The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!

[disneyfan1313]

^^ I am guessing that its a 4 day with Carnival out of Miami? The 3 and 4 days are on *really* old ships and on Carnival that means you will feel like you are stuck in a 1980's Atlantic City Casino. Are you really stuck on going to Cozumel? For your first cruise I would focus on the cruise experience and not on the destination... I would honestly urge you to book anything but Carnival. Not sure what date you are leaving but there are 4 and 5 days that go to Cozumel on Grandeur of the Seas (a RCCL Ship) out of Ft. Laurderdale which is very close by.

 

If you do end up with carnival I wouldn't blow the $$$ on a suite - can you use the same amount of $ from the cost of a suite and go on a longer one? Some great deals on 7 days on nicer / newer ships in August.

 

Also - for Cozumel there are some great independent tours of the ruins that will save you LOTS of cash over booking through the ship. I can point you in the right direction if you are interested.

[SharkTums]

Isn't Navigator now doing 4 and 5 day cruises?!? That would be great, let me check it out...Crap...no, only during the winter.

 

Which reminds me, you'll be cruising during Hurricane Season so make sure to keep that in mind. There is a decent chance you could change your port of call, or could be delayed in getting on or off the boat.

 

I just looked for a bit, I agree with Reed, go for the Grandeur out of Ft. Lauderdale. Key West and Cozumel is actually a really cool itinerary on a somewhat decent ship and not a Carnival ship!

[chemical_echo]

^^^^ I traveled on Carnival for my first Cruise last February. It was on the Carnival Sensation and was the second trip after it's dry dock for upgrades and renovations.

Honestly, I had no problems with the cruise; the staff was friendly, the food was decent, and the price was right. Your room service is included in the cost of food, it's just drinks and gratuities you have to worry about.

Having never been on another cruise line, I can't compare, but Carnival really isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. There was really no excess of smoking, drinking, or partying. There was one deck party the night we were docked in Nassau, and that just included music, food and dancing.

 

I would also go for the inside room. You're barely in your room as is, so there's no major point of having a window or balcony if you're just going to be on deck or land. It's also much darker in the inside rooms making it easier to sleep.

 

Carnival makes a good first time cruise, and if you find it to be as bad as everyone is saying it is, then your next time you can take another line, and it can only be better, right?

[disneyfan1313]

There seems to be a rash of cruise ships (mostly Carnival!) hitting peers recently. This one is especially tragic since crewmembers died.

A Costa Cruises ship crashed into a pier early today as it was docking at the Red Sea port of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, killing three crew members and injuring several passengers.

 

Costa Cruises says in a statement the accident happened around 4:45 a.m. local time as the 1,494-passenger Costa Europa was pulling into the Egyptian resort town -- a common stop for ships traveling through the Red Sea.

 

"Costa Europa, while docking in Sharm el-Sheik port, hit the pier and reported damage on the right side," the statement says. "We sadly confirm that three crew members are deceased (and) that three passengers and one crew member required a visit to the city hospital."

 

Costa says the Europa now is safely docked. Photos of the ship show it listing notably to port.

 

Costa says it has canceled the current voyage of the vessel -- an 18-night sailing from Dubai to Savona, Italy. The line is moving passengers to local hotels in Sharm el-Sheik and plans to fly them from the town to their destinations.

 

The 55,000-ton ship, which has been sailing for Costa since 2002, had 1,437 passengers on board at the time of the accident.

 

UPDATE, Friday, 10:25 AM ET: Costa Cruises has issued an additional statement about today's accident from the line's Italy-based CEO Pier Luigi Foschi that blames exceptionally bad weather conditions and "an unexpected wind blow" for the collision. Foschi also expressed his sympathy for the families of the crew members killed in the accident.

[RCFreak]

This is why Cruise ships shoud be free in the ocean not forced to perform for selfish humans! I think it's time to put down this ship after multiple deaths have been linked to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Seriously though, that sucks for the families of the crew members and I wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured!)

[SharkTums]

^^^I don't think any of us are trying to trash Carnival, but you're in their target demographic and the poster asking is not.

 

Trust me, I'd rather be on a Carnival Cruise than no cruise at all, but I'm also trying to ensure that he has a good experience as well.

 

^^I saw that earlier today and can't imagine the force they must have hit that dock for that damage and loss of life to occur! I know on my cruise message board they said that all of the non-injured people did have time to get all of their belongings before being taken off the ship in Egypt.

[rosscoe]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

I think money might have to win out this time and also the destination. Spent part of the day looking at NCL and Royal Caribean ( sp ) and since I will be travelling by my self, those last two liners are almost double the price of the Carnival cruise and in most cases a day longer, which while only one extra day, is an extra day I don't have.

 

As long as the Carnival ship has a place for me to sit and watch the world gone by, I should be happy.

 

 

 

^

 

Also- Your icon really stood out to me when I was scrolling down and I happened to see your location said Cairns! Well that's cool if it's in Australia your talking about because someone in my business class did their project on traveling to that place!

