I didn't want to continue the hijack of ncsuGALxcPaC's thread.

So, in a few weeks, I'm going on a cruise for the first time (Voyager of the Seas)... and I'm pretty excited about it [obviously, ive posted about it a lot today ], because I've never been down there. I know underPSI has been on the same one, and I'm wondering if anyone else has. My main question was about the casino What games do they have / What are the minimum and maximum bets / etc. I couldn't really find any good info about that online.

My g/f has been on cruises to most of the places we are stopping, so I will have a good tour guide I'm sure, but some other opinions wouldn't hurt -- Anything I should definitely check out, or definitely avoid?

Also, any cool info or pics would be fun. THX!!1

[Edited on March 7, 2006 at 12:10 AM. Reason : <3]

3/6/2006 11:25:50 PM

on the islands, if you girlfriend knows the islands the best thing is to tour the island, go bar hopping and rent a car. if she doesnt know it that well, just stick to the beach thats what its all about any how

3/6/2006 11:30:16 PM

hahah the beach is the obvious part. im not a big beach person anyways, so im sure that will get old after a while, no matter how nice the beach is.

i wanna try to see some stuff. i hear theres like a bob marley museum and other little neat shit like that. that kind of thing is what im talking about

3/6/2006 11:33:13 PM

The casino has traditional table games (roulette, blackjack, caribbean stud, craps) and slots.

I played the $5 and $10 blackjack tables was on the ship. Can't tell you what the limits were at the other tables.

[Edited on March 6, 2006 at 11:45 PM. Reason : ]

3/6/2006 11:45:03 PM

I've been on 3 RC cruises since I was like 12, I'll let you know about the casino's a little later. brb

3/6/2006 11:46:39 PM

yeah i was looking at caribbean stud online. am i right in my assumption that its kinda like a live version of video poker? looks like you bet/ante to play, then you get your cards, then you either bet again or fold?

3/6/2006 11:47:52 PM

ok, basically play nothing but blackjack, the 5$ table. enjoy the sun during the day... see the big show. meet the captain = free drinks. excursions tend to be overpriced but they are something to do. wake up early and go to bed late. you will have plenty of time to sleep later.

3/7/2006 1:57:13 AM

be ready to eat yourself silly on the cruise!!

3/7/2006 7:16:46 AM

the casino is small, but good. i came out $450 ahead. i played roulette the whole time. minimum $1 bets. i had the most fun in grand cayman. mainly 'cause i'm into cars and there are a lot of cars there that don't make it to the US. also because their $ is worth more than our $ and the island isn't poverty sticken so nobody is harrassing the hell outta you. i did do the jeep safari tour at grand cayman which was pretty neat. it was an experience in itself because the jeep you drive is a manual right hand drive and you drive on the left side of the road. making a right turn at an intersection got confusing. so if you like to drive, i recommend that.

Quote :

"be ready to eat yourself silly on the cruise!!"

oh, and hell yeah. 24 hour buffets are where it's at. man, i'd get up at 7am, eat the breakfast buffet, walk around to kill some time, then go back to the room and get room service about 10am when the wife got up.

3/7/2006 7:48:56 AM

i LOVE cruises. you will have a blast. few tips:

casino - same as any other. $5 and $10 min bets usually. blackjack, roulette, poker, slots, etc.

alcohol - be prepared to spend a lot if you are a drinker. mixed drinks can range from $4 specials to $9. you can't take any on board yourself to drink. if you buy in ports you have to check it in. you get it back before you leave.

excursions - ridiculously expensive. don't take them. you can do the same activities cheaper. for example, i'm going to alaska this summer. one excursions is a train ride through the mtns. it is $165 per person through the cruise. on the train co's website they sell the same trip for $92/person.

port transportation - don't be afraid of the buses. taxi's can cost you. $15 here, $20 there can add up. buses are a great way to see the city. in mexico for example, we rode the bus all day for like $1 each. taxis would have cost us like $40 for where we went to. it was about as fast, got to see more. just ask people and be niec. they will help you out.

