This thread I started made into the picks of FT Talk Mail newsletter! What an honor

Great feedback so far, gotto shoot for well less than $100 per night to be a bargain!

Will check out Frommers book on cruises next time I go to Borders.

Set up an account at cruisecompete and had them give me some quotes on a cruise I saw in one of their newsletters. Pretty easy to do. Got a response already but it was for outside cabin when I asked for inside (sold out)...

My dentist raved yesterday about the Disney cruises...hmmm, we will see.

Got a family trip already planned for Singapore/Malaysia/Japan for next January...but can spare a week before then...

Will meet the first FTers tomorrow in Ann Arbor.

I read somewhere that higher priced cabins get Internet access for a verty reasonalbe charge or even free. Is this true?

Thanks again for the feedback, keep it coming

Yes, on some lines, the "higher priced cabins" get free or very inexpensive internet. But that does not fall in line with your idea of VALUE. Usually $800-1000 per person more than inside (or bargain outside) cabin will get you a mini suite and $1500pp+ will get you a suite where you MAY get inexpensive or free internet. $2000-3000 for a weeks worth of free internet? I don't think so.

If you take a port intensive cruise, there will be internet cafes close to the docks in most ports. A lot of them are wi-fi, so you can take your laptop. Otherwise, you will pay a LOT for ship internet. And it is a VERY slow connection.

You're on vacation. Forget the internet. Too many things to do on the cruise, without a computer. You can check email in ports. If someone really needs to get in touch with you (emergency), you can be contacted on the ship via ship to shore phone. Enjoy your cruise!!!!

Cruising
 

Hello,

I took my first cruise a few months ago and I loved it. I do a lot of travelling by air and consider myself well versed in air / hotel / car rental etc..

Please find below a "report" that I emailed to a good friend of mine regarding my first cruise.

Let me know if you need more details....

Travel Guru
__________________________________________________ _____________

Hello Raed,

Hope all is well.

As promised, here's a report on my first cruise:

It was a roundtrip that went from Ft Lauderdale, FL, to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to Georgetown, Cayman Islands, to Cozumel, Mexico, to Key West, FL, and back to Ft Lauderdale, FL. For a total of 7 nights.

Well.........I loved it. Heather was unsure if I was going to like cruising for various reasons including expecting a high level of service and the possibility of getting sea sick. For your information, this is the first real vacation that we went on since the Hawaii time share that you gave us back in '99. Needless to say, I was expecting a lot from this vacation.

Although there were over 2,000 people on the ship, you do not feel the crowd because there is so much to do on the ship at any given time, and the people are in small groups all over the ship .

Being on a floating hotel that served both as a means of transportation between the countries and providing plenty of food and entertainment was a welcome change. There were many options for food. From a hamburger joint, to a buffet, to sushi hour, to a formal dinner. All were inclusive.

Breakfast: Some days we chose to have our breakfast delivered to the room, and others, we ate at the breakfast buffet. One day, we went to a breakfast in the formal dining room. They were all good, yet different.

Lunch: When we were at sea, we ate at the buffet, and snacked at the hamburger / hot dog joint on deck. The variety of food was good.

Dinner: Every night we chose to eat in the formal dining room. It was a great opportunity for us to get together with our friends and exchange some of the day's excursion stories, since we were not always together during the day. You can ask for as many appetizers, soup, or main courses, until you're full. As you well know about me, I like to eat. However, due to the abundance of the food I did not overeat.

Excursions: We did not take any organized excursions. However, our friends found two snorkling excursions online in two different islands, and booked them directly with the snorkling companies. It was cheaper that way. Heather went with them on one excursion in the Cayman Islands, while I rented a scooter and drove around the island.

Entertainment: I was very impressed with the quality of the entertainment on the ship. They had a theatre that can hold about 500 people. We saw about 5 shows there, from musicals to an acrobatic show, and even a Jewish comedian. The quality of the shows was excellent.

Accomodations: Although we had an inside room and I am a little claustrophobic, I did not mind having no window and being in a small room. The room was very well ventilated.

Other Activities: These include a Volleyball tournament, Poing Pong Tournament, Battle of The Sexes Trivia Game, lectures, etc.

All in all it was probably one of the best vacations that I have ever taken. I was really disconnected from the outside world (i.e. the cell phone and email). I really felt refreshed when I got back home.

