Complete Cruise Newbie

[Hibiscus13]

I know the drink packages are a relatively new idea and there is much discussion about whether they are a good deal or not. Hubs and I really enjoy drinking wine, all kinds, cheap and expensive - but we usually like to do so before dinner and not always with dinner.

 

Anyone who has purchased a 'Taste of the Vineyards' Package - where and when can we consume the wine? Can we order a bottle from room service to drink in our room before dinner? Is it available all day or just with meals? Is there a limit to how many bottles, and if we find one we really like can we skip the rest?

 

Again, any insight would be appreciated!

[Softball20]

Lots has been covered here, but just my two cents. We kind of think of a cruise ship as a bus that takes us from island to island. It's a nice way to scope out places you may want to visit again. For us, the itinerary is very important (Southern Caribbean itineraries go to the best islands), but the line is also a factor for us because we like very good food and service. Luckily most ships have good gyms because there is no shortage of food :)

 

The ship is like a floating city, really. You can do as much or as little as you want. For us it's the latter - we hit a beach while in port and then hang by the pool at sea.

 

One more thing - the costs while on board are a matter of perspective. We live near DC, so I don't find that the drink prices are all that high. Yes, it is higher than if you were making it at home, but I really don't find the drink prices that much more than what we are used to here. What I do like to do is make friends with a bartender early on. They tend to pour better drinks thereafter :) I have found that I don't like the wine selections on most of the ships we've been on. I find them limiting and overpriced. We do like to bring on our own whenever possible. I have also found that the pictures on most lines have gotten way overpriced. We used to buy more, but they just seem to keep going up. I guess they know what they're doing, but it seems to me that they would sell a lot more if they simply lowered the prices a bit.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!

[Hibiscus13]

Lots has been covered here, but just my two cents. We kind of think of a cruise ship as a bus that takes us from island to island. It's a nice way to scope out places you may want to visit again. For us, the itinerary is very important (Southern Caribbean itineraries go to the best islands), but the line is also a factor for us because we like very good food and service.

 

That is precisely how we booked this cruise - the itinerary sold it for us. We spent 12 days on Aruba last year and if we had been there on a cruise ship and had spent a few hours there we would likely not have gone back. I'm hoping to discover some hidden treasures in Grenada and Tobago, places I've always wanted to see without spending a week first.

 

I only wish we could fit St. Lucia and Barbados in at the same time :)

[Softball20]

I'm with you on Aruba. We've done land there, too, also before a cruise, and it's not our favorite. Too commercial. St. Lucia is fabulous. We've never been to Tobago, but I'd love to go. We really liked Grenada.

 

Have fun!

[mamadpapad]

I am responding to the "We are wine drinkers" quote.

 

First, I hope you will like cruising. It isn't for everybody, but many get hooked. My wife and I love cruising, and we are wine drinkers. We like Chardonnay's mainly, so maybe that is considered boring to many, but...................We also like Tuscan reds, especially if they have a merlot, cabernet, and sangiovessie (sp) blend.

 

As far as the wine, I do not know your wine budget, but if you truly are wine drinkers. here are some tips:

 

As soon as you get on the boat (ship), you will be meandering around to take in all the ship has to offer. Near the buffet, they will have a set up that will have the wine menus from the MDR (the main dining room), but also ask to see the wine menus from the specialty restaurants on the ship. Ask if they have a reserve list also. Sometimes they will show you that also. The wine menu on Celebrity is pretty good. But, review the wine lists from the Main Dining Room , the specialty resataurants, and the reserve wine list. You can get any of the bottles from any of the lists in the main dining room each night, Just because it is on the specialty restaurant menu, does not mean you can not get it in the main dining room. There are reasonably priced bottles from any wine list, and more expensive bottles should you desire them for some special evenings.

 

On the first night. the somallier (sp) from the Main Dinng Room will visit your table. Get to know him. Order an expensive botlle of wine from one of the wine lists that night. And he will be your partner the rest of the cruise. It is surprising that many people do not purchase a bottle of wine every evening. If you do, you will become the Sommalier's best friend, and he will show you the many bottles that meet your tastes.

 

So, enjoy a bottle of wine each evening. Then, proceed to the casino before you retire for the evening, and play blackjack or craps to try and pay for that bottle of wine you just consumed. Then, take your winnings, go to the pursar or the customer service desk and put the winnings on your room tab to pay for the wine. You just had some great wine, and it was free. How great is that. I hope you love cruising. It is not for everybody, but when you get hooked, you are hooked forever.