 

 

Swiminn6, Yeap home is Cairns, Australia. Great place to live if you like Tropical weather ( wet season here at the moment!)

[Swiminn6]

Tsunami In The Pacific Ocean!

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe." It's the biggest quake to hit Chile in 50 years.

 

A tsunami warning is in effect for neighboring countries of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica as well as farther-flung Hawaii, Australia, Russia and Pacific nations. A tsunami advisory was issued for the coast of California and an Alaskan coastal area from Kodiak to Attu islands, The Associated Press reported.

 

Authorities on the islands of American Samoa and Samoa told residents to move to higher grounds.

 

So..What does this mean for cruise ships currently traveling in the Pacific Ocean?! If none of you guys know what I am talking about this was a strong 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit in Central Chile today, February 27, 2010. The Weather Channel is currently giving it a lot of coverage if you want to know more. One thing that I do know is that this tsunami is heading towards Hawaii and what does this mean for the ships!? I just hope no one gets hurt & my best wishes to all the losses in Chile.

 

*Update*

Hawaii Sounds Tsunami Warning Sirens

Hawaii woke residents with sirens, alerting them to the waves. A tsunami warning - the highest alert level - was issued earlier for the island chain. Boats and people near the coast were being evacuated. Hilo International Airport, located along the coast, was closed.

 

Residents lined up at supermarkets to stock up on water, canned food and batteries. Cars lined up 15 long at several gas stations.

 

The first waves were expected at 11:19 a.m. Saturday (4:19 p.m. EST; 2119 GMT). Most Pacific Rim nations, awaiting further data, did not order evacuations but advised people in low-lying areas to be on the lookout.

 

The Weather Channel is now expecting waves to hit Hawaii at 11:05 a.m. their local time. All I know is if I were on a cruise in the Pacific right now I would be very scared.

[moinab]

A tsunami is no big deal, if you are actually out in the ocean. It only becomes a problem when it approaches land and gets kicked up into a giant wave (as best I recall from a National Geographic article I read, a few years ago.)

[SharkTums]

So..What does this mean for cruise ships currently traveling in the Pacific Ocean?! All I know is if I were on a cruise in the Pacific right now I would be very scared.

 

Then you would be endlessly mocked. The cruise ship wouldn't even notice as the wave passed under it harmlessly. In fact due to these early warnings the cruise ships would not dock and would head out to sea where it would be completely safe for them.

 

2012 and Poseidon Adventure have taught you wrong!!!!

[Swiminn6]

^Wow that's kind of cool actually but wouldn't you feel at least something?! Also it did say in a report all the ships are being evacuated that are currently in Hawaii.

[SharkTums]

^No, you wouldn't.

 

When you say the ships are being evacuated, do you mean the ships themselves are being evacuated away from the island, or the people are just being taken off of them?

 

Again, like I posted, the safest place is to move the ships far away from land. If the ships felt they couldn't get far enough away in time, they may just pull the people off, pull them to higher ground and hope for the best.

[Jew]

^^When a shockwave (usually an earthquake) creates a tsunami, out in deep water, the wave has enough space to spread out. Near the shore, that obviously isn't the case. It's bouncing off the shallower ocean floor, which is what causes the giant waves.

[Swiminn6]

I guess I was thinking about it all as Rogue Waves. Also I'm not sure about the evacuation thing, all I heard on the news is that there was concern over the cruises and the ships were being evacuated. I would hope there moving the ships out to sea though as the ships could get damage when they are docked right?

 

*Update*

On CNN they said all of the historic war ships, etc are going out to see but some ships are still staying in port. Even ships in San Diego are going out to sea.

[chemical_echo]

^^^I don't think any of us are trying to trash Carnival, but you're in their target demographic and the poster asking is not.

 

Trust me, I'd rather be on a Carnival Cruise than no cruise at all, but I'm also trying to ensure that he has a good experience as well.

I am in their target demographic, but I'm not a smoker (I can't stand being around people who smoke, including family), rarely drink (and when I do, never in excess), and am not a party goer. I went with Carnival because their prices were lower; I was actually going to book with RCCL on the Monarch but they raised their prices the day before I booked.

 

But I do agree that any cruise is better than no cruise, and just wanted to give rosscoe another opinion on Carnival.

 

Next time I would love to try RCCL, I hear nothing but great things with them.

[SharkTums]

^In the future watch RCCL every day. I've seen prices fluctuate like crazy! Plus, one awesome thing that RCCL does is that if the price goes down on a cruise you've booked you just call them up and they give you the new price! Or if you've already paid final payment, they give you the difference on onboard credit.

 

Most lines do NOT do this!

[disneyfan1313]

^^^ The only ship that was due to dock in Hawaii was NCL's Pride of America. They stayed out of the port originally and docked later in the day when the Hawaii warning was lifted.

