George's_Vette

Since no one in the PNW is doing anything with their cars due to the lack of posts I thought I'd chat about something else.

Anyone taking any cruises in the upcoming couple years? We are planning a Panama Canal trip in fall of 2016. Haven't decided on a cruise line yet but would prefer Royal Caribbean if they can meet our needs. Sally and I along with two other couples I knew from my time in AK and who took a western Caribbean cruise with are planning a trip down through the ditch.

Be even more fun to have a bunch of folks from the PNW forum to hang with and explore the ports of call along the way.

I know Fred is a cruiser. Anyone else interested in keeping in touch on this topic and possibly joining us in a FL to CA or CA to FL cruise? Most are a 21 day voyage. Great food, great service, great entertainment and is better with great friends.

George
Twisp, WA

JETninja

Wife and I are long time Carnival Cruisers, done 8 I think. Bit house poor atm, so the next one may be a few years down the road unless they offer her another free cabin (small upgrade to balcony). We've done Europe once, Mexico 3 times, Carribean 4 times.....Our first time I thought I wouldn't like it, found out I love it.

Have fun George!

last901

Interesting idea. Mary and I have done a couple of cruises and had mixed results. I think the idea of going with a group might be the best way to go. I'll watch this thread with interest.

Never been to the Caribbean, but it's appealing. We've been talking about going back to Italy on a cruise too, once the statute of limitations runs out on my speeding tickets in Pisa. The fines added up to over 500 Euro last time I received a threatening letter, but haven't heard from them in nearly a year.

What about Alaska? Mary isn't all that excited about it, but Holland America is based in Seattle and it could be a relatively inexpensive way to enjoy a cruise for those who haven't done it before. Besides, it saves most of us a long flight to Europe or the East Coast.

Just sayin'

George's_Vette

A 7 day Alaska cruise would be fun for a week if you've never been to AK. However you only get to see a small slice of the state. I spent 26 years up there and we are in the early stages of planning a 2 or so month RV trip to AK in 2016 that summer then the cruise down around through the Panama Canal that fall.

-George

JETninja

We only do Carnival, we've never had a bad one and why pay more for another line. Two more and we get Platinum status...

What sold us was out very first cruise, sitting in the Port of Puerto Rico, Midnight. (1995) Lido deck is a party, limbo contest going on, hundreds of peeps outside and having a great time. Next to use were two other cruise lines, both ships dark with a few dozen peeps hanging on the rails watching us party! Ha Ha.....Now we don't do the short booze cruises, only 7 or more days. (Europe was new ship, 12 day)

George's_Vette

We had a similar experience on our Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean once we cleared the bad weather around the southern Gulf of Mexico and south of Cuba. Party on the 14th level top deck, live music out in the open air, 75 degs at midnight, large buffet and dancing.

Then there was one of our ports and a Disney ship left port before we did. They began playing "When you wish upon a star" on the ships horns. It was a hoot.

-George

JackTripper

Make sure one of the stops is at the island of 'Roatan' in the Caribbean; that place is awesome.

fperra

Seabourn in the only cruise line Connie and I use. Smaller ships (500 pax max) and the very best in food and service. A little more expensive than most, but everything is included in the price and no tipping is expected.

MisterMidlifeCrisis

We did a 12-day Mediterranean cruise in 2013 hitting much Italy and the northeastern ports, along with spending several days before and after in each of Paris and Barcelona. We went on Celebrity cruise lines. Typically, their demographic is 40-60 years old, and the biggest general complaint is lack of partying/nightlife kind of things to do, but my wife and I tend to just want to relax after a busy day of type-A vacationing so it was perfect for us. Very nice accommodations, and of the cruises we've taken so far, they have been the nicest.

We've just booked a cruise on Celebrity in May, 2016, to do the Mediterranean again and hit the southern ports like Greece. The cruise starts in Rome and ends in Barcelona so we'll probably go a week early, drive around some of the interior of Italy, grab a few days in Rome (we hit it on the last cruise but just did the major sites), and then do the cruise.

Last year, we and some long-time friends did a 7-day cruise to Alaska. Nice to spend time with them but you only get a brief taste of such a big state. If it were just my wife and I, we definitely would have felt it wasn't enough time on shore to do all the things we wanted.

The missus is already planning a cruise for 2018, hitting the Galapagos, and we're going to do some hiking and see Machu Pichu as well.

My sister-in-law/brother-in-law did a Panama canal cruise a few years back and enjoyed the spectacle of it.

I would have never though I would like cruising as much but they do such a good job of pampering you and for short periods like a couple of weeks, I can really, REALLY get into it. Longer than that and I guess we both start feeling a little restricted, so the 12-14 day cruises seem just about perfect to us.

Black 03 Z06

We have sailed with Regent Cruise Lines twice now. Mediterranean for 10 nights and San Fran to NYC through Panama for 21 nights. Like their ships because they are small compared to most liners. 450 to 700 people, never crowded and they treat you very well.

Did not think I would like cruising but I love it.

last901

This whole idea is becoming more attractive the more posts I read. There is though a variety of cruise lines and voyages recounted so it's difficult to know which to choose. We're big fans of Holland America and disappointed with our one short cruise on Royal Caribbean.

