The Journey Begins

Hello all!  I have cruised for years and have always loved to share my inside information with people who are curious about cruising.  I finally decided to start this blog!!  If you have any questions or want to see anything featured here, just let me know!

Cruising basics:  First and foremost, if you are seriously considering a cruise and have never been on one, please use a reputable Cruise Planner.  Although it is very easy to book things online yourself, there really are perks to using a Cruise Planner, and it costs you NOTHING!  I love my lady, Allison.  She watches the cruise prices constantly, even after I’ve booked.  If the cabin I booked ever goes down in price, our cost goes down!  The cruise line will NOT do that for you.

Types of Cabins:  There are several, but the essential ones you need to know are Inside, Oceanview and Balcony.  These are the main three categories the majority of people book.  Other cats like suites etc. are super pricey.  If you’re a standard, no frills traveler, then you will be looking at these three.  But if you have any questions about the others, just let me know!  The type of cabin we choose is generally based on the type of cruise we’re going on and what time of year.  We used to save money by booking an oceanview.  They are low in the ship, which is also advantageous in bad weather.  But since we do 95% of our cruising in the Caribbean, we now almost always book a Balcony cabin.  Seas are relatively calm, the views are beautiful, and if you have a partner that gets up earlier than you do, having that outside space for them is awesome!

Dinner Time:  Most cruise lines now offer anytime seating. But one of the things we have loved about cruising is meeting people and making lifelong friends.  This might sound silly, but we have indeed made some friends who we have traveled with again and who we are in touch with all the time.  Dining is a great way for this to happen!  We choose our dinner seating time, early or late, based on the itinerary and what times we are in port.  For instance, if all your days in port end by 4:00pm, there’s no reason you cannot eat at 6:00pm and have the remainder of your night to dance, watch a show, maybe even a movie, relax in the piano bar or get to the casino.  However, if your days in port end closer to 6:00pm, you may want to take the late dinner seating to optimize your time on shore.  I highly recommend, if you are a first time cruiser or have only cruised a few times, to make a dinner seating time choice and request a table for 8.  Those other travelers assigned to your table may just become some of the best friends you have ever made.  At the very least, you know you go to the table with one thing in common, a love of cruising!

Gratuities:  When we started cruising back in 1997, it was the days of handing your Cabin Steward, Head Waiter, other wait staff and even the maitre d’ some cash at the end of the trip, thanking them for their amazing service.  Today, you can still do that if you choose, but pre-paid gratuities make it much easier.  What is this?  Well, this is something that is automatically added to your cabin bill based on the cruise line you are with, the $ per day, per person.  Essentially, if you’re okay with the amount being charged, then it’s a lot easier to just do it this way.  If you feel someone has been exceptional, you can always hand them a little extra.  If you want to tip staff yourself, you will need to go to the Purser’s desk and ask that the gratuities be removed from your bill, because you want to tip staff yourself.

What is Included:  When you cruise, most of the things you want in a fabulous vacation are included.  Included items are – your cabin with full hotel service every day, all the food you can eat in the dining room, on the Lido Deck near the pool and on some ships, a few new food spots throughout the ship.  Also included (and found on the Lido Deck) are beverages such as iced tea, lemonade, water, coffee, tea and fruit juice.  Near the pools there are frozen yogurt and soft serve ice cream machines.  And if you haven’t eaten enough, room service (a smaller menu) is also included!

What is NOT Included:  Probably the most significant thing is alcohol.  Alcohol used to be a decent bargain on cruise ships, but now they rival restaurant prices.  If you drink a lot, then expect your bill to be a lot.  There are beverage packages that you can purchase so you don’t have to think about the unknown costs, but you should figure out beforehand if it’s really a cost savings.  The last ship I was on, I would have had to consume 10-12 drinks a day (A DAY!) to make it worth the cost of the package.  Also important to know is if you want the package and are traveling with someone, everyone in the same cabin has to have the package, too!!  So, if you are traveling with someone who drinks very little or not at all, getting an alcohol beverage package is not the way to go.  Also, not included are specialty restaurants such as the Steakhouse.  But I will tell you, for the $35 per person cost to dine in the Steak House and other specialty restaurants (Italian, Mexican, French, Teppanyaki, and Brazilian Steak Houses just to name a few), it is worth the experience.  The food in the dining room is fantastic.  The food in these restaurants is even better!  Try it at least once!  A lot of ships now have specialty coffee houses, sushi bars, pastry cafes and more that are at an extra cost as well.  Also not included is soda.  Again, if you drink a lot of it, then a soda package might work.  But all in the cabin have to have it.  If you can live with the free drinks on the Lido Deck, then a soda package is not worth the cost.  There are also things you can bring on board when you first embark….we will talk about that in more detail in another blog post.

NEXT TIME we will focus on one subject area at a time in more detail.  These are just the basics.  Hope you found it helpful!  Cruise on…..