Wow, the FT community always comes through, your posts have been so helpful and, hopefully, this thread can be used by more FTers who are thinking about going on their first cruise.
I have many other questions, these are as "dumb" as you can get from a cruise newbie:
-For air flights seating there is seatguru.com. Is there anything similar for cabins in each ship...ones to avoid, ones highly desirable, etc.?
If you are cruising within a couple of months, the VERY desirable cabins are GONE, GONE, GONE. The really desirable cabins are gone on Celebrity (Large balcony AFT cabins) for all of 2006. It does pay to book early, if you want to choose a cabin.
Best you can do in a short time is a guarantee. If there is a guarantee available, I would take it. Guarantees are the first (other than status cruisers) to be upgraded to make room for others. Otherwise you may be stuck behind the lifeboats, under the dance floor, next to the elevator, etc. The prices are great on a last minute cruise, but sometimes the cabin location is not. Every cruise line has deck plans for their ships. When you see a cabin you can book, go to the corresponding deck plan and look where it is
-I read of free style dining and formal dining. What does this mean exactly? Do we have to dress up formally for dinner?? I hope not, we are on vacation for pete's sake. Does this also mean we only eat at prescribed times? Are there buffets throughout the day we can munch on if we get hungry? If it's formal dress, I hope it's at most business casual because I refuse to wear suit and tie on vacations
RCCl has formal and casual. Casual is business casual-NO jeans. Formal means formal. Suit at a minimum. You can always eat in the buffet if you choose not to dress for dinner, but you will miss one of the highlights of cruising-the formal, course-by-course fine dining.
-RC hot deals is now advertising a 5 night cruise on the Voyager of the Seas
to Bermuda leaving from New Jersey. This sounds good for us since we can visit relatives in New York who will likely drop us off and pick us up. Only two port stops maximizing our time on the ship which we like to do on our first cruise. $494 if we leave on Oct. 16 for inside room, total for all four of us after taxes $2,250. Would you say this is a good "deal" or pass for something better to come along? On a trip like this how much will trip insurance cost about?
This is an OK deal, but there are lots better out there. Figure it out on a per diem basis to get a better idea. Your cruise averages $100.00pp, per day. Higher than a lot of cruises. Lots of people try to cruise in the $70-80 per day range. Will you really be OK in an inside cabin? I booked one once-NEVER again. Was like walking into a closet all the time. Needed the lights on to change clothes at noon.
Here's a 10 night, leaving out of NY on Dec. 1, outside cabin for only slightly more money. $799pp for the first two and $299.00 for each additional. There will be taxes and port charges of about $400.00 total, but that still comes out to approx. $2600.00 total for 10 days, not five. And NCL does not have formal nights-they are optional.
http://www.cruisesonly.com/b/c/sc.as...=C5CD20050717s
-Is there free internet access on the ship or do they stick you with exhorbitant rates? If they charge, how much does it cost about?
Exhorbitant charge for internet access
Thank you so much!