They are dirt cheap....I know they have been dropping, but didn't realize how far they'd fallen.

Planning on booking a 3 night cruise with Royal Caribbean for $250.....I know it's short, but at that price why not go?

Nassau and their little private island are the destinations....anyone taken a cruise recently, especially one of these cheap ass ones?

3/30/2009 2:40:15 PM

Considering that they bill you for every extra they can think of they'll make money off of you. It's still not a bad deal though. However, I'd pick a line with better food.

3/30/2009 3:04:13 PM

they aren't the dirt cheap variety, but Disney cruises are INCREDIBLE. the food alone is worth it

3/30/2009 3:07:46 PM

Royal Caribbean is one of the nicer lines for the budget oriented.
You are going to have at least $100 of extra charges or expenditures, just for the boat.

3/30/2009 3:08:17 PM

Ya, they are pretty cheap now. If you can stand the tiny interior cabins, then go for it. (and they are tiny) The short cruises are on old ships though, so the ship will be dated and the there are fewer activities. RC has multiple 2 private beaches. If you're going to Labadee, it is actually nice and one of the prettiest destinations. Just go away from the tender station.

But in general, all travel spots are far cheaper now than they were a year or 2 ago. You can fly to Jamiaca for 300 out of charlotte and stay at a resort like Breezes for pretty cheap as well.



The food isn't bad on RC, it's just inconsistent. It's not Princess cruises no, but it's not like it's Carnival either. BUT, you can order as many things as you want. If you don't like something, just order something else, or order multiple things to begin with and try everything. Some things are not great yes, but other dishes are excellent.

[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 3:18 PM. Reason : ]

3/30/2009 3:12:15 PM

My Alaska trip was only $999, but the expenses happen quick!..

it shortly became $2500

3/30/2009 3:20:20 PM

I'm leaving on a 14 night cruise across Asia and it's only $1250


Shanghai, Xianen, Hong Kong, Thialand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore.

I'm excited!


Oh yea and all the shore excursion stuff organized by the Royal Caribbean people is freakin expensive. some of the day trips are more expensive than the entire trip.

3/30/2009 4:45:08 PM

I really liked Royal Caribbean's food. I typically don't like lobster but I got TWO tails because they were so delicious, and they didn't charge me for it!

I don't think they nickle and dime you too hard but I would at least double the price of the ticket to know what you're going to spend ON the boat plus excursions, not counting any spending on the islands.

Their private beach on Haiti is nice with lots to do but STAY far away from the vendor section unless you can be openly stubborn and don't mind getting hounded. They let native people from Haiti in to sell some of their goods and they are the most aggressive sellers I've ever seen.

All in all, I had a blast and was entirely pleased with Royal Caribbean. I plan to cruise in the future and will use RC again.

I've heard that Carnival is the party boat and the food doesn't beat RC's but I've also heard good things about that line as well.

EDIT: Next time I wouldn't do as many excursions which was a lot of our cost. In Nassua we went snorkeling and that was a lot of fun. In Labadee/Labadi we went parasailing, climbed the inflatable ice bergs, and went down the water slide (those ALL cost extra). Also get the drink pass, definitely saves money.

The interioir room isn't bad though the bed is really uncomfortable. However, you'll only be spending enough time to sleep or get changed so who cares about the room right? My only recommendation is definitely having an alarm clock as it's pitch black in that room.


[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 5:02 PM. Reason : damn, novel]

3/30/2009 4:58:03 PM

I want to take a cruise, but all this bargain box cruise discussion has me concerned that the clientele would be a little more "Wal-Mart" than I can handle.

3/30/2009 5:01:43 PM

^I take it you've never been on a cruise?

3/30/2009 5:04:25 PM

No. Enlighten me TWW. Keep in mind that if I want to be around a bunch of overweight 40 year old cigarette smoking peroxide blonds I can just beach my boat at just about any island on Lake Gaston.

Which cruises are more like Myrtle Beach and which ones are more like Wrightsville?

[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 5:14 PM. Reason : l]

3/30/2009 5:14:23 PM

Myrtle Beach is Carnival from what I've heard. And is Wrightsville good or bad?

You will actually meet people from all over the world, as we did. Very sophisticated and friendly. Though I didn't pay attention to what other people were doing because I was too busy enjoying myself.

It's a great way to get cultured without worrying about the travel part.

3/30/2009 5:22:01 PM

^^^^It depends on the cruise line. Carnival caters to the Walmart class; Disney/NCL/RC caters to the middle class (as well as internationals); Princess/Crystal caters to the semi-upper class; Holland caters to the retired class

[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 5:28 PM. Reason : ]

3/30/2009 5:28:16 PM

^Yet the quality between them isn't that different at all. My Carnival trip had the best service over NCL and RC, and it's food was as good as RC.

