Thinking about going on a cruise in April on that ship. Leaves out of Miami. Anyone ever been on that particular ship or Royal Caribbean in general? I've only been on one cruise and it was a tiny ship that went to Nassau for 2 days.

Ships capacity is around 3100 with lots of activities.

Would you recommend something different, also how much money should we bring for the extras?

forgot to add. its to the Western Caribbean. Ports of Call: Belize City, Costa Maya (Majahual), Cozumel, Georgetown GCM


[Edited on March 28, 2007 at 2:19 PM. Reason : fda]

3/28/2007 2:17:19 PM

I have no experience with cruises, but I'd say start keeping an eye on the Travel Channel.

Also, April is like, Saturday.

3/28/2007 2:23:07 PM

yeah...we've got the room on hold departing April 8th. Just have to decide in the next few hours if we want to go or not.

and don't have cable

3/28/2007 2:25:04 PM

cruises are awesome.

ive been on RC but im not sure if it was this particular boat.

1) mad free food

2) the girls can only run so far before its either you or the ocean



***pack your own alcohol*** put everclear in medicine bottles

3/28/2007 2:28:15 PM

I went on an RC cruise, do it. You'll have a blast.

Don't sign up for too many excursions if you like to explore places on your own desire.

3/28/2007 3:14:25 PM

Quote :

"2) the girls can only run so far before its either you or the ocean"

ahahahha

3/28/2007 3:16:18 PM

Yeah, I've been on Sovereign of the Seas. I wasn't very impressed, it was okay but nothing great.

Princess cruises are great. Definitely would reccomend them over RC.

3/28/2007 3:30:12 PM

^do you remember the total passenger capacity of Soverign? I've seen some that are only 1100-1400 vs the 3100-4100

3/28/2007 3:39:53 PM

If you go on a bigger boat, you have a more choices of activities, etc. I went on the Mariner and Grandeur last year. Both the Mariner and Explorer were in the largest boat family until the new ones, Liberty, Freedom and Independence, were built. I went on one excursion mainly because it was all you can drink alcohol but that's about it. Exploring on your own is definitely the way to go.

Money wise...bring a decent amount of money for off shore shopping and drinking. Like $300 for since you are going to four destinations? Just depends how much you want to spend on the boat vs off of the boat.

Definitely bring alcohol in big shampoo bottles. And put beer cans around your clothes in your suitcase. It will definitely save you some money.

3/28/2007 3:42:05 PM

do they search your lugage or something? i don't remember them doing that last time but it was years ago and it was a small vessel. 300-600 capacity i think.

Besides alchohol what else costs money on the ship? Food and activities are all included right? except for off-ship stuff?

3/28/2007 3:47:08 PM

They charge you if you dine at some of the places on the ship. They also charge for soda and they have shops where you can buy stuff.

3/28/2007 4:41:21 PM

I went on Carnival last year this time and had a blast. As far as money, bring a couple hundred cash for off the boat. On the boat your room key is how you pay for everything (by everything,I mean alcohol and anything from the stores.) Only cash you will spend is off the boat. Just for reference, 7 day cruise, spent $1500 on alcohol on the boat, about $100 per day per person. Gifts and stuff from the different countries spent a total of $300. This was on Carnival and i am guess most cruise lines are the same way.

3/28/2007 4:48:16 PM

Damn, $1500 in alcohol. How much are the drinks?

3/28/2007 4:49:47 PM

^^won't be drinking much if at all. Just going to have fun and relax. So i guess a few hundred for off boat stuff?

3/28/2007 4:55:35 PM

^^6-8 on the 'specials' around 4 or 5 for most beers in a bottle; liquor you'd be better off tryin to smuggle your own in some water bottles.

^Depends where you're going and for how long at each port of call, just overestimate what you think you'll need. For activities, Carnival charged for about 80% of activities. And not to be an ass but theres a few threads on this in here if ya need.

[Edited on March 28, 2007 at 6:08 PM. Reason : .]

3/28/2007 6:07:04 PM

activities meaning the on-board stuff? like indoor rock climbing, ice skating etc?

3/28/2007 6:10:11 PM

Can't help you for April. We just did our reservations for our honeymoon in September; Carnival Legend in the Western Carribean. From what we've seen, the cost of the cruise itself is only half the expense. The other half is air fare, shore excursions, tips/taxes, and cash on hand. Of course, that's relatively speaking, as September the fares are dirt cheap.

