elcuchio24

If all you want is to be on a ship with a cheap price, I suppose you can look for the 'kids sail free' offers, or reduced fare offers. But cruise lines have to charge for each berth, and the reduced fare for 3/4 passenger apply to adults, too. Every soul onboard is potentially occupying a seat in a lifeboat. (If they charged less for 'little ones' they should charge more for really big ones). There is more to a cruise than just a low price. if you are traveling with children, you have to consider the itinerary and kids programs. The best deal isn't always the best deal. EM

I was asking more about the child specific charges from different lines, as I know some charge the blanket third passenger charge and others vary based on age, which is the information I was looking for. My wife and I have been on 20+ cruises, so understand pretty well itinerary differences, etc.

What is everyone's opinion on the best option for sailing with small (under 4yo) kids as far as additional passenger charge goes? I know some charge full price, others less. We've only done Disney so far with the kido. Thanks for the opinions!

We do both and enjoy both, switching it up makes us enjoy both options more I think. Just like choosing the right cruise, you need to choose the right AI that suits you. We do sandels and a few others and always have a blast. But if you're going to do a bottom of the barrel affair, don't be suprised if you don't have a great time.

There's a reason they pay to advertise this on TV.....

It's not like an airline with carry on limits, you can carry through whatever you like.

This sounds just like the kind of day we'll spend on our next visit to Portland. We love that city and each time we visit, we enjoy it more.

 

Had an amazing dinner at Hugo's last fall. Fabulous James Beard Chef.

 

We sure like it:) Hugo's is great, Fore Street is also great, and Duckfat might be my favorite;)

Thanks for the info and thanks Mnbruce. Still trying to decide if I should go to Kennebunkport on a tour with a hour boat cruise or just stay in Portland and go see three lighthouses. We have been to Kennebunkport from Boston but Like the idea of taking a little boat ride around Walkers Point. Oh decisions. decisions.:)

If you do decide to go the KB route and like lighthouses, you can usually have the boat swing down past Nubble Light in York Beach...only a few miles from Walkers Point and for my money the nicest lighthouse in the area;)

Is there a way to take a scenic drive back from Kennebunkport to Portland. Possibly along the coast. Thanks for the info. The rental car sounds like a good idea if there is scenery to and from.

You can certainly go the back ways and route 1 and hug the coast. From Kennebunkport you'd head north through cape porpoise and Biddeford pool, which are similar to KBport...from there it gets progressivly more city like you go though biddeford and saco, scarborogh, and into portland. Its a fine drive but will take you three times longer than taking the pike. Like someone else said--it's new england, lots of stop signs, lots of little towns and small roads:)

If there are runners, how can you NOT watch?;)

We've sailed Liberty Thrice.....one time Western, two times eastern. Because.....we like the ship:)

Oh, I should have mentioned we're going down down to Old Orchard Beach...

Great day at the beach. Great food - like at the Fair. We were there in 2007 or 2008 and my son and I still talk about it! Best Clam CHowder...

We are refering to the Pier.

http://www.oldorchardbeachmaine.com/Activity.htm

OOB--also known as the Canadian Miami Beach:)

We are going here in a few weeks, what did you feed them?

It's not really part of the 'package' at Nachi, but we've become pretty freindly with a couple of the bartenders. The cooks throw out old tortillas, fruit, etc back behind the kitchen and the Coati come and scarf it down. If you ask them I'm sure they'll show you, and let you feed them if you like. They're wild, but pretty friendly. One ofthe highlights of Nachi for us!:)

you should see the gyrations i go through getting into my backyard pool if it's lower than 80º.

I'll be the one swimming to shore with a bag of money from the casino cage and a case of Crown.

that's what scared me the most with the concordia incident. they were just putting anyone in any boat. people going to their assigned boat found them full, or already launched.

Pretty sure in that case I would have just swam to shore and hoped someone had a towel ready from me when I got there. People don't realize how much worse the Concordia would have been 60miles out to sea.

and those will be the ones not knowing what to do, or where to go. and they better not be blocking my path, or asking me where they should go or what to do, cause i'm not stopping.