3/30/2009 5:31:17 PM

The problem is, even if the cruise itself is cheap, you still have to get to and from the port.

3/30/2009 5:41:39 PM

the trick is to sneak aboard liquor in plastic containers

3/30/2009 5:48:32 PM

Keep in mind the room sizes are not something to worry/fret about. You're on a cruise, you'll almost never be in your room unless you are showering off the stank or passed out if you're doing it right.

Depending on the cruise, some include 24 hr buffets/bev carts, others include a NICE all you can eat sit-down dinner every day (a nice tip is all you pay).

Keep in mind and try to figure which is better for you, whether you'd rather spend your time driving, or spend (more of) your money flying to your port of departure. Felt bad for the spring breakers from Michigan who had to waste 2 days flying and paying for airfare on a college budget just to get on our cruise down in FL.

[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 8:48 PM. Reason : too strong of a word]

3/30/2009 8:47:05 PM

Yeah, that's why I picked Port Canaveral.

Basically, it's way closer than Miami, and the Room rate is $250....which is amazing. I don't care if my room is small...I've cruised before and I rarely spend ANY time in the room. I'm not a total cheapass, so I can spend my money on the good stuff....I just couldn't resist at that price.

My and the GF are looking to get out of it for about $700-800 bucks for a 3 night cruise to the Bahamas, including travel from Charlotte. That's pretty damn hard to beat.

3/30/2009 9:39:39 PM

Quote :

"My Alaska trip was only $999, but the expenses happen quick!.. it shortly became $2500"

does that 2500 include the flight to your port of departure?

3/31/2009 6:38:37 AM

Quote :

"It's a great way to get cultured without worrying about the travel part."

wat? I take it you haven't done much international travel if you think a cruise gets you learning about other cultures

3/31/2009 7:08:42 AM

^ word.

she seems like the stereotypical idiot american traveler.

3/31/2009 7:43:12 AM

I did RC's Soverign of the Seas summer of '07. We had a stateroom with a porthole on the 9th deck. In hindsight, the porthole was a waste of money because the lifeboats hang and block most of the view. The food was really good and it was all you can eat, of course, but we should have gotten the soda pass. ($120 sounds expensive for soft drinks, but you can drink that EASILY if you pay for each one).

Typically, the rate includes room and food. Like was said before, you pay for your excursions, alcohol, sodas, gambling, spa...whatever you want to do.

Yes, SoS is dated, but it is not terrible. It used to be the largest cruise ship in the world in the early 90's.

I was not terribly impressed with Nassau, but it was overcast and rainy when we were there. We walked around downtown and then went to Senor Frogs. CoCo Cay was the highlight of the trip. We were on the first tender to the island at 8:00 and laid on the beach all day. We went back to the ship early because thunderheads were rolling in and did not want to get soaked.

The service was really good. It compared to at least a 4-star hotel. If you are going with your SO, opt for a private table at dinner. We did not do this so we only ate at dinner service once because we were sitting with a lot of people we did not know. The rest of the meals, we ate at the buffet.

The comedy show was really good. We went to the "Later" show (i think it started at 11 or midnight) and was a little more risque and vulgar than the ones at 8.

The best way to save money would be getting an interior stateroom. We were hardly in the room except to sleep and shower.

I used http://www.cruisesonly.com to book ours. There are tons of sites out there, but this one is strictly cruise deals.


This is a picture of SoS in Port Canaveral.


Disembarking in Nassau.


The beach at CoCo Cay. (Little Stirrup Cay on Google Earth)

3/31/2009 8:56:31 AM

What are the rules for going to the Bahamas as far as passports go now?? I thought I read something about them changing the laws on Jan 1 2009 so you had to have a passport instead of just license/birth certificate?

Any info on this? I've seen some crazy low prices for last minute cruises but don't wanna book one if I have to have a passport since I haven't gotten mine yet

3/31/2009 9:06:58 AM

ha, yea I gotta get my passport still. Planning a trip to Costa Rica for our honeymoon, so I need to get on that

3/31/2009 9:14:00 AM

It takes a long time...or at least it did when i tried to get mine. 90 to 120 days

3/31/2009 9:23:55 AM

^^^ Yes you need your passport. I heard they have some passport light bullshit for people who will only use the passport for things like cruises and going to Canada but I don't know the details on that.

3/31/2009 9:37:50 AM

Basically, right now for a cruise to bahamas, etc. you can use a drivers license and a birth certificate.

After June 1, you must have a passport for everything.

3/31/2009 11:06:04 AM

lols. The culture-though watered down and touristy- is slightly different from American. Especially if you get off the beaten path and explore on your own.

I'll admit I've not been out of the country much and there was a huge difference between spending 10 days in Costa Rica as opposed to a cruise, however I still learned stuff!