haggling - in most non american ports, it is perfectly acceptable to haggle a bit over price. for example, in mazatlan we wanted to take a catamaran over to an island and back. the original price was $40. by the time we finished negotiating, it was $25. t-shirts might cost $15. you can get them down to $10. this is perfectly fine to do. i mean not in malls or real stores - i am talking about markets, street vendors, beach vendors, etc.

vendors - ok you will seriously be harrassed at most ports/beaches. they see americans coming off the boat and they pounce. be firm and tell them no thankyou. and they do use kids. it can be hard to tell kids no but you can't buy everything. also, the stuff they sell (for example shell necklaces) that they say was made here probably wasn't. it is funny cause they will tell you it is a one of a kind piece but you will see the same thing from a vendor at the next port.

food - cruises have great food. pretty much every meal at night is like a meal in a nice restaurant. get something from every course. try new stuff. if you don't like it, no big deal. tell your waiter and he will bring you something else. it is that easy. all your food is included (except the usual 1-2 restaurants that you rarely see anyone in). one thing we typically do during the day is go out in the morning, come back for lunch and/or showers (if we've been snorkeling/swimming), and then go back out to tour around some more. that way we are guaranteed a safe and good lunch. late seating really is late - we typically don't finish til like 9:30-10. early seating is better IMO just because we like to see the shows and then actually get to bed at a reasonable hour (we are typically up early during the days to get the most out of the ports). plan to gain a couple of pounds (unless you are doing a lot of activities - i actually lost 2 pounds on our last one). cokes - if you want cokes/sodas you have to pay for it. typically they have a purchase plan of like $35-50, depending on the crusie for unlimited sodas.

dress - when they say formal nights, they really do mean it. dark suits or tux's. cody typically wears a dark suit and he is fine. informal nights are khaki's/slacks. no jeans. you might see a few people but really they are underdressed. think of eating at the dining room like eating at a nice restaurant.

entertainment - cruises usually have awesome entertainment. usually a couple of broadway type shows, maybe a comedian (one of ours we had penn and teller), maybe a magician, maybe a pianist, maybe cirque du soleil type of performance (we had one of these and it was AMAZING). usually they last like an hour or so. and they are well worth seeing in my opinion. during the sea days, typically they have cooking lessons, dance lessons, art auctions (typically with free champagne), educational series (i.e. history, computers, politics, etc), sports and games. we had a blast doing the dance lessons last time. and of course you have good lunch buffet/grill/etc food and the pools. at night they may have stuff like tropical parties. lots of fun.

room staff/waiters/staff/tipping - ok these guys are amazing. they make you think that they live in your nightstand. you can be gone for like 5 minutes and comeback and your room will be made up. and they are really good about getting you anything you need. the waiters in the dining halls are typically really good as well. i have had some problems with pool staff if i didn't order an alcoholic beverage but nothing big. cruises typically automatically take roughly 10%/person (i think) and charge you for tips. personally i don't like this - i'd rather tip the people that were good and tip them what i think they deserve (more or less than the recommended). if you want to do this, you have to go down to the main desk and tell them otherwise it will just automatically be deducted from the card you paid with/have registered.

k, that's enough. sorry so long. i just LOVE cruises. i think they are the best way to visit new places. it is kind of like a sampler platter. if you don't like a port, that's ok you are only going to be there a day. if you love it, you can always go back. and you have guaranteed good food and entertainment. my worst nightmare is to pay some huge sum of money only to hate the place i am staying at for a week.

3/7/2006 9:42:41 AM

do sneak some liquor onboard via water bottles/whatever. one time my sister just brought a bottle of vodka in her suitcase and it was never questioned. at ports transfer the liquor to water bottles and pocket it. they really probably won't hassle you.

