Winter doldrums

neutron · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:29 pm

Been on 3 cruises and loved each one... can't wait till our next

ric · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:44 pm

I could do a week in saint martin easily. The Allure was too big of that makes sense.

chrisvs · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:26 pm

Ric, I have heard the same from others, that Allure and Oasis are too big, too impersonal. I would still like to try them for myself though. I would like to do an eastern cruise to St Martin and St. Thomas for my next cruise... there will definately be a next cruise. My wife and I are hooked.

ric · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:49 pm

chrisvs wrote:

Ric, I have heard the same from others, that Allure and Oasis are too big, too impersonal. I would still like to try them for myself though. I would like to do an eastern cruise to St Martin and St. Thomas for my next cruise... there will definately be a next cruise. My wife and I are hooked.

The Allure did Nassau, St Thomas, St Martin. I've been to Bahamas a million times for work so on a cruise stop I just goto Imperials and get me some cracked conch, fries drenched in ketchup and go back on the boat. The cruise ships always get there/leave during business hours (duh) so there's never a chance of me catching up with friends. If you have not, goto Blue Lagoon Island. It's the coolest/nicest thing to do around Nassau.

St. Thomas was cool, we took a taxi to St. John Bay. No tourists. Beautiful beaches and awesome snorkeling. Ask the Taxi driver to drive on top of the mountain, you get a great view of the whole island up top.
Right here is the beach: http://goo.gl/maps/HG7vc
We sneaked into that pool and man was that relaxing and beautiful!

St Martin of course is a jewel. My favorite island so far. Get off the boat, rent a jeep and go! We haggled a jeep for $80 for the day. We did the "loop" around the island. Stopping off at the famous Maho Beach first to get blown away by a few airliners taking off. What a rush! Then we just started circling the island checking out the shopping, sights, and once we got on the french side we stopped for lunch at some locals beach BBQ right on the ocean. Chicken, ribs, got it all... and it was like $5. We then headed over to the famous nude Orient beach. That was interesting. Stayed there for a while then headed back into town and returned the jeep so we could get back on the boat to leave.

As far as Allure goes, yes it's just too big. It doesn't feel like you're on a cruise ship. It's like you're just stuck on the grounds of a big hotel. I've personally had a better time on a $250 3 day Carnival cruise. I'm really glad we went with another couple/friends because if it was just me an the old lady... it would have been absolutely horrible due to lack of interactions with the other guests like smaller boats. I think during the whole week I had conversations with maybe 3 other people where on a smaller boat it's like you're chillin with the family. I guess if you want privacy, it's the boat to be on.

Also, words of wisdom on cruises: Always pay extra for balcony rooms.

rpengr · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:43 pm

chrisvs wrote:

Ric, I have heard the same from others, that Allure and Oasis are too big, too impersonal. I would still like to try them for myself though. I would like to do an eastern cruise to St Martin and St. Thomas for my next cruise... there will definately be a next cruise. My wife and I are hooked.

I agree. The Oasis, and Carnival Triumph were too big. Had a better time on Carnival "Facination". wonderful ship (same size as Destiny at around 900 feet.

john55c · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 10:27 pm

Has anyone done a Disney cruise? My wife and I have discussed doing a cruise and are deciding between going along or bringing the kids (who are 2 and 4)....I think we may just go alone!!

TX H210SS · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:10 am **Posts:** 1488

The Norwegian cruise ships are awesome....I have been on a Norwegian lines and Carnival megaship. Hands down the Norwegian is the winner. Much smaller and way more personal. As an example..our bartender in the casino was named Norm...from Nigeria and funnier than hell...we had private dining as an option...the Captain was just what you would expect.

By the way that was 16 years ago and we still remember the dartenders name....that's personal.

TX H210SS · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:10 am **Posts:** 1488

If you go on a cruise I strongly suggest you spend the few dollars extra and catch the Norwegian liner out of Puerto Rico....damn I wanna go now!

ric · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2013 11:59 pm

john55c wrote:

Has anyone done a Disney cruise? My wife and I have discussed doing a cruise and are deciding between going along or bringing the kids (who are 2 and 4)....I think we may just go alone!!

I've heard there's a good 2 year wait to get on one of those.

