price

[kids1stcruise]

need to know why people love cruises---

do restuarants have full menu---seafood/steaks/

how are buffets.

is the value worth it--why do they offer restaurants for additional charge?

what is always available at no extra charge?

what type of movies are in the theater--are they always changing--are they rated g/pg/r different showings thru the day--is there a charge to enter theater.

what is the amphitheater?

is there things to do for all ages?

tell me why cruises are the way to go:cool:

[Cruisegoer]

Actually cruises offer nothing, bad food (if you read about half of the posts here). Movies stink, uncomfortable ampitheather (again if you read about half of the posts here) and of course terrible value for the money as again, if you read these boards, cruise lines do nothing but nickel and dime you from specialty restaurants to "tight" casino's to offering terrible service for what your paying....AGAIN, if you read about half the posts here.

 

Sooooo, to answer your question, life is very subjective and therefore cruising can be to. Is it everyone's ideal vacation, no, do most people like it once they've done it, yes. Is it a good value, I would say yes..but again 10 more would say "no".....take some time, read posts here, read the cruise line's brochures and make the decision for yourself, or not, to try it.

[sjbdtz]

need to know why people love cruises---

do restuarants have full menu---seafood/steaks/

how are buffets.

is the value worth it--why do they offer restaurants for additional charge?

what is always available at no extra charge?

what type of movies are in the theater--are they always changing--are they rated g/pg/r different showings thru the day--is there a charge to enter theater.

what is the amphitheater?

is there things to do for all ages?

tell me why cruises are the way to go:cool:

 

 

Two things....1.... more descriptive thread titles are helpful. "Price" doesn't relate to your message.

 

2. Unpack once. Go to sleep & wake up in a new city / country / destination. Eat whenever, and whereever and however frequently you want (except the few specialty restaurants). Non-stop entertainment, pools, arcade, shopping galleria, spa, casino....all within a 5 minute walk from your hotel (floating) room.

 

So why would you cruise? Because it's fun, it's adventurous, it can be educational, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than airfare, motels, food, entertainment, etc. to travel on land for the same period of time.

[garycarla]

Agree... price has nothing to do with question. Be more descriptive.

You might want to read through some old messages on various boards as people will tell you plenty. Read some actual reviews as well.

 

You will some people continue to go on cruise after cruise after cruise. Others do one and hate it.

[judyf]

I didn't think I would like a cruise. Now I love to cruise and would rather take a cruise then any other vacation. For me it's many reasons but will list a few.

 

1) As someone else said unpack once and go to many different places

 

2) NO DRIVING, I like that the most

 

3) Everything you need to have is included except the tips which you need to add to the price about $10.00 per day per person.

 

4) You can get a lot of extras to add on but you don't have too. Extras are, alcohol drinks, massages, casino, pictures, and shore excursions.

 

5) I find the free or included restaurants are well worth it and more then enough. I don't eat much meat so for me there's nothing I like at the pay extra places. But those that do say it's great and worth the extra money. Just an expensive I don't add on plus I'm always trying to lose weight so I try to watch a little. LOL Well, as much as I can on a cruise. Food is available all the time.

 

6) You can do as much as you want or as little as you want.

 

Keep reading these boards and you will read much more about cruising.

[Tmeister]

Why do people cruise? What's good about cruising? I can echo all the comments made above. My wife and I have been on seven cruises together, and we've enjoyed each one, some more than others, but we've never had a bad time on a cruise. We also take land-based vacations, and we enjoy those as well. The advantages of cruising, in addition to what's been said above, is that we always feel like we've been well taken care of. For the duration of the cruise, we don't cook, clean or worry about any other tasks that fill our lives at home, and it only costs us about $200 a day, the cost of a good hotel room in most areas. We have great food served to us by people whose aim is to make sure we are pleased. We're entertained all day long, or if we just want to sit and do nothing, we can do that too. In a word, we're pampered, and to do that on land would cost $500 a day or more. Sure, cruise cabins are smaller than a room at Days Inn, but we're not in the cabin very much.

