How important our sea days for first timer?

[alba216]

This will be my families second cruise, and my inlaws will be joining, its going to be there first cruise. We are departing out of San Juan on a S Caribbean cruise, either on Carnival or RCCL. One difference is RCCL offers a sea day, while Carnival will have us in a different port every day, six days in a row. On our first cruise my kids and I spent alot of time in the pool during our sea days, other than that we didnt do much else on the boat. My wife isnt into the spas, so that was never a concern & my DD7 used the kids club in the evening, usually around dinner. I like being in port, and I think my inlaws will to, Im just unsure if 6 straight days will wear them out. Also my mother in law is into the spa, so I think she might use the spa. Do you think a sea day is important for a first time cruiser?

[Grandiva]

I think sea days are important as a relaxation tool. Six straight days is a long time to be on the go. I think sea days give the feeling of being on vacation. However, as much as I like and look forward to them, my husband thinks he can do without them.

 

I say add the sea day. One won't be so bad. Several may become borning. It will give the in-laws an opportunity to enjoy the ship and relax.

 

Happy cruising to you and your in-laws.

[fun_seeker]

This will be my families second cruise, and my inlaws will be joining, its going to be there first cruise. We are departing out of San Juan on a S Caribbean cruise, either on Carnival or RCCL. One difference is RCCL offers a sea day, while Carnival will have us in a different port every day, six days in a row. On our first cruise my kids and I spent alot of time in the pool during our sea days, other than that we didnt do much else on the boat. My wife isnt into the spas, so that was never a concern & my DD7 used the kids club in the evening, usually around dinner. I like being in port, and I think my inlaws will to, Im just unsure if 6 straight days will wear them out. Also my mother in law is into the spa, so I think she might use the spa. Do you think a sea day is important for a first time cruiser?

 

If your in-laws are active people as you seem to be, then the sea days will not be a plus. After all, your mother-in-law won't spend all day in the spa. You are in a better position to judge than we are.

[cruiserbryce]

unsure about "important" but its good for new cruisers to have a sea day...many people make decisions on cruises based on whether they want more ports or more sea days...without experiencing a sea day they cant be sure what their preference will be in the future

[alba216]

Yea this is my inlaws first cruise, and I want them to enjoy it as much as my family enjoyed our first cruise. Also if I can get them to start coming with us, they can watch the kids late at night when me and the DW go gambling:D.

[NCTribeFan]

Well, Victory in May will be my 9th cruise, and I almost exclusively sail for the ports. And I'm even worried that it will be exhausting, since I want to see something in each port.

 

Some people will go and just go to a beach. I personally cannot see going all that way to new islands just to sit on the beach. So although I'm choosing non-activity excursions, we'll be out doing island tours every day.

 

I'm using this as an excuse to stay a couple of extra days post-cruise in San Juan. Love OSJ! Will do my OSJ sightseeing the day we sail (flying in mid-day on Saturday, we sail at 10pm on Sunday), and booking a resort hotel in Condado to just rest after we return. THAT is where I'll be on the beach doing nothing! :D

 

And, to make up for the no sea days, I've booked Miracle for December (8 day cruise with FOUR sea days). And booked an aft balcony as a special treat.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling.

 

Yes, all port days may be a bit much for newbies!

 

I actually think a 5-day cruise is a great introduction. Yes, the shorter cruises tend to be on older, smaller ships, but they aren't nearly so overwhelming. The large ships can take days to figure out how to get around and you may only just discover a "favorite" place a day or two before the cruise is over. On a shorter cruise, you get that taste of cruising. Just enough to get you wanting to book another as soon as you get home! :D

[cb at sea]

Just because the ship is in port, doesn't mean you HAVE to get off the ship! Or, stay off the entire day! It's actually quite nice to be on the ship on a port day--the great majority of your fellow passengers will be gone, leaving the ship to yourself! It's like being on a private yacht! And, since it's the ship and it's use that you pay for, it almost behooves you to use it!!!!

Spa treatments are almost always discounted on port days, too...check that out!

[NMCruiser55]

I think having a true sea day is a good idea for first timers. Everything just seems different. Plus it is nice not to have anything planned. I never go all day on excursions but I feel if I'm in a new port I just have to check it out. ;)

[CowPrincess]

We learned on our last cruise (6 ports in 6 days) that we want a sea day now and then. We are active and live fairly stressful lives, and we truly didn't get enough rest on our vacation. Yes, you CAN stay onboard in a port, but we NEVER did that -- "c'mon, if we're HERE, we should experience it" was our thinking, and by the end of the port days, we were all tired out!

