stquentin

I have booked my cruises directly thru the cruise line and travel agent. I just don't know which is best.

Ok... Just some facts using basic math. I bought a 1.5 liter top brand vodka for $16.89 and 24 cans of coke for $12. I bought a 12 pack of beer for $11.49. So with a $128 On board Cruise Credit one can purchase 9 mixed drinks or 16 beers over 7 days. Ashore that would cost around (for 7 days) $3.60 for the vodka and $7 for coke (for 7 days) which brings the total out of pocket cost less than $11. Or.... 16 beers for $6.70. So your Onboard credit of $128 is actually worth less than $20.

All the ads I see list this percentage off or that percentage off which begs the question where are these prices coming from? How does one really know when they are receiving the best price????

Reading comments about west coast cruises I am reminded that there are very few west coast destinations. I have live in the LA area 5 times and you can only go to Tijuana and Ensenada just so many times. Sure if I am heading to or fro with Alaskan cruises it would start/end on the west coast but these are NOT 3 day cruises. I really appreciate the comment on how much free time is left after boarding when considering waiting for your luggage, unpacking and re-packing your stuff. I also lived in Titusville Florida (twice), Orlando Florida (3 times) and Key West. When I first lived in Titusville Port Canaveral was a mere rock jetty to breakup waves.

I have been at Diamond level for over 20 years.

How much interest is there for 3 day cruises? I know that unless I'm living in or near the embarking port I would pass. Hard to justify airfare for such short cruise.

Cruise lines have been facing increasing port fees so first attempt was the creation of Costa Maya. This port was created by a joint project supported by major cruise lines with a town 2 miles down a dirt road. Also the Alaskan cruises face taxation from Alaskan cities on gambling profits within their waters.

Does anybody realize that having a private island ensures every dollar spent goes directly into Royal Caribbean's coffers instead of providing income to locals near ports.