Cruise Critic is indeed a great website. Have gone through the first timers section already.

Forget leaving from NYC. Leave from Florida and sail for Carribean.

I should have rephrased that we are looking for VALUE and not Bargain. I indeed like to stay in Hiltons and sometimes in Marriotts and Sheratons...Have done the Hilton Waikoloa and two Sheratons in Tahiti. I will occassionally do a Hampton Inn and really like using Hilton Point Stretchers. I will bid Priceline often and never bid less than a 3*. I avoid the Days Inn properties...you know, that chain with the new Trip Rewards points program.

After reading more it comes down to two cruise lines: Royal Carribean and Disney. Since Disney tends to be on the high end we will probably save it for some other time when the budget can afford it and try to combine it with a stay at Disney World...So Royal Carribean sounds like the cruise line we will be targeting....OK, now got to zero in on the ship and the itinerary and timeline...Anyone has had good experience with travel agents that you will happily recommend? I have not used on since one booked me on an "illegal" connection that left me stranded in JFK overnight many years ago!

I would recommend using a live travel agent - as opposed to an online travel agent. I've booked cruises both ways, and find I get much better service from a faceto-face travel agent. One of the larger travel agencies may also be able to use their collective clout to get you a better deal - i.e., a cabin upgrade or flight upgrade.

Good luck and enjoy your cruise! :)

Just did a quick check. Royal Caribbean out of Galveston, Rhapsody of the Seas, runs about $200.00 less pp for 7 days than various RCCL ships out of Florida. Ports out of Galveston are generally the Caymans, Cozumel and Key West. Would be perfect for a first cruise. Lots of stuff for the kids to do, good value, and air should be about the same from DTW as Florida. Food for thought.

Just a heads-up. We LIVE for cruises and have taken dozens on a variety of cruise ships.
Far and away, our favorite is the Holland-America cruise line. HA is a part of the Carnival Cruise Line mega-corporation as are many other cruise lines. It ranks around a 3.5 - 4.0 on a 1-5 quality scale IMO.
Make sure you check out HA if you want an upscale cruise that won't break the budget as much as Silverseas, Costa, Crystal, etc.

That's great news, but has little to do with what the OP has in mind. RCCL is probably his best bet.

We do a lot of cruising since we live in Florida and it is easy to do from here.
I have gotten a lot of good info from a web site called www.cruisecritic.com.

Also for prices, I usually us my local travel agent but I double check their prices on orbitz and "vacations to go". I have gotten a couple of unbeatable
fares from vacations to go. I also go to the NCL website to check their specials but will book through my local agent on those.

Another consideration depending when you leave is to get to the port of departure a day or two early. You dont want the boat to leave without you and with weather delays to airline flights etc. that could happen. I think if you book air through the cruise line and are delayed they take care of that issue but verify that with the particular cruise line.

We have NEVER been on a bad cruise. Most cruise lines have childrens programs so that should not be an issue. Pick an itinerary that you will find interesting and go with it if the price is right.

We generally prefer NCl or Holland America. NCL because we really like the freestyle dining and Holland because they generally have larger cabins (as does carnival -believe it or not) and at least up until recently the service was somewhat more personalized. You are younger than us and might even enjoy Carnival because they do attract a younger crowd.

We have never been on Disney so we cant comment on that.

I agree with the comments about balconies.

Cabin pricing-if we do not get a balcony we book the cheapest outside cabin we can get. Generally all of the outside cabins are about the same size and that is what is important to us.

I hope this helps you.

Well since the OP's Title is Cruising for Dummies. May I suggest "Cruising for Dummies" By Fodor's. Available at your local Map or Book Store.

Commercialism aside, I would recommend a decent live Travel Agent for your first Cruise. On-Line is great if you know what you are doing, but for a first cruise you really do not know, nor can you really learn about the Ships and Cruise Lines adequately.

That said, the cheapest (7 day) cruises are usually Western Caribbean on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Expect to pay about $500 to $800 per person (including the kids!) Although I have never cruised them, Costa used to have kids fares at $99 per week. Disney is good for kids but the prices are usually set in stone. One option that many parents may want to consider is Disney's Park/Cruise option. This consists of 3 days at Orlando at the Parks and a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas.