[benjispice]

You mean there are more out there like us?? We thought we were the only ones, kidless and full of wanderlust. And according to Mexican Immigration, retired at age 34....

 

 

LOL! Yup! She and her husband sold their house in BC, lived in Cabo with friends for a while, then went around Canada for a while, then NYC, then back to BC...and at some point their plans are to go on a cruise (or somewhere in the Caribbean), then back to Cabo, and also off to Amsterdam.

 

Part of me is jealous!!

[scf1270]

We are preparing for our third Celebrity cruise, having sailed in Jan, '08 (Century) and Dec, '08 (Solstice). So, my obersvations are based on those.

 

Wine: My husband has wine with dinner every night - one or two glasses. Usually he has merlot, so he'll order a bottle. If you do not drink your entire bottle, they WILL HOLD IT FOR YOU and you can have it the next night. That worked really well for us. When he wanted something different, he just ordered it by the glass.

 

Formal Nights: He owns a tux so we bring it. Nothing like dancing with your guy in a tux! That said, at our MDR table we had two men in tuxes, one suit, one blazer, one in nice slacks and shirt (no tie). Women wore formal to nice casual. I take one pair of black silk slacks and two dressy tops. So - do what's comfortable for you and not feel like you need to skip the MDR for lack of a jacket/blazer.

 

Laundry/Dry Cleaning: Can't remember the prices, but I thought they were very reasonable. Would have packed less if I'd known. I think there was a good discount near the end of the trip - so my may want to get some things cleaned as you'll said you'd be traveling for a while.

 

Drink Pgks: We will skip those because we don't drink any one type of thing. Frozen drinks by the pool. His wine with dinner. Martini Bar or Wine Bar some nights.

 

Enjoy!

Sara

[denims]

I am responding to the "We are wine drinkers" quote.

 

First, I hope you will like cruising. It isn't for everybody, but many get hooked. My wife and I love cruising, and we are wine drinkers. We like Chardonnay's mainly, so maybe that is considered boring to many, but...................We also like Tuscan reds, especially if they have a merlot, cabernet, and sangiovessie (sp) blend.

 

As far as the wine, I do not know your wine budget, but if you truly are wine drinkers. here are some tips:

 

As soon as you get on the boat (ship), you will be meandering around to take in all the ship has to offer. Near the buffet, they will have a set up that will have the wine menus from the MDR (the main dining room), but also ask to see the wine menus from the specialty restaurants on the ship. Ask if they have a reserve list also. Sometimes they will show you that also. The wine menu on Celebrity is pretty good. But, review the wine lists from the Main Dining Room , the specialty resataurants, and the reserve wine list. You can get any of the bottles from any of the lists in the main dining room each night, Just because it is on the specialty restaurant menu, does not mean you can not get it in the main dining room. There are reasonably priced bottles from any wine list, and more expensive bottles should you desire them for some special evenings.

 

On the first night. the somallier (sp) from the Main Dinng Room will visit your table. Get to know him. Order an expensive botlle of wine from one of the wine lists that night. And he will be your partner the rest of the cruise. It is surprising that many people do not purchase a bottle of wine every evening. If you do, you will become the Sommalier's best friend, and he will show you the many bottles that meet your tastes.

 

So, enjoy a bottle of wine each evening. Then, proceed to the casino before you retire for the evening, and play blackjack or craps to try and pay for that bottle of wine you just consumed. Then, take your winnings, go to the pursar or the customer service desk and put the winnings on your room tab to pay for the wine. You just had some great wine, and it was free. How great is that. I hope you love cruising. It is not for everybody, but when you get hooked, you are hooked forever.

 

I couldn’t resist making a comment on your last paragraph!;)

You wrote the post I believe at 12:57am, your time! We’re you drinking wine then? :D Or were you just dreaming?:confused:

[Hibiscus13]

The advice is very helpful - we have several months before we cruise but the planning has been interesting and fun so far.

 

The comment about buying a bottle of wine and having them hold it for you until the next night is great - any chance we could take it back to our room if we don't finish it?

 

MDR - I haven't ruled it out, I'll see if I can finesse hubs into a pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt at least...oh, and shoes...I'll have to find him some shoes.

 

We'll skip the casino - we'd rather spend our money seeing as much as we can at the ports, diving, snorkeling, catamaran trips, etc.

 

Benjispice - it's nice to know there are like minded individuals out there somewhere. Most of our friends are having babies and staying home, we'd rather leave that to them and see what else the world has to offer :)

[SeaBlu]

Hi all -

 

We are experienced travellers but brand new to cruising and are thinking about a late November sailing to the southern Caribbean. The only reason we are considering this particular cruise is because of the specific ports of call. But, I'm having a tough time figuring out the slang, abbreviations and what's included on the Celebrity Summit.

