Why I LOVE CRUISING WITH RCCL ...... :)

[Cruizlovers]

We just got back from a wonderful land vacation in Ireland. We loved Ireland and the food and the people.... BUT when we got back, we said "We loved that trip and we're glad we did it, but let's stick with cruising". Why you ask? After traveling from Southern Texas to NYC to DUBLIN to our hotel, total travel time was 24 hours. We had a beautiful villa but we had to either cook or eat out and Ireland is expensive!! If we wanted to visiting another destination, we had to drive minimum 2 or more hours in the car, we ended up hiring a driver to take us there for $500 per day! When we returned, we were exhausted (and about $5,000 poorer).... Think about cruising....

 

- No driving, just unpack and party til your next destination, no driving!!

- Three meals a day, no extra charge, no cooking, no cleaning, no shopping!!

- My bed is made and my bathroom is cleaned by wonderful, friendly people!!

- Entertainment? No problem! Just show up at the preordained time, and voila! People just waiting to entertain you!

- And the sea.... the beautiful blue sea, just outside your door, waiting to calm your spirit and your soul, free of charge......

- I could go on..... but you get it!

 

I've cruised with X and NCL but we're happy for now with RCCL, they're not perfect but for a mass market line, they're pretty darn good. I don't understand the complainers..... 69 days til my Grand Suite on Mariner... I'm just giddy with excitement! I hope I never get so jaded that I spend my hard earned money to cruise and then complain that I am bored or that someone who wore jeans in the dining room "ruined my supper" or I wasn't presented with enough musical options.... Bet the folks in the local cemetery would gladly trade places with you! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING... Enjoy your cruise!

[addicted2]

We feel the same way. After doing 10 days in Maui and a week long cruise on the Freedom a month later, the cruise vacation is just less stressful. Not that we didn't have an amazing time in Maui, the cruise just had less decision making. I'm sure we will go back to Maui again sometime, but we already have three more cruises planned.

[Arubamoose]

We love travel of ALL kinds but cruising is a tremendous bargain.

 

We just returned from an 18 day vacation that we considered a test of (somewhat) cheap European travel in preparation for retirement.

 

We spent a grand total of $6000 (cashing in frequent flyer miles).

 

We spent 6 nights in Rome, cruised in a balcony cabin on the Brilliance to Amsterdam for 8 nights and then spent two nights in Amsterdam.

 

The cruise portion including taxes, tips, specialty dining, bar bill, excursions and transfers to/from cruise/airport (all DIY) came to $2500. We didn't really skimp that much considering we had a hump balcony (we usually do inside), bought the Diamond wine package, ate in Chops and Portofino, had a couple of martinis/drinks a night (not C&A diamond yet!) and even had a couple of bingo games in there.

 

Compare that to the 8 nights land portion of $3500 where we somewhat skimped. Spent just under $100 a night for our hotel in Rome (I know - it WAS actually ok and we basically just slept there). Our most expensive dinner was $150 (we did that twice). We bought some local wine to drink on the roof while checking email every night. Our admissions were a little pricey - but we were in Rome. We used Rick Steves! We splurged a little more in Amsterdam where I had traveled before on comapny paid business and was trying to show DH around.

 

If we had not skimped so much on the land portion and not splurged a little more on the cruise portion the difference would have been greater.

 

We own lots of time share in Aruba and even with that we spend more than we do when we cruise and we cook in!!

 

Best bargain we had was a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise in a oceanview cabin on the MSC Orchestra. $249pp. Total for the two of us - taxes, tips and misc (bar bill!) was under $1000.

 

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG!!!

[swcruise]

We just got back from a wonderful land vacation in Ireland. We loved Ireland and the food and the people.... BUT when we got back, we said "We loved that trip and we're glad we did it, but let's stick with cruising". Why you ask? After traveling from Southern Texas to NYC to DUBLIN to our hotel, total travel time was 24 hours. We had a beautiful villa but we had to either cook or eat out and Ireland is expensive!! If we wanted to visiting another destination, we had to drive minimum 2 or more hours in the car, we ended up hiring a driver to take us there for $500 per day! When we returned, we were exhausted (and about $5,000 poorer).... Think about cruising....

 

- No driving, just unpack and party til your next destination, no driving!!

- Three meals a day, no extra charge, no cooking, no cleaning, no shopping!!

- My bed is made and my bathroom is cleaned by wonderful, friendly people!!

- Entertainment? No problem! Just show up at the preordained time, and voila! People just waiting to entertain you!

- And the sea.... the beautiful blue sea, just outside your door, waiting to calm your spirit and your soul, free of charge......

- I could go on..... but you get it!

 

I've cruised with X and NCL but we're happy for now with RCCL, they're not perfect but for a mass market line, they're pretty darn good. I don't understand the complainers..... 69 days til my Grand Suite on Mariner... I'm just giddy with excitement! I hope I never get so jaded that I spend my hard earned money to cruise and then complain that I am bored or that someone who wore jeans in the dining room "ruined my supper" or I wasn't presented with enough musical options.... Bet the folks in the local cemetery would gladly trade places with you! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING... Enjoy your cruise!

