does not easily lend itself to visiting four ports in one week because the main islands take more than one day to reach. The cruises that do go to four eastern ports usually cut the time or arrive late and stay late into the night.

 

If you want to visit six ports in one week, leave from San Juan. Those cruises visit five or six ports per week.

 

On the western Caribbean the Oasis and Allure only visit three ports because you don't want to tender from either ship (which is necessary in order to visit the fourth port - Grand Cayman).

[indigosails]

I'm just so happy to be on the ship I don't care where it stops (or doesn't). I think 3 ports in 7 days sounds about right. I went on a Caribbean cruise once where we stopped every day. Of course I didn't want to miss anything....I was exhausted by the end of the week.

[calliopecruiser]

Here is what I mean; the NCL Epic is 7 night cruise with only 3 stops both RCCL Oasis and Allure also have 3-stops

but yet they all seem to cost more than then other cruises that have one additional stop like the princess ruby...i hope this makes sense.

 

As has been pointed out, some really like sea days as much as port days, and so there isn't a "value" issue. I'm one of those people who likes being at sea.....my next cruise is a 10 day voyage that includes 8 sea days! You can't really compare the cost of different cruises on different lines and different ships only by the number or locations of stops.....the ships offer different value, as do the different lines. It's not all the same product with the only difference being the number of ports.

 

Wow - two big vacations a year? I'm jealous! However, I'm considering adopting a plan like that, now that I"m older and don't need to save as vigorously.

[Bobbye]

I'd be happy if the ship just did a 7-night cruise to no where. It's the ship I go for, not the islands when doing Caribbean. After a few they all look alike anyway and it gets exhausting. My least favorite cruise are the ones that leave from San Juan and have you on the go all week.

 

As someone else said, when people start Caribbean cruising they seem to pick itineraries that give them the most ports. Once you've cruised for awhile it's all about the ship.

 

In the Caribbean we select the ship and not itinerary, in Europe, etc. it's all about the port and the ship is secondary for us.

[Onessa]

It all depends upon what you want to get from your vacation. We cruise primarily for the itineraries/ports-of-call. We minimize days at-sea. My idea of a perfect cruise is one where I get on the ship and unpack, go to sleep and the next morning awake at 5:30-6:00 and get off the ship and spend the day exploring ruins or museums or such. Thus I look for port time.

 

If your idea of a vacation is to lay poolside, or gamble in the casino, or watch the shows, or play on some cool invention and in-between maybe visit a port or two, then you look for fewer ports - more sea time.

 

There are many factors in the pricing of cruises -- and I'm not certain how the cost of a sea day compares to the cost of a port day from the cruiseline's perspective. Sea days probably increase the personnel costs, food costs, and utility costs (plust the cost of moving the ship). Port days need fewer crew members logging hours, more folks eating one or more meals off ship, etc - but cost port fees, and decrease on-board revenue opportunities.

[Kamloops50]

We have just finished a 14 day cruise with only 4 ports . We are booked for 14 day with 4 ports & 15 day cruise with 5 ports.

Myself and DW prefer sea days to ports . That's just us ,my DS prefers ports over sea days . She & BIL are going on a 21 Day Med cruise with only 5 sea days.

[serene56]

I look for ships with sea days.

 

i mistakenly took a cruise that was port intensive and needed a vacation after my vacation.

 

as a first time cruiser you will always be on the go and the best place to be on the go is on a sea day.

[zookiebird]

As others have said, because of their size the mega-ships are more limited in the ports they can visit. Also, the more sea days they have the greater their profit since all passenger spending (e.g. drinks, casino, shops, etc.) is on board the ship.

[cb at sea]

The ship makes more money when you can't get off....they LOVE fewer port days! Hubby hates sea days, so I understand your concerns! One sea day is more than enough for him!

 

But, on a cruise, you really are there for the ship...not the ports. You are in port for such a short time, you really can't get a "feel" for each country.

[SuitCaseBears]

Some people use a cruise as a way to see a lot of places without having to unpack. Some people never get off the ship even when it does stop at a port. And everything in between.

 

If you're new, you may not even know what you'll like. But if you think you want a lot of ports, pick a cruise with a lot of ports. I think most newcomers do think that way, and as I said some people always prefer port intensive cruises.

