Ask the guy who recently returned from a cruise...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

The entertainment was excellent. There were two comedians on board, each did a family friendly set and an adult set, with multiple chances to catch either set. There was a company of performers–think they were Playhouse Productions, or something like that. Four men and four women, top notch talent. They performed three different shows–“Epic Rock”–70s-80s music, “Divas”–Beyonce, Lady Gaga, etc–and I’ve forgotten the name of the third one, but it featured soul music. The singing, dancing, lights, fog machine, costumes all were Broadway quality. We caught a show on the main stage every night.

There was also a DJ that did dance parties by the pool by day and in one of the bars at night, a solo singer/guitar player, a band that played in one of the promenade areas, an art gallery, a piano bar, a small library, a serenity deck–(adults only, with hot tub, tables/umbrellas, deck chairs–quiet, peaceful gazing over the water.

There was TV in the rooms–all the networks, CNN, ESPN, TBS, several ship channels–a GPS map that showed the ship’s location, speed, course, etc–a camera on the pool area, another on the front of the ship.

In port, you have the option to get off the ship and just wander around on your own, window shopping and people watching if you like. Cozumel is better for that. Progresso doesn’t really have much to see within walking distance of the pier.

There’s a gym, basketball, volley ball, shuffleboard, mini golf, two pools, a walking/jogging track–but some of those areas aren’t really useable while the ship is in motion due to being pretty windy up top.

Plenty of places indoors and out where you can sit and look out at the ocean.

The cruise director made regular announcements and published a daily newsletter with a schedule of events–bingo, a game show, classes in how to make the towel animals that were placed in the cabins each night, a jewelry show, etc. There was almost always something going on. Usually several different things in different parts of the ship.

22

There weren’t many children on our cruise, but I suspect the time of year had a lot to do with that. There were special programs for kids and teenagers…I think there was an upcharge for those, but I’m not sure. For the little ones, there was some kind of Dr. Seuss thing going on, with costumed characters and a parade.

The pool with the water slide was the one kids were allowed in, but that was also the site of the adult dance parties, with a bar nearby. If i had kids, I’m not sure I’d want them in that atmosphere–at least not pre-teens.

to a certain extent, I did feel that they were trying to get more money out of us–as noted above alcoholic drinks were expensive, and they were stingy with soft drinks, even on the “endless bubbles” deal, where it was something of a hassle to get a coke that was mostly ice. Lots of stuff for sale–watches, jewelry, bottled booze, tobacco, clothing, gift shop crap. Spa services–massage, mani-pedi, hair styling, etc. That said, in fairness there is a lot that is included in the price of the cruise–including all the food you can eat, all of the entertainment, your room, maid service twice a day, room service 24/7, etc.

Deck chairs seemed to always be available. There were signs saying you could keep your deck chair as long as you were in it, but if you left your stuff on one for 45 minutes, the staff would pick up your stuff to make the chair available for others. There were so many deck chairs around, you could probably always find one if you wanted one…by the pool, on a deck overlooking the pool, on the Serenity deck, by the basketball court, etc.

23

Thanks, Oak. Sounds delightful. I’ll add it to my bucket list.

24

Just as a tip, Carnival does not check water bottles on return to the ship and there is usually a supermarket within walking distance. We bring a liter of vodka in as needed.

This does not work on embarkation day because of the TSA screening.

25

My two cents for those who have never cruised:

I was a little reluctant the first time 'round, didn’t want to ‘waste’ money on a vacation I probably wouldn’t enjoy.

I was dead wrong. I loved (love) cruising. We usually go around this time of year, but didn’t this year because we have a pretty big, non-cruise vacation coming up in June. Anyway, I regret not going on even a cheap winter-time cruise.

As for excursions, don’t feel like you’re missing out if you don’t do one, or even choose to not disembark at every port. Some of my favorite times are when we are in port and most folks are off the ship exploring some coffee plantation or sitting on a crowded beach. It’s a great time to be on the ship.
mmm

26

My Wife and I did a cruise on Norwegian about 5 years ago. We where with a group of friends.

