The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!

[Brad]

Little late to the party - but are there any other options besides the NCL Star and Carnival? It might be worth investing a little more $$ for a better experience. If you have to stick with those two I would 100% choose the star. While it is not the highest regarded NCL ship, it should be a good time with a better balance of activities for everyone in your group compared to Carnival. NCL has a decent main dining room that is included in your cruise fare. While they promote the heck out of the "freestyle" options you can get away with only having the free food your entire vacation!

 

There is a Princess cruise, but it is over $200 more per person. We are definitely not picky in terms of demanding luxurious or grandiose accommodations, so it is hard for me to justify that price hike verses NCL. Thanks to everyone for the recommendations.

[davisal771]

I've been on 9 cruises, all Carnival, and my mom has been on 13.

We've enjoyed every one of them immensely and everyone we've talked to seems to like CCL better than RCCL

But of course I've never been on RCCL but I know that Carnival is pretty awesome, at least to me.

[LoopLover]

I have cruised with Thomson three times and Ocean Village two. Thomson are a bit better for the older generation (lacking slides, proper nightclub,large pool deck and vibe)

Ocean Village is a step up from Thomson Cruises though. I think it has a better open top deck and more to do. We mustn't forget Thomson Spirits 360 degree promenade - deck 6.

[SharkTums]

I've been on all the major lines, most more than once here is a simple description of them to help all of you looking to choose a vacation:

 

Carnival - Bud Light at its finest. Booze, Bingo, Loud, Smoky.

NCL - Nickel and Dime you for a lot of stuff, decent overall crowd and ships

Princess - Amazing food, lovely ships, but the activities are geared to the crowd which is VERY old

Celebrity - Kind of a mix of princess luxury but skewed to a slighly younger demographic, very nice

Disney - Geared to children and first timers, gorgeous ships, but not the best for the 16 - 25 age group, no casino

RCCL - Really nice crowd, amazing new ships, great activities

[the ghost]

^ I agree mostly with Elissa's thoughts. The best for an average family(kids varying in age) is Royal Caribbean. The best for a family with younger kids is Disney. I imagine Carnival is the best for the younger crowd, but I went on a Carnival ship when I was very young, and it was not nearly as awesome as either Adventure Ocean or the Disney Kids thing. Surprisingly, however, I really enjoyed the Princess cruise. I was still in the kids club thing technically, but I was 16, so basically everyone over 14 just went there for the video games and stuff, but besides that we roamed the ship. It might have just been I was with a great group of people(some of the other Californians from the cruise I still talk to) but I had a great time. Also the Princess Cruise I went on(the diamond princess) had a few different dining rooms that I believe were called the Santa Fe as well as the Vivaldi and a main main dining room. Overall I love cruising, but thats my take, but my views may be different from many cruisers considering Ive only been on one cruise where I was not in the kids club.

[disneyfan1313]

Ross - I would go for Ruby Princess. Very highly reviewed, good itinerary and new ship.

 

Joel - Even if you have an inside stateroom you are going to see the ocean all the time when you are walking about the ship. Even in calm seas you *will* realize you are on a ship at some point unless you can drug yourself up the entire time. That being said, I have known a few people that swore they were deathly afraid of being on a boat/ship until they got on a cruise and due to the size of the boat and the things to distract you, they ended up without any problems at all. I gotta ask one other thing though - if you stay on land you will spend 3 days at BGT? What on earth are you going to do at BGT for 3 days!?!?

[OISU8P]

I have done one cruise and it was with Carnival. I must say I liked it and will plan on going on another with them. I would agree with what most are saying here though about the line. However, I kind of like that excitement with drinking on vacation. Actually, I found the clubs to be a little non-active for my liking.... I would not have minded a wilder crowd.

 

Here is a photo trip report (without any text). It is broken up my country and excursions.

 

 

(VIDEO WARNING: ladies and gay men, please be prepared there is a pictures of me with my shirt off) at me and my non-sexy body....

 

Now that I live in Phoenix, I am hoping to do the Carnival 8 day Mexican Rivera cruise in the next year or so.

[MrMorgan]

Hey, my family is doing a cruise next year but they have an issue, me. Im afraid of boats. Silly I know, but I cant even do the ferry from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the main entrance. I have to use the monorail. There are going on the Western Caribbean Cruise - Disney Magic for a week. They are wanting an answer out of me beause if I go, I would cost almost 2 grand.

 

My question: Eventhough it is a ship, if I were to stay on the inside (no outside stuff), would it be like being in a hotel? I've stayed at the Four Seasons in Fiji and am fine with the looking out into the sea views, my issue is when I see that there is no land under where I am standing. I can handle seeing the ocean out away from me, what I dont like is when I look down the side and there is nothing but water.

 

All in all, Im a huge chicken when it comes to boats. Hate them with a passion but Im willing to take a change on one of these death traps. If, and thats a huge if, there is the slightest chance that I wouldnt think about being out on the water. If not then when the whole family hits Orlando International (including me), they would rent a van and drive to Cape Canaveral while I went to the Amtrak station in Orlando. I would get on the train to Tampa and spend three days at BGT. After that, I would board a train back to Indiana while the family would fly back. Im thinking the latter of the too but the family wants me to go with them.