[colinlyoung.uk]

Any chance I could tap into that wealth of Cruise experience, and ask what Line/Ship anybody would reccommend for Alaska?

We have no kids and like being entertained. (We love Vegas and Disney) Really enjoyed our first cruise last year on NCL around the Carribbean. Hate the idea of set dining times, and being seated with the same people every night (which is how NCL lured us in). Price is not a major issue, although NCL do have some good deals. (Although other comments on this board are encouraging us to look elsewhere). Looking at 7 nights next May.

Big thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[SharkTums]

Princess does a REALLY nice job in the Alaska market. They also have something called 'personal choice dining' so you don't have to have the set dining times and people. If you were happy with NCL, sure go for them in Alaska, but if you'd like to try something new I have a feeling you'd like the Princess product.

 

Just one word of caution, Alaska cruises bring in a MUCH older demographic than the Caribbean and other areas. Avoid Holland America in Alaska at all costs unless you like being surrounded by people that look like they're on board to die.

 

Alaska also has instituted some new taxes that have made some cruise ships and lines drop out of the market so your choices will be more limited and prices could go up so if you're interested it's best to book early.

[rosscoe]

While it's not a cruise, The Alaska Marine Highway ferries look really interesting.

 

 

Would love to cruise to Dutch Harbor and out to the Island of the Berring sea.

 

 

http://www.akferry.com/

Alsaka Ferry ports of call

[alexinla]

Not a good story

 

Giant waves hit cruise ship; 2 passengers killed

Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- Two passengers aboard a cruise ship were killed when 26-foot waves crashed into the vessel Wednesday off northeast Spain, officials said. Fourteen others were injured.

 

The Greece-based Louis Cruise Lines ship was in the Mediterranean north of Barcelona when it was hit by three "abnormal" waves, each about 26 feet (9 meters) high, cruise line spokesman Michael Maratheftis said.

 

As a result, five windows in public areas -- on the forward part, or bow, of the 14-deck ship -- were smashed, and two male passengers -- a German and an Italian -- were killed, he said.

 

Fourteen others were treated aboard the ship for light injuries but were hospitalized as a precaution when the ship returned to Barcelona on Wednesday night, Maratheftis said.

 

Spain's state news agency reported that two of the passengers had serious injuries, including a 62-year-old woman with fractures in both legs. Maratheftis would not provide specifics, but said there were no life-threatening injuries to the 14 wounded passengers.

 

The vessel, the Louis Majesty, was sailing under a Maltese flag and traveling from Barcelona, Spain, to Genoa, Italy, the Greek Public Ministry of the Mercantile Marine said.

 

The incident occurred 24 miles off the coast of Cabo de San Sebastian near the Spanish town of Palafrugell, Maratheftis said.

 

The ship had 1,350 passengers and 580 crew members, the Greek ministry said.

 

The passengers, including three Americans, were from 27 nations, Maratheftis said in phone interviews from Cyprus.

 

Buoy data off the French coast indicated that weather was the likely cause of the high waves. Winds were at 45 mph at that buoy.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/03/03/cruise.ship.wave/index.html?hpt=T2

[colinlyoung.uk]

Princess does a REALLY nice job in the Alaska market. They also have something called 'personal choice dining' so you don't have to have the set dining times and people. If you were happy with NCL, sure go for them in Alaska, but if you'd like to try something new I have a feeling you'd like the Princess product.

 

Just one word of caution, Alaska cruises bring in a MUCH older demographic than the Caribbean and other areas. Avoid Holland America in Alaska at all costs unless you like being surrounded by people that look like they're on board to die.

 

Alaska also has instituted some new taxes that have made some cruise ships and lines drop out of the market so your choices will be more limited and prices could go up so if you're interested it's best to book early.

 

Thanks for that, hadn't considered Princess previously, and your right they look good for Alaska. They are now definitely in the reckoning when we come to book later this year.

Don't worry, Holland America were never in the picture, we're getting older, but not that old!

Can anybody help us with, which sites have the best deals, for booking US cruises? Cruise only, as we fly with Virgin Atlantic to keep the airmiles ticking over.

Thanks again in advance, for any help.

[disneyfan1313]

My personal fave is http://www.vacationstogo.com for comparing prices. I also would then check the normal Orbitz/Expedia/Travelocity although I think Expedia has the best engine for searching cruises. It is rare that one site will offer drastically less than others - most often there will be a small variation in the on-board-credit that is offered.

 

Once you get the cruise/price that you want - book it DIRECTLY though the cruiseline unless the price is more than a few dollars lower elsewhere. If it is lower elsewhere - try asking the cruise to match it. Booking directly with the line really helps if you need to change something, the price drops, etc.

[RCFreak]

Never used this site for it, but Kayak lets you search cruises (including American Express Travel, Cruises-N-More, Expedia, CruiseNow.com, Cruise.com) as well.

[colinlyoung.uk]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Thanks, for that advice. Some useful sites, I've not come across before.