We never had to have dinner reservations (unless we went to one of the specialty restaurants). And we never had to sit with others.

It was an interesting trip, and I’m quite sure that my Wife and I will never do a cruise again. My Wife is a bit claustrophobic, and even though we had a balcony room, we felt a bit confined the entire trip. We like doing our own planning and exploring too.

And frankly, the food sucked. But I’m sure some cruise lines have great food.

OTOH, when in Germany, we where seated with other folks at restaurants a few times. Local out of the way places. It was fine, but a little odd (not speaking German).

27

I’m going on my first cruise in a couple of months (with Fred Olsen.)

Can I wear a tracksuit during the day?
(I’ve got a suit for meals.)

28

I’ve wondered a little about the security/safety issue. Every once in a while you find a news article about a serious crime aboard a cruise ship. Did the ship have any visible anti-crime measures, such an uniformed security officers? Were there any cameras in the hallways?

29

I would say yes, the dress code on-board is definitely casual, and most ships I’ve been on have a walk-jogging track laid out on one of the top decks.

As for “suits”, most ‘medium’ cruises (7-10 days) have 1-2 “Formal” nights where you’re supposed to be in suit and tie (mostly so their photographers can take your picture while you’re being so elegant and sell it too you for $$$). But I don’t think they’d deny you a seat at the dining table if you weren’t in a suit, and the buffet is open for dinner and never cares what you’re wearing (as long as you’re wearing something…). The rest of the time "smart casual’ is more than enough.

So packing a suit and tie (or formal dress for the ladies) is up to you. I always have, but that’s me.

30

I’ve seen guys in shorts and T shirts at dinner, even on ‘formal’ night (both Carnival & Royal Caribbean).

The first time this happened I immediately shot my wife the stink-eye because she insisted I was required to get dressed up. :slight_smile:
mmm

31

Did you ever get a “trapped in” feeling from being on a boat for the entire week?
How long did you get off the boat on each stop? Do you know if there were any people who stayed onboat at a stop?

32

If I may toss in an experience we had…

About 4 years ago, we did an eastern Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean, and one stop was in Labadee, Haiti, their private port/resort. There were a whole bunch of shops in a row where locals were selling souvenirs of all sorts.

First, as a tourist, you’re going to be met with aggressive vendors. Be prepared.

Second, do not, under any circumstances, open your wallet in front of them. One guy was trying to get us to buy some string bracelets: “my mother made these!” (not the only man whose mother stocked his booth with identical items…) My husband pulled out his wallet full of bills (mostly singles, but it looked like a buttload of money) and I saw the vendor lean in to check it out, trying to figure how much he could sell us. In the end, we took 3 of the bracelets for something like $5, which was still somewhat overpriced, but we could afford it and I know Haiti is a poor country. However, I recommend you carry bills loose in your pockets so that you only pull out a few at a time - maybe paperclip $10 groups together.

Third, learn to be polite but firm in your refusals, and walk away. It’s not rude - it’s survival!

Finally, about cruises in general, if you’re the type of person who always has to be doing something (not trivia games and bingo, but doing productive things) you’ll likely be bored out of your mind. My husband would have loved to be allowed to hang out in the engine room or any of the other major systems areas of the ship, but he hated lounging by the pool or participating in the group activities. I, on the other hand, loved sitting on a comfy chair watching the ocean flow by.

Oh, and I absolutely loved open dining as opposed to assigned seating. My mom and I did 4 weeks and every night, we had different dining companions. Some were great, some were out there. But it was nicer than previous cruises where we were stuck at a table with the same folks every night.

33

Agreed. It used to be fantastic. Now, it’s pretty much “Vegas Buffet”. (I’ve only sailed Princess)

You can pretty much get away with as many bottles as you can pack, I have found. They don’t check the luggage going on too close. In ports, I would bring cases of beer back on-board. They never said a thing, but would not let bottles of booze. (Again, I’m talking about Princess)

Agreed. The dress code has dropped to new lows and not enforced. Next cruise, I’m not going to bother with a suit and that nonsense. More room in the suitcase for hooch!