 

To answer some of your specific questions, the dining rooms do not have the sort of full menu that you would see at a land-based restaurant, with 20 or 30 choices of entrees. Instead, you will have a choice of 4 or 5 entrees, usually featuring one beef dish, one poultry, one seafood, one pasta and perhaps a pork or veal dish. You also have a choice of two or three soups, two or three appetizers, and two or three salads, plus about 5 desserts and a selection of ice creams. Your waiter will be pleased to bring you as much of all of that as you want. Two soups? No problem. Veal and lobster? No problem. All without additional charge. (Try to do that at Applebee's!) And that's just dinner; you get treated just as well at breakfast and lunch. And if that's not to your liking, there's always the buffet almost all day long, plus most ships have a pizzeria, a hot dog and burger grill, and other just-like-home dining. (Can you tell that some of my happiest moments are spent eating?)

 

We've considered the specialty restaurants with the add-on prices a few times, but we never felt it was necessary, since we always feel well-fed elsewhere on the ship. But from what we've heard, what you'll get for your extra $10 or $20 is extremely outstanding service in a more cozy, intimate setting, with even more course selections, but no doubling up on lobster.

 

On those ships that show movies, there are usually one or two showings a day. Most films are PG or PG-13. There has been no additional charge on any ship that I've been on, but I've heard that some ships have considered charging. Popcorn is sometimes available.

 

Is there something for everyone to do? I would say so, but I'm pretty good at entertaining myself if someone else isn't doing that. Some ships are more geared than others to providing family entertainment (think Disney or Carnival), but many others still have excellent programs for kids. A lot of the entertainment options tend to depend on the type and time of the cruise. A seven-day Caribbean cruise during a school vacation time is going to have a lot of kids, so there's bound to be more to do for kids. A 17-day voyage to South America in April is going to attract older adults, and the activities will change accordingly.

 

Cruising can be a great way to spend a vacation. That's probably why almost all ships sail full and more ships are being built all the time. But it's still not for everyone. Read as much as you can on these boards and talk to a travel agent about what you want your vacation to be. He or she can either steer you to the right type of cruise or suggest a different kind of vacation. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy!

[Tmeister]

Why do people cruise? What's good about cruising? I can echo all the comments made above. My wife and I have been on seven cruises together, and we've enjoyed each one, some more than others, but we've never had a bad time on a cruise. We also take land-based vacations, and we enjoy those as well. The advantages of cruising, in addition to what's been said above, is that we always feel like we've been well taken care of. For the duration of the cruise, we don't cook, clean or worry about any other tasks that fill our lives at home, and it only costs us about $200 a day, the cost of a good hotel room in most areas. We have great food served to us by people whose aim is to make sure we are pleased. We're entertained all day long, or if we just want to sit and do nothing, we can do that too. In a word, we're pampered, and to do that on land would cost $500 a day or more. Sure, cruise cabins are smaller than a room at Days Inn, but we're not in the cabin very much.

 

To answer some of your specific questions, the dining rooms do not have the sort of full menu that you would see at a land-based restaurant, with 20 or 30 choices of entrees. Instead, you will have a choice of 4 or 5 entrees, usually featuring one beef dish, one poultry, one seafood, one pasta and perhaps a pork or veal dish. You also have a choice of two or three soups, two or three appetizers, and two or three salads, plus about 5 desserts and a selection of ice creams. Your waiter will be pleased to bring you as much of all of that as you want. Two soups? No problem. Veal and lobster? No problem. All without additional charge. (Try to do that at Applebee's!) And that's just dinner; you get treated just as well at breakfast and lunch. And if that's not to your liking, there's always the buffet almost all day long, plus most ships have a pizzeria, a hot dog and burger grill, and other just-like-home dining. (Can you tell that some of my happiest moments are spent eating?)

 

We've considered the specialty restaurants with the add-on prices a few times, but we never felt it was necessary, since we always feel well-fed elsewhere on the ship. But from what we've heard, what you'll get for your extra $10 or $20 is extremely outstanding service in a more cozy, intimate setting, with even more course selections, but no doubling up on lobster.

 

On those ships that show movies, there are usually one or two showings a day. Most films are PG or PG-13. There has been no additional charge on any ship that I've been on, but I've heard that some ships have considered charging. Popcorn is sometimes available.

 

Is there something for everyone to do? I would say so, but I'm pretty good at entertaining myself if someone else isn't doing that. Some ships are more geared than others to providing family entertainment (think Disney or Carnival), but many others still have excellent programs for kids. A lot of the entertainment options tend to depend on the type and time of the cruise. A seven-day Caribbean cruise during a school vacation time is going to have a lot of kids, so there's bound to be more to do for kids. A 17-day voyage to South America in April is going to attract older adults, and the activities will change accordingly.