And one more caution. The cruise lines are now REQUIRED to check Passports for all passengers. This includes kids. You used to be able to get by with a Birth Certificate and Drivers License or other Photo ID, but TSA had to get involved.

Hope this helps.

You're on the right track
 

You have done well and it sounds like Royal caribbean will be great for your family. I am a travel agent and have thought of a couple things while reading the posts here. Be sure to factor in all the extras that come up when you're on the boat. For your family, tipping will be about $40/day. Also, soda pop, alcohol, meals in their specialty restaurants, gambling, professional photos, shore excursions and night time babysitting are not included in your cruise fare. All these items will be billed to your on board account.


Seriously consider trip insurace. As you know, kids get sick all the time. It would really be unfortunate if a little one got the chicken pox or some other illness at the last minute that required you to miss your trip and lose your money. Additionally, if a kid gets more than a minor illness on the boat or has an accident, the doctor on board will not hesistate to airlift him/her off the boat. (about 10k...ouch) Also.....a little thing some families do that has paid off more than once is ask your pediatrician for some suggestions on medicines to take should something come up for your kids. (earache or upset tummy medicine etc.)

Some cruise lines have rooms with connecting doors like in hotels. You can often book two rooms that connect for about the same cost as one room for all four of you. It also gives you a bit more privacy and sanity. To get the best cruise rate, consider going during a time that most kids are in school. There will certainly be other kids on the boat, but the demand for space is less so your cruisefare will be less.

Have a great trip.
Tracey

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 been reading more on cruisecritic.com and have been subscribed to the vacationstogo.com email newsletter, along with bookmarking the Royal Caribbean website and checking their "Hot Deals" Sections.

I think we are targeting Royal Caribbean's "Voyager" (...of the Seas) line of ships because they are large and newer. This line includes: Explorer of the Seas, Adventure OFS, Mariner OFS,Navigator OFS, and Voyager OFS. I am sure the rest of the ships are nice too but, for the 1st cruise, we want to go for the biggest and newest. I am sure all of these ships are very similar correct? Keeping the "Value" in mind, is there anyone that stands out or anything else that we should know about them?

I have many other questions, these are as "dumb" as you can get from a cruise newbie:

-I see all these prices advertised. What should I be counting on paying on top of them? Do these prices reflect port fees? I did go through the RC hot deal reservation process just to see what's added and I saw they added about $250 dollars in taxes on top of the advertised prices...Is it normal to assume about $250 in taxes for a cruise between 5 to 7 nights in the Caribbean (or maybe Bermuda too)?

-A draw on cruises is that they are supposed to be all inclusive. Why do they stick you with drinks? Do they also make you pay for water and coffee? Milk for the kids? Should we bring our own bottled water bottles along? Are there water drinking fountains around the ship? Thankfully, we do not drink pop or alcohol.

-A fellow FTer posted to assume about $40 per day in tips. That sounds fine I guess. This means that we do not have to tip the waiters EVERY single time they serve us, right?

-For air flights seating there is seatguru.com. Is there anything similar for cabins in each ship...ones to avoid, ones highly desirable, etc.?

-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 :)

-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?

-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?

-Actual newspapers on board at all or just computer printout summaries?

I know lots of questions, I would appreciate some help.

Thank you so much!

Again, most of your questions are answered on www.cruisecritic.com
Tipping is $10 a day per person
check www.cruisecompete.com for prices
and www.insuremytrip.com for insurance
Lots of decisions I know! :confused:

I second the recommendation for using http://www.cruisecompete.com when you've decided which ship and which week to sail. I saved a ton of money and got a nice upgrade on my upcoming late September Carnival Miracle voyage.

