Newbie - Info overload

[mdcompton]

My wife and I are planning our first cruise ever. We have just decided we NEED to get away since we have not done so in over 10 years. We are planning on a departure for the last week in March. This does not give me my standard research time to understand the industry.

 

We are having a hard time trying to figure out what will suit us best. We have enough air miles to travel round trip any North American port of departure. We also have a flight center travel voucher valued at $500. We are still prepared to spend approximately $2000 (including exursions) and could do more if we had to but prefer to keep it simple.

 

Who are we:

Married couple for 4 years in our 40's

First vacation as a couple.

Business owners and workaholics.

Enjoy both social settings and quiet time.

Both of us have a great love of sports.

Enjoy casual drinking and social drinking, occasionally like to hit the bars for some fun.

Enjoy live entertainment

Love site seeing and excursions

 

What are we looking for:

R&R time in the sun and warmth.

Activities and Night life.

Chance to have a few beverages and enjoy ourselves.

As much inclusive as possible - No large surprises at the end of trip.

Chance to sight see and take some great pictures.

Comfortable accommodations (preferably a king bed and window).

 

We are finding it hard to narrow down our choices because there is just so much information. We are leaning towards a Caribbean Cruise for 5-7 days leaving from Florida, however, we are open to other options.

 

We have been concerned about all the different opinions and reviews about overwhelming gratuities. We believe in showing our appreciation for service but do not like the idea of being forced into gratuities that we cant keep track of. We also don't want to have to carry cash all the time tipping for each and every movement we make. When on a resort you can tip a server or wait staff once or twice and ensure that you will be looked after throughout your stay, does this format exist on a cruise?

 

We are happy to upgrade to a beverage plan to avoid a bar bill at the end of the trip. Are there other upgrades that we should consider to avoid surprises?

 

Forgive me if I have asked a lot of questions that are very common. I have searched this site but find it a little overwhelming to sort the info specific to my situation. Please feel free to answer directly or simply point me to a link to find more information.

 

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. This looks like a great community and I look forward to participating and contributing as I go through this adventure.

 

Cheers!

[leaveitallbehind]

My wife and I are planning our first cruise ever. We have just decided we NEED to get away since we have not done so in over 10 years. We are planning on a departure for the last week in March. This does not give me my standard research time to understand the industry.

 

We are having a hard time trying to figure out what will suit us best. We have enough air miles to travel round trip any North American port of departure. We also have a flight center travel voucher valued at $500. We are still prepared to spend approximately $2000 (including exursions) and could do more if we had to but prefer to keep it simple.

 

Who are we:

Married couple for 4 years in our 40's

First vacation as a couple.

Business owners and workaholics.

Enjoy both social settings and quiet time.

Both of us have a great love of sports.

Enjoy casual drinking and social drinking, occasionally like to hit the bars for some fun.

Enjoy live entertainment

Love site seeing and excursions

 

What are we looking for:

R&R time in the sun and warmth.

Activities and Night life.

Chance to have a few beverages and enjoy ourselves.

As much inclusive as possible - No large surprises at the end of trip.

Chance to sight see and take some great pictures.

Comfortable accommodations (preferably a king bed and window).

 

We are finding it hard to narrow down our choices because there is just so much information. We are leaning towards a Caribbean Cruise for 5-7 days leaving from Florida, however, we are open to other options.

 

We have been concerned about all the different opinions and reviews about overwhelming gratuities. We believe in showing our appreciation for service but do not like the idea of being forced into gratuities that we cant keep track of. We also don't want to have to carry cash all the time tipping for each and every movement we make. When on a resort you can tip a server or wait staff once or twice and ensure that you will be looked after throughout your stay, does this format exist on a cruise?

 

We are happy to upgrade to a beverage plan to avoid a bar bill at the end of the trip. Are there other upgrades that we should consider to avoid surprises?

 

Forgive me if I have asked a lot of questions that are very common. I have searched this site but find it a little overwhelming to sort the info specific to my situation. Please feel free to answer directly or simply point me to a link to find more information.

 

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. This looks like a great community and I look forward to participating and contributing as I go through this adventure.

 

Cheers!

 

My only experience - albeit over 21 years of it - is with Royal Caribbean. I would think RCI or Celebrity (owned by RCI) would answer your goals. Other cruise lines to consider would be Princess, Norwegian, and Carnival.