 

Cruising can be a great way to spend a vacation. That's probably why almost all ships sail full and more ships are being built all the time. But it's still not for everyone. Read as much as you can on these boards and talk to a travel agent about what you want your vacation to be. He or she can either steer you to the right type of cruise or suggest a different kind of vacation. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy!

[newmexicoNita]

All these whys? Yes, it is a good value if you consider the price versus, say an all inclusive vacation. Why, the extra charge for some resaurants? So the cruise lines can keep the price down thus making it an affordable vacation for more families; by adding the alternative dining options people can decide for themselves what and how much money they want to spend..

 

Always included in your cruise price: lodging, several dining choices, basic drinks like milk, coffee, tea, juices (breakfast only) nightly entertainment, games such as trevia during both the day and night, card games, other board games, a full library, some lectures, classes on various subjects like cooking, golf, bridge, make up, etc plus many other activities. The movies are first rate and there will more than one offered each day, ranging in the G and PG class mostly. They will be current selections, but not brand new releases.

 

Most of the newer ships offer basketball courts, golf putting and of course all have pools, hot tubs and wonderful gyms which are free if you intend on using the machines only. there are extra fees for some activities.

 

About 75% of the people who cruise can't wait to return to another ship, the rest are either luck warm or find it isn't for them.

 

I can't really think of any vacation that is totally as inclusive for entire families for the price one pays for a cruise.

 

NMnita

[kids1stcruise]

thank you thank you and thank you---i really appreciate the feedback:D

[Hikini]

Why do we enjoy cruising? Let me count the ways!

 

I feel that we are very lucky living in Seattle and having a number of ships that depart from here. For one thing - every Saturday and Sunday during the AK cruising season we see the ships while they pass by our neighborhood as they depart the area. It is also only about a 10 minute drive down to the waterfront where we can walk along the pier and view the ships to get a fix before our cruise!

 

Another great big advantage for us is no airfare when we cruise to AK. A 10 minute drive to the pier, where we board our 'hotel' and our 'hotel' takes us away for a week!

 

It is nice to be able to unpack once, get settled in, have the same bed and pillows every night, yet see different scenery all the time. We love to take road trips too, but then you have to pack and unpack almost every day, have a different bed and sleeping arrangement every night, etc.

 

I love the way they pamper you on the ship. Making your bed, cleaning your bathroom, emptying your garbage, waiting on you hand and foot, serving you nice food, turning down your bed at night, and so on.

 

On top of all that, you have so many different entertainment options. It is like a large, floating resort.

 

My parents are elderly, and they love cruising. It is hard for Dad to get around very well anymore, but he loves cruising. He is perfectly content to find a comfortable place to sit in a lounge or in the game room or wherever and read a book, enjoy the sights, nap, whatever it may be. For the rest of us, it can be as lively or as 'boring' as we want it to be. (For hard working people, sometimes boring is a sought after thing!)

 

The dining options are so varied, and not everyone is going to want the same thing. If you're traveling in a group, it's OK to break up and eat in different places. Or, if you prefer, go to 2 different places to eat and just eat lighter in one than in the other. But if you want to have full meals in both places, that's OK too. That's the beauty of freestyle cruising! And no one will know how much you eat, except for your dining partners.:p

 

I'm hooked on cruising!

 

Hikini:D

[NJGRANNY]

In addition to all of the above answers, I just love being in a ship on the ocean. I love being "rocked" to sleep and being able to sit and watch the ocean as much as I want. We haven't taken a land vacation since we began cruising.

[westernmom]

Having taken many, many land-based vacations from "hit every theme park in Orlando" to roughing it in a tent in the mountains, to "hit every museum in DC" there are certain things we enjoy about our trips.

 

DH doesn't like the museum thing - prefers good food and casino's and I love museums, plays and musicals, shopping and theme parks! So, when I want to do something, I take my daughters and have a bonding vacation! (Now we are including the granddaughter.)