My question, how large is the group you are going with?

3/28/2007 7:40:28 PM

its just 2 of us. We're driving to Miami and staying 1 night at her friends house. so we don't need airfare...just gas. We aren't planning on doing any heavy drinking...neither one of us are big drinkers. Just really looking for the floating resort experience and explore on our own at each island.

3/28/2007 7:42:49 PM

The stuff on the boat is free. They do not search your bags at check-in. Just do not bring glass since they will throw your luggage. Yeah drinks on the boat are expensive...like 4-5 for a beer...which is why you should at least bring your own. They do check your carry-ons when you first board and when you come back from visiting each destination, especially if you are a girl and already carrying a large bag. You can actually buy some great priced liquor and such at each destination and even on the boat, however you have to store them and pick them off as you exit the boat. On my cruise to Bermuda last June, we spent $1500 between two of us. We didn't even realize how bad it was until the last day. His parents agreed to pay like a couple hundred of our tab at the beginning and they were a lil shocked when they saw that amount. And that was on a 5 day cruise. It's hard to keep control of your funding when you have that lil card that you can swipe everywhere.

Also, I wouldn't recommend getting the soda package. Water, tea and lemonade are free all week so might as well save your money on alcohol instead of paying for a cup that gets you like 25 sodas a week for like $35 I think. Plus if you lose the cup you have to pay for everything all over again.

Oh and one more thing, about exploring on your own. If the port is far from a good beach, location to explore, definitely sign up for an excursion on the boat. It's easier to go with a group that has a tour guide and will actually keep up with everyone to make sure you get back before the boat leaves and so you won't have to worry about finding other transportation or getting lost.

[Edited on March 28, 2007 at 8:04 PM. Reason : .]

3/28/2007 8:02:31 PM

Quote :

"do you remember the total passenger capacity of Soverign?"

i can't remember off hand. it wasn't the size of the boat or the activities i had issue with. it was the level of service, upkeep, etc.

i've just found princess to be a much more pleasant experience overall. they are typically a little pricier, but it's well worth it imo.

fwiw, i've been on 5 cruises. the southern carribean was probably the one i enjoyed the most.

on your stops, i HIGHLY reccomend renting a car if you have the time or at least taking a bus/taxi tour. this allows you to actually see what the place is like, not just all the tourist garbage that is within walking distance of the ship.

as far as money, you really only need it for what you do off the ship. on the ship, your room key works just like a charge card everywhere. you link it to a credit/debit card. you can also settle it in cash at the end of your trip if you prefer. if you're really worried about having money around, you can get cash as you need it on the ship from the main desk. gambling is the only on ship activity i can think of you would want cash for. even there you can use your card also though.

3/28/2007 8:09:08 PM

^exactly

And not disagreeing with her but from my experience was you're gonna have a lot more fun doing the excursions, imho and its true with almost every cruise with ports of call, that what ever island excursion Carnival or RC has, theres a couple dozen taxis, tours, or excursion groups that the locals can give for a lot less. Also, they're gonna know the best spots for doing stuff at different times of the year since they know the area the best. If you dont trust them for some reason you can always fill out the excursion applications on the first or second day of the cruise if you hold out but it'll still cost ya more than if you used the locals. Some activities like a comedy show, casino tournaments, or dances are free, but most stuff will cost money, usually 50-150 pp.

3/28/2007 8:10:37 PM

yeah, the excursions are mostly a rip off, and nothing special. i mean, things like riding waverunners... woo hoo! i'll never have a chance to do that one again...

don't get me wrong, there are some that are worth doing... but it's a select few imo.

^^^actually, the unlimited soft drink thing is GREAT if you plan on getting your own liquor aboard. dirt cheap crown and cokes all week. that's another thing princess is great about also, they are very slack about keeping what you buy with you. they won't take it unless you're openly carrying it.

3/28/2007 8:15:19 PM

Quote :

"From what we've seen, the cost of the cruise itself is only half the expense. The other half is air fare"

There is a port in Maryland if you want to avoid shelling out for airfare or taking the long drive down to Miami.

3/28/2007 8:43:14 PM

maryland is a pretty miserable drive. at least the drive to miami is relatively traffic free, even if it does take a little longer.

there are other places you could leave from depending on what you end up doing. i know royal carribean goes out of port canaveral, fl for example.

