Are travel rec threads still permitted? Cruise related

[FSUDoles]

Good morning!

If I’m not treading on thin ice, can I get some opinions from you all? A group of us are looking into an Alaska cruise in 2020, but due to our proximity to both Port Everglades and the Port of Miami, I think we want to do a dry run without the expense of transcontinental airfare this Summer. We are all 40/50 somethings so we like to have fun, but Carnival is out...we took one cruise on Carnival several years ago with the kids and I haven’t stepped foot on a cruise ship since that debacle.

We’re looking at a seven night cruise to either the eastern or western Caribbean and know I want a balcony, and I think we need to find a cruise ship that has beverage packages...of course....for my friends. : ) We would like to lean to a more casual line....but we’re open to Princess...but I think we’re more Celebrity/Royal Caribbean type passengers.

Trip Advisor....Cruise Critics, etc. reviews are all over the place, so if any of you all had a nice experience out of South Florida, I’d love to hear about it.

If these travel threads are not permitted....apologies....lock me up.

Thanks!

 

[F4Gary]

Subscribed.

 

[dbwdcw]

I would recommend Royal Caribbean. In my experience they are better than Carnival but still pretty laid back. New ships are incredible for activities but any of their newer style ships should fit the bill and keep you busy. As for ports, most are the same to me now. At top for me is Cozumel and Grand Turk. Bottom for me is Nassau, San Juan. Rest are pretty similar imo with some pluses and minuses but overall not a ton of difference. All that said, we have not yet done Celebrity. Carnival, RC, Norwegian, and Princess only.

 

[FSUDoles]

I would recommend Royal Caribbean. In my experience they are better than Carnival but still pretty laid back. New ships are incredible for activities but any of their newer style ships should fit the bill and keep you busy. As for ports, most are the same to me now. At top for me is Cozumel and Grand Turk. Bottom for me is Nassau, San Juan. Rest are pretty similar imo with some pluses and minuses but overall not a ton of difference. All that said, we have not yet done Celebrity. Carnival, RC, Norwegian, and Princess only.

Thank you!!

 

[FSUDoles]

Subscribed.

Is that a friendlier version of “reported”?

 

[LT4PLY]

Royal Caribbean is very good. Drink package is actually unlimited if you and your friends like to drink.

I've sailed Carnival, Princess, NCL, and Royal and Royal is my favorite. The Oasis class ships are so big you always have something to do. If you want a truly laid back experience then princess is very good. We didn't care for NCL, thought the service sucked. We spent a lot of time on Carnival but it has morphed into the Greyhound of the seas these days. very much a price point cruise.

Regardless of what ship you choose plan on spending at least a couple nights in specialty dining. You have to pay but it's well worth the money. Our last Royal cruise we bought a 5 night package and loved it every night.

 

[fsunole025]

I hate cruises. Hope that helps.

 

[RRNoles]

I hate cruises. Hope that helps.

Royal Caribbean for me. The Oasis class ships, Oasis, Allure, Harmony have a sister ship doing Alaska. Look at a review of the Oasis class ships. You will not be sorry.

 

[fsunole025]

Royal Caribbean for me. The Oasis class ships, Oasis, Allure, Harmony have a sister ship doing Alaska. Look at a review of the Oasis class ships. You will not be sorry.

I struggle with the size of space you get for the cost and the limited time you have to explore ports.

 

[JMGNole]

This thread is fine. Carry on, I'm curious too.

 

[FSUDoles]

Royal Caribbean is very good. Drink package is actually unlimited if you and your friends like to drink.

I've sailed Carnival, Princess, NCL, and Royal and Royal is my favorite. The Oasis class ships are so big you always have something to do. If you want a truly laid back experience then princess is very good. We didn't care for NCL, thought the service sucked. We spent a lot of time on Carnival but it has morphed into the Greyhound of the seas these days. very much a price point cruise.

Regardless of what ship you choose plan on spending at least a couple nights in specialty dining. You have to pay but it's well worth the money. Our last Royal cruise we bought a 5 night package and loved it every night.

Thank you LT....hearing some consistent positivity on Royal...again, thanks for your time and perspective.

