Cruise questions

[NewJeffCT]

I've never been on a cruise before, so had some questions. We're thinking of going later this year - possibly December to the Caribbean. It would be my wife and daughter (almost 8 in December) and myself.

1) We live in CT. Would it be better to leave from NYC or NJ on a cruise, or fly to Florida or San Juan and depart from there? My concern about NY or NJ is that it will be cold on the ship for the first day until the ship reaches warmer climes.

2) Any cruise lines that are good/bad for kids? I am pretty sure it won't be a Disney cruise.

3) Any other recommendations/advice?

Thanks

[NewJeffCT]

1. hmm, maybe a facebook question instead

not much here yet.

[Kali]

2. cruising is not my thing

but you might ask at the thorn tree (post in the area you want to go) http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

I'm sure there must be specific cruise type travel forums out there as well.

[Born_A_Truman]

3. Cruise Critic

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

They have boards for departures, destinations and cruise lines.

I personally cruise RCI so don't have any experience with any other line.

Happy cruising!

[NewJeffCT]

18. Thanks for the tip

good stuff there.

[carlyhippy]

4. I have cruised a couple of times

I have never cruised from NYC or NJ. This depends on how much money you want to spend. Do you want to spend extra money on plane tickets just so you can have a warm day on departure? If it were me, I would leave out of NYC or NJ and save the money. Spend it on a shore excursion once you get to the Caribbean. You may need to check on this, you may need passports, we sailed to Mexico and the Caribbean, but we already had passports, so not sure if it's mandatory or not.

As far as cruise lines go for kids, Royal Caribbean was very kid friendly, as was Princess, and Carnival(I have not sailed with Carnival) seems pretty kid friendly. Your daughter will have alot to do on the cruise ship, most lines have kids clubs, programs and activities for her age, and they have their own supervised area just for her age range, there are usually lots of kids on the ship, so she will meet new friends and have fun.

Save some extra money for shore excursions. Book them with the cruise lines vs. on your own through a tour company. The reason why I say this is because if you are late getting back to the ship due to the tour, if you book through the cruise line they will wait for you, if you did it on your own, they may not wait for you to get back to ship (or so I have heard, I have never chanced it ha)

I like to cruise. We have had a really great time when we have been on the sea. There are so many activities, you will not be bored! Oh, if you can, book an aft balcony room, it's the back of the ship's balconies, best view!

[NewJeffCT]

5. Thanks

Good point on NY/NJ.

A neighbor of ours said to avoid Carnival, but most of the others were good.

[WolverineDG]

12. They've probably never sailed on Carnival

:eyes:

I have, 4 times. Loved each trip too. Nice cabins, more food than you could eat in three lifetimes, on-board activities for sea days, entertainment that doesn't stop at 10 pm. Cruisers of all ages, singles, to groups, to families. The kids love (well, most of them) Camp Carnival & the activities they have for kids.

Cruise Critic is a good place to start, especially the Carnival board, as it has numerous reviews (departing from NYC, NJ, & FL) & posts asking for/providing information. You should also check out the Ports of Call section to see what's going on in the places you're interested in visiting.

dg

[Broken_Hero]

6. I've never been on a cruise

but I did work on the docks at a jewelry store back home that catered to the cruise boats.

The number 1 question that I got was "is there a store around that sells soda."

On these particular cruises, I believe the food was free but you had to pay for the soda/booze. My suggestion is to stock up, if this particular situation still exists(my experience stems from 1998).

I hope you have a good time :)

[carlyhippy]

8. You can buy a soda card (which if your daughter drinks soda, get one)

unlimited soda, otherwise they are expensive per soda. Tea, water and juices at breakfast are free. Royal Caribbean is known to take the soda or liquor that is being brought on the ship by passengers and gives it back when the cruise ends. Pretty sure most cruise lines have rules against bringing your own soda and liquor onboard.

[NewJeffCT]

9. My daughter drinks mostly milk, juice and water

rarely any sort of soda.

[carlyhippy]

10. Then I wouldn't waste the money on soda cards

my last cruise I wish I had not spent the 28.00 on the soda card, because it was all coke products and I am not a real fan, but their iced tea was pretty good :)

[CreekDog]

7. Boat travel is slow so I'd fly to the boat

not a great deal to see while you're on the ship...kind of a floating lounge/party and the upper limit of that for me is about 5 days, but i've done 7 and 8 before --but 10 and over is way too much.

and when it's cold on the boat, it's boring because your choices are further limited and staying inside during the day can get old.

[CBR]

11. My husband and I did a NCL cruise out of NYC in January 2007.

The weather did not bother me as there is plenty to do on the ship. The boat, however, was very rocky the first night.

I have also taken a cruise out of Houston. It was much easier to drive up to NYC than fly and deal with all of that.

NCL is a cheaper cruise line and many experienced cruisers do not like it (if you look at Cruise Critic) but we enjoyed ourselves both times quite a bit. We are thinking about taking another cruise through NCL during the next year.

[NewJeffCT]

13. Thanks

good information.

[marzipanni]

14. Did you ever think of looking into Club Med?

I went to one in the 80s and it was fun, and very relaxing. You are provided with activities to choose from like a local snorkeling or scuba trip with picnic lunch, tennis lessons, or learning how to use a trapeze(!). The family oriented ones have excellent children's activities with college-age people who supervise the kids in groups so the parents can have some time to themselves.
The meals are served at tables with other vacationers, as on a cruise, with buffet or family-style service. Good food, and plenty of it! It has an all inclusive price, like a cruise.
http://www.clubmed.us/cm/all-inclusive-vacations-our-special-selection-for-you-family-vacations_p-115-l-US-pa-SELECTIONS_ENFANTS_115US-ac-ps.html

(Two good things- garbage, *etc*,most likely isn't dumped into the ocean, and I've never heard of Norwalk virus spreading around Club Med)

[LibDemAlways]

15. I'm a former travel agent and have been on many cruises.

To answer your questions:

1. Fly to Florida and depart from there.

2. Royal Caribbean is great for families - very extensive kids' programs and awesome ships. The newest, Oasis of the Seas, is a floating city.

3. Avoid going during the holiday season if you can. The prices are considerably lower earlier in the month.

4. Plusses of cruising: You unpack once but visit several locations. Cruises now offer many more flexible dining options than in the past, and the food and onboard entertainment are included in the fare. You can take advantage of every onboard activity or none at all - the choice is yours.

5. Avoid the overpriced shore excursions offered by the cruise line. Do your homework in advance and make your own in-port tour arrangements directly through local operators.

6. Minuses of cruising: Not many, but keep in mind that there are some hidden fees - tips for everyone from the dining room waiters to the room stewards. Soda and alcoholic drinks are extra and can quickly add up.

Have fun, and if you decide to go for it and have any more questions, don't hesitate to PM me.

[NewJeffCT]

17. Thanks - that was very helpful

Good advice

[Betty88]

16. We did NCL from NYC

It was in Oct. but since we live in Brooklyn the ease of taking a cab to the boat then chilling for the next 7 days could not be beat. It was chilly for the first day but we did not mind at all. Found a nice bar, had a massage, simply relaxed. There were not many kids on the boat, we were kind of looking for that :evilgrin:

Oh and get a room with a deck, its a little more money but so worth it

[NewJeffCT]

19. Monday kick since I put this out on Friday afternoon

thanks