Fist time to cruise, need advice

[katie1234]

My husband and I are planning on going on a cruise in late september. We would like to go to the carribean or somewhere tropical and we are both very active and would like a lot of things to do. we are on a budget, and not looking to spend more than about $2,500 total. We would like to be gone 5-7 days. so i have a few questions and any other advice anyone could give me would be great.

 

1. what is the best cruise line as far as getting the best for your money and who has the best packages.

2. where is the best place to go for activities like swimming with dolphins, snorkling, and parasailing and how much extra was stuff like that, and if there are other fun activites id love to hear about those!

3. what extra stuff should i pack besides a swimsuit? do i need beach towels? how formal should my evening clothes be?

4. if you have any other advice id love to hear it!

[SadieN]

Are you more than a few hours drive from port? If so, plan on arriving at least the day before. Never no what will happen.

[paul929207]

If you are flying to the cruise, you will have a difficult time keeping the total cost below $2500. Are you within driving distance of a cruise port?

[Grandma Dazzles]

I personally like to book and research my own cruises, however, have a lot of experience and have the time to spend on line researching.

 

If you do not have the time or experience planning trips, would suggest working with a travel agent who can price several different cruise lines for you. Perhaps someone local who you can sit down with and plan your options.

 

As others have said, airfare will eat up a good portion of your budget, if you are flying.

 

I also think $2500 total is a pretty tight budget for two people - many of the prices you will see advertised are base prices. They often do not include tax, insurance, gratuities, etc. Most also do not include alcohol - you will have to pay by the drink or buy a package. Some cruiselines do not include soda or bottled water. Basic drinks such as tea, coffee, lemonade, milk, tap water, etc. are included in your price.

 

Some of your plans such as swimming with the dolphins will cost you at least $200. Same thing with parasailing, etc. Plain beach days are not expensive ...... it's the other "stuff" that is going to eat into your budget.

 

With lots of sales and specials it is difficult to say which would be the most economical for you. I would stick with the main cruislines such as NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, etc. I think Disney, for example, would be out of your price point.

 

You do not need to bring towels. Dress varies from ship-to-ship. Once you have decided upon a cruise, start looking at that particular line's cruise critic following on their particular site for more specific information.

[GUT2407]

Are you more than a few hours drive from port? If so, plan on arriving at least the day before. Never no what will happen.

 

 

Even then I'd prefer to get in the day before, I live a two hour drive from my Port but some days when things go wrong on the freeway or the bridge that two hours can easily stretch to four or even more, one day the freeway was cut by fire, we were held up for days, fortunately we weren't on a deadline that day.

[GUT2407]

For $2500, even if driving in, you will need to have a shortish cruise, and an inside cabin, though you may manage an OV maybe Carnival.

[taglovestocruise]

RCCL is having a WOW sale right now.. Balcony cabins on Allure or Oasis are priced at 899.00 pp . 2500.00 for two is very doable if you don't need airfare, I think NCL has balcony's for 699 for 7 days. Taxes and port fees will add another 100.00pp

[cb at sea]

Daytime is VERY casual..swimsuits/shorts...that's it!

 

Depending on the cruise line, nights might be more formal....most have at least 1-2 formal nights....Carnival and NCL being the exception.

 

You don't have to do "excursions"...get a guidebook...find out about where your'e going...it's not hard to DIY!

[OCruisers]

Katie1234 .... Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

Not nor is anyone else trying to be a Fun Sponge BUT trying to find a 5-7 day cruise for under $2,500 TOTAL for two when you add in just the required extras is not easy... even without airfare. ;)

LuLu

[Nebr.cruiser]

Your budget is doable, but you will really need to do some research. Sept. is one of the cheapest times to cruise, so that will help. You should be able to find an inside cabin easily at around $400 base price, even a balcony for $500 to $600. NCL and Carnival are often the least expensive, but other lines have great sales too.

 

To that base price will be added port charges, fees and taxes. Gratuities are around $12 pp per night. Alcohol and soft drinks, photos, specialty restaurants, etc. add to the bill, plus other discretionary spending. We manage to spend very little extra on ship; others spend thousands.