I've long associated with Carnival as a young people's party boat. I don't know if that's a fair perception, but parties tend to get me into trouble. The Disney Cruises would seem to speak for themselves. Can you rent small children to take along?

Keep those cards and letters coming, folks. There is some great input on this thread. I kinda' like the idea of the Greek Islands and Southern Italy.

XC6VETTE

So, when we goin?

Last C5

Did the 7 day Alaskan cruise on Holland America and had the best vacation ever. Everything was absolutely great, except for the last day when I had to call security to help me get my wife to leave the ship.

JETninja

Its funny how some sail smaller ships cause they feel the big one may make them feel crowded, but in my experience its just not true. I've sailed on 6 different classes of Carnival Ships from low 2000 count to 3600+, and the only crowded part is the outdoors decks during the late morning to late afternoon cause everyone is on a lounge chair, but we still never have a problem getting our own. And because the ships are big, we all the time seem to be the only ones around. Its very easy to have a quiet morning enjoying a book and a spiked coffee in a cozy leather chair, or wondering the decks at night with your babe. I thought before my first one that the crowds would bug me, but learned its not true.

We also always get Balcony rooms (Aft is best, so cool watching the sun set over the ships wake going off into the distance) and just hanging on your balcony is nice.

The shows and food are great also......We do book our own excursions though, you can do it for half the price the ships charges, and in Europe they put people on big Busses, We did private tours in a Minivan with drivers that were funny, knew the history, and even cut lines for us all over Italy. We saw and did a lot more than the peeps on Busses....thats for sure. We also spent an extra day in Barcelona and saw the F1 Race. Coolness!!!!

last901

Well, that takes care of the requirements if I choose to go with Disney.

Mufflerbearing

Perhaps a few practice runs on a ferry together to "test the waters" so to speak?

Black 03 Z06

Jet I appreciate your input on ship size and passenger capacity. We have never been on a larger cruise vessel before so your thoughts are good. The one advantage the small ships have is being able to get into ports the larger ones cannot. Less time using the tenders. There is a company that had multi masted sailing ships that I would love to go on. We saw one in the Med and it was stunning.

Great input folks. Snowing heavily where I am today, freezing rain to come. Leaning over the railing of a ship in the sunny south would be alright with me right now.

last901

Received in the mail this afternoon a notice of the annual Triple-A Cruise show on Saturday Jan 24th at the Hilton Hotel on 112th Ave SE in Bellevue. We attended this a couple of years ago and it really helped explain the different cruise types, etc. This is not just a bunch of AAA employees explaining the benefits of membership, but rather a series of presentations (3 every hour) by the Cruise Companies themselves. We found it to be very helpful in deciding on our Mexican Cruise. Both large and "exclusive" cruise lines will be giving presentations.

I don't think you need to be a AAA member, but you must RSVP @ (425) 637-9209. They'll let you know I'm sure if AAA membership is required, but I don't think it is. Oh, there's also an Email address for reserving at AAAwa.com/GoShows/RSVP

If you've never been on a cruise before, this is an excellent resource. It's free too. Can't beat the price.

Just Sayin'

No, Walter, a few 130 mph laps stuffed in an old unlimited hydroplane is not considered a cruise and is not available through AAA.

JETninja

Tendering in not that big a deal most places, cept in Belize (really long), but Cabo, Grand Turk etc are nice and quick. Never had to Tender in Eastern Caribbean, La Paz/Puerto Vallarta/Mazatlan Mexico, Nor Barcelona/Monaco/Both sides up and down of Italy/Sicily/Croatia.....

Monaco was cool, our ship (new ship, its 2nd sailing) was huge compared to the town.



Also, when we were there (2011) it was 3 weeks before the race, so we walked the track. (takes 6 weeks to build, 2 to take down) And to get to the other side of that corner, you took stairs down and walked a Marble lined tunnel with zero graffiti of course. Monaco is amazing......




Timed the Cruise so we got to see the Spanish GP in Barcelona, Pricy but worth it!



FYI, best site to learn about Cruise, Ships, Destinations, Excursions and Roll Calls to meet up with folks on your upcoming cruise is Cruise Critic.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

nwav8tor

Agree that Cruise Critics is a great site to learn about cruising and get your questions answered. We're big Princess cruisers (about 20) and have done Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity once each since about 2000. Did Panama, New England, the Med (on the Regal Princess's inaugural cruise), western Mexico and the eastern Caribbean in the last 16 months. Taking the kids and grand daughter on an Alaska cruise this spring.

Cruise lines offer a wide variety of price points, quality levels, ship sizes and itineraries so choosing one is a highly personal choice. As for Panama in the fall of 2016, there should be lots of choices. The new canal has been delayed and I'm not sure when it's due to open now, but once it does, larger ships than the current panamax class will be able to sail that route.

While it's true that larger ships carry more passengers, they're designed for that, so once aboard it doesn't feel so crowded and there's lots to do. One problem though is that some port facilities and tourist services aren't properly equipped to handle such loads. Smaller ships are less crowded, more intimate and can get into smaller ports, but sometimes offer less onboard activity choices.

Planning a group cruise to please all would be a daunting task indeed!
Everyone has their own idea of what they want in a vacation.