3/28/2007 9:07:34 PM

from the ones we saw out of Charleston, and other ports in Miami, the Explorer of the Sea seemed to offer the best destinations and activities overall. I did not know Maryland had a cruise ship port...didn't see any leaving from there on our dates of travel. Most where either Florida or Texas/LA.

I guess i won't have to worry about the soft drinks package since i only ever drink water and alchohol.

Is there a way to find out about what the locals offer and prices etc BEFORE arriving at the port? short of googling.

Quote :

"yeah, the excursions are mostly a rip off, and nothing special. i mean, things like riding waverunners... woo hoo! i'll never have a chance to do that one again... "

we did want to do the waverunner thing once cause i do love it and she wants to also. I've had some pretty cool waverunner experiences, for example in Key West we did a tour of the keys on waverunners which was fun....90minutes around 2 keys and going to 'hot spots' like a sand bar in the middle of no where to swim, through the key west main port, out in open seas with some nice waves etc...but i agree if its just riding around in a perfeclty calm water way then thats boring as hell lol. Also are waverunners usually something you rent through the ship at ports or just random 'beach' spots from the locals?

[Edited on March 28, 2007 at 9:17 PM. Reason : fda]

3/28/2007 9:15:30 PM

You can rent them through your cruise line.

3/28/2007 9:22:41 PM

oh another thing i remember with my last cruise (it was a really small ship) was that everything was extremely limited in quantity so if you wanted to sign up for a certain excursion you had to sign up really early or you won't get a spot. is this true for the larger ships as well?

3/28/2007 9:23:43 PM

Soft drink package + bottle of everclear or 151 = ~$36 all week

Plus some ships will let you buy duty free alcohol on board.

I got a half gallon of grey goose for $29.99 after i ran out of 151.

I know what you're thinking, its gay for a guy to get grey goose. But after drinking 151 for 3-4 straight days i really needed something clear and easy.

3/28/2007 9:26:09 PM

i wasn't thinking that at all... grey goose is FTW

3/28/2007 9:27:10 PM

i went on voyager of the seas like a year ago exactly, not to the same places (well georgetown was the same) 1 week, left from miami. it was aweome, i'd look up the other RC or cruise threads in the lounge for more info, i know i posted a lot about mine.

i say go, i cant wait to take another. to either alaska or europeeeee

as for the alcohol though, the only time i saw for drinking the duty free stuff was the night before you get back to miami wehn they leave it in your room. you cant just buy it and carry it around. just buy drinks. unless youre like an alcoholic and it will break you. i only had like 3 a day and i was fine

and theres tons to do on the boat, but if i had the trip to take again i'd spend more time out and about. mainly cause it sucks to think that i probably wont be back to most of those places soon and i missed a lot due to being a lazyass

3/28/2007 9:32:43 PM

Quote :

"oh another thing i remember with my last cruise (it was a really small ship) was that everything was extremely limited in quantity so if you wanted to sign up for a certain excursion you had to sign up really early or you won't get a spot. is this true for the larger ships as well?"

yes. not for everything, but for alot of it.

3/28/2007 11:07:13 PM

On my cruise lots of people we spoke to had been on several different cruise lines and complimented RC with the best food and atmosphere. If you're not there to party but are open to meeting interesting people from all over the world that is a fantastic place.

We had such a blast and I can't wait for my next one!

3/28/2007 11:19:11 PM

I'm going on an RC this Summer. The Radiance of the Sea.

3/29/2007 7:14:31 AM

My boyfriend & I are going on a cruise in May! This is my first one! We are driving to Miami on May 4 and probably staying w/ a friend then the cruise departs May 5 at 4:00.

We're going w/ Carnival because we booked really early and got two balcony rooms for 800 something each.

We're doing the Eastern Caribbean for 7 nights. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; St. Thomas, USVI; San Juan, Puerto Rico; & Grand Turk.

I don't drink much so I don't think the alcohol is going to be a problem but the gambling might.

The excursions look like so much fun!! So far we have only booked two (Castaway Barefoot Sail & Snorkel to Shipwreck Cove & Madison Point Clear Kayak), but we'll probably throw maybe one more in there or two and then find things to do on the islands instead of prebooking.

I am so excited!! 37 days!!

[Edited on March 29, 2007 at 9:51 AM. Reason : YAY!]