 

They all offer Caribbean cruises that (depending on cruise line) are 5, 6, or 7 nights long. My suggestion would be 7 night - a 5 night to me is just too short.

 

My recommendation would be as a first timer find a travel agent who specializes in cruises and let them do the legwork for you - their knowledge and experience will help you zero in on the best first option for you.

 

As to beverage packages, they usually are individual passenger based - in other words no sharing - and typically have their break even point at about 7 - 8 drinks per day for each day of the cruise. Only you can determine if that is a value that would fit with you.

 

Let me try to clarify gratuities. Gratuities are a standard and expected cost of cruising. The way RCI (and most mass market lines) does it is automatically charge your SeaPass (on board charge account) $12 per passenger per day, which covers the service gratuity for your stateroom attendant and dining room wait staff. You can add more at the end of the cruise in cash to whomever you feel deserves it, but that is your option. Gratuities are a major part of the service staff compensation and should be looked at as a fixed part of your cruising expense in addition to the stateroom cost. BTW, cash is not used on board (other than for the extra gratuity) as everything is charged to your on board account.

 

Candidly, the $2,000 cruise only cost might be a little tight and likely might limit you to an inside stateroom. But a few hundred more and your choices should open up nicely. Your travel agent can help here.

 

But if end of March is your goal you need to move fast - most March cruises are already mostly booked with limited stateroom selections left, and whatever you would find would require full payment at the time of your booking. You will also need to act fast on your airfare, especially if you are using air miles or vouchers - there may be restrictions or limitations with that.

 

Good luck in your research and welcome to cruising!

Edited February 20, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[mdcompton]

My only experience - albeit over 21 years of it - is with Royal Caribbean. I would think RCI or Celebrity (owned by RCI) would answer your goals. Other cruise lines to consider would be Princess, Norwegian, and Carnival.

 

They all offer Caribbean cruises that (depending on cruise line) are 5, 6, or 7 nights long. My suggestion would be 7 night - a 5 night to me is just too short.

 

My recommendation would be as a first timer find a travel agent who specializes in cruises and let them do the legwork for you - their knowledge and experience will help you zero in on the best first option for you.

 

As to beverage packages, they usually are individual passenger based - in other words no sharing - and typically have their break even point at about 7 - 8 drinks per day for each day of the cruise. Only you can determine if that is a value that would fit with you.

 

Let me try to clarify gratuities. Gratuities are a standard and expected cost of cruising. The way RCI (and most mass market lines) does it is automatically charge your SeaPass (on board charge account) $12 per passenger per day, which covers the service gratuity for your stateroom attendant and dining room wait staff. You can add more at the end of the cruise in cash to whomever you feel deserves it, but that is your option. Gratuities are a major part of the service staff compensation and should be looked at as a fixed part of your cruising expense in addition to the stateroom cost. BTW, cash is not used on board (other than for the extra gratuity) as everything is charged to your on board account.

 

Candidly, the $2,000 cruise only cost might be a little tight and likely might limit you to an inside stateroom. But a few hundred more and your choices should open up nicely. Your travel agent can help here.

 

But if end of March is your goal you need to move fast - most March cruises are already mostly booked with limited stateroom selections left, and whatever you would find would require full payment at the time of your booking. You will also need to act fast on your airfare, especially if you are using air miles or vouchers - there may be restrictions or limitations with that.

 

Good luck in your research and welcome to cruising!

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

I very much appreciate the breakdown of what gratuities and drink upgrades work out to per day. That really helps me to grasp the value. Perhaps it isn't worth the upgrade. I may have more than the 7 or 8 drinks during one of the days but I am more concerned about enjoying the experience not nursing a hangover :). As for the gratuities specifically, I am fine if its only $12/day (avg) now I wont be as concerned giving a little extra to those that really deserve it. I rarely tip less than 20% for anything and being a business owner I tend to reward graciously for good service and those that are deserving. I was getting the impression that daily gratuities would be in the range of $40-50/day. The daily fee structure you refer to sounds much more reasonable and allows us to provide more personal tipping.

 

We aren't stuck with having to use the Air Miles rewards just hoping we can. If not we will happily pay to avoid restrictions and delays. We can use them for another trip that would be planned further in advance. So if a package deal is more accommodating to timelines we are happy to go that route.

