Need advice - Cruises

[msduncan]

Next year is our 25th wedding anniversary. We want to do something special and neither of us have ever been on a cruise. We want it fancy/upscale! We considered a Disney Cruise, but I know there are regular cruises out there which may be better for the same costs.

Can you guys recommend a Carribean cruise line that might be what we are looking for? We are total noobs.

[Isgrimnur]

https://crimsontidecruise.com/

[msduncan]

https://crimsontidecruise.com/

SOLD!

Just kidding. I'd be murdered.

[Octavious]

We did Royal Caribbean a few years ago and we absolutely loved it. Disney is very overpriced so unless you are GIGANTIC Disney fans it's not worth the extra cost from what I have seen. The cruise we went from Jersey to Florida (We didn't get off though we could have.) Then to their private island called perfect day. It was super fun. It's an island just for that cruise line with a water park, bars beaches etc. Then Nassau for a day where we did a private tour to an island. Then home. I forget how many days it was, but it was the best. So much to do, not super expensive and very relaxing.

[Skinypupy]

Music cruises are an absolute blast. If there’s one in a genre that appeals to you both, I can’t recommend them highly enough. I’ve done five heavy metal cruises on Royal Caribbean and they’ve all been amazing. It was all concerts from noon to 4am though, with none of the usual cruise stuff. We only got off the boat at port for about an hour, then just came back and tried to sleep off the hangover.

I’ve heard RC does really good “normal” cruises as well, but can’t speak from experience.

[Isgrimnur]

RC Themed Cruises

• Bikers
• Australian country & rock music
• Reggae
• Latin Dance
• Star Trek
• 80s
• Monsters of Rock

[coopasonic]

I've done three cruises and I would just skip it. Only real value is the food and it's a lot of money for the food. I guess it was a good way to hit multiple islands in Hawaii and multiple ports in the Caribbean. If you do it, spring for a balcony. We've done Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Disney and none of them really stood out to me. Of course I also don't get very excited about anything they offer. I'm more likely to just head to Aruba for a few days and enjoy some windsurfing while my wife enjoys the beach.

[Skinypupy]

RC Themed Cruises

• Bikers
• Australian country & rock music
• Reggae
• Latin Dance
• Star Trek
• 80s
• Monsters of Rock

70,000 Tons of Metal is still on RC. Dice Tower does a board game cruise on RC as well.

[Isgrimnur]

Astronomy and Nature cruises

[msduncan]

Norwegian has a 40% off deal right now, and they have unlimited open bar.

Anyone know if Norwegian or Royal is better?

[Smoove_B]

I've done three cruises and I would just skip it. Only real value is the food and it's a lot of money for the food. I guess it was a good way to hit multiple islands in Hawaii and multiple ports in the Caribbean. If you do it, spring for a balcony. We've done Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Disney and none of them really stood out to me. Of course I also don't get very excited about anything they offer. I'm more likely to just head to Aruba for a few days and enjoy some windsurfing while my wife enjoys the beach.

I'm with you. We've tried a few different cruises and I still kinda want to go on an Alaskan cruise, but overall they've not be great. To clarify, the excursions were great. We did a Western Caribbean cruise that had us in Cozumel, Tulum and eventually New Orleans, but the time on the actual ship? Not great. Didn't enjoy formal dinners every night and being seated with strangers. We're also not sun people and the spots for shade on deck were quite limited (and filled with smokers). People either seem to love or hate being on the ship and if you've never done it before I'm not sure I'd bank a 25th anniversary trip on it, imho.

[Carpet_pissr]

He used the terms "fancy" and "upscale", as a reminder.

[disarm]

I've been on a number of Royal Caribbean cruises with just my wife and I, as well as a couple with kids. We also took our kids on a Disney Cruise in the Caribbean a few years ago. We've really enjoyed both, but I would definitely recommend Royal Caribbean for two adults.

Disney cruises are very family-oriented and you'll be surrounded by kids on the ship. They do have adult-only areas, but those are a small portion of the whole ship, and all the entertainment is family friendly. If you're big Disney fans, it might be something you enjoy, and the service is at Disney's usual high level, but they are significantly more expensive...and I wouldn't pay that premium for just me and my wife.

Royal Caribbean is great for both adults and kids. The larger ships have a ton of activities for all ages, the food is consistently good, and the cabins are pretty nice (although the usual small size unless you get a suite). We've been on an Oasis-class ship three times (two Caribbean trips and one Mediterranean) and it's pretty amazing. The ship is like a floating city, with so much to do that's spread over so much space that it never seems crowded despite having 5-6k passengers. The amount of onboard entertainment options means you'll always have something to do, and also they tend to stop in good ports with plenty to do off the ship.