 

Sorry for the huge post but I have no clue what to do. Thanks in advance.

 

I agree that it would be really hard to ignore the ocean while on a ship. Even if you stay inside the whole time, you still feel it, and when you get into port, you are going to exit thru the side of the ship and see the water surrounding it. Perhaps this is a good time to face your fears and see what happens when you put yourself to the test. You will be distracted by so many awesome things onboard, maybe you'll suprise yourself? Otherwise, if I were you, I would just stay at home! I don't mean that in a mean way, I just think that taking the Amtrak from Orlando to Tampa, then somehow finding your way to BGT, then taking the train all the way back to Indiana, (most likely with several annoying transfers), sounds so stressful and not fun at all, even if it means going to BGT for a few days! Let us know what you decide to do.

[chemical_echo]

Video of Antarctic Cruise in some intense waves

According to the short summary on my home page, the ship lost an engine during the ordeal.

 

And an article about it here

When the power went out and the ship's windows shattered, passengers suddenly cared a lot less about their en-suite marble bathrooms.

 

The MV Clelia II luxury expedition liner encountered rough weather on the morning of Dec. 7 as it headed back to Argentina from Antarctica. When a massive wave hit the ship, it caused a temporary loss of communications and knocked out one of its engines. As this amateur video footage shows, the powerful waves and 55 mph winds sent the ship rocking—and likely induced more than a few bouts of sea sickness.

 

The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which operates the Clelia II, said in a statement that it "is in no danger, with weather conditions improving as the ship heads back to Ushuaia, Argentina." All 88 passengers are OK. One of the 77 crew members did, however, sustain a minor injury. The passengers include two Americans and 44 Filipinos.

 

I think an Antarctic cruise would be fun, but those waters are pretty treacherous.

 

Upon further research of this ship, it looks like it was designed for cruising the Great Lakes; a far cry from the Antarctic Ocean.

[cal1br3tto]

^I believe that's the first I've heard of any kind of Antarctic tourism. I thought only researchers went there.

I kind of seriously want to go to Antarctica now. We'll see if I still want to once I actually have the time and money...

[Bonemachine]

Hey, my family is doing a cruise next year but they have an issue, me. Im afraid of boats. Silly I know, but I cant even do the ferry from the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the main entrance. I have to use the monorail. There are going on the Western Caribbean Cruise - Disney Magic for a week. They are wanting an answer out of me beause if I go, I would cost almost 2 grand.

 

My question: Eventhough it is a ship, if I were to stay on the inside (no outside stuff), would it be like being in a hotel? I've stayed at the Four Seasons in Fiji and am fine with the looking out into the sea views, my issue is when I see that there is no land under where I am standing. I can handle seeing the ocean out away from me, what I dont like is when I look down the side and there is nothing but water.

 

All in all, Im a huge chicken when it comes to boats. Hate them with a passion but Im willing to take a change on one of these death traps. If, and thats a huge if, there is the slightest chance that I wouldnt think about being out on the water. If not then when the whole family hits Orlando International (including me), they would rent a van and drive to Cape Canaveral while I went to the Amtrak station in Orlando. I would get on the train to Tampa and spend three days at BGT. After that, I would board a train back to Indiana while the family would fly back. Im thinking the latter of the too but the family wants me to go with them.

 

Sorry for the huge post but I have no clue what to do. Thanks in advance.

 

 

Uh, dude ... 70% of the planet is water. If you're really that scared of it, I'm not sure what you're doing here. Learn to swim.

[ajc47]

^That's not very helpful.

[SharkTums]

Re: The Antarctic cruises. They're actually quite popular amongst experienced or adventure travelers. My parents actually did one on that National Geographic ship that took the video of that other poor ship!

 

Like was mentioned, that ship was clearly NOT designed for the crazy waters down there and is probably why it lost power due to engine flooding!

 

Re: Guy scared of cruise ships...I'm not going to judge you like some may and I've known people who won't do cruises because the idea of being out of sight of land scares the bejesus out of them. Perhaps you could try some baby steps before leading up to a cruise. Or look into an Alaska/Med/Baltic cruise where there is a lot more land visible and ports. Like others have said, even if you stay indoors there's no way you can avoid seeing the outside or that you're at sea.

[Bonemachine]

^That's not very helpful.

 

Possibly. However, it could also be very frank, blunt and honest advice that nobody had the gall to give him yet and is extremely helpful. Please let him be the judge of what is and isn't helpful. Thanks.

[robbalvey]

^That's not very helpful.

 

Possibly. However, it could also be very frank, blunt and honest advice that nobody had the gall to give him yet and is extremely helpful.

You were being none of these. You were being rude and obnoxious to someone who was legitimately asking for advice. Let this be your one and only warning. Do this again and you may find yourself banned from this site.