 

I appreciate the mention of budget, perhaps we will have to look at that a little more in depth. We definitely want to be comfortable while on board but don't require to much, as we hope to be out of the room more than in.

 

Because one of our means of paying is a travel voucher through a Travel Agency we are using our local representative. Unfortunately, I don't get the impression that anyone in this districts office is a cruise specialist; hence the reason for trying to do my own research.

 

Again, thanks for the great feedback. It really gives me some more insight on how things work!!

[leaveitallbehind]

I hope your TA can assist you - mainly because with such a short time frame the stateroom selection will likely be very limited. This can be a good news / bad new situation in that "last minute" prices may be very attractive on staterooms remaining - including suites. That's the good news. The bad news is they may not be and either way you may me limited in options and only able to purchase a category outside your budget or desired location. Get on it quickly.

 

To help yourself. go to two or three websites and begin a search for the Caribbean in March to see what is available. Maybe armed with the you can guide your TA into narrowing what he can work on for you. Again this could be made easier due to the selections left for March.

Edited February 20, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[A2Mich]

FWIW, I'll give you my opinion. You have already been given excellent advice and info. I was a former Carnival cruiser, but am now trying RCI. While I was never overwhelmed with Carnival, we have always been pleased and had a good time. That being said, I've heard that Carnival has made cutbacks like most other companies. I have not been on a cruise for a few years so things may have changed in that time.

 

The reason I mention Carnival is for your budget, they MAY be the least expensive option, though the quality of service and other amenities may be of lesser quality than other cruise lines. That aside, Carnival does tend to have, on average, the largest standard inside and outside cabins. While not plush and luxurious, they serve their purpose.

 

You may be able to find some promotions on other cruise lines though. I've heard that other cruise lines may have nicer cabins and possibly better service, so if you do decide to try Carnival, I would recommend being very analytical if there are certain elements you don't care for. I would say to try Carnival to try the overall experience, and not get too hung up on details. You can at least get the feel of life onboard.

 

Again, check all of the cruise lines and see what you find, but the previous poster gave excellent and accurate advice on gratuities and those costs are pretty similar among all the cruise lines.

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Forums mobile app

[RoobyDoo]

Just to add my perspective of Norwegian. They have the same service charge plan as that already mentioned for RCI, namely $12 per person per day (which I had paid pre-cruise). You're not expected to leave any more tips but that's up to your discretion. In my example, I left a large extra gratuity for our stateroom steward, as well as a smaller tip at one of the specialty restaurants (for what I felt was excellent service). But I never left any extra tips at the MDRs.

 

I'm a moderate drinker, and my wife doesn't drink much at all, so it was a no-brainer for me to decide not to purchase NCL's beverage plan. Like RCI, they require that, if a beverage plan is purchased, it must be bought by each adult occupant in the stateroom. When you purchase individual drinks, an automatic 15% gratuity is added to your charge, so again, no need to carry cash for tipping.

 

As A2Mich recommended, try not to get stressed over your selection. The planning of your new adventure should be fun and exciting! The cruise lines already mentioned are all very good. Cruisers may have their favorite lines and ships, but it's based on subjective and personal preferences. I think your selection will be based mostly on a combination of the most desirable itinerary and the cost. I also agree that you should select the longer 7-day cruise if possible; more places for you to sightsee.

[wassup4565]

By the end of March, most desperate northerners are not so intent on cruising so the demand is slackening. If I were you I'd google cheap cruises or bargain cruises and look at some of the last-minute offerings. If you're not picky about the itinerary you could find a good bargain. Please look at the pre-paid gratuities as part of the cruise cost and pay them upfront. After that, tip or do not tip extra- it's your choice.

 

You have to drink a lot to make the drink packages worth it. Remember also, when your ship stops in port, you might buy drinks on land and so not be using your drink package as much on shore days. Speaking of shore days, since you've never cruised before the ports will all be new to you. You can save money by not buying pricey excursions and simply going ashore and exploring around on your own. Remember, however, that you will probably spend something on shore, even if it's only buying a soft drink when you're thirsty. So allow some "walking around" money for shore days.

 

On board the ship, once you've paid your gratuities, you won't be charged for anything else that you don't choose to pay for. There will be no hidden charges.

