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No passports for my kids? : Cruise
Main Post: No passports for my kids? : Cruise
Cruises suck! Never again.
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Just to give some context, Ive mostly solo traveled. I started in Europe at 19, then did the typical SEA backpack trip in my 20s and then I met my amazing GF who never really traveled much except on a few cruises. Together we’ve traveled Europe and Mexico, from hostels, to Airbnb’s, to all-inclusive. Ive done it all.
She however has kids and insisted this was the easiest and most affordable way to travel with them. We did a cruise in 2018 and now, here I am, 2:30am reluctantly cruising off the coast of Nassau.
Last month she and I were sailing the San Blas Islands from Panama to Colombia. It was incredible. Yeah we got a little sea sick, it was slow going, cramped and we got heat rash but it was an absolute adventure. The other passengers were so fun, the captain, his wife and the crew were amazing to travel with. We both agreed that it was a trip of a lifetime.
Now I’m on a boat, emitting plumes of black toxic fumes in the air and who know what I’m the ocean, with 3000 other people, who seem to have nothing more interesting going on in their lives other than talking about the last cruise they were on. The two swimming pools were so hazy from the crowds of people drinking and probably pissing in it that our kids didn’t even want to swim in it.
“But,” the cruisers tell you, “you just picked the wrong cruise line!”
No, no I didn’t. Sure the food is better on Princess cruises, but the food isn’t the problem. It’s the waste, it’s the awful working conditions, it’s the sheer amount of pollution cruise lines produce, the people, omg the people, with their matching cruise themed shirts… it’s tacky. Cruising is a culture I want no part of and I’m so ashamed I’m participating in it. Trying Disney or Holland America won’t change that.
And for the record, I totally get the difference between vacationing and traveling. Not every vacation needs to be some exotic adventure to some jungle village, but this isn’t exactly relaxing either. There is nothing a cruise offers that is better than an all inclusive resort or a nice rental on the beach. Cruising is not cheaper either that’s for damn sure. And if you tell me you cruise so you can see multiple destinations in one trip I’ll tell you you’re a fool. Going zip lining or swimming with dolphins for 3 hours isn’t seeing anything. You’re on a floating Reno NV grade casino.
For those that only cruise I beg you to step outside your comfort zone for just once and consider a less wasteful way of traveling. I can’t take back my actions, I’m as guilty as the rest of them but I’ll say this… after two cruises I’ll never go again. Apologies for any typos, it’s late and I’m on my phone.
/rant.
EDIT: Updated Trip Report https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/ub5sld/cruises_suck_update/?
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Some good points. But I hope the OP is sparing his “amazing GF,” her kids, and the 3,000 other uninteresting people on the ship from his suffering on the cruise that they are probably trying to enjoy.
People who've been on a cruise. What was it like and would you go again???
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I've never been on one, yet I constantly hear about how good they are. What's the best company to go with? How much do they cost? What is there to do on them? Are there any tricks or knowledge I should know before I go on one? And the biggest question were they a fun option of young people to go on?
Any and all info is appreciated as I currently have no clue
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Aw heck, I hardly answered your questions at all!
We went with P&O on the same ship that had that novovirus just months before. Didn't get sick. Used the alcohol rub stations.
To do: lounge by pool, lounge in spa, go to shows in opluent theatre. Go to any of the 4 themed bars. They give you an itinerary every night so you can plan your next day. We tried as many of the activities as we could. We did bead craft, scavenger hunts, dance lessons, table tennis, went to the movies in the cinema. No phone reception so you're almost forced to be amongst it.
Regarding tips and tricks: I wish I knew how reasonable items on board were. I cringed taking a book up to the counter, breathed a sigh of relief when it was only $14! Toothpaste $3 Lanyard for your keycard/ID $6
The other thing I would've liked warning of was that you have to have your suitcases ready the night before disembarkment. So it meant packing everything and trying to have the clothes you want for your last day in a backpack. The drill at the start was also bizarre and didn't make me feel good if there was an emergency. Everyone crammed in like sardines on the decks, it was anxiety inducing and there wasn't even an emergency!