[alba216]

Yea the more I think about it, the more I feel like a sea day is needed. On EOS in the W Caribbean we were dead tired the two days after we came back from the Cozumel & the Caymans. I may have to plan on staying in San Juan for a few days after just to relax.

[kitty9]

I'm a huge sea day fan. I did a cruise last year, Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and out of the 19 days, 17 were sea days. Loved every minute of it. I really think cruises that are too port intensive can be exhausting. It's go go all the time and you do get some sensory overload.

[138east]

What are the ships and what are the ports?

[Dpeeps]

I would definitely pick the one with the sea day.....that way it gives you a day to just explore the ship! Last year when we got off the Navigator although we had 1 sea day I still felt like i didn't get to see everything on the ship! Plus those days are really relaxing!

[Cuizer2]

This will be my families second cruise, and my inlaws will be joining, its going to be there first cruise. We are departing out of San Juan on a S Caribbean cruise, either on Carnival or RCCL. One difference is RCCL offers a sea day, while Carnival will have us in a different port every day, six days in a row. On our first cruise my kids and I spent alot of time in the pool during our sea days, other than that we didnt do much else on the boat. My wife isnt into the spas, so that was never a concern & my DD7 used the kids club in the evening, usually around dinner. I like being in port, and I think my inlaws will to, Im just unsure if 6 straight days will wear them out. Also my mother in law is into the spa, so I think she might use the spa. Do you think a sea day is important for a first time cruiser?

 

I prefer to have the first and last day be a day at sea. On the two cruises I have been on that the first day was not a sea day, I was very tired the next day. This continued until I got a sea day. For the Eastern Caribbean where the second day was a sea day it was not so bad. For the Southern Caribbean where only the last day was a sea day, it meant I was tired at the end of everyday except the last day. This is the reason I don't like the Southern Caribbean itineraries, too port intensive.

 

So, do I think sea days are important to a first time cruiser - yes.

[krystalkruzer]

I think it is a personal preference.Your inlaws will decide which one after their first cruise. I like an equal balance of port and sea days.

[F02]

My experience with sea days is that it depends on the ship you are on and on the season.

On port days I always run off to see as much as possible on land. So a sea day can be nice to recover. However the available space and the activities offered on board and maybe the category of your cabin/suite make a big difference. I remember my first cruise with Carnival. On the only sea day a lot of splashing went on in the main pool and the area around it was crowded. On a later cruise with Celebrity the ship was some 60 percent full so there was plenty of space and the fellow passengers being on average older, there was close to no splashing.

I conclude that you should consider whether you are likely to need time to relax, whether that will be possible on the cruise you intend to take and whether you will find other activities on the ship that you will enjoy on a sea day.

[gechap]

My wife and I are taking our first cruise out of San Juan this Sun. 1/18. Personally, I'm looking forward to sea days. We have two, one is a full day and a half from PR to Aruba and another of almost the same length from Curacao to St. Maarten.

 

I'm planning to get off at only a couple of ports (probably Curacao and St. Thomas). I'm in pretty good health for a man my age, but I am using a cane these days and tire out very easily, so I need to limit the distance I walk at one time.

 

The way I look at it is this: ('He says this and he's not even on the ship yet') We decided to go on a cruise to RELAX. Over the past several years, we've done other tropical land vacations with the whole family that just wore us out! Running from location to location and being totally exhausted at the end of the day. That's ok though, you expect to do those kinds of things with young kids.

 

I feel really mixed about this - In one respect, as I've said, I just want to do nothing but relax by the pool with a foo foo drink, read a little, people watch a little, play a little mini golf, etc., but at the same time I'm afraid that I'm going to miss something really special by not getting off at these ports, something that I may not ever have a chance to see again.

 

Oh well....I'll probably just play it day by day and see how much energy I have each day and then make that decision.

 

Unlike other vacations, this is one vacation that I don't want to have to "go home just to relax"!

 

Thanks for listening, and hopefully we may see some of you on the RCCL's Adventure on the 18th.

 

Gary

[alba216]

What are the ships and what are the ports?

 

The possible itineraries are:

Carnival Victory - Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Dominica; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John's, Antigua; Basseterre, St. Kitts

or on RCCl

Adventure of the Sea - Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Adventure of the Sea - Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John's, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Frederiksted, St. Croix

 

The Barbados route on RCCL has one sea day, while the Aruba Curacao has 2 sea days.