3/29/2007 9:48:29 AM

don't sign up for the excursions through the cruise line. at most places you can take a taxi and do them yourself for cheaper.

3/29/2007 10:21:45 AM

I went on that very boat for my honeymoon, but we went eastern carribean. Had a great time. Lots of stuff on the boat to do on the boat and most of it (sans alcohol) is free. We did alot of excursions at the time, but if I had to do it again, I might pick only one of the more interesting ones and then explore the rest of the islands on our own. Snorkeling was by far our favorite activity. There really isnt a need to prebook excursions. On the boat, you will be able to access a list of them on your TV and they will have quick video previews so you can get a better idea of what each one entails. Then you can order them with your remote.

Contrary to what someone said, YES, they do search your luggage. They do it randomly. If you bring nice clothes, plan on having the on board dry cleaner repress everything. Surprisingly, they are pretty cheap and our clothes were very wrinkled after whoever searched the luggage went through it all. Also put any liquids in a plastic bag as we had a bottle of lotion open when they searched and it went everywhere.

You will probably want to bring between 300-500 for extras depending on how many excursions and stuff you do.

This is a great time of year for a cruise as well. It wasn't super hot like it gets in the summer, but it was warm enough to swim and do the stuff you want to do. We went in early April and it was amazing. You will have fun.

[Edited on March 29, 2007 at 10:56 AM. Reason : s]

3/29/2007 10:53:48 AM

Quote :

"I don't drink much so I don't think the alcohol is going to be a problem but the gambling might. "

youre a pokerstar right... they had one table on our boat. like 1/2, 2/5 limit depending on the time of day or something. 6 man table. so good luck finding a seat. i stuck with slot machines, probably would have made more money throwing quarters off the side of the boat.

3/29/2007 11:02:09 AM

Awww but I wanna play poker.

I'm not a big fan of other gambling things but my boyfriend absolutely loves Blackjack and Roulette. I don't really care for either.

If I don't get to play poker, I may play the slot machines a little bit because I haven't before.

[Edited on March 29, 2007 at 11:15 AM. Reason : But in any case, I am just as happy chilling by the pool when we're not docked. ]

3/29/2007 11:15:34 AM

[QUOTE]Damn, $1500 in alcohol. How much are the drinks?[/QUOTE]

If i remeber right, beer was $4.50 and a captin/coke was $5.50. I stuck with the liquor. We didnt bring any liquor with us because of all the stories we heard. In Belize we bought 6 bottles of rum, and getting on the boat they told us to check them in. We checked 3 in and the other 3 were in the bottom of her beach bag. And we got those bottles the night before we got back to Cape Canvaral.

Also parking for the week will run about $90.

3/29/2007 12:15:49 PM

Quote :

"We didnt bring any liquor with us because of all the stories we heard."

I think I'll take my chances after seeing your bar tab.

3/29/2007 12:22:58 PM

one word... http://www.cruisecritic.com

you can find everything you need to know. We went on a 6 night western caribbean last winter on the Radiance of the seas, that size was perfect for us, it's about 600 people smaller. Georgetown is a neat ass place, probably one of our favorite stops on our trip. I've heard good things about the Explorer. RCI isn't geared towards the young party crowd, but we did have a great time and met a lot of great people, even people our age.

Be very careful about the excursions, yes you can find them cheaper by not going thru the line, but if you get delayed they WILL NOT wait for you, we had some friends on a cruise a month or so ago and 4 people got left and had to fly to the next port to get on. We are Diamond Level members so our booze was free during the happy hour in the concierge lounge. I did buy a few drinks outside of that and they were around 4-6 bucks. I think we took about 300 in cash for places/things that didn't take credit cards, which wasn't much. Usually taxi rides and the such and buying small trinkets. Everywhere else took plastic.

What kind of stateroom did you guys get? balconies are worth it in my opinion.

we can't wait, we're going on Serenade to the southern caribbean in Nov.

have fun

3/29/2007 12:40:42 PM

^^^^there's usually a number of blackjack and roulette tables.

3/29/2007 12:48:44 PM

Quote :

"Awww but I wanna play poker. I'm not a big fan of other gambling things but my boyfriend absolutely loves Blackjack and Roulette. I don't really care for either."

we played some roulette, but weren't there to gamble so werent spending the big bucks. but its a pretty fun game. just play with the dollar chips and you win sometimes, and lose most of the time. but when you win, you get like 4 or 8 more chips!!1 its all about staying as long as you can without going broke, and then when you go broke, making sure not to go back up to the room to the safe. haha. and the little smoking areas with the windows over the ocean were sooo cool!

man these threads always make me remember how cool the trip was, and how glad i am that i got to go on that one.