 

From your description of what you enjoy, it sounds like a cruise will be a terrific vacation for you both, and it sounds like it's long overdue. You'll find lively bars or quiet ones. You can jump into the free activities on the ship or snooze with a book. If you like meeting new people, there will be no shortage of sociable folks to talk to. If you're active and sporty, you can do the gym thing and walk the track all around the ship. Depending on the ship you can play mini golf, climb the rock wall, shoot hoops, and of course swim in the pool.

 

Have a great time. I'm sure you can find a cruise that suits your budget and offers you a wonderful holiday!

[cb at sea]

You are WAAAY overthinking this! You're going on a vacation...that's all! At a resort, you would tip every time you get served....on a ship, that's all taken care of for you, with the gratuities that they extract from you. You're done....no additional tips are needed, except, perhaps, for room service...those folks are not included in the tips you pay.

Alcohol and soda are extra...so are gambling expenses, and spa treatments.....just like anywhere, you'll pay for "hands on" things!!!

 

You're paying for room and board, and different locations daily! Go! Enjoy!..Stop overthinking this!

[Lerin]

You are WAAAY overthinking this! You're going on a vacation...that's all!

You're paying for room and board, and different locations daily! Go! Enjoy!..Stop overthinking this!

 

That's what I was thinking. You're not going to enjoy your cruise if you are this stressed about it.

 

I'd suggest you pick a 7-day on a mass market line(Carnival, NCL, RC, Celebrity, or Princess), go to each of their sites and type your dates and Florida departure ports into a search. Contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, they are all pretty much the same. Especially for a first cruise that does not include children.

 

Whichever one has the best price for a balcony room-that's the cruise you're taking. :cool:

 

Pre-pay your gratuities when you pay for the cruise(will be around $150). Anything else is optional.

 

Financial "surprises" at the end of a cruise only happen to people who weren't paying attention.

Everything that has an additional fee is clearly marked as such. You are also able to check your account onboard so you know exactly how much you've spent.

 

Relax. Try to have fun. :cool:

Edited February 20, 2014 by Lerin

[mom says]

Since this is your first cruise, and may be trying to arrange last minute flights with Air Miles :eek: I'd just like to add a couple of things. I'm assuming you both have valid passports already.

 

You should really plan to fly into your port a day ahead of time to avoid problems due to weather or aircraft delays. So you will need to factor this into your itinerary and budget. Another cost will be transfers from airport to hotel to port.

 

An ocean view cabin will be less expensive than a balcony, but you will still have a window. I'm not aware of any standard cabins that have king beds- I think most cabins have 2 single beds that can be pushed together, making a queen.

[attilamom1217]

Celebrity is currently running a promo where you have a choice of drinks (alcohol, soda, bottled water, specialty coffees), gratuities (room stewards and dining staff) or on board credit. Must be booked by 28 Feb 14. Caribbean is inlcuded in the eligible cruises. There are requirements as to what type of cabin (balcony or higher???), but you can go to Celebrity's website for the details.

 

Its possible that Royal Caribbean is also offering something, but I'm not sure.

 

Both are great cruise lines and offer several Caribbean options.

[HENDRICKSFAN01]

You are WAAAY overthinking this! You're going on a vacation...that's all! At a resort, you would tip every time you get served....on a ship, that's all taken care of for you, with the gratuities that they extract from you. You're done....no additional tips are needed, except, perhaps, for room service...those folks are not included in the tips you pay.

Alcohol and soda are extra...so are gambling expenses, and spa treatments.....just like anywhere, you'll pay for "hands on" things!!!

 

You're paying for room and board, and different locations daily! Go! Enjoy!..Stop overthinking this!

 

Exactly. ... its an adventure. Your still in work mode with all this planning this researching that. Put on a t-shirt and shorts. Put your phone on airplane mode and chill out. Trust me it took me a few days to realize it's all good no matter what happens while your at sea. Get your butt online or to an agent and book the cheapest indoor stateroom because you won't be in it anyway so do it. What you need me to say it again GOOOO! !!!!!!! :D

Edited February 22, 2014 by HENDRICKSFAN01

[anandaindonesia]

Welcome to CruiseCritic, and welcome to the wonderful world of cruising!