3/7/2006 9:46:22 AM

Queti pretty much gave you the "how to" enjoy a cruise guide
i think she hit the nail on the head w/ her post

3/7/2006 9:48:40 AM

hahhaha damn, Queti really does like cruises.

i heard about the soda thing, and i am a soda junkie. but i had no idea its 50 bucks. man. i guess i will get my 50 bucks worth though and fuck little kids, i'll tell them no. i kinda wanna get my hair braided though, hahaha.

i'm pretty excited about it. im just worried that im gonna be really seasick. cause boats fuck with me big time

3/7/2006 9:57:30 AM

you will never feel the boat move unless you get caught up in a hurricane

last time i went on a cruise, we had to go back out to sea while a hurricane moved up the east coast and everyone on the boat got sick then they ran out of dramamine (sp?)

when you get off the boat for the last time after your cruise is over the ground feels like it is always moving...thats kinda weird

3/7/2006 10:01:52 AM

yeah but isnt that what causes motion sickness? all the moving around that you dont feel?

3/7/2006 10:03:25 AM

ya i do love them

about the sea sickness. take some motion sickness meds with you. you may not need them but it is better to have them than have to buy them (they will charge you like triple wal-mart prices). same for any meds - sinus, stomach, etc.

i've never had a problem with motion sickness. it isn't like a small boat; at most you will feel a slight motion, maybe a little sway here and there. nothing big (unless there is a storm ). i don't know if you have your room already. but for people who do get sick, they find that the rooms at the front or end of the decks that are perpendicular to the majority of the other are the best for motion sickness (since the motion isn't side to side but rather front to back when you are in bed).

3/7/2006 10:04:58 AM

QUETI PRETTY MUCH SUMMED UP EVERYTHING......I WAS GOING TO SAY......AS SOON AS YOU GET THERE THEY WILL PROBABLY HAVE AN INTRODUCTION AND TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE EVENTS GOING ON THAT WEEK.....DO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE....WE DID THINGS LIKE BATTLE OF THE SEXES......SURVIVOR AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER EVENTS....FOR US IT WAS AN EXCUSE TO MEET SINGLE WOMEN ON THE CRUISE....BY THE FINAL TWO DAYS WE KNEW ALMOST EVERYONE ON THE BOAT IT WAS GREAT!!

ONE OF THE BEST TIMES I HAVE EVER HAD

3/7/2006 10:10:10 AM

can you put vodka in water bottles?

3/7/2006 10:14:39 AM

I KNOW OF PEOPLE THAT BROUGHT THEIR OWN BOOZE......JUST BE CAREFUL.....THEY CHECK FOR SHIT LIKE THAT......

3/7/2006 10:15:44 AM

hijacking biatch. I <3 jackleg

3/7/2006 10:18:08 AM

queti did sum it up nicely. i prefer the late seating though because you have more time to enjoy the sun and get ready before dinner. there are usually two showings of the nights shows so that the late dinner people can see them before dinner, while the early seating see the show after. the late late show is usually geared towards adults and is after the late seating dinner.
but if you are leaving in a few weeks your dinner time was already scheduled when you made your reservation. but i think you can inquire about switching once you get there...

3/7/2006 10:18:15 AM

I ALWAYS LIKED THE LATE DINNER TOO.....I NEVER WENT TO BED EARLY....I THINK I SLEPT A TOTAL OF LIKE 10 HOURS THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS ON MY CRUISE

3/7/2006 10:19:59 AM

the dinners are great esp. if you get a good, fun waiter
they are very entertaining

3/7/2006 10:22:17 AM

yes im sure the food will be good. but i made the thread wondering about the casino, and shit to do at the ports we are stopping at

3/7/2006 10:27:59 AM

^^^we have done both late and early. i think the reason we like the early is that we don't particularly like eating late at night and it doesn't take long for me to get ready. i prefer eating, shows, then maybe casino/party/etc, then bed. last cruise we were up every morning by around 6:30. but then we go on cruises for the ports moreso than the ship. we spent every minute we could at port. in alaska we are doing "any time," meaning one day we can do early and the next late. our port times are all over the place (juneau is like 4pm to midnight) so we purposely chose the more flexible time.