 

[FSUDoles]

Royal Caribbean for me. The Oasis class ships, Oasis, Allure, Harmony have a sister ship doing Alaska. Look at a review of the Oasis class ships. You will not be sorry.

Will do and thank you.

 

[FSUDoles]

This thread is fine. Carry on, I'm curious too.

Thanks...didn’t want to rock the proverbial boat...if you pardon the expression.

 

[FSUDoles]

I hate cruises. Hope that helps.

After my first experience with Carnival 15 years ago or so, I was right with you....but I’m trying to be objective and give it another shot....driving across the 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale and looking at some of those behemoths....I just have to give it a shot.

 

[Spearhead04]

Carnival has a couple large ships that compare with Royal Caribbean. Vista, Breeze, Magic, horizon. I’ve been on the Breeze, nice ship.

 

[FSUDoles]

Carnival has a couple large ships that compare with Royal Caribbean. Vista, Breeze, Magic, horizon. I’ve been on the Breeze, nice ship.

Added to the search....that Carnival clientele though....ooof. It kinda felt like I was at Hard Rock Stadium...if you catch my drift.

 

[F4Gary]

Is that a friendlier version of “reported”?

Lol. No, I just wanted to get educated on cruises too. We've tossed around going on a cruise out of Galveston as we can drive to the port.

 

[NoleFan2U]

I am heading out on my 40th cruise next week. I have sailed on Carnival. RCCL, NCL, Princess, Celebrity, and the extinct Dolphin cruise lines. I feel the food is eh on all ships but you just can't beat being able to go 6 different places in 6 days without unpacking. We did not buy the drink package as we figured we would have to drink 10 alcoholic beverages each per day to break even and it seems impossible when you are in port for each day of the upcoming cruise. You also have to buy a package for each adult in your room. If you could share, it would be different.

I am a platinum cruiser with Carnival and I love them. Since you live down here, may I suggest leaving from Ft Lauderdale or even Tampa. The crowd is so much better than when you leave from Miami. I don't wait in line for anything, from embarking, debarking, tenders to specialty restaurants and even get laundry done while on board. I do not think there is a better value out there. The longer cruises, at least 7 days, also keep some of the riffraff off the boat.

My second favorite is NCL. I like being able go Freestyle and not have to be at dinner at a certain time. Their mini suites are great. One more cruise day on this line and I will reach platinum here too.

I personally am not a fan of Royal Caribbean. I find the price is way too high and I feel I am not buying the ship. I did enjoy the smaller ships and have now reached Diamond status, without ever going on a monster ship. My parents who have been cruising since Christopher Columbus, did not like the huge ships. The ships can't get into some ports and the lines are way too long to tender. My parents have been cruising so long, they don't even get off the boat anymore.

Alaska is awesome and worth the treck across the country. It is unlike any Caribbean cruise. There are no sea days...you cruise the inner passage which is beautiful and scenic and have a day on the Glaciers. It was too cold for this Floridian to do the pool, ever, but there were people in there. The cities and excursions, which you should NEVER EVER do with the cruise line, are unlike anything else. I don't think I have ever heard anyone complain about an Alaska cruise.

Although I am not Tribe, I have been to 98% of the Caribbean islands and can give you tips for excursions if you head South. I prefer the Western Caribbean, Jamaica, Cozumel, Belize, Hondorus, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman over the eastern cruises. Just my preference as is my preference of cruise lines. We usually pick whichever cruise line goes to whatever port we want to hit and then find the cheapest ship. And I almost always get a balcony. Only have had an inside room on 3 total cruises. Not a fan of no balcony!

If you are with a group, you should have a blast on any cruise line. Even Holland America, the walker capital of cruises! LOL. But seriously, try leaving from anywhere but Miami!

 

[FSUDoles]

I am heading out on my 40th cruise next week. I have sailed on Carnival. RCCL, NCL, Princess, Celebrity, and the extinct Dolphin cruise lines. I feel the food is eh on all ships but you just can't beat being able to go 6 different places in 6 days without unpacking. We did not buy the drink package as we figured we would have to drink 10 alcoholic beverages each per day to break even and it seems impossible when you are in port for each day of the upcoming cruise. You also have to buy a package for each adult in your room. If you could share, it would be different.

