I'm planning on going on a sea cruise for the first time in my life. For those of you who have... what's your opinion on it? What should I know? What do I need to prepare? I'm looking at a 7 day trip from NYC to Cape Canaveral and the Bahamas on Norweigan Cruise line. It's going to be $1300 in total for me and my friend together. The one thing that overwhelms me is the forty different excursions I can pick from once I get to these places. Of course most of them are outrageously priced. I don't know what to pick or how they work or where I would sign up for them... I'm assuming I'll need to get a passport for Bermuda...?
^ Oy! Mr. Light, you assume correctly. You do need a passport. I know many people disagree, but IMO the main purpose of a cruise is to get to your destination in a pleasant manner (i.e., not flying), so splurge on some excursions. Have fun!
And be sure and say hi to Captain Stubing. @Tora: Since this is a thread about a sea cruise, the appropriate expression would be "Oo-wee."
Mr. Light, don't forget to save some money for tipping your cabin crew afterwards. Lots of staff on the ship live off of those tips. Pick a few good excursions--sometimes, the smaller/less popular excursions are better. Instead of visiting the larger, more famous site with hundreds of other passengers, hubby and I chose to visit a smaller, lesser known archeological site in Cozumel. We really enjoyed it. Our small group of 10-15 had the site to ourselves and got to ask the guide a lot of questions. It was the best part of the cruise. Also, be wary of excursions that can be cancelled due to weather. The one excursion I really wanted to due was cancelled due to extremely high winds; it was the manta ray sand bar, where you stand and feed them on a sand bar out in the bay. But the boats wouldn't go out in the high winds, so I missed it. I was very disappointed. Have fun!
In most cases, gratuities are already added to your bill, usually at the rate of say, $11 per day per person, depending on the cruiseline. Drinks are free, except for alcoholic beverages. Have fun!
I'm barely interested in any island excursions lol. I hate the beach AND the ocean. I just want to be on a cruise. I'm thinking Kennedy Space Center and then maybe just like a cheap boat tour on the islands or something. I've always wanted to see that Atlantis resort, they have their own water park and aquarium. I don't care about the water park but I'd like to see the aquarium...
So what is it about a cruise that makes you want to go on one? I mean, if you rule out staring at the ocean and going on excursions... That's a serious question, btw. Not intended as snark.
Are you going for the food? The drinks are pretty expensive, and I got a virgin margarita on a Princess Cruise when I wanted a dirty, slutty one. We're headed out to the Caribbean on the 22nd. We hit the US/ UK Virgin Islands, St Martin, St Kitts, and Puerto Rico.
Another thing I just noticed is that the Gilligan's Island theme, and "Amazing Grace", can be sung to each other's music. Now think about THAT and try to sleep tonight.
Just something I want to do before I die. Seems exciting. I like boats I just don't like going in the water. And the unlimited buffets sound exciting! I don't really drink booze anyway. Do cruise ships have free wireless internet?
Been on a few cruises... Western Caribbean on Carnival back in 2000, Alaska on Norwegian in 2004, Baltic on Norwegian in 2008, 3-day Vancouver/Victoria/Nanaimo cruise with Celebrity in 2008 (helped take my disabled sister on her first real vacation) and Mexican riviera in 2009 on Norwegian. My father, the one who usually instigates these, prefers Norwegian because of the more laid back freestyle cruising scheme. Yeah, I think most cruises these days have gratuities built in for the first two passengers. Sodas aren't free either, but you can usually get a drink package w/ soda for a pretty good deal. Wine and other alcoholic beverages WILL cost you more. Honestly I've always found the food in the dining rooms better than the buffets, but the buffets are nice for a quick breakfast before going on an excursion or what have you. As to your last question...NO internet is NOT free. They charge an arm and leg for it and it's usually only available in public areas. You're better off going on shore and finding an internet cafe for a quick e-mail check. I'm going on a cruise with my parents next month too...Celebrity and a southern Caribbean. I'm probably going to med school at St. Georges on Grenada so it's a chance to check out the campus and see what island life is like while taking in a few other islands including St. Thomas, St. Kitts, etc.