"any time" dining - you still eat in the dining room. usually just in a different area. and it doesn't really mean "any" time. it means you can do early or late, depending on your preference for the day. you don't however have a designated table and dinner companions.

[Edited on March 7, 2006 at 10:30 AM. Reason : er]

3/7/2006 10:29:55 AM

i almost got in a fight on the beach of Nassau
this older black man was trying to sell me some shit and i told him i was good but i added "kid" on the end of my sentence and he got pissed

he didnt know i was using it as slang instead he thought i was calling him a little boy and he was ready to beat my ass

3/7/2006 10:36:30 AM

i've only been on 3 cruises - 2 RC and 1 carnival - but all 3 of the unlimited coke plans were less than $35

you can bring alcohol as long as you are good about it - put it in your checked bag - never your carry on - don't bring it on in the original container - use an empty 2 liter bottle - i took 2 2-liter bottles (2 liters is a little bit more than half of a gallon) filled each with a half gallon of smirnoff vodka and maker's mark topped off with a little bit of a fifth - for only 2 ppl you can get away with 1 2-liter i bet tho

everything else i agree with tho - other than in my experience i always say roughly 1/3 of the original price they quote me and work from there - i'll go lower for the people that yell at people that walk by to try to get them to come into their store or look at their merchandise - even after you haggle if it's in a different currency and all you have is U.S. dollars - they will try to fuck you on the conversion rate typically so watch when they use the calculator the rate they give you

3/7/2006 10:39:18 AM

Quote :

"Labadee, Haiti (hispanolia, some cruise line owned island or some shit) Ocho Rios, Jamaica Georgetown GCM Cozumel, Mexicoooooo"

just saw your itin. my suggestion on finding out stuff to do is to first look at the shore excursions on the cruise line's webpage. i don't recommend actually booking them but use them as ideas. like i said, you can do the tours/stuff cheaper if you go out and do it on your own. another example for this: i wanted to do a canopy tour in puerto vallarta. canopy tours are like 2 miles of zip lines, swings, etc in the top of the rainforest. it was like $150/person buying from the cruise line. we went into the city and found a guy selling the canopy tours for $100/person. we haggled with him and got it for $75/person.

at least at one port, i suggest doign some sort of cataraman trip, even if it is just a way to get from one place to an offshore island. they are so fun. or at least do a glass bottom boat. something like that.

cozumel has great snorkeling. there are tours available as well as beaches where you can just walk out yourself. there are also atv jungle tours that you can take. and if you are into shopping for trinkets, cozumel is a good place for it.

labadee - i'd probably snorkel or do a kayak trip along the coast. might look at parasailing. depends on how much you want to spend. also i think there is a beach there, malfiniti or somehting that has good snorkeling and is just beautiful to relax on.

ocho rios - probably i'd go to dunn's falls. might do some scuba diving. or there is a this cave called green something where there is a lake at the bottom.

georgetown - not sure how far it is but there is a town called "hell" there. i might would go just for giggles. there is also a brewery there that might be interesting. probably would tour the town. might go snorkeling/scuba at the ship wrecks off the coast or go to 7 mile beach. depends on how much time you have.

3/7/2006 11:04:25 AM

Quote :

"i told him i was good but i added "kid" on the end of my sentence and he got pissed "

HA HA HA!!

3/7/2006 11:09:56 AM

word

definitely doing dunns falls, vanessa is in love with that place.

how many cruises have you been on queti??

3/7/2006 11:11:52 AM

alaska will be 6. but i've also been to some places in the carib. on regular trips.

i haven't been to some of your destination but i've looked at them quite a bit in comparing other trips.

after alaska we are going to either:
http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=5614&date=0406&noOfPax=2
or if we decide to spend the money,
http://tinyurl.com/eeu2c

[Edited on March 7, 2006 at 11:22 AM. Reason : http://www.tinyurl.com]

3/7/2006 11:14:26 AM

i just wanna do something different. i mean i know the whole thing is gonna be different since ive never been... but i would to see something off the beaten path - in other words, i dont wanna talk to other people that have gone and have the exact same story they do. OMG U WENT TO CARLOS AND CHARLIES TOO??!?!?!! haha know what i mean? dont wanna feel like i'm being herded i guess, i dunno.

