I have thought about doing one of these cruises but the more I read about it the more it sounds like more hassle than any fun. I mean, what is there to really do on one of those ships? The rooms look really small. Bingo and shuffle board? Gambling? Paying through the nose for boose and soft drinks with an automatic 15% gratuity added. A dress code for the dinning rooms where you can't wear shorts and all that. Oh and what the hell are "sports slacks" and is there a diffence between a "sports shirt" and a "t-shirt"? Plus fees and taxes and gratuities and Getting a new passport and all this flipping rules and regulations. Oh and they make you open a charge account instead of just paying for things as you go. What is fun on these cruises? What does the real cost end up being?
Basically it boils down to this decision: Do I want to be responsible for planning and executing my vacation, or do I want to pay for someone to do it for me? Some people find there to be LESS hassle with a cruise, and I guess if all you wanted to do was sit around in the sun, drink, and visit different places for a couple hours then it wouldn't be that bad. You wouldn't be constantly packing and unpacking, no wasted time driving or flying from one place to another, etc. etc. On the otherhand, no freedom of movement. You do what they tell you to do when they tell you to do it. All depends on what you want.
I've done it twice. It's true there was at least one formal meal with a dress code to attend. The rest of the time it was scheduled buffet-style eating. Food was good though. And yeah, the booze was expensive. Getting drunk with the wife on a gigantic fucking ship was fun and all, but I think the little private islands and beaches where the ship would stop for a day were at least as fun, what with the little family restaraunts and stuff like jet ski rentals (did that), snorkeling (never did), Jeep rentals (nope), and mountain biking (huh-uh). But all of that shit is expensive, and if it's run by the cruise line you'd better sign up for it early. Basically, I'd say go with someone you like spending a lot of time with, and expect your enjoyment to be tied at least somewhat to the amount of money you are able to spend. Also, bring extra patience. It's a substantial amount of hoop-jumping to board a cruise ship, especially if it stops over at any foreign ports.
Thanks for the advice - I had always thought of a cruise as one of those things "I was supposed to eventually do". Most people I've talked to say they're OK but no one really shares the unpleasant parts like this. I guess they're too worried about being seen as having made a bad, expensive choice.
This thread makes me wonder just how many couples got on board, got caught up in one of those "Titanic" moments, and fell overboard
I've been on two, tho one was a river cruise. Both were quite pleasant, with planned excursions included as part of the price and some other stuff available for a bit extra at the point of purchase. Basically, you've got all the advantages of a nice hotel while you move to different interesting locations.
Never been on one, but I saw an advert that made some look really quite fancy: Linky Yes, that is a waterslide on a cruise ship. Might not be your thing, but looks more advanced than shuffleboard!
Cruise ships are probably as boring or exciting as you make them, and thats entirely contingent on your sense of humour. Ie, get a friend tickets for a gay cruise and then see what happens, one of the all time standard pranks. I think they have different areas for different people, unless you're a huge fan of Shuffleboard and Canasta...
Took a short cruise to Mexico and Catalina awhile back. Working from memory: Dancing Live Vegas-style shows A piano bar All-you-can-eat buffet open 24/7 Duty-free shops Casino Internet cafe Salon and day spa Several hot tubs Big pool with a waterslide Salt-water lap pool First-run movies...I may be forgetting a few things Don't recall seeing any shuffleboard. Next time I want to do one of those coastal Alaska cruises. Upgrade to a balcony suite and just sit and watch the glaciers roll by before they disappear...
Man...if I was the Captain of an Alaskan cruise ship I would mess with people all the time....just aim the ship at the biggest iceburg you can find and dodge last second...maybe blare the sirens a bit for good measure.