We are casual people, hubs doesn't own a tux or a suit jacket - what are our dining options on Summit? When looking at the booking options I am presented with: 6:30pm Traditional, 8:30pm Traditional or Cel Slct Open. What does that mean exactly??

When the website says 'some beverages included' what beverages are included?

Can anyone tell me about the beverage packages? Is it worth, for example, to purchase the fountain beverage package when you can bring soda on to the ship? We are wine drinkers - what are our options?

Sorry for the completely clueless questions - but I have to start somewhere :)

Thanks!

 

 

Congratulations!!!! YOU have chosen wisely!! One of the BEST cruises we have ever done was a late November cruise - great weather plus the ship was decorationg for Christmas - we loved it!

 

First, I strongly recommend that you give a lot of thought to your husband arrange to rent a tux onboard and I am sure you could buy a lovely cocktail dress. There are tons of great bargins online - if not in any of your local stores. Formal nights on Celebrity are really fun, it is a great atmosphere and they should have Christmas decorations, trees etc. where you pose for the photographs.

 

Second is dinner, we have never done the "free style" so I cannot help you with that. We did the early seating once and found we had hurry back from shore excursions to be showered and dressed for dinner. So we switched to late dining. We find it perfect for us. We have time to relax after returning from shore, before we dress for dinner and usually go to the wine bar or Martini Bar (YUM;)) before dinner.

 

We are wine drinkers, also, but have decided, not to select a wine package. DH (dear husband) would rather choose a selection for dinner each evening rather than already have a "package". He did not feel that there was any savings by buying the package, so he would rather by the bottle, by the mood. I don't know if that is any help to you.

 

The beverages that are included are plentiful IF you do not need soda and know that they do not included ANY alcoholic beverages.

 

UNLIMITED AMOUNTS OF: REGULAR OR DECAF-COFFEE, TEA - HOT AND ICED, MILK, LEMONADE, FRUIT PUNCH, MOST JUICES WITH BREAKFAST (I THINK YOU MAY HAVE MORE CHOICES IF YOU HAVE BREAKFAST IN THE DINING ROOM). DURING THE DAY THERE ARE DIFFERENT "ADE" OR "PUNCHES" AT DIFFERENT BEVERAGE STATIONS. THERE IS ALSO ICE WATER.

 

IF I CAN ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR YOU - PLEASE ASK!

 

I am more than happy to help you - we LOVE Celebrity.

wgpmap@hotmail.com

[scf1270]

We never asked if we could take the wine back to our room - so I don't know. It was less expensive than buying 4 glasses over two dinners. And we spent plenty of extra on poolside drinks and the wine and martini bar. You can bring two bottles with you for use in your cabin. There are a lot of posts/threads on this if you want more info.

 

We had a couple of lovely pre-dinner "cocktail" evenings on our balcony with a couple that we met. They had champange - we had the balcony:). Earlier in the day I ordered fruit, cheese, and crackers for four from room service, for 5pm delivery. It was lovely. We had early dinner (yes- there is some rushing, but we don't like to eat late), and our friends had late seating).

 

Would also recommend that the hubs get one nice pair of slacks for ANY night you want to eat in the MDR - even formal night. There are also some dressier guy sandals that should be fine for dinner. (not the flip-flop type)

 

I can't wear heels anymore, so I bought a pair of dressy black patent sandals - and, yep, I wore them on formal night instead of the heels I used to wear. Didn't totally love the look - but it more than worked.

 

You are asking lots of good questions!!!

[SantaFeFan]

I guess I'm the opposite of cruie4ever, or at least take a different approach. We're on vacation and budget for it. We do run up a large cruise bill and have a fine time doing it. There is nothhing wrong with cruise4ever's approach, but I just wanted to point out that there are options for people with different goals and priorities.

 

I agree with Lsimon. My wife and I are not wealthy, and are only able to cruise every couple of years or so. When we do, however, we consider it a very special event. We budget so we can splurg on these trips, something we rarely do at home. We know it will be expensive when all the costs are finalized, but the thought of scrimping WHILE on the cruise is not something we care to do. We will scrimp in between the cruises, but not during. It's our time to treat ourselves, and we certainly do so without regret.

 

There is nothing wrong with trying to spend as little as possible. It's just not our way. That is something we can do at home during our normal day to day living, while day dreaming of the next time we treat ourselves to a grand adventure on a cruiseship somewhere in this vast world full of wonders.

