WOT: anyone take any good or bad cruises?, cruiseships... Options

[HeloMech]

Where'd you go?

What company?

What time of year?

Was it good or bad?

Why?


Thanks!

[bondo]

Royal Caribbean is fantastic. Been to Alaska and Ensenada. Alaska was much better than Ensenada, but also cost much more. If you go to Ensenada, ignore what they tell you about wonderful shopping. Do your own research and do whatever you want. They are trying to funnel tourists and money into a certain area of Ensenada to try and make it nice. All they did was attract all the pushy Ensenadans to one place. We were actually followed around by small children trying to get us to buy gum. The jewelry place they reccommened tried to liquor us up to get us to by stuff. Free tequila! Once we got back to the ship we talked to others that had gone to La Bufadora and had a much better time.

[HeloMech]

Thanks...

We're leaning towards Alaska. Just ordered the dvd for next year's trips on Princess Cruises to see what they have to offer. I don't care if my bed is 30 feet under water next to the drive shaft of the main prop either... I don't plan on spending much time there. and there's always Tylenol PM! lol.

[Boojum]

Princess Cruise, on the Golden Princess.

Our start port was San Juan, Puerto Rico, and we went through St. Kits, Aruba, Grenada and Margarita (Venezuela), and back to San Juan in that order, I think. The one thing I learned is that a cruise boat is basically a giant floating buffet.

It was a good time. The thing I most enjoyed was doing a katamaran sail trip at St. Kitts, where the captian was a great guy from Boston (he dropped out of MIT, and it was really nice down there so I can't blame him), and we had rum punch and beer flowing like water. Of course, with the Altitude Advantage ™, I didn't notice.

The thing I liked least was the fact that we were tied to a cruise boat. They give you a few hours at every stop, which kinda sucks. Then again, it's a blessing if you happen upon a place you don't care for so much (Grenada). Grenada would be a great place for a stop on the WRC rally tour with all the curby roads (the Taxi van drivers also pretend to be rally car pilots), but aside from that, it's a no go. I would have really liked to stay much longer at St. Kitts, Aruba, and Margarita (the gas was like 40 cents a gallon there, and it's a pretty cool place besides that). I'll have make it a point to visit St. Johns next time (not on a cruise).

I'd try an Alaskan cruise next time.

Seriously, they should rent Porsches and other sports cars on Grenada and get all the people off the road by 4:00 in the afternoon, charge $100 a lap and let everyone go nuts. They could easily have the Caribbean equivalent to the Nürburgring crossed with Laguna Seca, and they'd make a fortune.

[Jake Raby]

Royal carribbean rules!!

Carnival sucks.

[markb]

Did the Carnival to Ensenada (Bondo is right, go to La Bufadora, great prices, and the blowhole is kinda cool, too). Skip the downtown thing. Unless you need chicklets (the kids are annoying).
Took Royal Caribbean to the western caribbean. Had a good time (woulda been better if I didn't have to miss WCC 1 to do it). If you can, get a balcony room. Very cool.

[mikelsr]

We took Norwegian Cruise Lines to Alaska and to Mexico. We took the Sky (I think that was it) to Alaska (which was the first year for that ship) and it was fantastic. On our Mexico trip we took an older Norwegian ship was we were a bit disappointed with. The ship was much smaller and the food not as good. The weather was rough (x-mas time) so my wife and daughter were sea sick a lot. We may have been disappointed because of the weather.

We are looking at a Mediterranean trip next spring. Don't know which cruise line yet.

[Rouser]

Royal carribbean rules!!

Ditto that ...

Three cruises with them so far on Sovereign of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, and Navigator of the Seas, all in the Caribbean, out of Port Canaveral and Port of Miami.

And yes, it's a floating city, with buffet everywhere; you will expand the wasteline by approximately 8 pounds, and that's on a 7-day cruise, easy.

Looking at the Mediterranean for our 35th anniversary, or maybe a lap around Hawaii. Most definately with Royal Caribbean.

[Grelber]

Cruise lines are like a lot of things, in that you find one that you like, and stick to it. This April will be my 13th cruise, all on Princess. For service, ships, etc. you just can't beat them.

If you are thinking about Alaska, spend the extra time and take the land portion to Fairbanks on the vista train. You'll get to Mt. Denali (McKinley) and see a lot of things that you'd not normally see. It's well worth the extra $$ and time.

Just do, it and have a good time.

[tomburdge]

Take a look at Holland America. Smaller ships and fewer "teenie boppers"and to date no virus outbreaks.We are going on another in Dec to the Eastern Caribbean.Early December is less crowded since the kids are in school and most are reluctant to go on vacation between thanksgiving and christmas with all the other things they,ve got to do.Usually depart out of Tampa or Ft Lauderdale.Services on these ships are performed by either Indonisians or Phillipinos and they do a tremendous job....and their is alot of (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chowtime.gif)

[fin]

I've been on two cruises.

Port schedule changed each time.

The food was marginal the first time and worse the second.

There weren't any women on the cruise.

The water would be turned off on an infrequent basis.

Then were was the noise of aircraft taking off and landing at all hours of the day and night.

And bells would ring and people with strange accents would make the most arcane announcements on the intercom.

They did let me ride back to the ship one time leaning out of the door of a helicopter flying over terrain that looked like the Grand Canyon only 30 feet off the ground and another time the same way only over San Tropez.

And I got to fly over other cruise ships that were FULL of WOMEN sunning themselves topside with a very bare minimum of clothes.

And I got to see an oil tanker on fire north of Jamaica.

And I saw a big white ship that looked like an cargo ship only if had big red cross on the side of it. (Twelve years later I had a biopsy done on the very same ship!)

But alas, Holland America is the only way that I would cruise these days.

Fin

[914-8]

I've been on a few.

Princess was the best I went on.

Royal Carribean was good too.

Carnival . . . well, depends on what you are expecting. But I wouldn't recommend it. Food isn't as good, ship isn't as nice, service isn't very good, crowd is . . . different. And, it doesn't cost all that much less.

[Howard]

Just got back from Alaska on Holland America (Oosterdam). Absolutely the best service ever. Not a late night place to be, or maybe this was just the Alaska gig. No midnight buffet, etc. Posted some stuff here if you haven't seen it.

Love Royal Carib but this was even better. Good mix of young, middle and old. Carnival is the plague.