I'm 32. I'm pretty much fated to do family things for awhile, no mad crazy partying for me. The dress up nights looked fun thougj, Gatsby night, White party, DJ's. Alcoholic drinks were reasonably priced and bars were open late. Because you can get fed at almost any hour I envisioned it would be nice to get drunk, wake up late, eat a big 'breakfast' at noon and lounge around by the pool til you felt good enough to go again. Not alot of groups of young people on our boat, maybe it depends on location?
It's a cheap way to holiday. I recommend doing a 3 day cruise and you can see for yourself.
What do you wish you knew before your first cruise?
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Have you recently taken your first (few) cruise(s)?
What's one thing you wish you knew BEFORE you went on that cruise?
Looking to gather tips from others based on your first cruise experience!
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Get on the ship as early as you can on embarkment day. All activities are available and almost no people. Bring a small backpack for necessities, youll get your room later and thats no problem.
How do YOU book your cruises? Looking for booking recommendations.
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In general I'm curious what method people use to book their cruises and are there any tips and tricks you can recommend when it comes to booking a cruise? (For example: travel agent, travel website, directly with the cruise line)
I'm looking at taking a cruise with my significant other for her 30th birthday (Jan 2022). We took one for mine a few years ago and it really helped me forget about entering a new decade of my life! It was my first cruise and we took RC's Oasis of the Seas to the Caribbean. I booked it through a travel site, I believe it was Orbitz, and we got a few extra perks for doing so that were not being offered by booking directly through the cruise line. If I recall correctly the extra perks were a free massage in the spa, $50 to gamble in the casino, and some credit towards gratuities. Looking at those kind of travel sites now, it does not appear like they are offering the extra perks for booking with them like they did before. So that makes me wonder if there is any reason to bother with them if I can get the same deal that the cruise line is offering by directly booking with the cruise line. My other thought is, should I try to call one of the cruising travel agents I see post videos on youtube? While looking at the boat tour videos by those people they all seem to pitch that you should call them to book your cruise as they will get you the best price guaranteed. I'm not sure how they can all say that unless they all have the same price to offer the people who call them. Does anyone have experience going that route and do you recommend it? Any pros/cons you could share? As for the cruise I think we want to take, I have selected the NCL Escape which has a sailing during my SO's birthday date.
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Start with numbers directly through cruise-line
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Place RFQ on Cruisecompete.com
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Check USAA's Price
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Check Costco's Price
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Contact 2-5 Agents via Cruisecompete and ask if they have Group Sailing Rates available.
Best rate/package wins. Travel Agent via one of the above will usually beat out the listed rate vs the cruise-line directly for me. In the past 5/10 years, I only recall booking directly through Carnival one time as their overall package was better.
For all of my Princess and RCCL Bookings, I've found cruisecompete's either published, group sailing rates, or USAA's specific packages to be the best on price and/or OBC. I booked NCL onetime through Chase in addition to the above to use points as well.
Went on my (23f) first cruise! Some thoughts...
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Hi! Went on the 5 night Freedom of The Seas cruise by Royal Caribbean. Here are some things I noticed as a young, black, female traveler for others who may want to go on a cruise also. Frequent cruisers, please drop your thoughts below! Please read it all and throughly before commenting please.🙄
-The front of the ship is the worst to bunk in. Yes it's beautiful, but you'll be hyper aware that the ship is moving and it'll make you sea sick if you're unfamiliar with the sensation.
-You're probably still gonna get Covid. Shitty people can easily evade a Covid test. (Source: recovering from covid currently after taking TWO tests before getting onboard)
-On Cruising day, GET UP EARLY and get yourself a spot in the pool and a beach chair. Once 11AM hits everyone and their mom is gonna be in the pool and there will be NO ROOM. And when you get a beach chair, guard it with your life lmao people swoop in like literal vultures for a spot to tan in.
-It's a giant pissing contest. Everyone wants to know who you are and what you do and why their job is better than yours. I swear to God its the most obnoxious thing to overhear and even worse when it happens to you. I make good money for my age but Im very private about my work because my job is niche and usually people ask way too many questions that I care to answer. I see this mostly with the boomers (sorry, it's the truth). Younger peeps, not as much.