We have taken one RC cruise on a smaller ship that wasn't bad, but we learned that taking a four-day Caribbean cruise in November attracts an older crowd than other trips and times. The entertainment definitely targeted an older crowd (my wife and I were late-30s at the time and in the minority), and I never imagined that I would see so many scooters on a cruise ship. We still had fun though.

I was a serious sceptic about cruising until my wife talked me into trying it and we spent a week on the RC Oasis of the Seas. I quickly realized that it's one of the most carefree vacations because someone caters to your every need from the moment you step on the ship until the day you walk off. You have endless entertainment and food (and alcohol) available, a comfortable place to sleep every night that someone always keeps clean, and are on a floating city that takes you from one beautiful island to the next so you wake up in a new bit of relaxing paradise every day. Wake up, hit the beach, eat, drink, party, sleep, repeat on a new island the next day... what more could you want?

[Smoove_B]

what more could you want?

An all inclusive resort in St. Lucia. We've been twice; want to go again.

[Isgrimnur]

He used the terms "fancy" and "upscale", as a reminder.

Norwegian has a 40% off deal right now, and they have unlimited open bar.

Nothing says upscale like alcohol poisoning.

[Jaymann]

I used to like Tom until he went all in on scientology.

[pr0ner]

I was a serious sceptic about cruising until my wife talked me into trying it and we spent a week on the RC Oasis of the Seas. I quickly realized that it's one of the most carefree vacations because someone caters to your every need from the moment you step on the ship until the day you walk off. You have endless entertainment and food (and alcohol) available, a comfortable place to sleep every night that someone always keeps clean, and are on a floating city that takes you from one beautiful island to the next so you wake up in a new bit of relaxing paradise every day. Wake up, hit the beach, eat, drink, party, sleep, repeat on a new island the next day... what more could you want?

I'm actually sailing on Oasis for a week out of Cape Liberty starting Sunday. I can't wait.

[disarm]

what more could you want?

An all inclusive resort in St. Lucia. We've been twice; want to go again.

My wife and I spent a pretty amazing few days at a resort in Mexico back in May. That's definitely a good option as well. The Secrets Moxche Resort in Playa del Carmen is one of the most amazingly relaxing places I've ever been. The resort just opened in April and it's absolutely beautiful. Not cheap, but I would recommend it to anyone. Actually, I would say that's a better 25th anniversary option than a cruise if you just want to relax and enjoy each other's company in a beautiful setting.

[dfs]

First of all if you haven't read David Foster Wallace's essay "A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again." you should read it. It's wonderful.

Cruising gets you in a several places in a short period of time with little effort on your own part.
The most memorable moments from my cruises have been the shore excursions.

The cruising industry is currently selling inventory very cheaply in order to stay in business.

We just did Alaska with Holland America. Cruising Alaska was a much better experience than cruising the Caribbean. Drinking a Bloody Mary in a hot tub as glaciers rolled in and out of view was a good day.

[McNutt]

I'm not a big fan of cruises, but I have been on two.

Carnival - my wife said this was for the tank top crowd. It was like an adult Spring Break, and not in a good way. I was not a fan.

Disney - this was surprisingly nice. We had fancy dinners every night (no buffets!) and they put on really good Disney stage shows. It was MUCH better.

I'd still rather go to a resort and not be on a boat though.

[hepcat]

Dice Tower does a board game cruise on RC as well.

There’s a wilderness retreat board gaming site in some secluded forest area that I’ve always thought we should get a group together for.

[gbasden]

If you want upscale, I'd recommend Celebrity for something really nice yet affordable. Virgin Voyages is adults only and has gotten some really good reviews, so that might also be an option. I personally love cruises, but I totally understand why some don't. There are a million things do to, but depending on the line those activities may be a bit too frat party-ish (Carnival) or catering to the super elderly (Holland America is colloquially known as God's Waiting Room). My personal recommendations would be the really big Oasis class ships that Royal Caribbean runs, the new Edge class ships from Celebrity or any of the Virgin ships as they are all brand new.

The destinations may make/break the trip as well. I highly like Royal's private island - the water slides and wave pools were really nice, and the beach cabanas were great for just hanging out. Puerto Rico, Curacao, Saint Martin and Barbados were all islands that we've been to multiple times and loved. I would take a hard pass at Jamaica. For the Western Caribbean, we have really liked Mayahuel and Cozumel in Mexico, Roatan in Honduras and Belize City in Belize. The Mayan ruins throughout the area are amazing!

[coopasonic]

Dice Tower does a board game cruise on RC as well.

There’s a wilderness retreat board gaming site in some secluded forest area that I’ve always thought we should get a group together for.

I used to be in a board game group with the guy that owns the Gamer's Ranch. He used to run a tech company a few miles from my house. I've been in his house, met his wife and talked zombicide with his kid. Probably all good reasons to stay away.