 

Once you have decided your destination, check the reviews so at least you know which cruise line will be more suitable to your style. Don't worry too much. Whichever you choose, you will still be able to enjoy it. "If you want to enjoy your cruise, you will. And if you don't want, you won't".

 

Extra charges to consider are :

- going to and returning from your home port (please avoid flying in on the embarkation day. Flights are subject to delays and cancellation)

- tip, usually around $12/pax/day. Extra at your discretion for porters and others you deemed proper.

- soda, specialty coffee and alcoholic beverages (packages might be available)

- special meals at specialty restaurants (again check for psckages)

- photography. Can be expensive. Do your own to avoid this extra charges.

- shore excursions at your ports of call.

- shopping (last but certainly not the least)

 

Enjoy your cruise. Beware, cruising is addictive. You have been warned :D

-

 

 

Sent using Tapatalk. Sorry for typho.

[mdcompton]

Thanks to everyone for all the input. It was very helpful in narrowing down our search and getting some reasonable expectation of what to anticipate.

 

Well we came down to the wire with booking, so we chose the first one that had most of the items on our checklist. We managed to book our flight through airmiles and we fly into Miami on March 21. We will be boarding the Liberty on Carnival Cruise Lines (balcony room) for a 7 day Caribbean adventure stopping in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Grand Cayman. I think this being our first adventure in cruising, will give us a solid mixture of Relaxation, adventure and different cultural experiences.

 

Since we don't have a baseline to compare to, we feel this will be a great entry level cruise that is affordable and will allow us to decide what we want and don't want in a cruise adventure.

 

Total cost to us for this first time trip is quite reasonable - We are flying round trip from Toronto, Canada - Staying 1 night in Toronto, 1 night in Miami (prior to Cruise) and 1 Night in Miami after Cruise for a grand total of $2100 CAD (Flight was free + $500 travel voucher). We are absolutely delighted to stick to our budget and still pack in a 10 day vacation.

 

We appreciate all the advice we have been given and are really looking forward to a MUCH NEEDED vacation! I am sure we will make the best of whatever comes our way. We are entering the journey with an open mind and no real expectations other than making the best of whatever comes our way.

 

Always open for advice and recommendations. Thanks again to all that have contributed to this thread and assisted us in making things just that much easier. Great community here.

 

Vacation commences in 19 Days!

 

Cheers!!

Edited March 2, 2014 by mdcompton

[Kevin135i]

Wish I could chime in but we just planned our first cruise too! Also carnival liberty going east Caribbean. Calgary > Miami and 7 days but we have a kid with us too. So our total came to about $3200. Of course excursions and other stuff will be extra but for 3 of us and doing a excursion at every port and going to Atlantis waterpark, we are at around $4500 for this trip.

Excited and nervous... We hope this trip will be worth it :)

 

 

Sent from 5s: CC App

[Shih-tzu]

I agree with your first post of "info overload". I joined the boards a week or two ago and the more I read, the more confused I get....but I definitely want to try a cruise - there are Bermuda and Caribbean options within driving distance for us ....

 

Guess it depends on where you live up here in the Great White North, but to cut costs, I'm looking at driving to Boston or New York and then taking one of the cruises from there (I probably wouldn't have enough air miles to get me off the end of the runway where I live :-). It would be either 7 or 10 hour drive, but it wouldn't cost nearly as much as having to use Air Canada to get somewhere and if we drive to Bangor we're already 1/2 way to Boston.....

 

My biggest fear/concern is all the "hidden" fees that add up in the long run that may surprise you at the end of a cruise (gratuity fee for each passenger per day; drinks (even pop and water is pricy); shore excursions, etc. I'm sure it would probably work out to about the same as one of our Disney World trips, but I am used to those so know what can "creep" up as far as costs (like the year it was so chilly there that we spent a lot of $$ on coffee and hot drinks in the evening to keep our hands warm waiting for parades...:p

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[trish1c]

Any of the mass market lines will fit your needs. You have been given info about what will be extra. You can budget for many extras before you sail so it's not a surprise.

 

I would not get the drinks package. We're pretty big partiers & we still spend less than the costs of the package.

 

As workaholics you may want to comparison shop which lines have deals with your cell phone carriers & how expensive are the various internet packages so you can keep in touch with work.