 

--Robb "Our members should not treat each other with such dis-respect." Alvey

Edited December 9, 2010 by robbalvey

[Bonemachine]

I wasn't being frank, blunt or honest? Really? Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with those adjectives because I "was all of those."

 

Learning to swim is good exercise if nothing else and the fact that the Earth is 70 % water is just that, a fact. You don't find those statements fitting to any of those adjectives? Really?

 

I was legitimately providing advice. Seriously.

 

I'm not trying to make fun of the guy. I'm trying to give him an objective perspective which will hopefully allow him to enjoy cruises much more.

[Bonemachine]

Frankness can easily be seen as obnoxiousness and rudeness, I get that but SHEESH!

 

Sorry to be honest.

[cfc]

^There's a difference between "being honest" and "being a jerk." Apparently, you aren't aware of it. Banned.

 

I now return you to this thread, which is already in progress.

Edited December 9, 2010 by cfc

[LoopLover]

Sorry to post at a bad time, but has anyone cruised on Celebrity Xpedition? It looks like a nice little ship. I want a private ship the exact same design!

[MrMorgan]

^There's a difference between "being honest" and "being a jerk." Apparently, you aren't aware of it. Banned.

 

I now return you to this thread, which is already in progress.

 

Thank you!

[10ryansmith]

Thanks for all the advice. Im going to BGT for the three days. I like trains. And by the way, I can swim, have been able to since I was 5. Pools and beaches I have no issues with, its boats that I cant stand. Cheetah Hunt is opening in May right? Ill miss it by a month. All well. Thanks again for tips.

[ajc47]

I did a 7 day cruise back in 2000, only one I have ever been on. It was nice and I'd do it again, but can't afford it right now.

[chemical_echo]

Another cruise in the news for damage due to weather, this time a Royal Caribbean.

Updated, 5:30 a.m. EST -- Several passengers were injured early Sunday morning when Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas hit rough weather on its way to the port of Alexandria, Egypt.

 

According to a statement from line spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez, large waves and heavy winds caused the ship to list several times, injuring about 30 passengers and damaging some of the vessel's public spaces.

 

A handful of Cruise Critic members are onboard and have been providing first-hand accounts on the boards.

 

dirtgirl was in her cabin during the ordeal: "I was flying back and forth. My roomie managed to brace herself. The beds were sliding back and forth!! Broken glass everywhere as everything on it went flying. Tables and chairs upended." She also added that the "Gym is in shambles - Ellipticals looked like monkey bars; spin bikes everywhere. Only wine, beer, and soda available at the Centrum bar and Schooner bar. Casino closed, shops closed. No one allowed out on upper decks."

 

Member jimbo5544 says his son and daughter-in-law are celebrating their honeymoon onboard. "They said all computers had smashed in internet cafe and Grand piano smashed into wall. Much broken glass all over ship, Windjammer closed."

 

Later in the day, dirtgirl posted that the "staff have been going non-stop to clear the areas. The amount of work they have done to keep us all fed is amazing. The Windjammer was a disaster area this morning. That it was open for limited dinner service was incredible . . . Venues are being reopened. The Casino is up, and everyone was in the Schooner Bar tonight having a good time."

 

She added in her post that Royal Caribbean has given each cabin a $200 onboard credit ($400 for suites).

 

pussywillow6 offered this information from her daughter, who works in the ship's onboard spa: "You can't even begin to imagine the damage on the ship, its awful. ... Windows, showers, mirrors, the hairdressing basins have all smashed... The whole ship is wrecked... Grand piano smashed through a window.....There were passengers running around with life jackets on, people screaming, all the spa girls were panicking...... its really horrible!"

 

Member Feelin'_Nauti drew our attention to this video on NBC, which involves interviews with passengers onboard.

 

The Associated Press reports that the inclement weather -- which included heavy rain and winds up to 60 km per hour -- closed the Alexandria port, forcing Brilliance of the Seas to bypass it and head straight for Valletta, Malta, the ship's last stop before returning to Barcelona on Friday, as scheduled.

 

Martinez says injuries were minor and included only cuts, scrapes and bruises. She also says the damages have not impacted the ship's ability to sail, and the line does not expect this voyage or subsequent voyages to be affected due to repairs.

 

MSC Cruises' MSC Magnifica was due in Alexandria Sunday, as well. We are currently awaiting a statement from the line, but member steamboat says the ship skipped its Alexandria call and opted, instead, to continue on to Rhodes.

Source

[SharkTums]

^I'm kind of bummed I wasn't on that cruise!!!

 

From all the reports online it only lasted a few hours, didn't really hurt or cause damage to the ship other than some cosmetic stuff and now EVERYONE is getting the entire cost of the cruise refunded!!!!

[SharkTums]

Double post, sue me!

 

Carnival has now cancelled another several weeks of cruises on the Splendor (the one that caught fire and had people trapped on it for a few days). People are pretty pissed as it was supposed to start sailing again in Mid January and now won't until the end of February.