Should I be wary of one-time only sailing?

[JadeEyedScorpio]

Looking at the 12/17/07 sailing of the Miracle. It is the only time the Miracle sails Eastern Carrib (Grand Turk, Nassau, St. Thomas, PR). No other sailings on Carnival do this route. It seems like a good trip, especially since you get 4 ports in 7 days, but I am concerned there won't be as many planned activities since this is not the normal sailing of the Miracle. It seems like the crew may be confused, unprepared, etc for a sailing which is out of routine. Also, if it is only a one-time thing, there is really no reason for them to INVEST in making sure there are lots of activities, etc. Am I just thinking about this too much? This will only be my second cruise.

[Happy ks]

I think you find that the crew is always prepared and never confused. They turn around a ship of several thousand new pax every week, every week of the year. The activities are virtually the same, every week, all year round. The only changes they make are the passengers.

 

The ports you listed have cruise ships visiting just about every week, there will be plenty for cruise ship pax to do.

 

Are you worried about the shore excursion choices?

[JadeEyedScorpio]

No, I wasn't thinking about excursions at all. I was thinking that most ships do the same ititerary every week, or every other week. So, each week they have the same games, same shows, and everything is pretty simple. But this itinerary is a one-time thing. So, my fear was that there wouldnt' be as much to do because the crew isn't acclimated to this particular itinerary. They are only doing the trip once, so there may not be a lot of time invested in making sure there are a lot of things for passengers to do when on the ship.

[PaulfromPA]

... human nature being what it is, a break in the schedule can make for a slightly more pleasant crew. We all like variety. Also, IMHO, most ships do some kind of transitional cruise between sailing routines one or more times per year, so although the cruise may not be "routine," it is probably not extraordinary. I say "go for it" if the itinerary, sailing dates and price match your interests.

 

Happy cruising! :)

 

- Paul

[Cruzman]

Sounds like maybe that you are one of those "glass is always half empty" kind of people. Being an optimist, I see lots of reasons why this cruise could be even more pleasurable than a routine one. Just to give you an example; assume that you had been taking a trip to New York on business week after week for business purposes for a very long time. Then one day the boss says I need you to go to Miami next week for a special business seminar. Would't you be excited about such a change? Do you think that the crew on a ship would react differently? Quit looking for negatives and enjoy your cruise!

[Nitemare]

Best cruise we've taken so far was Celebrity's Norway and Northern Europe cruise two summers ago. They do that itinerary once/year, and everything ran smoothly.

[chasetf]

Looking at the 12/17/07 sailing of the Miracle. It is the only time the Miracle sails Eastern Carrib (Grand Turk, Nassau, St. Thomas, PR). No other sailings on Carnival do this route. It seems like a good trip, especially since you get 4 ports in 7 days, but I am concerned there won't be as many planned activities since this is not the normal sailing of the Miracle. It seems like the crew may be confused, unprepared, etc for a sailing which is out of routine. Also, if it is only a one-time thing, there is really no reason for them to INVEST in making sure there are lots of activities, etc. Am I just thinking about this too much? This will only be my second cruise.

The cruise lines do "one-of's" all the time. They are called repositioning cruises. :D

 

They have the ability to adjust menus, entertainment, and other activities for a one time itinerary.

[RoofingPrincess]

JMO, but it seems to me that as far as the crew is concerned, it might not matter much where the ship goes -- their jobs would be pretty much the same, wouldn't they? I mean, the activities director would have X scheduled on the first day at sea, Y scheduled on the first day in port, Z scheduled on the second port day, etc... does it really matter to him which port the ship is in?

I'm sure they might appreciate the change in ports if they have any free time while the ship is in port, but other than that, wouldn't it just be the same-old same old?