I am a platinum cruiser with Carnival and I love them. Since you live down here, may I suggest leaving from Ft Lauderdale or even Tampa. The crowd is so much better than when you leave from Miami. I don't wait in line for anything, from embarking, debarking, tenders to specialty restaurants and even get laundry done while on board. I do not think there is a better value out there. The longer cruises, at least 7 days, also keep some of the riffraff off the boat.

My second favorite is NCL. I like being able go Freestyle and not have to be at dinner at a certain time. Their mini suites are great. One more cruise day on this line and I will reach platinum here too.

I personally am not a fan of Royal Caribbean. I find the price is way too high and I feel I am not buying the ship. I did enjoy the smaller ships and have now reached Diamond status, without ever going on a monster ship. My parents who have been cruising since Christopher Columbus, did not like the huge ships. The ships can't get into some ports and the lines are way too long to tender. My parents have been cruising so long, they don't even get off the boat anymore.

Alaska is awesome and worth the treck across the country. It is unlike any Caribbean cruise. There are no sea days...you cruise the inner passage which is beautiful and scenic and have a day on the Glaciers. It was too cold for this Floridian to do the pool, ever, but there were people in there. The cities and excursions, which you should NEVER EVER do with the cruise line, are unlike anything else. I don't think I have ever heard anyone complain about an Alaska cruise.

Although I am not Tribe, I have been to 98% of the Caribbean islands and can give you tips for excursions if you head South. I prefer the Western Caribbean, Jamaica, Cozumel, Belize, Hondorus, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman over the eastern cruises. Just my preference as is my preference of cruise lines. We usually pick whichever cruise line goes to whatever port we want to hit and then find the cheapest ship. And I almost always get a balcony. Only have had an inside room on 3 total cruises. Not a fan of no balcony!

If you are with a group, you should have a blast on any cruise line. Even Holland America, the walker capital of cruises! LOL. But seriously, try leaving from anywhere but Miami!

Great stuff....yea...we’re just a tad south of you...right by the Hillsboro Inlet so Fort Lauderdale is so much our preference. I think we’re looking at seven nights, so that sounds like a good thing. Western Caribbean appears to be our target area, so I may hit you up on some excursion intel....I really appreciate the in depth response.

 

[NoleFan2U]

Great stuff....yea...we’re just a tad south of you...right by the Hillsboro Inlet so Fort Lauderdale is so much our preference. I think we’re looking at seven nights, so that sounds like a good thing. Western Caribbean appears to be our target area, so I may hit you up on some excursion intel....I really appreciate the in depth response.

I forgot to put in the response that most ships go to all the same ports. That is why I just go with the cheapest price. I am not moving in and can deal with anything for a week. They all have great shows and all the casinos suck. Play the slot machines the first night only and take your winnings and run. LOL Remember Carnival owns Princess and Costa so the food is the same distributor. RCCL owns Celebrity, so the food is the same distributor. Carnival does have Guy Fieri's burger joint which is included and those are good. As well as the best pizza at 1am on the high seas, IMHO.

I have been on 28 Carnival Cruises and am in the same age group as you. Just saying

 

[FSUDoles]

I forgot to put in the response that most ships go to all the same ports. That is why I just go with the cheapest price. I am not moving in and can deal with anything for a week. They all have great shows and all the casinos suck. Play the slot machines the first night only and take your winnings and run. LOL Remember Carnival owns Princess and Costa so the food is the same distributor. RCCL owns Celebrity, so the food is the same distributor. Carnival does have Guy Fieri's burger joint which is included and those are good. As well as the best pizza at 1am on the high seas, IMHO.

I have been on 28 Carnival Cruises and am in the same age group as you. Just saying

Forgot to mention, a balcony is a must for me...even ocean view won’t cut it for me. We all play craps...some roulette...and a little VP and slots...sorry to hear they suck. Food isn’t a dealbreaker...I’m not a foodie so not a real tough critic.