 

They must have seen you coming paying 500 a day for a driver, fair enough if that is what you wanted to do and have the money... But there are many other options open to people based in Dublin on holidays:

 

You can hire a car a Dublin airport for the duration of your stay, all the well known International brands and at the usual daily rates

There is a Dart and Luas sevice that you can use in Dublin to get around the city and it's local environs.

There is also Irish Rail that can take you to other destinations Wexford, Cork, Waterford, Galway etc

There are HOHO buses in Dublin and also private tours that your hotel, bed and breakfast etc can advise and organise for you..

 

One more thing nobody rents a 'villa' in Ireland, they will rent a house, appartment, farmhouse etc. Villas are most used in sunny climes like the Med Spain/Italy/France and Greece..

[Cruizlovers]

They must have seen you coming paying 500 a day for a driver, fair enough if that is what you wanted to do and have the money... But there are many other options open to people based in Dublin on holidays:

 

You can hire a car a Dublin airport for the duration of your stay, all the well known International brands and at the usual daily rates

There is a Dart and Luas sevice that you can use in Dublin to get around the city and it's local environs.

There is also Irish Rail that can take you to other destinations Wexford, Cork, Waterford, Galway etc

There are HOHO buses in Dublin and also private tours that your hotel, bed and breakfast etc can advise and organise for you..

 

One more thing nobody rents a 'villa' in Ireland, they will rent a house, appartment, farmhouse etc. Villas are most used in sunny climes like the Med Spain/Italy/France and Greece..

 

The point, swcruise, of my post was to just state what a relative bargain cruising is vs. a land vacation, IMHO. I was sort of responding to the gal who had a long running post of why she did not like cruising for a large variety of reasons despite the fact that she did cruise multiple times.

 

I never said that we stayed in Dublin, we stayed in a rural village hence the cost of a driver and also we were 5 so requiring a larger vehicle. Regarding your "villa" remark, although I am sure you know everything about everything so here's a little education, they DO have villas in Ireland. The name of the VILLA we stayed in was Adare Manor VILLAS. Google it.

 

Happy cruising!

[hubofhockey]

If you like cruising, that's great. But choosing that as your exclusive form of travel is limiting. It's great for sightseeing and poor for quality travel. Land/Rail vacations in Europe can be very economical and fun and let you more immerse yourself in the local culture and dining. We're doing that for Amsterdam/Paris/London in two years and can't wait. In the mean time, we have an Allure cruise six months from now. You know what they say about variety.

 

Dublin was inexpensive for us. Hotel rates are great and we did a great rail tour. For us, to fly from Boston is quick, cheap, and convenient. But I suppose that's a benefit of living in Boston.

[MrFunInTheSun]

I hope I never get so jaded that I spend my hard earned money to cruise and then complain that I am bored or that someone who wore jeans in the dining room "ruined my supper" or I wasn't presented with enough musical options.... Bet the folks in the local cemetery would gladly trade places with you! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING... Enjoy your cruise!

 

Well said and so very true! Each day on land or on a cruise is what one makes of it.

 

Happy cruising.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse typographical errors.

[ticktoneer]

I agree !!

 

We've just paid $1500 per person for a 24 night cruise on Independence of the Seas (transatlantic, bahamas and eastern caribbean). Only an inside cabin, but for that price its amazing. The price also includes our direct flight back to the UK (miami to heathrow).

 

There is nowhere I know of with the same standards that we could take a vacation with all our food and entertainment included !

 

I just LOVE crusing !

[ProfessorandtheGeek]

We just got back from a wonderful land vacation in Ireland. We loved Ireland and the food and the people.... BUT when we got back, we said "We loved that trip and we're glad we did it, but let's stick with cruising". Why you ask? After traveling from Southern Texas to NYC to DUBLIN to our hotel, total travel time was 24 hours. We had a beautiful villa but we had to either cook or eat out and Ireland is expensive!! If we wanted to visiting another destination, we had to drive minimum 2 or more hours in the car, we ended up hiring a driver to take us there for $500 per day! When we returned, we were exhausted (and about $5,000 poorer).... Think about cruising....

 

- No driving, just unpack and party til your next destination, no driving!!

- Three meals a day, no extra charge, no cooking, no cleaning, no shopping!!

- My bed is made and my bathroom is cleaned by wonderful, friendly people!!

- Entertainment? No problem! Just show up at the preordained time, and voila! People just waiting to entertain you!

- And the sea.... the beautiful blue sea, just outside your door, waiting to calm your spirit and your soul, free of charge......

- I could go on..... but you get it!