As for the Disney cruise, we were at the same ports with them throughout the voyage. However, I recently heard from a friend of mine who just got back from a Disney cruise with his wife and son. He told me that he'll never go on a Disney cruise again because there were too many children around. Keep in mind that this guy has taken many cruises before.

How's that for a comprehensive report? I'm exhausted............

Value = timing
 

To get the best value, think timing. First when you book and second when you sail.
Booking: If you book around a year in advance, many cruise lines will give you a substantial early-booking discount. By booking well in advance, you also get the best choice of cabins. I would recommend any good, cruise-only, full-service travel agent to help you if you can book early.
The real bargains are found 90 days or less before sailing. But there are fewer choices available by then. My favorite agent for last-minute cruises is www.vacationstogo.com They will be happy to help you by phone. I don't know whether they provide enough service for a first time cruiser.
Sailing: The lowest fares are usually late August through the fall. Stay away from school holidays, especially the week between Christmas and New Years.

We just completed our first cruise aboard the Island Princess. We sailed from Vancouver, B.C., to Whittier, AS, and were happily surprised with how much more we enjoyed cruising than we thought we would.

Here are some of the things that we did to make our cruise more enjoyable for us:

1. Took two pair of binoculars.
2. Took an electric teapot and tea.
3. Took our walkie talkies.
4. Took along our laptop and work-out CDs.
5. Sent ourselves a bottle of vodka as a bon voyage gift.
6. Took a case of Perrier on board because I drink tons of it.
7. Took our own wine on board.
8. Took lots of layering clothing which was the perfect way to dress for AS.

We went dancing every single night. :)

We had a mini suite on the starboard side of the ship which was, in our opinion essential, for a northbound trip to AS.

The internet access was very slow, unreliable and expensive. :( We usually hit an internet cafe as soon as we hit a port. If we stay with Princess, we get free internet access after four more voyages. We are thinking of maybe doing some one or two day repositioning cruises. That could be a kick, and would give us a chance to see lots of different ships.

So glad you enjoyed it - I remember you were nervous about doing it - what happened to the other couple substitution - I vaguely remember something about a change???

Hope you'll keep cruising! (And check out the more upscale lines where you won't need to bother about #'s 1,5,6 & 7!)

Looking for a family cruise
 

I was wondering what extra costs you incur on a cruise? Are all meals always included? What is/is not included usually?

Welcome to Flyertalk.

It pretty much depends on the cruise line, so you will want to check to be sure exactly what is and is not included, they usually have it in their FAQ's on the websites.

In general the following is included

• Your cabin
• Meals, but usually not in the specality restaurants if they have any
• Non carbonated non alcholic normal drinks like water, juice, iced tea, and milk (but not specality things like smoothies)
• Towels, chairs
• Use of the pools
• Probably some recreation areas like mini golf
• Access to the Library and board games

What is not generally included, though again some lines may include some of this stuff

• Tips to the dining staff
• Tips to the room staff
• soda, beer, alcohol
• shore tours and trips
• specality dining areas
• medical treatment
• gift shop purchases

Sorry I did not take the time to read all the previous posts. I have been on 5 different cruiselines and many cruises. For your particular cruise I would not use Holland America. They cater to an older crowd (more like my age) and would not have the activities you would want for your children.
While Disney is lovely, I don't think I would do it for a first cruise.
I took my whole family, 12 people, 7 adults and 5 children ranging in age from 7 to 20 on a Thanksgiving cruise in 2008. We went on Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas out of Puerto Rico. We did the southern caribbean going to Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten,, St. Thomas and I forget, there on more island.
I suggest this itinerary and ship for the following reasons:
2 days at sea offer an opportunity to enjoy the ship which has rock climbing, ice skating, basketball courts, and more more more. They have an excellent children's program. The 13 year old boy was not going to go to the kids things and my son told him you have to try it once and if you don't like it you don't have to go again. He went, made a bunch of friends and loved it. They have a lot of age appopriate things, like wi fi, and more.
For a first cruise, i's not as elegant as some lines, but the ships themselves are very, very pretty, and offer lots to do.
Additionally those islands are the nicest one offered in the caribbean.
The western caribbean is not as nice in my opinion, but more historical if that's what you are looking for. Mayan ruins and such.