my wife, daughter and friend and myself want to take a Cruise....any ideas??

[lidspinner]

we have done several vacations around the USA and now we really want to do a cruise.....I have heard a ton of great things and some not so great things.....we are really wanting to try it out regardless of the negative things we have been told.....we want to do tropical and we want a 7 day cruise with a few land excursions......we have done tons of research on the net but no better way to research than to ask those I trust and those that have been there and done that....I trust all of your advice so give it to me real.....good and bad.

some of my questions:

should we share a room or get adjoining rooms, 1 for my wife and I and 1 for my daughter and her friend?

kids are age 15 so they should be able to find things to do on the boat, with that said, can we trust that while on the boat, the kids will be safe?

how much spending money is enough to be comfortable....I know this is a tough question as its different for everyone but we would like to do land excursions like snorkling, horse back riding on the beach. 4 wheelers on the beach, zip lining, shopping, para-sailing...etc......we dont want to do all these things but I was just giving you some ideas.

would you suggest taking dress clothes for formal dining or just eat at the casual dining rooms?

is the casino a good casino?

is there stuff to do all hours of the night....sometimes we tend to be night owls while on vacation....we have been known to take off with the kids while in Florida and head to walmart at 3am just to get out and do something differnet.....kids love it and we feel like we can hang when we stay out late...lol

is there truly enough stuff for us adults to do on the boat to stay busy and have fun? I am talking other than just sitting by the pool and drinking alcohol..

does anyone get sea sick....I get motion sickness some times but only if its bad. dramimine makes me really sleepy so I try to avoid it at all costs.....I have been deep sea fishing and got sick once and was fine once.....

......any and all suggestions are welcome......I want to hear anything and everything from you all.....after all, its winter and spring training has not started yet.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I've been on several cruises. I think the biggest impact depends on what cruise line you go on as each tends to have a little different culture. My favorite is Celebrity and I like Princess as well.

Shore excursions on "tropical" cruises tend to be on the cheaper end, but I would still count on between $40-$200 per person per stop depending on what you want to do. On a lot of the islands you can kind of do your own thing and not have to pay for the organized trip and that can help save some money.

There is usually plenty to do on the boats so I wouldn't worry about getting bored. Most of the boats have a kids/teen area and activities, which are very safe. I went on an Alaska cruise when I was 15 and I don't think I saw my parents at all. This again is pretty dependent on the cruise line, but most tropical cruises tend to be a little more family oriented and there should be lots of other kids around.

Food is again really dependent on the cruise line, but I would recommend doing dinner in the dining room. If you do a Carnival cruise it might not matter as much, but on the "formal" nights most people on the boat are dressed up.

The casino's tend to be pretty basic and there are pretty strict rules on when they are open. It isn't Vegas, but they are ok.

I don't get sea sick, but at times you will notice the boat moving around. It can be a little disorienting if you are in your room.

I don't know if they will let two minors have their own room. You could probably get a 2nd room and just have them stay in there, but it would probably be best to get two rooms vs. one. The rooms are a little small and four people in one room would get a little cramped.

[lidspinner]

great info....thanks to you all who have PM's me info and links...wolfboy got me a number to his family who helps with cruises...much appreciated wolf.....I am open to all ideas...

[RBA]

Are you reconsidering now?

[oneupper]

Now is probably the best time to get a deal.

[oneupper]

I've done a couple of cruises in the Caribbean. One with Carnival (western Caribbean) and one with Princess (eastern Caribbean).

As for your questions:
1. Get separate rooms. Although I've not been in a large cabin, in general the cabins are small. Get a balcony room if someone is a bit claustrophobic.

2. Kids should be safe if they are sensible and stick together. The boats are large with several thousands of people on them. Like a large shopping mall that no one can leave.
Whether they can find stuff to do depends on what they like and the activities available on each boat. It varies. (I'm not a kid, I got bored). A lot of the traveling is at night, so if you take a cruise without a lot of "sea days", you get to spend more time on the shore trips.

3. You will spend more money than you budgeted. The lines lure you in with a low cruise charge and then come the land excursions, miscellaneous fees and "tip" charges. But by all means, do the land excursions and don't stick around the boat. It will add up in the end, so be prepared.

4. Take formal clothes. Some lines actually require them for the main dining room. Dinners are usually very good there. That said, try not to eat too much. You can put on 5 pounds or more on a one week cruise because the food is abundant and usually everything is included.

5. There is no such thing as a good casino. That said, your girls might be able to sneak in if they look a little older and they'll get a kick out of that (though you may not).

6. Nights are pretty good. The Carnival cruise had a Karaoke bar where we hung out most nights, but the one on the Princess was bad and only at certain times. Most boats have separate dancing places for adults and teens. Not sure about all night, though, most entertainment (except casino, IIRC) ends at some point.

7. I was bored when the boat was at sea during the daytime. People do the pool and drinks, which I don't get into. Or you can eat...all day long. Sea days suck.

8. You probably won't get seasick unless you hit a storm. Try to avoid peak hurricane season in the Caribbean (late August through September). You will take some time to regain your shore legs once off the boat.

Personally, I liked the Carnival Cruise much better. The call them the "Fun Ships" and it was more fun, and also more informal. The Princess boat was more elegant and the food was somewhat better, but the activities were lacking.

One thing you may not thought about is old people. A lot of old people. The ads show families and young couples, but there are a lot of old people on cruises.

I'd cruise again, but I'm not a big fan. My family is kind of split on the issue, one daughter and I are meh, while wife and other daughter are ready to go again.

[Slyder]

I took one with Carnival and I know their pr is in the dumpster right now but I had absolutely no complaints with mine. I went to the Bahamas and almost always something to do on the ship if you decide to not go ashore.

[lidspinner]

We are actually looking to cash in on this bad PR time right now...hoping to make reservations ASAP.....thanks to everyone for your opinions....I figure its something we have to at least do once....I will update this thread after the cruise.

[RBA]

More bad PR. I hope you didn't book this one.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...n-of-seas.html

[lidspinner]

nope, not us.....but it sure has us wondering how much bad PR we want to deal with before we decide to do something else...