[em2nought]

Arghhhh, there be Pirate theme cruises. Arghhhh https://www.floridapiratecruise.com/cru ... ly-cruise/ Never been, but I like the Disney ride so.... Oops, Ft Myers so maybe not this year.

Oh, and never loan relatives money to take their dream cruise. You might as well call it a gift.

[gilraen]

I love cruises but really dislike tropical destinations (did the Caribbean once, hated most of it other than Mayan ruins in Cozumel). So I don't know how/if the offerings of the more upscale lines get affected by the itineraries.

Never sailed with Norwegian since they nickel and dime you on everything. Royal Caribbean was meh, sailed with them a couple of times, once on a smaller older ship, and once on the Allure (sister ship to Oasis). People who love a ton of activities probably love Oasis/Allure and the bigger ships that RC has put into service since then, but I couldn't muster much interest in any of those extras (plus most of it carries extra charge, and there's only so much money I'm willing to spend on a cruise ship).

Princess was pretty good, Celebrity had the best food and overall is our favorite. I also greatly enjoyed smaller ships like Azamara, don't know if they have Caribbean itineraries this time of year.

Stay away from theme cruises unless you are REALLY into the theme.

[Kraken]

The closest I ever came to cruising was when Wife won one in a drawing. Neither of us wanted to do that so we traded it for a cash-equivalent Italy trip.

I hereby invoke Smoove.

[Skinypupy]

I'd add that of the 5 cruises I've done, I came off four of them with either the equivalent of a horrible cold or a nasty stomach bug (norovirus).

Granted, my cruises probably involved more mosh pits than most. Even without those, being crammed in with that many people for 4-5 days is a recipe for ickyness because people are generally just gross slobs. Add COVID into the mix and...no thanks. It'll probably be a couple years before I try one again.

[noxiousdog]

Cruising is, by far, my favorite vacation. I have over 120 days at sea.

That being said, I'm an unabashed Carnival cruiser. It's definitely spring break for adults.

I did Royal Caribbean once and it felt like 7 days at the mall.

Norwegian was pretty good, but was 2-3x the cost of carnival when it was all said and done. Be very careful about their "deals." There's a lot of bait and switch and even more nickel and diming than usual (and theres a lot on every cruise line)

It's really about the activities (or lack thereof) that make a good vacation for you.

[Scraper]

what more could you want?

An all inclusive resort in St. Lucia. We've been twice; want to go again.

My Wife and I have a trip booked there at a Sandals Resort next year. We upgraded to the Butler service. I can't wait.

[Octavious]

The thing that appealed to us so much about the cruise might not apply to everyone. The port is only like a 45 minute drive from my house so it was so much less stress than other travel. I absolutely hate flying because of parking, security and poor service on the plane. It's like they are doing you a favor taking your money. Barf

The cruise we drove up parked in the lot that was right there. Walked into check in area and then right onto the boat. Bam you are on vacation the second you step on. And returning was almost as easy. It did take a while to funnel out the people by groups, but not a big deal. When we would get home from Disney trips we would feel more stressed out than when we left.

[MHS]

I like cruises, but I can't imagine cruising during a pandemic.

I would agree that an all-inclusive is going to be more upscale, and probably less chance of giving Covid or Norovirus. I highly recommend Excellence resorts (particularly Excellence Playa Mujeres).

[gbasden]

I'd add that of the 5 cruises I've done, I came off four of them with either the equivalent of a horrible cold or a nasty stomach bug (norovirus).

Granted, my cruises probably involved more mosh pits than most. Even without those, being crammed in with that many people for 4-5 days is a recipe for ickyness because people are generally just gross slobs. Add COVID into the mix and...no thanks. It'll probably be a couple years before I try one again.

I've been on 14 cruises now, two in the past year. We've masked and been careful for those. We've not gotten covid from either cruise, and the ones in the before times I got norovirus once. Of course, your mileage very well may vary.

[Roman]

Celebrity Cruise Lines - adults only. Been on 3 and loved them.
Also did Disney which was fun BUT that was with a young one.

[Kurth]

Next year is our 25th wedding anniversary. We want to do something special and neither of us have ever been on a cruise. We want it fancy/upscale! We considered a Disney Cruise, but I know there are regular cruises out there which may be better for the same costs.

Can you guys recommend a Carribean cruise line that might be what we are looking for? We are total noobs.

I have no point of comparison as I’ve only sailed on Disney, but we’ve done 6 Disney Cruises (5 in the Caribbean and 1 to Alaska), and it would be tough to get me to cruise with another company. We’re not even the biggest Disney fans. We just wanted something where the quality was never going to be in question, and that’s definitely what you get with DCL.

