How do you help a first time cruiser?

My grandmother called last night. Shes looking to book a cruise this yr. Thats literally all she knows. She has no clue where she wants to go, what port she wants to leave from or what cruiseline.

I am far from an expert. It just seems to me that she is making this more difficult that it needs to be. I told her my first suggestion is she needs to decide where she wants to leave from. Is she willing to fly? Seems kinda silly to me as we live 3 hrs from galveston. Then she needs to see what lines cruise out of the port and pick a ship. I told her if she goes in summer to prepare for higher cruisefare and more kids. I did tell her that from what i read here and my experience is that ccl is not the party ship that it is rumored to be. I told her what i have read here about other lines rci, princess, ncl. I have never been on those lines.

She said she wants to boom for the itin vs me as i book for the ship. I told her maybe a ta would be best bc she just seems so clueless.

Funny, it would take me about 3 minutes to book a cruise. Bc i already know what i want to do next.

What else can i tell her? These msg boards arent really her thing. I feel like she has no idea and i want to help but i have a hard time understanding why its so hard. Any other suggestions on how i can help her? It would be her and grandpa--both upper 60s.

She said she wants to boom for the itin vs me as i book for the ship

If I understood what you were saying it would help to know what to suggest.

Perhaps the best thing to do is to ask her where she thinks she might want to go- any particular places, then give her a couple of options. Since she lives so close to Galveston, suggest initially that she choose from one of the cruises from there. It sounds like you are giving her too many options- help to guide her thinking on this- it is not necessary to over think it nor to consider every single option. You obviously know enough about cruising to have many ideas about what you want. She doesn't.

My first cruise was decided without knowing anything. I was thinking of a San Diego week with some whale watching with my son. Late one night the ads for a cruise came up on a website and 20 minutes later I was booked on a cruise. I didn't think a lot about the itinerary or the ship or the cruiseline. And we had a lovely time.

And if it all goes bad its gonna be your fault you steered her in that direction. Assuming they can afford a longer cruise, I'd say they're better off booking a 5-8 nighter rather than a short cruise that may be full of hard-partyin' drinkers. A first cruise, my guess is that there is so much to discover about all these big ships that the actual ship and ports are secondary. This is the booking that will get them hooked on cruising.

She said she wants to boom for the itin vs me as i book for the ship

 

If I understood what you were saying it would help to know what to suggest.

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I think what OP is saying is that she wants to pick the cruise for the itinerary of the ship, where as OP picks theirs by the actual ship, instead. I am one that tends to book for the itinerary, but never for anything I can't live without because we all know that ports get changed or missed....... I think as someone said above maybe a good travel agent would be the way to go.

And if it all goes bad its gonna be your fault you steered her in that direction. Assuming they can afford a longer cruise, I'd say they're better off booking a 5-8 nighter rather than a short cruise that may be full of hard-partyin' drinkers. A first cruise, my guess is that there is so much to discover about all these big ships that the actual ship and ports are secondary. This is the booking that will get them hooked on cruising.

This is my fear...if I steer thrm towards carnival it will be my fault. But I told her carnival is all I know. I did explain to her that a 7 day will have less partying than a 5 day . I told her the magic is running 7 day cruises out of galveston.

I guess i just feel like she wants to pick her excursions before her cruise and im not used to that. I have asked her over and over what types of things would they like. She said to see ruins and go deep sea fishing.

I guess why this is difficult for me is because this is unlike any other vacation they have taken. They are camping people. Visit scenery in colorado type people. She specifically said they do not want to walk around and shop nor lay on the beach.

Shes asking for my help yet they are difficult to please. Thats why i was wondering if a ta would be best. Then they can blame the ta instead of me if they have a horrible time.

Tell her that your ideas of what makes a good cruise are clearly quite different from hers, and that a travel agent with a cruise specialist would be a good source of information on different cruise lines, itineraries, etc. We're not allowed to mention travel agency names here, but if she has a membership in a certain well known road assistance service, point out that they do travel services as well, so that might be an option for her.

My DH and I are 64 and 67. We've cruised with 5 different cruise lines, and we like CCL the best. We usually choose a cruise because of itinerary and cost. Most of our cruises have involved flying, but we did drive to Galveston for one cruise. It's about 5 hours from our home. What is their financial situation? Would flying to Barcelona, and cruising the Mediterranean be something for them? Lots of ruins in Europe. Don't know about deep sea fishing. I agree with the suggestion that you put her in touch with a good TA. We've used a great online agent a few times, but I think we're not allowed to post names of agents or companies on this forum. If I use the initials VTG, is that against the rules?

I guess i just feel like she wants to pick her excursions before her cruise and im not used to that. I have asked her over and over what types of things would they like. She said to see ruins and go deep sea fishing.

 

I guess why this is difficult for me is because this is unlike any other vacation they have taken. They are camping people. Visit scenery in colorado type people. She specifically said they do not want to walk around and shop nor lay on the beach.

Not sure why you think they are hard to please? if they are hard to please in general regardless of their interests, my suggestion is you lead them to a TA. Tell them TA's don't cost anything extra and frequently offer goodies.