I also found out that on “Formal” nights, the buffet served much better food, same as in the restaurants (and steaks grilled to order), was less crowed and no suit required.

34

I’m not a formal person by any stretch of the imagination, so I hate formal nights and I’m glad they’re no longer tux-and-sequinned-gown events exclusively. I also hate the roaming photographers, but they aren’t terribly pushy and will accept a “No, thanks” and pass you by. I guess it’s all about what the market wants and catering to the customers. If you want my money, don’t make me wear a tiara and heels!!! :smiley:

35

I appreciate the reply, mmm. Gracias. Some day, I’ll make it on one.

36

Not really, a ‘normal’ cruise will usually only have 1-2 days ‘at sea’, the others are spent visiting ports. During the ‘sea days’, they try to have more activities. As FairyChatMom mentions above, if you like activities, then they’ll have them. But even if you don’t, you can shop, gamble a bit, read (most ships have libraries), get on the internet (expensive as hell), or just watch the ocean go by.

Normally on a ‘port day’, the ship will arrive early in the morning (about 0700), clear customs, and then let the passengers off. People on tours booked on the ship (most ports they’ll have 12-20 different activities) will meet in a designated area and get off as a group. You usually have about 8-9 hours in the port, and the ship sails around 5PM, so you have dinner at sea.

On rare occasions I have been on a cruise with a 2-day port call. You can book separate activities for each day, and IIRC (someone else can weigh in here) they may offer a 2-day side trip with hotel rooms (we were suppossed to go to Alexandria, Egypt and they had a 2-day trip to Cairo offered…we ended up in Athens instead).

37

You can wear anything you like during the day. Most people were wearing shorts/swimwear/jeans. For dinner, I think shorts/swimwear is discouraged, but jeans were fine except on the one dress up night…I wore a suit for that.

38

How long was your cruise? How long were you ashore in each place?

Did you enjoy the food? Or was it okay? How much extra did you spend, over and above for misc stuff?

39

There were what I assume to be security cameras pretty much everywhere in the public areas…kinda like at casinos. Security officers were not obvious, but there were several “ship’s officer” types in uniform that looked like they were probably also security types, and the safety briefing was given by a guy that looked like plain clothes security.

I read an article pre-cruise about a security officer, so I know they have them. There is also a jail on the ship, but rarely used from what I understand.

40

I did not feel trapped, and I’m mildly claustrophobic. The worst time for me was the mandatory safety briefing, where we all had to crowd in a room, then go stand out on deck near the lifeboats squeezed together. If we actually had to use the lifeboats…I’d probably just have to die. They say those tiny little boats can hold 150 people packed like sardines. Really do not think I could handle that.

Otherwise, it was fine. Plenty of room in the hallways, shops, theatres, bars, dining areas, etc.; plus you could always go out on one of the decks to get some air. Plenty of space for alone time, especially late at night.

The stops were most of a day…I think we could get off the ship around 9:00 AM and were supposed to be back by 4:00 PM. They promised not to leave without us as long as we were on an “official” ship sponsored excursion, but if people just went on their own, they were responsible for being back on time. One point of confusion for us—Cozumel is apparently on Eastern time, and “ship time” was Central time, which threw off the schedule for our excursions. In my opinion, Carnival did a very poor job of explaining that…and by poor job I mean no attempt to explain it at all. We had to sorta piece it together from talking to the locals.

There were plenty of people that either did not get off the boat at all, or just wandered the dock area, especially in Cozumel. The Druidess is the sort of person that enjoys planning and researching stuff, so we knew all about what was available, where it was, how to do it, etc. One of our dining mate couples basically showed up and got on the boat without doing any research or anything. I think they pretty much stayed on the ship the whole time, just soaking up sun and relaxing.