Anyone gone on a Cruise?

That's probably enough Cruise Chat for an RV forum. Thanks for all the constructive comments.

And thanks again everyone. This is our first cruise so we are splurging. Then the next one we can decide what we want and don’t want. We have 2 sea days. And I’m an outside person. I hate when we have a wedding and we are stuck in the room waiting. A balcony is a must have for me.

Heck we prefer the sea days. Balcony is great for that, as long as it is smooth. Our favorite itinerary is Trans-Atlantic!

As one guy said, "there are porters and there are crossers -- T/A folks are crossers".

Every cruise I've been on has had sea days. Having a balcony is a bonus. Being able to sit out on the balcony at different times of the day for us is part of cruising. It's also nice being able to be outside when the ships docking or leaving. If nothing more it's nice having a large window to create an open feeling.

valhalla360 wrote:

happy2rv wrote:

schlep1967 wrote:
We book the lowest price room, inside lower level. You will use the room for two purposes, sleeping and getting changed to go to dinner. Other than sleeping, we spend less than an hour a day in the room. Save the money for excursions!

This is not our experience. Many people share schlep's point of view, but we spend far more time in our room than this.

Some of the room choice is based on the type of cruise.
- Alaska cruises...it's all about watching the scenery pass by. Moving up to a balcony can make a lot of sense.
- Caribbean...they usually travel at night, so not nearly as much to gain.
- River...They often raft the ships 2-4 deep...if you are on the side adjacent to another ship, doesn't matter if you have a balcony, you still are looking at a window literally 2ft away, so not much point in getting a balcony.

And we were the exact opposite. Alaska, didn’t need the balcony because it was often too cold to sit outside. In contrast in the Caribbean, taking room service breakfast on the balcony every morning is positively wonderful. Nothing like it, especially on sea days.

We’ve done 4 cruises. Celebrity was far and away the best food; Princess pretty good. Royal Caribbean and Carnival varied from bad to decent with the occasional good item.

Veebyes wrote:
Y'all can have your mega ship cruises with thousands of your newest best friends. Here is my style of cruising. Big enough for 2 plus the dog & a cooler to survive the day.:)



Click For Full-Size Image.

I like it. Looks nice and secluded! However I don't think that's going to make it from Miami to Mexico!!!

Y'all can have your mega ship cruises with thousands of your newest best friends. Here is my style of cruising. Big enough for 2 plus the dog & a cooler to survive the day.:)



Click For Full-Size Image.

OP has picked his cruise, and I'm sure they will enjoy it.

One thing to consider in choosing a cruise line.If you look at the prices for the "Premium" lines (Viking, Seabourn, Oceania, Crystal, Azamara) and compare them to the "Mainline" lines (Princess, NCL, Royal, Celebrity, etc.) you might get sticker shock.
However, many are much more inclusive. Crystal is our favorite, and has gone all-inclusive now. Wine, drinks, tips, all in. And the service is unquestionably more attentive. So the price difference is significantly less.
We took Alaska in successive years, on Oceania then NCL. Same company, but night-and-day difference in service and food.

From less to more pricey, our favorites: Princess>>Viking>>Crystal>>Seabourn.

I was on a cruise for 3 years courtesy of the US Navy .

happy2rv wrote:

schlep1967 wrote:
We book the lowest price room, inside lower level. You will use the room for two purposes, sleeping and getting changed to go to dinner. Other than sleeping, we spend less than an hour a day in the room. Save the money for excursions!

This is not our experience. Many people share schlep's point of view, but we spend far more time in our room than this.

Some of the room choice is based on the type of cruise.
- Alaska cruises...it's all about watching the scenery pass by. Moving up to a balcony can make a lot of sense.
- Caribbean...they usually travel at night, so not nearly as much to gain.
- River...They often raft the ships 2-4 deep...if you are on the side adjacent to another ship, doesn't matter if you have a balcony, you still are looking at a window literally 2ft away, so not much point in getting a balcony.