Yes. They always add on port fees and taxes. That's to make the advertised price is more "attractive."
Water and coffee (regular coffee only, not specialty drinks like lattes, etc.) are usually available free at the buffet stations and sometimes the bars (depends on the ship) throughout the day. Also, milk with meals is free for the kids. Carrying water bottles aboard is a big hassle. Few, if any ships, have lots of water fountains, although you might find a couple (e.g. near the theater, for example). They stick you with drinks because it is a very profitable add-on, although a couple of cruise lines at the upper end have started including wine with dinner and soft drinks throughout for no additional charge. This would not be true of a budget or mid-priced cruise (e.g. Voyager of the Seas).Yes, most tipping is done at the end of the cruise, with special envelopes that the cruise line will provide (or some lines let you charge them on your account). An exception is the bar staff - where the tip is added on the bill you sign when you get each drink. They make it clear for you, since tipping is a major part of the employee compensation.Not that I know of, but www.cruisecritic.com can tell you a lot about each ship and line.
"Free-style cruising" usually means no formal nights and no pre-assigned tables and eating time. If you are not on a "free-style" cruise, your dining time will be preselected and you will be assigned the same table each night in the main dining room. On formal nights, a jacket and tie is highly recommended because you will really stick out, although they won't refuse service. I know some people who either eat at the late afternoon buffet or have room service to avoid dressing up, but a jacket and tie isn't that much trouble IMHO. The other nights are casual (no jacket) or informal (jacket requested, tie not necessary). The main dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner at prescribed times. Other food venues (buffets, grills, etc.) vary but somewhere on board there is almost round the clock food available. You will not go hungry.Not a bad deal (although an inside room may be a little claustrophobic - especially if all four of you are in the same room). Maybe just a window? Trip insurance cost (rough gauge is 8 percent of the cost of the trip) is based on the cost of the trip. It is recommended you get trip insurance from a carrier other than the cruise line as an added precaution. This is especially recommended if you are traveling with children, since a sudden case of chicken pox or measles or something similiar means you can't take them and have to postpone the trip. A travel agent can help you here. A cruise is something I have never purchased directly because of all the details.Absolutely no free lunch here. The fees are enormous (IMHO) for not very fast access. Seems like I remember it being about a dollar a minute or more. But then, phone calls are about $8 a minute, too.Only summaries (extremely brief) in most cases. And not always to your room. Some lines just make them available in a central location. You can sometimes get satellite news on the television - depends on the cruise line and your cruise location.

A travel agent can be more specific for you on the ship you have chosen. These are based on my experiences with a number of lines.

good day,

i was recently in the same predicament; went to the library and checked out "frommers cruises 2004". the book is excellent plus!

every detail on virtually all cruise companies [atmosphere, ports of call, prices, diagrams of all cabins, tips, recommendations, etc.].

this book will impress you with its wealth of information.

Here's another cruise leaving out of NYC. And the price is $62.50 per night, inside cabin. I have no business interests with any of the cruises or agencies I posted. I just know there are better deals out there than what you found.


Call Us Today! 1-800-827-7779

$62.50 per night for Celebrity Caribbean Cruise
Celebrity Cruises aboard "Constellation"
Your Destination: Caribbean
12-Nights departing from New Jersey

Sailing on 10-17-05, 10-29-05
Brochure Rate: $1839
Your Discount: Save 59%!! -$1089
CruiseBrothers.com Price from: $750

Just reduced ~ 12 night Caribbean Cruise departing from New Jersey ~ $200 Onboard coupon booklet

It will be here before you know it and selling out fast. You will be cruising 12 nights on the beautiful Constellation departing out of the newest cruise port visiting one of America's friendliest cities in South Carolina with Southern hospitality then cruising to the Caribbean Islands. Contact us today to put your deposit down before the space is gone. Inside rates start at only $750.00 per person. Ocean view cabins starting at only $950.00 per person - includes port taxes. Other categories and rates available. Space is limited. Cruise ID: 1331
Rates are per person, double occupancy for cruise and port only, unless specified otherwise. Subject to change and government taxes are additional.
Promotional rates are for new bookings only.

Cruise Itinerary
Day 1: Cape Liberty, New Jersey
Day 2: At sea
Day 3: Charleston, South Carolina
Day 4: At sea
Day 5: Grand Bahama Island
Day 6: Nassau, Bahamas
Day 7: At sea
Day 8: Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Day 9: St. Thomas, USVI
Day 10: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Day 11: At sea
Day 12: At sea
Day 13: Cape Liberty, New Jersey