[Edited on March 29, 2007 at 1:27 PM. Reason : lolz]

3/29/2007 1:26:14 PM

I went on RC Navigator of the Seas in 2006. It was my first "cruising" experience, taken solely by the strong encouragement of my mother. Cruises aren't my thing. You only get 6-8 hours in each port of call, so if you plan to do excursions, don't plan more than 1. Two is overwhelming and you don't get to really appreciate the area. THree is just impossible. And they are really expensive too.

My cruise went to cozumel as well. I highly recommend the catamaran party boat. you get unlimited free margaritas, beach party, snorkeling - it's just a rockin good time with a laid back crew. I think it was only about $50/person.

The activities on the ship can wear you out too. They give you a schedule the previous day of everything going on, and literally there multiple things planned at every minute of the day. You just have to pick and choose.

Drinks on the ship are NOT included and can be very pricey. Photos are expensive too - you can ask for a smaller print at a much lower price. You don't have to buy the 8x10 for $20! We only spent about $300 between excursions and "stuff", plus they expect you to tip your dinner waiter (there are two or three of them each night that are expecting a tip at the end of the cruise), maid, etc. I would completely bypass the dinners in the formal dining hall. They have the exact same food on the buffet - and you can avoid the tip.

3/30/2007 7:28:49 PM

i didnt like having to dress up for the dinners

i am on the cruise to chill, not to go to church

3/30/2007 7:36:02 PM

^^ I'm confused about comments on tipping. Don't you usually tip at the end in that envelope?

3/30/2007 9:54:37 PM

yeah,you tip in the envelope at the end of the cruise, but if you don't go to the formal dinners, there's no need to tip your waiter(s). if i were to go on another cruise, i wouldn't do any excursions - and probably wouldn't even get off the boat.

i prefer the all-inclusive resorts. no tipping allowed, free alcohol, pure relaxation!

3/30/2007 10:49:19 PM

Tipping is just one of the many things you have to take into account here. These people only get paid by tips. so lets say 7 of us skip out (rudely) on dinner then they have lost 70 dollars per person for there weeks table. Not cool at all. like someone else posted....go to http://www.cruisecritic.com you will learn everything you need to know about cruising, whose going to be on your ship, etc. etc. My parents are avid cruisers. They started me out in high school so I have been on the carnival fantasy(70,000 tons) feb 1999-with family, met cool people from all over , regal empress april 2000(very small but a whole hs from VA was on with me) then the mariner of the seas october 2005(very HUGE ship 138,000 tons) Mariner of the Seas March 2006 (spring breaky and a GREAT TIME with all sorts of people) and then Sovereign of the Seas September 2006(small ship about 70,000 tons and no conceirge for us diamond members but a great time) and then I went back to Carnival the triumph this spring break 2007 in march and it was AWESOME. I love cruises. Anything any of yall need to know you can pretty much ask me. got another one planned either 4-5 days over fall break(seeing some great deals on http://www.carnival.com and http://www.rccl.com and then of course my last spring break march 2008 we are doing the cruise remix. Coolest thing is one of my best girl friends is someone i met on a cruise in 2000. There is so much I can talk about. i will talk more when someone else responds. later yall.

4/3/2007 7:12:17 PM

^ the thing about tipping is not entirely true. At least on RCCL the "tipped" staff are guaranteed a certain amount of money per cruise, either using tips or not. So if everyone skips out they are not totally getting the shaft, regardless it's not that much really and even if you don't go to the formal dining room many of the waiters/waitresses work the buffet areas during breakfast and lunch, so you are still using their services in a round about way.

4/3/2007 7:18:57 PM

^yeah, for carnival you are automatically billed 10 dollars per day divided among waitstaff, chefs, etc. at your plated dinners, but at the end of the cruise you can adjust it for better or shitty service, or being a petty stickler. Most of the time the service is good, simply cause they thats their job and they know if they do shitty they're gonna get shitty tips. Random: One odd thing I noticed on my ship, most of the waitstaff were azn or indian (couldnt speak very well), and most of the maintenance crews were italian/greek.

4/3/2007 8:06:06 PM