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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Cruises - can you share?
I'm looking into getting my parents a cruise for Christmas (to go the week including and after Christmas), 7 nights. We're hoping to go with them. Likely to Mexican Riviera. None of us have been on a vacation cruise before!
Have you been on a cruise? To where and for how long?
Did you like it?
Do you recommend a site to use to book?
TIA!
Re: Cruises - can you share?
I've been on a few. I've enjoyed them all, but liked each for different reasons. The ones most relevant for referring:
7 day Disney Cruise to Bahamas -
- Everything super fab, but no casino
7 day Celebrity Cruise to Bermuda -
- Mostly everything fab, food not as good as Disney, fellow guests a little long in the tooth
4 day Royal Carribean to Mexico (I forget where) -
- Fun in the sun, nothing specific to complain of, booze cruisey
Have you been on a cruise?
Yes, through Carnival on the "Elation" on it's maiden voyage.
To where and for how long?
Mexico - 7 or 8 days to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo- but they had trouble in Cabo and we had to by pass the stop. Never did receive a partial refund or compensation in any way.
Did you like it?
Not really, but I was young (20) and I got bored on the ship between stops. I also did not enjoy the food, I lost a ton of weight because I barely ate anything. The room stewards were fantastic, but overrall the service from everyone else was just okay. The sign and go cards that they give you were a nightmare, it's just too easy to overspend that way. She and I ended up with $1500 in charges between the two of us.
Do you recommend a site to use to book?
AAA
Forgot to mention, my folks paid for the largest cabins on the ship and they had balconies. The friends I made on the lower decks had rooms that they could barely walk in and they had no windows.
Also, during dinner unless you spend extra $$$ on the largest cabin, you have to sit at very large tables the entire week and lots of my cruise friends complained about a-holes that they were stuck with during dinner. Oh, and if you aren't at your assigned dinner time you miss the meal and must eat from the other spots on the ship.
?
I like the idea of a cruise, but this right there would stop me. Group dinners with people I don't know = ugh.?
Wow thanks! I've never thought of these things (obvs since I've never been on one).
I was wondering if there would be an all inclusive type cruise but haven't really seen any tonight when I looked.
I'll keep you posted!
I totally don't mind the group dinners and maybe even like them. I always make such good friends and then have other people to party with if I feel like it.
They are mostly all inclusive of food, non-alcoholic drinks, and entertainment. It's just booze and excursions you have to pay for. I bring my own booze.
My parents would hate the group dinner part if we weren't there with them. I totally know them.
H and I went on a 7-day cruise through the Mediterranean back in '07 on RCL. Since we were with a large group of family and friends we didn't have to sit with strangers at dinner. We did have to sit with strangers at lunch one time though and it was torture. Not to go all P&CE on you, but the other people at our table seriously didn't want to talk to us after finding out we were from the U.S. :-/
Apart from that, the cruise was okay. We didn't have an awful time, but we're not exactly planning on taking another one anytime soon. The food and activities were meh. We had a tiny inner cabin because we booked so late. I only mention this because when we spent an afternoon at guest services trying to explain how our shower kept flooding the bathroom, the staff member had trouble understanding because she "had never been down in one of those rooms".
Carnival was"all inclusive" except for alcohol, entertainment, tours, and tips. The land tours were the most expensive thing we did, and then the tips, and then the alcohol. The alcohol was pretty spendy compared to what we spend at home.
Carnival only allows you to bring wine on board, no beer or liquor. You must also be careful when packing it, as your luggage gets tossed around quite a bit.
Oh, one last thing! It took over 4 hours to get off the damn boat once we pulled in to the harbor at the end of our cruise. We had to check out of our rooms early in the morning and spend the entire afternoon playing bingo in the theatre. It sucked BAD.
we went on a princess cruise around NZ last year, it was my first cruise. I swear we were the only ones under 75.
we didn't have group dinners and we had an inside cabin, it wasn't actually that bad except I felt seasick and couldn't see the horizon. the food wasn't bad but I'm not a terribly picky eater.
if you do decide on a cruise, make sure you don't have too many days at sea - we would be at sea one day, land the next - there was nothing to do on the days we were at sea. oh, sorry - there were activities, but you had to pay for them. MH resorted to playing bingo FFS. and it's not like we could go to the gym since the boat was rocking like crazy, I probably would have fallen off the treadmill.
check out cruisecritic.com for reviews on specific boats - there's also another website where companies will come back to you with quotes. I can't remember the site though. ETA: I think it was cruisecompare.com
also, if anyone tends to get seasick, go to the dr. beforehand and ask for a prescription - they have these little patches you put behind your ear. lifesaver, I tell you.
For crusies, it really depends on what kind of person you are when you travel. I really enjoy them and so do MH and my parents because we are all very mellow, low-maintainence travelers.
I LIKE eating at a table with others. It's fun for me. (Which may surprise those of you who know me, because you know my aversion to small talk)You can always request your own table, that's what my parents did on the few cruises I went on with them. And there are some crusielines that offer just normal, non-group dining. I think NCL does this.
I don't mind the small cabins because I am hardly in there, and MH loves total darkness when he sleeps, so he prefers the inside ones with no window.
The most significant crusise I have been on were Mexican Rivera with Carnival when I was 15 and the Bahamas/Key West on Royal Caribbean with MH a couple of years ago. My parents went on an Alaska cruise with Princess and LOVED it.
Cruising is not for everyone, so look into the pros and cons and see if they are things that you would hate/enjoy.
I don't know about all cruise lines, but Royal Caribbean has a low price guarantee on their own website. I poked all around when I was booking ours and their site really did have the lowest price.
I haven't booked yet, but I have been pricing them out with this website (referred from Travelzoo)
http://www.cruisesonly.com/
this. but substitute "tater" for "the hub." i get annoyed even on dinner cruises, so can't help you on this one, diame.
The only sort-of cruises I've been on were to and around the Galapagos Islands and to and around Patagonia. We had to be on a boat because that's the only way to get to those places. They weren't cruises in the sense of "fun on a ship."
I don't think I'm a cruise type of person. I like vacationing on my own and making my own schedule. Well, following Mr. Mo's schedule.
Have you posted on Travel yet? Lots of people have been on cruises there.
Ok. I have to admit that the responses here are making me think that maybe a MR cruise isn't the best way to go for our Christmas trip. It sounds like it could be pretty pricey too, after unexpected charges/fees/food and I hate surprises that involve money! THanks for taking the time to respond everyone. Maybe DH and I will go on a short Baja cruise one day but for now, I'll keep my ears open for family cruises but will probably just look for a good destination spot for airfare/hotel somewhere.
Thanks again!
travelzoo just posted deals this morning for cruises out of SD.
and yes - count on paying almost double your booking fee to account for drinks, excursions, etc. that's where they get you.