 

[EveryoneBleedsGarnet]

Took a royal carribean cruise to Cuba a few months ago and the ship and service were pretty bad. Ultimately all cruise lines can provide great or bad experiences but I definitely recommend booking on the newer ships.

 

[LLOYD72]

My wife and I wet to China a couple of years ago on a Viking River cruise. The tours, service and food was amazing. We've signed up to cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg in September. Hopefully, we'll be able to watch whoever we're playing from Moscow Viking does both river and ocean cruises and I would highly recommend them!

 

[FSUJay]

Took a Celebrity cruise out of FTL last year and highly recommend it. Paid a little extra to be in the "Aqua Class" but that gave us access to the "Blue" dining room and menu specific for Aqua class but if you wanted something from the regular dinner they would get it for you. Nice to avoid the masses. The Caribbean stops are the same as anyone else's and if you seen one its easy to pass and stay on the boat.

Have a Viking river cruise through France booked for next year and can't wait as I've never heard or read a negative thing about them.

 

[Cribbs]

Check out MSC cruises, top notch.

 

[FSUDoles]

Check out MSC cruises, top notch.

Thank you

 

[FSUDoles]

Took a Celebrity cruise out of FTL last year and highly recommend it. Paid a little extra to be in the "Aqua Class" but that gave us access to the "Blue" dining room and menu specific for Aqua class but if you wanted something from the regular dinner they would get it for you. Nice to avoid the masses. The Caribbean stops are the same as anyone else's and if you seen one its easy to pass and stay on the boat.

Have a Viking river cruise through France booked for next year and can't wait as I've never heard or read a negative thing about them.

Thanks J

 

[Bartdog]

look at cruisecritic.com. you can go to message boards specific to the actual sailing on the actual boat. just get ready for a barrage of emails.

I'll repeat that you don't have to (want to) do the excursions supplied by the cruise company. Go to a travel review website and find some there.

Also, look for parking at/near the port of departure that's not owned by the line.

 

[semihawk]

have used celebrity, ncl, royal caribbean, princess, and tauck (river cruise). I prefer the western Caribbean and a balcony is a must. Alaska is great and do the zip line in juno and fishing for salmon in Ketchikan. I prefer celebrity and ncl as far as cruise lines and tauck for river cruising. have fun and it is a great experience.

 

[FSUDoles]

look at cruisecritic.com. you can go to message boards specific to the actual sailing on the actual boat. just get ready for a barrage of emails.

I'll repeat that you don't have to (want to) do the excursions supplied by the cruise company. Go to a travel review website and find some there.

Also, look for parking at/near the port of departure that's not owned by the line.

Thanks Bart....if we leave from Lauderdale or even Miami, we can Uber.

 

[FSUDoles]

have used celebrity, ncl, royal caribbean, princess, and tauck (river cruise). I prefer the western Caribbean and a balcony is a must. Alaska is great and do the zip line in juno and fishing for salmon in Ketchikan. I prefer celebrity and ncl as far as cruise lines and tauck for river cruising. have fun and it is a great experience.

Thanks Hawk....NCL and Celebrity both have some good all inclusive deals at this time.

 

[NolesOnTop]

I really like the Oasis-class ships for RC. There is so much to do on the ship. It is more like a moving resort. My only complaint is that the food for dinner in the main dining room was only so-so. I did like some of their premium options. Food on the Disney cruise was much better, but there was much less to do on the smaller boat. My family really enjoyed Disney's private island in the Bahamas.

 

[JMGNole]

This thread is a treasure trove. Our 20th Anniversary is June 2020, and we are planning an Alaska cruise, with some onshore adventures. This thread will help. Thanks, and keep it coming.

 

[SatBchNole]

Wife and I did Princess Cruise in Alaska from Seattle. I’m not a big cruise fan but the cruise and scenery was amazing. Some of the excursions we did included: snorkeling (yes, snorkeling in a 1.5mm wetsuit) lots of good things to see underwater, dry land dog sledding, helicopter to the Mendenhall Glazier (well worth the money), beer hopping tour, and one more I can’t remember. It was a great cruise and well worth the money.