-Speaking of younger peeps (20s to 30s) holy shit can they party. There were nights we'd be in the club until 2AM and then sit and smoke on the top deck pretty much all night. I made good friends and memories.
-Dont do the worm on the club dance floor, it ain't worth it.
-Yeah most of you won't like this one. My experience as a black woman... you meet a lot of rude and entitled white people (typically middle aged to older but not all) I swear to God, I was cut in line multiple times, shoved HARD with no excuse me, watched a woman steal my beach chair and THROW my things off of it into the sand while I got a drink at the bar, and more which I'll tell in a comment below because some stories are longer. I am a patient woman, I don't like to scream racism whenever its convenient, but these are just the facts of what happened. People, usually white, forget that this is a shared space and we are ALL on vacation and just trying to get by, not just you and your rug rat who won't even remember this trip. That being said, not everyone was like this and I met many wonderful people, but I couldn't help but notice that stressed out white mothers seemed to be the most entitled, the loudest and hardest to get along with. Note: I discussed this with the younger folks and they said they had similar experiences as well, some of which were even white themselves.
-IF YOU ARE A WOMAN SOLO CRUISER and you decide to club til 4am like I did, BE CAREFUL. Some of the men get a little aggressive at night. If its late and you hear someone try to get your attention in a hallway ad you're alone, ignore them and walk faster with your head on a swivel. When I was walking back to my room from a night out I was flagged down by a man who pretended to be lost and then pathetically yet scarily attempted to persuade me back to his room for the night. If it weren't for the fact that I was bigger/taller than him and I could snap him in fucking half, I don't know how safe it would've been given the fact I said no multiple times. I was warned sexual assaults happen on cruise ships occasionally so stay in groups if you can.
-HYDRATE, its so easy to forget with all the drinking and partying. Nearly passed out in Coco Cay bc I was dehydrated.
-Lol From what I saw... everyone is fucking. Everyone. By the time it was over everyone knew what color everyones nipples were. (Context: ok not EVERYONE. I spent my time with a huge group of like 20 18-30 year olds and we all got along really good and apparently even better at night from what I heard!)
-If you're gonna get a drinking package and you're trying to get lit, do nothing but shots. The drinks on the cruise seem to be really novelty like and you need several to get a buzz. 2 shots of Patron should do it.
-Royal Caribbean has EXCEPTIONAL service. I have never been waited on so well before by everyone. Buffets, bars, restaurants, room service, you name it. Also they remembered my (ethnic) name!!! My room servicer Arya was the best and I made sure I tipped him very well. <3
I hope this was helpful! Just some things I noticed. All the negativity aside, I truly enjoyed myself and was worth every penny.
EDIT: You guys are all so sweet. No resentment at all, 95 percent of cruisers are chill as hell, you guys included. Have a great day everyone!
EDIT 2: Sorry for all the edits BUT THANK YOU FOR THE GOLD! :D
LAST EDIT: Apparently someone thought this was a troll post, and Im honestly kinda hype that my life is so cool someone thought it was fake LMAO NICE
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Hol up you guys are having sex?
Is there any way to see how full a cruise is?
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I am planning to book a cruise for may and am considering a few options. I don’t like crowds so I would be happy to pick a ship that’s less full. Is there any way to view the current amount of booked rooms before I book myself?
Top Comment: I am planning to book a cruise for may and am considering a few options. I don’t like crowds so I would be happy to pick a ship that’s less full. Is there any way to view the current amount of booked rooms before I book myself?
Who do you use to book your cruises? Direct through RC? A different site? Travel agent? Where do you get the best deal/offering?
Main Post: Who do you use to book your cruises? Direct through RC? A different site? Travel agent? Where do you get the best deal/offering?
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I'm a book through the RC website guy...I like to be able to look around and find exactly the rooms I'm interested in, and have control over any changes or add ons I make
Things No One Tells You About Cruising
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Many YouTubers, websites and message board posts seem to give the same tips and advice. Here is what they don’t tell you (or don’t tell you enough).
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Sunscreen more than once a day, one bad sun burn will legit ruin your whole vacation