 

Because dh wants to just relax (he works very hard as a rancher), maybe play blackjack, and eat - we decided that a cruise sounds perfect for us. I can explore places on the islands, shop, and do my thing while he does his but we are still together. He will do a certain amount of sightseeing, but has a low interest level. "Isn't this a fun fact? - Uh,huh, meet you in the car!"

 

This will be our first cruise, so I am expecting big things for the future!

 

One comment - everyone complains about the "Las Vegas" styling on Carnival - but look how everyone flocks there (LV)! Maybe some of us like something totally different than our humdrum everyday decor! When we are in Vegas dh plays bj and I just go sightseeing around all of the casino's. I love to see what they come up!

[lv2crooz2]

Kids1st.....Make sure that you check back in when you ask a question on the boards. You are hard to keep up with! You have asked the same questions in four or five posts and on different topic boards...give us a few minutes to get you your answer:D From reading your numerous posts, it sounds like you are having a bit of "buyers remorse." You are wondering if you can afford it, if there will be enough to do, if it is enjoyable, etc. the answers are Yes...Yes...and yes...Only you and your family can decide if it is right for you but judging by the thousands of posts on these boards....there must be something to it! Everyone here on CC is very helpful and we want you to have the same great feelings we do when we are on the sea, that's why we post here. We do not know you and cannot make your final decision but I think you will find that the majority will say "GO for IT!!" relax....and have fun

[kids1stcruise]

just letting you know i calmed down and put down my deposit for my cruise.

my boys cannot wait and dh ani are ecited to do this vacation.:)

[Thanksforyourinfo]

The restaurants have enough variety to be considered a nearly full menu-your seafood/steaks/ are usually high on regulars.

Most buffets are anywhere from good to great, some spectacular. Picky people will complain.

"Is the value worth it?"- It's around average $100 per person on board per day (varies greatly) A decent hotel for two with 3 meals will cost that much.

"Why do they offer restaurants for additional charge?"- I don't get that either, never go there, since the meals are included. I think 2 reasons- They make a profit in them, people want to get away from the crowds.

"What is always available at no extra charge?"- second helpings of main course or dessert, coffee, tea, usually pizza or other basics all day, entertainment (read the daily schedule for events)

Movies are in the theater- tend to be older. You aren't there long enough to worry about repeats, most are okay for family, some are not. They are free, but not running all day. Most ships have other movies on the tv running all day (but over and over again- same stuff) Get away from them and do something else after one or two total.

"What is the amphitheater?"- I'm not sure, but ship's have a few large entertainment areas. Usually the biggest one is for Broadway/Las Vegas type shows. Some are good, some bad, the singers are (arguably) never the best, but the shows can be entertaining. (Personally, I think the best "American Idol" shows are the ones with all the no-talents thinking they are good, so even a bad show has laughs.)

[RevSmith]

Cruises are the way to go for me, because there is nothing like being out on the sea, looking over beautiful blue water and a blue blue sky. With a constant breeze and the smell of sea air. Cruises are for me, because you unpack for the entire voyage and you end up in 2, 3, 4 etc. other countries or islands. Cruises are for me...because I am totally pampered and waited on when I want to be and left totally alone when I want to be. For the entire cruise I feel like I am special and being totally spoiled by me! It's one of the greatest vacations one can have now a days.

[sea_breaze]

Always feel refreshed when getting through with a cruise vacation, more so then with a land based vacation. Guessing it has to do with unpacking once, not having to make dinner plans, not having to drive somewhere for activities. There isn't a whole lot of planning for us once we are on the ship, just go where the sea breeze blows us.

[srlafleur]

Yes...not having to decide anything more than what and how much to eat! What a treat! This IS a big deal. I remember once, when my kids were relatively little, being on vacation (not a cruise) with them, my husband, and my mother. Came time for dinner - all eyes turned to ME - where are we going to eat? Huh, some vacation. I plan, buy, and prepare meals at home and then get the onorous task on vacation of selecting someplace to eat that everyone is going to love that will also fit our budget.

This, to me, was one of the best things when I took my 1st cruise. Show up and they feed you. Oh, and it's all prepaid! (ok, except the tips and drinks). We were pretty broke when we took our first (3-night) cruise. We drank little, gambled less, a carriage ride around Nassau was our only shore excursion, yet we were as pampered on the ship as if we had been filthy rich. Sure, we had the cheapest of the inside cabins, but so what. We had a grand time!