 

My husband and I were pleasantly surprised after our 3rd cruise with excursions in every port, when we both admitted we had no desire to get off the ship at all for our next cruise. At least we both found we enjoyed cruising the same way.

 

Cruising offers a wide, wide range of experiences. I can't see the point of complaining about the experiences you don't want to choose.

[Not_Done_Living]

I prefer sea days. I don't have to wake up, and "be somewhere" on vacation.

 

My wife on the other hand lives for excursions. She booked us on a 5 day with 4 ports and only one day at sea.

 

"when we wake up we will be somewhere new every day"

 

Bah

[mmbl]

On Caribbean cruises, it doesn't matter to us how many ports there are. We have been to enough islands, enough times both on cruises and otherwise, that we generally do go into port but make them (for the most part) beach days. The key for a first timer is to check out the cruise line, the ships and the itinerary and then decide which line and cruise best fits what you want to do. We like the activities on board so the bigger, livelier ships are more to our liking. We hated NCL America in Hawaii but it was the only line doing inter-island cruises in and out of Honolulu when we went. Carnival was OK the first time and we enjoyed it very much the second. We love RCCL but the longer cruises (Europe and Caribbean) had a lot of very elderly people and few young ones. In our experience, we would like to be in the middle of the age range pack but if we had to choose, we prefer the younger crowd who seem to be a little more involved in trivia, name that tune, etc. We have even sailed Disney without our , grown, kids and had a great time but we love Disney so that may account for that. Disney really is white glove treatment for all ages. Good luck with your decision and if you have more questions, just ask. Happy sailing.

 

Hi all... I am looking to book my very first cruise for November [around thanksgiving] and have found some information that seems to bother me, and just wanting to know if it bother's anyone else.

 

 

 

Does it bother anyone that on some eastern Caribbean cruises from mia and ftl you are not getting the bang out of your buck on 7-night cruises?

 

Here is what I mean; the NCL Epic is 7 night cruise with only 3 stops

both RCCL Oasis and Allure also have 3-stops

 

but yet they all seem to cost more than then other cruises that have one additional stop like the princess ruby...i hope this makes sense.

 

 

Perhaps I should also say that I take two "big" vacations a year; one to miami and the other to Europe [this has been for the past 10 years or so] This year is a little bit different because 1. airfare to europe is now about 1200 and not coming down and second; i just bought a new BMW and need to scale back on my costs. In going to eruope; i tour, do tourist stuff and always on the go.

 

 

does it bother anyone that you pay more to go to less places? or with having 3 days at sea really worth it?

 

thanks!

[jonle1]

wow: thanks everyone to your replies; i had no idea i would get this many responses!

 

So far I have narrowed it down to NCL Epic out of Miami, Carnival Victory or the Celebrity Summit.

 

 

Thanks!

[srlafleur]

Generally, we look for more port days, less sea days - I love excursions and exploring - but when we did the S. Carib with a port every day, we were so exhausted by the last port that all I did was check out the shops at the dock for about an hour, while DH napped, and we relaxed on board the rest of the day. We thus made our own "sea" day.

We're still on the lookout for itineraries that aren't "been there, done that". Perhaps when we get past that, we'll appreciate sea days more.

[bz]

Looking at your choices for your first cruise, I suggest the Summit. Nice size, nice crew, recently refurbished (we were on one of the last cruises before drydock, was still a nice ship). The food was quite good & we so enjoyed the islands we visited. Just be sure to get to San Juan a day (or more) before the cruise, unwind, relax & you'll be ready for a great experience. We did a Priceline bid for 3 nights & got a 4-star for $149/night beachfront.

[juliawinston]

It doesn't bother me, because I am not really cruising for the ports. More for the relaxation and the stuff to do on the ships. But I can see why it would be annoying if the points are a big reason you cruise.

[chipq]

I'll take the sea days anytime.

 

 

ChipQ http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[spunkyhungry]

I agree with the OP in that I think a cruise is more worth it if you get to visit more ports. I've never done a cruise with less than 4 stops. I've been able to go to 4-5 stops via a variety of cruise lines and all in the Caribbean or Hawaii. So it's definitely possible to find trips like this.