If you think it is hard because they like things you are not familiar with, here is my suggestion: based on their location and interest, go for a 7 day cruise out of Galveston going to both Belize and Cozumel. In Belize book the Mayan ruins tour. And in Cozumel book the deep fishing tour. Your grandparents sound like my type of people. Love nature and the wilderness. Cruising may not be their favorite vacation as it is certainly not always mine. That being said, they likely will still enjoy it from time to time.

It's hard to remember when we were all one first timers and completely clueless.

I am dealing with this same situation right now. My in-laws are thinking about taking their first cruise with a fried of theirs...all she told them was how much their part of the cruise would be...I called them and told them about some of the other expenses such as tipping and drinks and those little things.

She thought the bingo and all the acitivites were free...not quite. She also thought soda was free...wrong again. She didn't know you had to tip and she also forgot the cost of the passports that she will have to factor in. She realized how quickly her $650 per person would turn into $1,000 per person. I didn't want to scare her away but I also didn't want her to be shocked.

I think itinerary and ship are a personal preference and if someone really doesn't know what they want to do I would talk to a travel agent. Also, if it is just grandma and grandpa I would steer them toward Celebrity...they may enjoy having more people their age on the ship and the extra touches that they offer.

And if it all goes bad its gonna be your fault...

I see you've met my ex-wife.

Not sure why you think they are hard to please? if they are hard to please in general regardless of their interests, my suggestion is you lead them to a TA. Tell them TA's don't cost anything extra and frequently offer goodies.

 

If you think it is hard because they like things you are not familiar with, here is my suggestion: based on their location and interest, go for a 7 day cruise out of Galveston going to both Belize and Cozumel. In Belize book the Mayan ruins tour. And in Cozumel book the deep fishing tour. Your grandparents sound like my type of people. Love nature and the wilderness. Cruising may not be their favorite vacation as it is certainly not always mine. That being said, they likely will still enjoy it from time to time.

I agree with this - one of these "Mayan Riviera" cruises would be good for them as they can do both and do it right out of Galveston. I would probably steer them towards the Crown Princess rather than Carnival, but there is also the 5-day (Mon-Sat) on Triumph that goes to Progresso and Coz. Also the Magic 7-day that goes to Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Belize & Coz.

I would suggest the standard Jamaica/Cayman/Cozumel itinerary that leaves from Galveston. Magic is a new ship, and if they wind up not liking it, they probably won't like many of the older (non 2.0) ships. Depending on their agility, they could consider ziplining or tubing in Jamaica to get some nature in. Stingrays in Cayman for sure and then Fishing in Cozumel.

Also, if they drive and wind up not liking cruising, they won't be mad they shelled out even more for airfare.

i think what i would do is the following:

1. See which ships leave Galveston.

2. Ask her what month she wants to go

3. Once you have that give her maybe a brochure for each one so she can view the cruise lines herself.

4. Ask her to pick the cruiseline, i agree a 5-7 day would be best

From the sound of it what she would like to do i would probably steer her towards a Western Itinerary which is primarily Galveston port anyway, right?

I probably would stay away from the Magic due to the high reports of missing ports. Don't want to give her a "bad taste in her mouth" about cruising. She may not understand that sometimes during cruising missing ports can happen.

Again, i would try to push the ultimate decision on where they go on her and her family. You do not want to be blamed for anything if something does not go according to what she thought or planned. I also recommend a TA for her 1st cruise. An excellent travel agent should be able to answer her wide range of questions that she should/will have regarding her trip. Also will help with her picking excursions.

Grandma texted me and said she booked a balcony on the Conquest for April 8th. I hope they enjoy it. Thanks for everyone's responses!

Grandma texted me and said she booked a balcony on the Conquest for April 8th. I hope they enjoy it. Thanks for everyone's responses!

Wow, I was reading down and thinking they should try a Conquest class ship and I came upon your post. Those ships are a great size with a lot going for them.

Do it the old fashioned way. Get cruise books at the library or bookstore. :)

Do it the old fashioned way. Get cruise books at the library or bookstore. :)

Books? Library? What are those? Do they have anything to do with the telegraph and horseless carriages?

But on the same thoughtwave- you can also stop by a travel agent and pick up brochures. Or give me your address and I will just send my mail to you- I have unintentionally gotten onto just about every cruiseines junk mail list. (Kidding- please don't really give me your address- NOT kidding about the junk mail- they know a sucker when they see one!)

Books? Library? What are those? Do they have anything to do with the telegraph and horseless carriages?

 

But on the same thoughtwave- you can also stop by a travel agent and pick up brochures. Or give me your address and I will just send my mail to you- I have unintentionally gotten onto just about every cruiseines junk mail list. (Kidding- please don't really give me your address- NOT kidding about the junk mail- they know a sucker when they see one!)

I suggested books as the person's grandma wasn't comfortable with the message boards. Looks like you didn't read that? It was suggested as an alternative way to get some information. Try it, you might like it.

I suggested books as the person's grandma wasn't comfortable with the message boards. Looks like you didn't read that? It was suggested as an alternative way to get some information. Try it, you might like it.

Teasing- teasing. Heavens- as my kids would say- chill out! I did read that, have more than my fair share of travel books in my house, and added as a suggestion further reading material- paper sort.

Teasing- teasing. Heavens- as my kids would say- chill out! I did read that, have more than my fair share of travel books in my house, and added as a suggestion further reading material- paper sort.

Comes across as a slam but okay, no problem. :)