3/31/2009 11:21:51 AM

Quote :

"The problem is, even if the cruise itself is cheap, you still have to get to and from the port."

Yeah. I didn't want to have to drive or fly to Florida so I found a cruise going out of Baltimore. Easy drive and we got there around 1 so we could eat lunch on the ship before it departed.

oh and

Quote :

"the trick is to sneak aboard liquor in plastic containers"

3/31/2009 11:45:37 AM

Quote :

"Basically, right now for a cruise to bahamas, etc. you can use a drivers license and a birth certificate. After June 1, you must have a passport for everything."

well god dammit. i don't even care about getting off the f'in boat. can i stay on the boat without one? haha

3/31/2009 11:46:17 AM

Quote :

"I didn't want to have to drive or fly to Florida so I found a cruise going out of Baltimore. Easy drive and we got there around 1 so we could eat lunch on the ship before it departed. "

that ship docks a mile from my house. can't beat a $5 cab ride to the boat.

Quote :

"the trick is to sneak aboard liquor in plastic containers"

i thought about doing that, end even bought a bottle of mouthwash to attept it, but i decided not to at the last minute, and looking back, that was a good decision. I don't want to sit in my room and drink (or go back there every time i wanted to pour another one) and I don't want to carry around a bag or backpack around with me everywhere and try to sneakily pour drinks all week. yes, i spent a lot of money on alcohol, but it was convinient and i wasnt trying to pinch pennies. the drink prices weren't really that bad on my ship.

[Edited on March 31, 2009 at 11:59 AM. Reason : f]

3/31/2009 11:59:12 AM

I'd say it was worth it. It was nice being able to pour myself a drink while getting ready for dinner or maybe making another one after getting back from dinner and changing. You can also make yourself a big drink before heading up and then just paying for drinks afterwards. However, I'd recommend using water battles vs mouthwash since you can get the tops off without breaking the seal.

3/31/2009 12:03:08 PM

Quote :

"yes, i spent a lot of money on alcohol, but it was convinient and i wasnt trying to pinch pennies. "

just because you aint tryna pinch em dont mean i aint tryna pinch em

what you splurged as far as pennies was made up for in pinching of spelling prowess

3/31/2009 12:10:15 PM

I'm a pretty heavy drinker. Not necessarily an alcoholic, I just have a pretty high tolerance and would like to get a little tipsy on vacation...especially a cruise. So although I'm not cheap, I have a feeling I'd like to sneak alcohol on a cruise just to avoid an insanely high beverage bill. I'd just be afraid of getting caught sneaking it on. I feel like it would be a lot higher now then when I last went on a cruise in 2000 and a bunch of my high school friends were able to sneak it on.

3/31/2009 12:43:19 PM

I just filled up a bunch of sealed water bottles with vodka and then left an open one on top full of water.

3/31/2009 12:45:07 PM

They're not sealed if you open them to dump the water out and put the liquor in





But I think few places would check to see if the seal was actually in tact

as long as the top was on and the bottle looked full

Absolut Dasani is the nectar of the gods in those situations

3/31/2009 1:34:13 PM

You don't open then up by unscrewing the top. You use a knife to pry the top off.

3/31/2009 1:37:45 PM

Well I guess you're one step ahead of the game

3/31/2009 1:41:29 PM

^^duh

3/31/2009 1:51:20 PM

I figured I'd spell it out for slave.

3/31/2009 2:01:36 PM

Went on the Vision of the Seas last August....AMAZING!

We don't drink soda so basically out food and drinks were free (juice, ice tea, coffee, lemonade). I drank on the excursions which was included in the price. (Went horse back riding at a Tequila Farm ).

They have entertainment on the boat + night clubs which do not cost money as well as classes. I took food sculpting and learned about Art. They also have competitions which are always fun to watch.

We went mini subbing (AWESOME!!) on a party boat. That was 90 a person. (all you could drink when you were done swimming).

Horse back riding 75 pp

The cruise has deals with resorts which you can go to for free if you show your stateroom card. In Puerta Vallarta we did that. We also did Mazatlan on foot. Walked to the shrine and did our own tour.


We did gamble and the blackjack was real soft. They were lazy and paid out some pushes. We made more then the whole cost of our trip in the casino in 3 days.

We are probably look at Vacations to Go when it gets close to Dec. and pick one out. I really wanted to go on the RC that left Norfolk, but that will not happen.

I have been on other cruises and I by far enjoyed this one the most. There is an Alaska cruise in a few weeks that is 350 for a week.

3/31/2009 10:16:02 PM

i really wish there was an all-inclusive cruise somewhere. resorts have spoiled me

3/31/2009 10:35:18 PM

there are all inclusive cruises, but they are rare and usually targeted at spring breakers.

3/31/2009 10:52:15 PM