[madelinerose]

Hi:), I agree with most of Larry's post. I am also opposite of cruise4ever.

 

I always have a drink in the Martini Bar before dinner. It is part of my

cruise. Drinking in port has nothing to do with my enjoyment on the ship.

 

I am on vacation.:D Things that are important to me or that are a priority

to me may mean nothing to someone else and vice versa.

 

As you said, each of us has our own priorites.;)

 

 

Ditto and Amen! :D;)

[cruise20]

We also agree with SantaFeFan. That's what we do too.

[ohiocruisemom56]

We have taken 45 cruises & over time we learned how NOT to wind up with post cruise high credit card bills.

 

Here are some recommendations to keep costs low :

. chat with fellow cruisers at dinner & inquire if they would like to book their own tours when in port .Many times you can get off a ship & find tours available right at the port or at least buses that will take you into town & there youy can walk around.Ship tours are very pricy & imo not worth the money. We booked full day tours in the Caribbean as low as $15 per person (we negotiated a mini van for 6 people) .

 

.Bring your own camera to take pictures .If you want a formal picture ,then arrange for it .Other than one formal picture be aware that ship photograhy is pricy .

 

.Do your alcoholic drinking in ports .It is far less expensive than ship drinks .

 

.You can bring 2 bottles of wine on board to use in your cabin .But ,if you take the wine to the MDR then it costs $25 corkage per bottle .It simply is not worth that money . Celebrity is a upscale cruise line . Carnival at the other end charges $10 corkage fees.

 

. Sending out laundry on Celebrity & or most cruise lines is very pricy . Do hand washing periodically & either hang it up on plastic hangers in the shower or drape it over a chair on a balcony (if in a warm climate) .When you have 10 Celebrity cruise credits you become Elite level & you get free wash & fold laundry among other great perks(all perks for the 3 levels are explained on the Celebrity web site)

 

.Keep ALL valuables (including cameras & pass ports ) in your locked room safe. Take photo copy of your pass port with you in ports of call ,along with a major credit card(not Discover--best CC is Capitol One Visa or Mastercard --you will not pay a exchange rate fee)

 

.We have found that the best trip insurance company is www.globaltravelshield.com (you can get a full refund up to the day before your trip) .This is a American Express affiliated company .Also American Express sells a yearly medical plan (if you need it for travel outside the USA) .It is low cost & can cover each of you for $100000 medical ,$100000 medical evacuation ,& $100000 accidental dimemberment .What we like about it is that the coverage starts 150 miles from home.Although this plan takes second position like most trip ins plans ,it gives us the peace of mind that we are fully covered & at low premium dollar cost . It is very important to carry trip ins .We have been reimbured in excess of $25000 from Global Travel Shield

 

We hope that this info is of help to you

 

Have a great cruise now & in the future

 

It's so interesting to hear how other people can make such different choices and yet we all have a wonderful vacation:

 

We have never done an "excursion" with other people we met on board. Either do one through the cruise line...or just take a cab or public transportation and go exploring on our own.

 

We hate taking pictures and usually buy one or two from the ship photographers. They'll happily crop or trim and size as you want.

 

I've been on 8 cruises and never had an alcoholic drink in port. Much more relaxing to drink when we're on board and go exploring when we're in port.We've also never brought alcohol on board with us. I've spent a lot of $ planning the cruise...we want well-prepared and served cocktails and wine.

 

I always use the laundry service for my exercise clothes. I simply don't own a week's worth (8 days including the pre-cruise night at the embarkation port if it's winter) of exercise clothes so I bring 4 outfits and then send them out for laundering...about $5 per outfit. Saves me buying them, transporting them and cleaning them. Cost justified by knowing that I"m doing the right thing to work out every day on vacation.

 

We do agree on keeping passports and jewelry/money in the safe. But I've never needed a copy of my passport at the beach; I just bring my driver's license, sea pass card, one credit card and some cash. If I'm going to the beach I have one of those waterproof things that you put around your neck and can go into the water with your valuables (they sell them on the ship if you don't have one already or it breaks...I've had my Royal Caribbean one for YEARS.).

 

I guess we've been lucky that we've never been ill or injured on a cruise. Maybe I should be better about protecting ourselves...but we're not the insurance kind of people (never buy service contracts or take insurance when I mail something either).

 

At any rate, my point is just that we do it differently, we all make different choices, but we still have a great time and love to cruise!!!!

 

Virginia