3/7/2006 11:15:44 AM

know exactly what you mean. another idea is to just not have a plan at all. when you get there, get off the boat and ask the locals. "where is the best place for _____." "Where can I find _____." "Where is the best ______." "I want to see something local that most people don't get to see. What would you suggest?"

They always have little info centers right off the boat with locals working there. They can help and provide great ideas. Also, I've found asking a cop usually works well too.

3/7/2006 11:20:31 AM

If you are worried about sea sickness, get a bottle of Ginger pills, take one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Stuff works as good as dramamine, and you wont get drowsy and you can drink.

If you are going to Cozamel, rent a jeep or something and go around the other side of the island, there are some really cool waterfront bars and stuff off the beaten path.

the water bottle trick for vodka doesn't always work, I've seen someone get caught with that. The best I've done was just get a little pint of jack in the curved bottle and stick it in your pocket. THey don't pat you down and shit, but they do x-ray your stuff as you get on board, and will take bottles out of your bookbag.

3/7/2006 1:13:32 PM

where did you buy your cruises from? (trying to find a good deal)

3/7/2006 3:20:23 PM

Quote :

"the water bottle trick for vodka doesn't always work, I've seen someone get caught with that. The best I've done was just get a little pint of jack in the curved bottle and stick it in your pocket. THey don't pat you down and shit, but they do x-ray your stuff as you get on board, and will take bottles out of your bookbag."

how did you see someone get caught using the method i mentioned - you saw them go through someone's checked bag - where were you when you saw this? volunteering your time as a deckhand?

3/7/2006 3:24:12 PM

what cruise line would you guys recommend?

and where is their port?

3/7/2006 3:32:10 PM

lol put the water bottle in cargo pockets and just walk through the metal detector. flawless!

3/7/2006 4:04:51 PM

I beleive RC is the best cruise line. Departs out of Miami/Ft. L I think.

3/7/2006 4:08:12 PM

I swam with the stingrays in Georgetown. They are massive and super friendly.

3/7/2006 4:59:27 PM

Quote :

"where did you buy your cruises from? (trying to find a good deal)"

i actually bought the last one from princess. as returning guests, we got a pretty decent discount (probably $200+).

before i have bought from expedia and travelocity. cruise prices really don't vary that much as they are set by the cruise line. where you save is more from taxes/fees/etc. travelocity has always been good about fees.

Quote :

"what cruise line would you guys recommend? and where is their port?"

i think it is more a matter of the ship rather than the cruise line or port. newer ships are typically a little nicer. look for the number of stars it gets from reviews. i don't book anything less than 4 stars. all the lines have several ships and itineraries to choose from. but in general IMO:

princess > celebrity (royal carib.'s upper scale line supposedly) > royal carib. >>> carnival.

i haven't tried norwegian or holland america. we did book one with norwegian but the itin. was changed due to hurricane katrina. they were a PAIN to deal with. they took 2 ports off the itin and wanted us to drive to houston (5.5 hours away rather than the 30 minutes it was supposed to be out of NO). they finally agreed to cancel.

i don't like carnival. but it depends on what you are after. we don't party. carnival caters to young, single people. if you want to drink, dance, party and be loud, carnival is your line. also the food wasn't super.

as far as ports, that all depends on where you want to go. most cruise lines have several departure ports based on where it is. florida ports (miami, ft. lauderdale, etc) are typically pretty cheap to get to and you can get to most spots in the caribbean from florida. if you want southern carib, you will need to fly to san juan to get on the boat. for western mexico, we went out of san diego and it was really easy and nice. houston has some cruises out of it and new orleans is getting back into the business i believe. charleston has one that goes to bermuda that looks pretty good. like i said, depends on where you want to go and on what cruise line.