Carnival staff was way better then Allures. I'm lactose intol. and I state so when buying the room. The carnival assigned me a woman who oversaw my dining experience anytime I went to the dining room. I got to pick out breakfast/lunch/dinner ahead of time and if I wanted more she made sure it was good for me to eat. Always at my side! Prime rib, shrimp, lobster, filet, etc. Mmmmm!!!! I never once had the idea of going to a paid place ever.

Allure? Noone gave a shit. 45 minute waits to get food and the menu was straight from Denny's. On that note, the PAID places were 20 out of 5 stars. I only ate in the dining room twice.

I hear Norwegian makes them all look like amateurs.

joet · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:24 am

Ric, you have to stop believing everything you hear. You can book a Disney Cruise for next week.

The problem with Disney is that they are almost double the cost of most of the others and there is no casino if that is your thing.

Capn, I used to think I would get bored on a cruise. Two years ago went on a Norwegian cruise to Bermuda from New York and loved it. The 3 sea days were the best part for me. Last year we took the kids on a 4 night Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral and they have been bugging us since to go again. So we are going to the Bahamas again on 7 night Norwegian from New York. I like going from New York because I can drive in the day before and save the hassle of getting to Florida.

With the kids we get 2 cabins because in most cases it is no more expensive then cramming 4 people into 1 cabin. When it was just the wife and me we got a balcony but with the kids it is just 2 expensive so we got ocean view. Getting close to time to fill the rum runners up and begin cocktail hour.

chrisvs · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:15 am

I have heard the same about the wait for Disney cruises. Friends of ours (actually, the people who bought our previous H180) were looking at Disney and were told by their travel agent that they were 2 years out for booking.

John55c, Royal Caribbean seemed to have lots for do for the kids, and have an affiliation with dreamworks characters... there was a bunch of them running around the ship. There are entertainment and play venues for every age group, and a fantastic waterpark area for the kids on these freedom class ships.

We found the food and selection on Liberty to be great as per our tastes, but I am a burger and fries kinda guy. I am a pretty plain eater and my wife is a vegitarian. We never ate in the main dining room once, but we did eat at Chops Grille one evening and it was excellent.

FrenzyLenz · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2013 4:07 pm

I only read the previous 4-5 posts referencing cruises. Getting ready for our 4th cruise next month. Was booked on Triumph out of Galveston, but obviously had to re-book a couple of weeks ago to Carnival Magic.

Our previous cruises were on Carnival Inspiration (x2) and Carnival Spirit. Suppose that Carnival is good for budget -conscious people like us who don't want to break the bank. I get military and previous cruiser discounts and we can usually get a 5-day cruise with adjacent balcony/interior rooms for less than $3K (family of four with two rooms). Our first two cruises on the smaller Inspiration was pleasant and it appears that as the ships get bigger, lines get longer and crowds are larger (i.e. fighting for deck chairs).

If I wasn't willing to patiently wait in line at times, I wouldn't continue to cruise. The kids love it even more than boating. We give our teenagers their own interior room and allow them to roam the ship at their liesure - we pay up front for soda cards and they eat pizza/drink Coke all day long if they wish. Of course, we get plenty of family time dining and entertainment in the evenings.

We've looked at other cruise lines, but they simply can't compete with Carnival's rates. I'll bet that the other lines' ships may be decked-out nicer with better amenities, but I suspect that the relaxation factor must be about the same. Really, 1/2 of the cruise is about the ship and the other half is about the ports of call (for us next month it is Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel).

Bottom line is that I feel quite experienced with cruising and would be happy to offer advice for those of you contemplating between cruise lines or whether cruising is worth the price...I challenge anyone to find a cheaper vacation where you get get a good suntan in the middle of winter...

FrenzyLenz · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2013 4:09 pm

I can also link anybody interested in Carnival with our Cruise Specialist who takes care of us very well every time we book. She is very helpful with the best rooms, which rooms to avoid, and some of the unique qualities of specific ships.

Capt. Hoss · **Posted:** Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:02 am

Frenzy, the Admiral and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon 13 years ago this year. We went to Grand Caymen, Cozumel, and New Orleans. The best prot of call was Cozumel, we rode Jetskies and we went to Carlos and Charles for drinks and food, as well as other things while we were there. I do recommend going to C and C especially if the waitress' are running around pouring shots, it gets very interesting to say the least. The food wasn't bad and good times to be had by all.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:10 am

FrenzyLenz wrote:

...I challenge anyone to find a cheaper vacation where you get get a good suntan in the middle of winter...

www.iFourWinns.com

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