Nor should you. Sheeple will be sheeple.

Being prepared and having knowledge is not living in fear. Its the sign of an intelligent thinker.

I guess you guys are missing my point. Yes, everyone should be prepared. But what is prepared? Knowing how to put on a lifejacket, knowing your muster station. That's what's covered in the drill. It's up to the individual to pay attention or not. CCL is not going to wire people's eyelids open so they pay attention, that's not going to happen.

Now if prepared for you means doing survival suit prep, learning how to use the emergency radio, learning how to lower the life boats---thats NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

I'm not saying what should be done, just want will be done. The drill will stay the same as it is now for the foreseeable future.

YOU don't, because apparently you possess even a small amount of critical thinking ability and could maybe function in a crisis. NEVER underestimate just how "sheepish" many people are today in the face of anything outside of the norm.

 

Of course, the examples you posted are essentially 1-2 people problems. A cruise ship disaster is one where everyone is needed and expected to work together so that everyone else may survive.

Of course you want to be prepared for everything. People ARE sheep, you're totally right. And no matter what you do for a drill, nothing is going to change that. Some people will pay attention, some wont.

I'm talking real world logistics: CCL isn't going to strap everyone down for a 2 hour lecture on ship safety. It's never, ever going to happen. And the incidents of cruise ship disaster is low enough that they will never be forced to. The drill you have is the one you'll have tomorrow, 6 months from now, 6 years from now. Bank that.

Your attitude is shared by many, and is a big problem in the world today.

You have to play life my the %'s. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than dying in a cruise ship disaster.

Or: you could live in fear of everything. If that's your plan, good luck to you.

like the lottery........ it can happen at any time.

 

none of those concordia passengers said they expected that to happen in this day and age. even the vikings were shocked if you listened to the wind......

Life has risks, you just have to accept them. But the rangers at Yellowstone don't make you take a 4 hour course on Grizzly defense strategy, and you don't have to sit though a 2 hour video about what to do during a rollercoaster disaster before they let you on Magic Mountain:):)

If they offered an optional 1-2 hr class that covered those basics I would do it. Would be interesting.

Oh man, me too. That would be awesome! I would pay the same as the behind the scenes tours if they let me pilot the lifeboat!:)

I don't want to miss my chance at a lifeboat because of selfish people who don't pay attention at life safety drills because they feel (and will act, as proven on the concordia) that it is someone else's responsibility to save their life in a crisis.

 

Bottom line, people don't even WANT the ability to solve their own problems anymore.

The bottom line is: you could cruise every month for the rest of your life, and you will probably never have a problem.

easy fix. remove those individuals from the drill and sequestor them.

 

and then make them repeat the drill with the real officials, not the dancers and bingo callers.

Unfortunatly, CCL opperates in the real world where you know very well this will never, ever happen. They'll do what the coastguard tells them to do, and get everyone back up for sailaway ASAP.

LOL..you're kidding, right???

I have never been to a muster where everyone took it seriously, jacket on or not. The seriousness of the drill is dependant upon the crew member standing before you. If they take it seriously and keep everyone in line, it's serious. If they are lax, so are the passengers.

I agree. We've been to plenty of drills with jackets and without on various lines. Half the people are already 4 drinks deep, there are always a few jokesters, crying kids, old people who don't understand what's going on. Always the same, probably always will be the same.

While it's great that everyone is keeping a close eye on safety, it also needs to be looked at realistically. The Concordia was a tragedy but if you weigh the millions of people who have gone though the drill without incident, the chances that you'd ever have to abandon ship are miniscule. And the chances that you'd have to abandon ship AND the crew totally choked, like on Concordia, is ever less likely. If you are uncomfortable puting your well being in others hands, then don't get on a ship, bus, plane, taxt, etc. Not something I'm going to spend my time worrying about.