I've only been once...Western Caribbean. Departed Miami for Cozumel, Mexico (on Yucatan Peninsula, near Cancun) then to Grand Cayman Island, finally to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I think it was seven days. Went with my older brother who was a cruise veteran. What do I remember? Stepping out of the air-conditioned terminal in Miami was like walking into a blast furnace. Hanging out in South Beach...with about a million other people. Carnival Cruise. Ecstasy (you may remember it's the one that later caught fire and had to be evacuated!). Very big ship. Grand central atrium. Giant casino. Waving goodbye to everyone on the Miami pier. Seeing other cruise ships that were so far away, they were over the horizon and looked like they were about to fall off the edge. Life boat drill. Drinking lots of drinks with umbrellas in them. Trying (and failing miserably) with my brother to pick up two Cuban girls. They weren't impressed by my Spanish. Could see the lights on the shore of Cuba at one point. Laying my pale flesh out in the sun on day at sea #1. Covering every square inch with 200 sunblock...except the tops of my feet. OUCH! This would haunt me later. Two cute chicks, Robin and Lisa, from New Jersey. Really dug Robin (cute little redhead), probably could've had Lisa but she seemed a little vulnerable at the time. Sigh. Sitting by the pool and looking through the giant windows on either side and seeing the ocean on one side and the sky on the other and then watching as the ocean disappeared out of one and appeared on the other...that ship was really rockin'! Everyone wearing dramamine patches. Snorkeling in a Cozumel lagoon I had much to myself and seeing a sunken twin engine plane on the bottom that, try as I might, I couldn't get very close to (too deep). Getting absolutely wasted in a waterfront bar in Cozumel. Had my first encounter with the "master hunter" (Jaegermeister). Dancing in the disco. I don't dance. But I had to on this occasion. Shook my booty. Badly. Didn't care. Some cute high school senior girls around (hey, I was only 23). More drinks with umbrellas. Getting used to swaying with the ship while in the shower. The exercise room, with the treadmills looking forward over the bow of the ship. The talent show put on by passengers, some of whom were surprisingly good. A comedy show; the comedian wasn't half bad. Danielle from Texas. Oh, I wish... You know, escargot's pretty good... Midnight pizza and ice cream! Sean Connery's house on Grand Cayman Island! Being somewhere that people drive on the wrong side of the road! Swimming with the stingrays in the big lagoon on Grand Cayman. One of the greatest experiences of my life. Glad I brought a disposable underwater camera to document it! But putting frog flippers on over BLISTERED FEET... Shooting trap from the rear of the boat. And watching two of the ship's crew--one a Mexican and one an Italian--argue over how to fix the launcher when it went down, neither one speaking the other's language. Being on deck at 10 o'clock at night...and it was around 90 degrees. The funny and talented guy they had working the piano bar. Singing the theme to 'Grease' with a whole bunch of strangers. More umbrella drinks. Driving through a rain forest and hiking up a waterfall in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Thinking I wouldn't want to be out on foot in the middle of a Jamaican city. Like a dipshit, passing up an opportunity to go para-gliding. Seeing that couple at the airport that hooked up on the ship! That's about it. I had a blast. If I didn't like to see historical sites so much, I would probably have done it again by now.
Cruise ships are a lot more casual than they used to be. And they are trending toward a much younger audience. I know Norwegian and Royal Caribbean have adopted freestyle dining where you don't have to be bound by a set dinner time. It's best just to get the cheapest room possible because you spend so much time outside your room.
Like Paladin, I also cruised on the Carnival Ecstasy. 4 day cruise from Miami to Key West, then on to Cozumel before returning. Won't go into too many details, because most of it's been covered already. We had scheduled dinnertimes and assigned seating, and there was a dress code, but this was 12 years ago or so, and I hear they've moved away from that significantly since then. We had fun. They pretty much close up everything on the ship at each port-of-call, to entice you to head out into town. No biggie.
That kinda look has a dodgy past. The most well known ship with that kinda bodystyle ended up looking like this: [?=Damn][/?] So then they built the new upgraded version which ended up like this: [?=Not again][/?] And right about then the ole Kaiser apparently reckoned the fun shouldn't stop, so: [?=That sinking feeling again] [/?]
It may have a dodgy past, but it still screams "exclusive" to me! And don't get me started on the Fucking Lusitania thing.
Did a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise in January on Norwegian Cruise Lines. Believe me or don't but we stayed in one of the TWO Garden Villas on the ship. Norwegian's Garden Villas are 5500 Square Feet of luxury (living room + three bedrooms + kitchen) with a butler and concierge, and includes a private outdoor area with a jacuzzie, a sauna, and a sundeck. Before you ask, no, I did not pay for it myself, and yes, it was damn near the time of my life!
No midget butler, he was normal sized, but from India. The concierge was fairly a good looking (if short and petite) blond haired blue eyed South African named Simone. She was engaged to the ship's head chef.