 

[riseboi]

My only experience to the caribbean was with Carnival, but I did go to Alaska with NCL.

Between eastern and western, western would be recommendation as the ports may seemingly offer a wider variety of excursions to do.

After the Carnival cruise, I wasn't really motivated to go on another cruise, but the opportunity to go to Alaska came up, so I took it. Definitely worth it, and now I have a better opinion of cruises now.

I liked NCL and their freestyle dining as well. Did the specialty dining a couple nights too. Nice and the food was good, but it wasn't of much importance for me. I also found the onboard entertainment fun. Pretty casual, but there were some theme nights where passengers go all night as far as costumes. I think some, if not all, ships offer the Vibe club (adults only) and Haven area (premium cabins/dining/social areas.)

As far as Alaska, I did r/t to/from Seattle. Not all ships go through the inner passage so keep that in mind when booking. The scenery and wildlife were amazing. Definitely book excursion on you own and you'll save a lot. The time at ports can be very limited, so my only regret is that I wished I had planned for a land tour either before or at the end of the cruise.

 

[KillerZebra]

Good thread. Thanks for allowing Mods. We have gone on a number of cruises and as is the general consensus, stay away from Carnival. By far my favorite cruise ever was the Alaska cruise on Holland. So good luck on the trip whenever you go.

As for Florida cruises we have been on all the basic cruise lines mentioned. When our kids were younger we enjoyed Royal Caribbean because it had a lot to offer for the kids. As we are a little older, (we are in our late 40s), we’ve enjoyed a slightly smaller Celebrity line of cruises. Nice options and good ports of call. Based on what you said in your original post, I would recommend celebrity because you can get a ship of about 3500 passengers versus 5000 passengers. As they say, size matters...but in this topic smaller is better!

 

[wbnolefan2]

ok why wouldn't a travel thread be allowed??

 

[FSUDoles]

Good thread. Thanks for allowing Mods. We have gone on a number of cruises and as is the general consensus, stay away from Carnival. By far my favorite cruise ever was the Alaska cruise on Holland. So good luck on the trip whenever you go.

As for Florida cruises we have been on all the basic cruise lines mentioned. When our kids were younger we enjoyed Royal Caribbean because it had a lot to offer for the kids. As we are a little older, (we are in our late 40s), we’ve enjoyed a slightly smaller Celebrity line of cruises. Nice options and good ports of call. Based on what you said in your original post, I would recommend celebrity because you can get a ship of about 3500 passengers versus 5000 passengers. As they say, size matters...but in this topic smaller is better!

Thanks KZ, duly noted on the ship size.

 

[FSUDoles]

My only experience to the caribbean was with Carnival, but I did go to Alaska with NCL.

Between eastern and western, western would be recommendation as the ports may seemingly offer a wider variety of excursions to do.

After the Carnival cruise, I wasn't really motivated to go on another cruise, but the opportunity to go to Alaska came up, so I took it. Definitely worth it, and now I have a better opinion of cruises now.

I liked NCL and their freestyle dining as well. Did the specialty dining a couple nights too. Nice and the food was good, but it wasn't of much importance for me. I also found the onboard entertainment fun. Pretty casual, but there were some theme nights where passengers go all night as far as costumes. I think some, if not all, ships offer the Vibe club (adults only) and Haven area (premium cabins/dining/social areas.)

As far as Alaska, I did r/t to/from Seattle. Not all ships go through the inner passage so keep that in mind when booking. The scenery and wildlife were amazing. Definitely book excursion on you own and you'll save a lot. The time at ports can be very limited, so my only regret is that I wished I had planned for a land tour either before or at the end of the cruise.

You and I are/were in the same boat. Carnival out of Miami soured me on cruising for a long time. I’m ready to give it a go...thanks for the NCL intel.

 

[FSUDoles]

This thread is a treasure trove. Our 20th Anniversary is June 2020, and we are planning an Alaska cruise, with some onshore adventures. This thread will help. Thanks, and keep it coming.

We’re also looking at Alaska for 2020...let’s stay in touch with deals, or any buzz you hear....likely will go in late Spring or early Fall 2020.