They’re expensive, but when it comes to cruising, my understanding is you really do get what you pay for.

Also, if you’re going to blow it out for your anniversary, I’d strongly suggest doing something a little longer than a week if you can swing it. For our 25th, we did a 10 night southern Caribbean cruise that took as all the way down to Aruba. We love pulling into different ports and going out on excursions, but one of the things that surprised us about cruising was that we probably love the at-sea days just as much, if not more. Just being underway and watching the ocean slide by and the clouds overhead while you hang out on deck reading a book with a cold drink in your hand is, for me, just about perfect. The longer 10 night cruises usually give you a couple extra at-sea days, which were great for us.

Anyway, excited for you that you’re planning this. Whatever you decide, I hope you have as much fun as we’ve had cruising.

[disarm]

One more imprint point to make about cruising in the Caribbean...

What time of year would you be going? If you're planning on taking a cruise November-March, it's important to know that the water in the northern Caribbean is not very warm. The air temperature will be great, but the ocean will feel relatively cool. If you're planning to cruise in the fall/winter/spring months, look for a cruise that goes at least as far south as the Virgin Islands. We did a Bahamas cruise in November and found out that the water had already cooled to a point that it wasn't as enjoyable. You have to deal with the same problem in early spring, before the water has had a chance to warm up again.

[msduncan]

One more imprint point to make about cruising in the Caribbean...

What time of year would you be going? If you're planning on taking a cruise November-March, it's important to know that the water in the northern Caribbean is not very warm. The air temperature will be great, but the ocean will feel relatively cool. If you're planning to cruise in the fall/winter/spring months, look for a cruise that goes at least as far south as the Virgin Islands. We did a Bahamas cruise in November and found out that the water had already cooled to a point that it wasn't as enjoyable. You have to deal with the same problem in early spring, before the water has had a chance to warm up again.

We will be going the last week of May to the first week of June.

We booked with Norwegian yesterday. 7 day cruise.... featuring US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Bahamas.

[msduncan]

Next year is our 25th wedding anniversary. We want to do something special and neither of us have ever been on a cruise. We want it fancy/upscale! We considered a Disney Cruise, but I know there are regular cruises out there which may be better for the same costs.

Can you guys recommend a Carribean cruise line that might be what we are looking for? We are total noobs.

I have no point of comparison as I’ve only sailed on Disney, but we’ve done 6 Disney Cruises (5 in the Caribbean and 1 to Alaska), and it would be tough to get me to cruise with another company. We’re not even the biggest Disney fans. We just wanted something where the quality was never going to be in question, and that’s definitely what you get with DCL.

They’re expensive, but when it comes to cruising, my understanding is you really do get what you pay for.

Also, if you’re going to blow it out for your anniversary, I’d strongly suggest doing something a little longer than a week if you can swing it. For our 25th, we did a 10 night southern Caribbean cruise that took as all the way down to Aruba. We love pulling into different ports and going out on excursions, but one of the things that surprised us about cruising was that we probably love the at-sea days just as much, if not more. Just being underway and watching the ocean slide by and the clouds overhead while you hang out on deck reading a book with a cold drink in your hand is, for me, just about perfect. The longer 10 night cruises usually give you a couple extra at-sea days, which were great for us.

Anyway, excited for you that you’re planning this. Whatever you decide, I hope you have as much fun as we’ve had cruising.

We totally would have done longer, but this year is inspection year for her lab and so she has a window that she can take vacation. They allow her to pick it -- but it prevents the inspectors from showing up during that period. We definitely didn't want to go less than 7. We wanted to spend a full week together.

[msduncan]

I'd add that of the 5 cruises I've done, I came off four of them with either the equivalent of a horrible cold or a nasty stomach bug (norovirus).

Granted, my cruises probably involved more mosh pits than most. Even without those, being crammed in with that many people for 4-5 days is a recipe for ickyness because people are generally just gross slobs. Add COVID into the mix and...no thanks. It'll probably be a couple years before I try one again.

We figured this would be a thing. In a weird way, we are used to dealing with this. We go to a lot of pop culture and cosplay conventions and there is always a 'con crud' that goes around with that many people interacting in a limited space. We've become pretty good at wiping stuff down, taking precautions, and overall minimizing our exposure.

[Punisher]

I like cruises, but I can't imagine cruising during a pandemic.

This^^^
Ive never wanted to go on a cruise, but especially now.
Watch this at your own discretion if you a reason not to go.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt17157122/

I found it super interesting but was surprised at all the people who were surprised that the cruise line didnt really care about their safety.
Spolier.. Extremely few companies truly care about their customers or employees

[noxiousdog]

We've been on 4 or five cruises since 2021. We only got sick once. The kids schools are way more infectious.