[Edited on March 7, 2006 at 5:24 PM. Reason : er]

3/7/2006 5:21:23 PM

hey jackleg,
here are some of the pics of the Voyager of the Seas from the cruise i went on.

Labadee


the Mall


Stairwell


Skylight


Deck


Poolside Bar


Casino











and another cool thing about the casino is a non-smoking section is not provided.

3/7/2006 9:39:25 PM

awesome, thanks

so you CAN smoke in there? how about the rooms? i wanna smoke.

3/7/2006 9:47:49 PM

yeah, you can def. smoke anywhere you want in the casino. i don't think you can smoke in the rooms. i know we didn't but we had a balcony so it wasn't a big deal.

3/7/2006 10:01:24 PM

Quote :

"also because their $ is worth more than our $ and the island isn't poverty sticken so nobody is harrassing the hell outta you"

That's probably the best thing about Grand Cayman, well that and the snorkeling

I just got back 2 weeks ago from a Carnival cruise, and there definitely weren't many singles. It was mid-winter break for NY so the ship was miserably full of children. If we'd gone the week before or after the crowd would've been totally different. The food wasn't as good as I'd expect. I found a lot of the stuff was served European style, so if you get bacon and eggs for breakfast, don't be surprised by runny eggs and limp bacon. Just eat the pancakes instead.

The shows were awesome though, and I had an awesome trip. Our captain sailed us around the rainstorms so we had perfect 82 degree, sunny weather. The servers are fantastic, and will get you anything you request.

BTW I took Bonine and never felt drowsy nor seasick. It's a different chemical than what's in Dramamine (like ibuprofen vs acetomenaphen) and I found it worked very well for me.

3/7/2006 11:22:31 PM

i just got back from this very same trip about a month ago...

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!!!

Heres what we did...

No excursions through the ship.
Jamaica: We booked a "pete taylor tour" ... I think he has a website, google it. Took us all around the island, to the falls, fern gully, and to a jamaican jerk place... an authentic jerk place where a bunch of jamaicans were eating there lunch... it was pretty good, and very cheap.

Labadee... if you are looking to just sit in the sun at one of your stops, this is the place to do it. Its a private penninsula(sp?) and so its just your cruise people and a handful of people selling things at one spot(they arent allowed to come to where you are relaxing and stuff). They also had jetskiis there and kayaking looked ok, but you have to book all that through the ship, so its more expensive.

cozumel... we went snorkling here in a glass bottom boat that we found when we got off the ship. We barganed for 30 bucks a person for a 3 hour snorkling tour, and he stopped in 3 different places and the guide was in the water with us.... It was pretty cool... He got us to a place where there was a sunken cement peice of some sort.... TONS OF COOL FISH, so it was well worth the ugly boat we were in..... Also, all you can drink beverages. Someone else on our little tour got him down to 25 bucks. We found him by walking off the ship and going to the main street. He was out there so just ask someone when you get off the ship where you can find someone doing a snorkling tour.
Also, the best shopping(cheapest) is in cozumel. We also went a few streets off the main strip to get some really really good authentic mex food.

Caymen. We got off the ship and booked a tour for 35 per person for snorkling and stingray city. Well worth the money, they all have the gear you need so you dont have to bring anything with you.
Everything is expensive in caymen so, I would just say go do that and then head back to the ship or beach.

Hope this helps!!!

3/8/2006 8:09:31 AM

I'm soooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!

3/8/2006 12:34:47 PM

forgot to mention the topless sunbathing deck

3/8/2006 1:30:56 PM

^ b00bs

3/8/2006 1:45:23 PM

Quote :

"He was out there so just ask someone when you get off the ship where you can find someone doing a snorkling tour."

DONDE ESTA EL SNORKELO

3/8/2006 5:43:16 PM