 

I've cruised with X and NCL but we're happy for now with RCCL, they're not perfect but for a mass market line, they're pretty darn good. I don't understand the complainers..... 69 days til my Grand Suite on Mariner... I'm just giddy with excitement! I hope I never get so jaded that I spend my hard earned money to cruise and then complain that I am bored or that someone who wore jeans in the dining room "ruined my supper" or I wasn't presented with enough musical options.... Bet the folks in the local cemetery would gladly trade places with you! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING... Enjoy your cruise!

 

Cruise Critic needs a LOVE button! Lol! Wow. This sums it up about cruising. It is the only way to vacation. Love it! :)

[HokiePoq]

You are so right about a cruise being so much more restful and convenient.

We did a 14 day bus tour of Scotland and Ireland and saw a lot, however, I really, really missed having a ship to take my bed and bath with me along with my luggage. Hate the living out of a suitcase thing but sometimes you have to go to the interior to see everything.

[cupofgin]

Amen amen amen, there is no other way to travel but cruising... Everything is there

[cupofgin]

AMEN AMEN AMEN, Cruising is the way to go

[goouchjac]

We just got back from a wonderful land vacation in Ireland. We loved Ireland and the food and the people.... BUT when we got back, we said "We loved that trip and we're glad we did it, but let's stick with cruising". Why you ask? After traveling from Southern Texas to NYC to DUBLIN to our hotel, total travel time was 24 hours. We had a beautiful villa but we had to either cook or eat out and Ireland is expensive!! If we wanted to visiting another destination, we had to drive minimum 2 or more hours in the car, we ended up hiring a driver to take us there for $500 per day! When we returned, we were exhausted (and about $5,000 poorer).... Think about cruising....

 

- No driving, just unpack and party til your next destination, no driving!!

- Three meals a day, no extra charge, no cooking, no cleaning, no shopping!!

- My bed is made and my bathroom is cleaned by wonderful, friendly people!!

- Entertainment? No problem! Just show up at the preordained time, and voila! People just waiting to entertain you!

- And the sea.... the beautiful blue sea, just outside your door, waiting to calm your spirit and your soul, free of charge......

- I could go on..... but you get it!

 

I've cruised with X and NCL but we're happy for now with RCCL, they're not perfect but for a mass market line, they're pretty darn good. I don't understand the complainers..... 69 days til my Grand Suite on Mariner... I'm just giddy with excitement! I hope I never get so jaded that I spend my hard earned money to cruise and then complain that I am bored or that someone who wore jeans in the dining room "ruined my supper" or I wasn't presented with enough musical options.... Bet the folks in the local cemetery would gladly trade places with you! ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING... Enjoy your cruise!

 

And you are so right,we always did land vacatons until we discovered cruising...Love it and don't complain about anything,,just roll with it and as you said,,life is so short and attitude is everything...:cool:

[goouchjac]

I agree !!

 

We've just paid $1500 per person for a 24 night cruise on Independence of the Seas (transatlantic, bahamas and eastern caribbean). Only an inside cabin, but for that price its amazing. The price also includes our direct flight back to the UK (miami to heathrow).

 

There is nowhere I know of with the same standards that we could take a vacation with all our food and entertainment included !

 

I just LOVE crusing !

 

 

Wow,,,great price,,enjoy....:D

[swcruise]

The point, swcruise, of my post was to just state what a relative bargain cruising is vs. a land vacation, IMHO. I was sort of responding to the gal who had a long running post of why she did not like cruising for a large variety of reasons despite the fact that she did cruise multiple times.

 

I never said that we stayed in Dublin, we stayed in a rural village hence the cost of a driver and also we were 5 so requiring a larger vehicle. Regarding your "villa" remark, although I am sure you know everything about everything so here's a little education, they DO have villas in Ireland. The name of the VILLA we stayed in was Adare Manor VILLAS. Google it.

 

Happy cruising!

 

I drove through that village yesterday and it is so beautiful. The Adare Manor hotel and complex are at the top end in Ireland and their golf course is one of the best I believe... I think their sister hotels are the Drumoland and the the actor one Pierce Brosnan had his reception in in Mayo - Ashford castle. Well they were all linked before the crash in 2008, but maybe not anymore. I do hope you had some wonderful Irish seafood and meat. There is a great restaurant that used to be in the village, it relocated to Ballingeary - The Mustard Seed..

I didn't know they called them villas, but it is rather unusual for this part of the world.. U learn something new every day...

The coaching inn across the road from the Adare Manor - The Dunraven Arms is also a good local favourite.

I do hope you enjoyed your trip and you certainly were at the very top end. Ireland is not known to be cheap, I accept that, but there are now a lot of great deals for people to find in the downturn whatever star they can afford 3/4/5.

For people travelling from the US, if you want to expore Kerry/Cork/Limerick/Clare then Shannon airport is closer than Dublin, but that depends on your routing from the states - Aer Lingus offer this from Boston and NY.

 

P.S Enjoy your upcoming RCI cruise