Suggestions for things my DH might find interesting on a cruise

[MiddleAgedBroad]

Now stop it, people! That's not what I'm talking about! :D

 

After booking our Spirit cruise, I have found that Continental Airlines has inexpensive flights to Jamaica in September, and now hubby is getting wobbly about this cruise, perhaps preferring a 20th trip to Jamaica. I love Jamaica, but this year I just didn't want to deal with airports. I will be at a conference in Austin, Texas in July and after having dealt with the Skybus failure, I want to go into NYC, get on a boat, and be on vacation.

 

We are doing the 6-day Canada/New England cruise. He likes the idea of the whale watch excursion out of Halifax, and the nature hike in St. John. In Boston, we will probably just stay on the boat.

 

We aren't party people; mostly what we like to do is sit and watch the water and drink coffee. What he really likes to do is look at the stars. Where are the best places to stargaze at night? We're hoping that being out at sea gives us a different perspective and a more vast view with lots of stars than we get in a land-based vacation. Also interested in quiet places to hang out on the ship away from kids, drunks, and loud pop music. I'm sure there must be some!

 

But if we do decide to go to the casino, how does the free drinks thing work? We are not just NCL n00bs, but also cruising n00bs AND casino n00bs. And on the shady side of 50 too -- yes, pitiful, I know.

 

And can you do more than one excursion in a day?

 

This board is great...but there's a lot that I have to write down -- like where to get breakfast that isn't cold, how to make sure the staff doesn't come in to clean your room "at a bad time", where the coffee station is, things like that.

 

DH loves Jamaica more than anything else in the world, but he too liked the idea of not having to spend 7 hours just getting someplace. So I want to find enough things he likes to do to keep him happy.

[kdg51]

Free drinks in the casino was new this time. Between certain hours and possibly anytime coming soon, if you have your card in a slot machine (or are playing the tables I think) you can order your drinks for free. :D

 

They have different activities and sometimes lectures or demonstrations during the sea days...and there is always Bingo. Hubby and friends like to do trivia. He is a good source of useless knowledge. :rolleyes: On the Spirit (deck 12) if you go through the internet cafe you'll find the library. Quiet with chairs and sofas to relax and maybe read a book or check your email. There is a charge for the internet services. They also have a card room and a Lattitudes lounge. I never really hung out there (just ran in a few times for a snack) so I'm not sure if they check your credentials. We also liked to get a snack at the tables near the bar and Blue Lagoon where they have TVs to watch some sports or check the scores. Blue Lagoon also great place to grab a quick lunch or cup of coffee or tea without going up to Raffles buffet.

 

Never tried more than one excursion in a day but I guess it's possible. We use to be up and out and ready to go at every port and then we discovered how relaxing it can be to go ashore and walk around with no one rushing us to be anywhere at a particular time and then enjoy a quiet, relaxing afternoon back on the ship.

 

We're looking forward to Huibby's brother and wife coming on a New England cruise to Boston. We've both arranged to have that day off and we'll meet them in Boston and go to lunch and find something to do for the afternoon. :)

[kdg51]

Double post...Sorry.

[Ms belp]

Now stop it, people! That's not what I'm talking about! :D

 

After booking our Spirit cruise, I have found that Continental Airlines has inexpensive flights to Jamaica in September, and now hubby is getting wobbly about this cruise, perhaps preferring a 20th trip to Jamaica. I love Jamaica, but this year I just didn't want to deal with airports. I will be at a conference in Austin, Texas in July and after having dealt with the Skybus failure, I want to go into NYC, get on a boat, and be on vacation.

 

We are doing the 6-day Canada/New England cruise. He likes the idea of the whale watch excursion out of Halifax, and the nature hike in St. John. In Boston, we will probably just stay on the boat.

 

We aren't party people; mostly what we like to do is sit and watch the water and drink coffee. What he really likes to do is look at the stars. Where are the best places to stargaze at night? We're hoping that being out at sea gives us a different perspective and a more vast view with lots of stars than we get in a land-based vacation. Also interested in quiet places to hang out on the ship away from kids, drunks, and loud pop music. I'm sure there must be some!

 

But if we do decide to go to the casino, how does the free drinks thing work? We are not just NCL n00bs, but also cruising n00bs AND casino n00bs. And on the shady side of 50 too -- yes, pitiful, I know.

 

And can you do more than one excursion in a day?

 

This board is great...but there's a lot that I have to write down -- like where to get breakfast that isn't cold, how to make sure the staff doesn't come in to clean your room "at a bad time", where the coffee station is, things like that.

 

DH loves Jamaica more than anything else in the world, but he too liked the idea of not having to spend 7 hours just getting someplace. So I want to find enough things he likes to do to keep him happy.

 

 

Way too many questions, on way to many topics. Go over to the boards.

[CanadianTwosome]

I just have to ask... have you been to Boston before? I'm just asking because it's someplace I would love to go and I can't imagine staying on the ship in a place that has so much history unless you've already visited and seen it.

 

So... back to your actual query!! I think you'll find plenty of very quiet areas on deck at night to stargaze. I'm from Saskatchewan, so I'm used to being able to look up and see sky going on forever, and I'm definitely impressed with the sky you can see from the deck of a cruise ship.

 

Are you getting a balcony cabin? From what I understand, they are the perfect place for drinking coffee! :) Your own private balcony is also a very good place to go if you want to avoid drunks, kids... or any other passengers, in fact. ha ha I have found that at least in the evenings and at night, there are tons of outdoor spaces that are completely deserted. Inside, after supper, I think most passengers tend to gravitate to the venues that provide entertainment; the theatre, the live music bars, the casino, and the disco. That leaves plenty of public areas indoors that are quiet as well. During the day, some of the areas that tend to be more popular at night are more quiet, like the lounges - but the casino always has people in it! If you walk around the decks you can also find some less populated areas during the day, but chances are they won't be by the main pool. We found on our last cruise that the kid's pool area was almost always empty though, so depending on how many kids are on board, it might be worth checking out.

 

Breakfast that isn't cold? Action stations in the buffet or the main dining room both offer hot breakfast.

 

How to prevent stewards from entering your cabin at inopportune moments? There is a spinner outside your door that you can switch to 'do not disturb'.

 

Can't help you with the coffee station - I don't drink the stuff! You will have a coffee maker in your cabin I believe, and I think it's always available in the buffet as well, but those are just guesses on my part.

 

I think it's possible to do two excursions in one day, depending on how much time you have in port, how long the excursions are, and how far they are from each other geographically.

 

I'm sure that anyone who has been to Jamaica 20 times and still enjoys it will thoroughly enjoy cruising! I'll bet the next time you visit, it will be on a ship!