 

Excursions can be quite pricey, especially the ones you mentioned, like swimming with the dolphins, but it's also easy to have a great beach day without spending much. Private excursions are usually much cheaper than ship tours, but for beginner cruisers, that can be intimidating.

 

The big question here is whether you need airfare or not, and a hotel room the night before the cruise.

[Lerin]

People are exaggerating.

You can easily take a cruise for your price point in September, which is most certainly one of the cheapest times to sail.

You will probably have to start your search with interior cabins, but we've gotten balconies on CCL, NCL and priced one on MSC for well under $2500(and we cruise with up to 4 in a cabin often). Our last Princess cruise in an aft balcony was under 2 grand. Just today we got an e mail of MSC doing a few cruises for a base of only $199.

 

Staying at a hotel an extra night is not necessary and you can easily have fun on a cruise without breaking the bank on extras. Tips and fees of course you will pay, but excursions, souvenirs, drinks, etc... are up to you.

 

Now if you have to fly to port, that is a different story.

 

Hunt around on various cruise line and TA websites to get an idea.

 

For your second question: each of those activities is going to up your cost. Also without knowing your cruise line and ports it really can't be answered at this time.

 

#3, pack as you would any beach vacation. Towels are not necessary on any line. Formal attire will depend on the ship you choose.

 

#4 Find a cruise and then come back here with specifics. Good luck.

[jcruise67]

My husband and I are planning on going on a cruise in late september. We would like to go to the carribean or somewhere tropical and we are both very active and would like a lot of things to do. we are on a budget, and not looking to spend more than about $2,500 total. We would like to be gone 5-7 days. so i have a few questions and any other advice anyone could give me would be great.

 

1. what is the best cruise line as far as getting the best for your money and who has the best packages.

2. where is the best place to go for activities like swimming with dolphins, snorkling, and parasailing and how much extra was stuff like that, and if there are other fun activites id love to hear about those!

3. what extra stuff should i pack besides a swimsuit? do i need beach towels? how formal should my evening clothes be?

4. if you have any other advice id love to hear it!

 

Hi Katie...There is so much to know and learn on a cruise but I will keep it simple. Currently, depending on where you reside, Norwegian is a great cruise line for the budget conscious. My BW and I just booked the Norwegian Getaway from Miami sailing April 11th to the Eastern Caribbean Itinerary (St.Martin, St.Thomas & and Nassau Bahamas). I booked our own air and flying in the day before to stay at a hotel in the Port of Miami. The cruise w/ the Ultimate Beverage Package for the BW and I, port charges and taxes included, R/T Air from NJ to Miami and Hotel cost us $2700 total. The cruise was $1950 and included port charges, taxes and Ultimate Beverage package for both of us. This is our 32nd cruise on six different cruise lines since 1998 so I consider myself very cruise savy.

 

jcruise

[OCruisers]

Our last Princess cruise in an aft balcony was under 2 grand. .

 

When was this and for how many days? Princess has NO upcoming cruises to the Caribbean in September.

LuLu

[luddite]

My husband and I are planning on going on a cruise in late september. We would like to go to the carribean or somewhere tropical and we are both very active and would like a lot of things to do. we are on a budget, and not looking to spend more than about $2,500 total. We would like to be gone 5-7 days. so i have a few questions and any other advice anyone could give me would be great.

 

1. what is the best cruise line as far as getting the best for your money and who has the best packages.

2. where is the best place to go for activities like swimming with dolphins, snorkling, and parasailing and how much extra was stuff like that, and if there are other fun activites id love to hear about those!

3. what extra stuff should i pack besides a swimsuit? do i need beach towels? how formal should my evening clothes be?

4. if you have any other advice id love to hear it!

 

You should use Cruise Critic as a research tool. There is LOTS of info available that will aid your decision.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If I were you, I would go to a cruise specialist, a travel agent who specializes in cruises. (one of those online companies won't be the type to research what you need) Give the TA your budget, month you want to sail, which ports you're interested in.

 

Undoubtedly you will have to compromise on some things. It is definitely less money to just tour on your own rather than do excursions, especially the ones you're thinking of...maybe do one of them and delay the others for future vacations. Get an inside cabin. Stay out of the casino or bingo games. Watch the alcoholic drinks. It can be done.

 

The things you'll have to pay for are gratuities, port taxes/fees, any travel to and from the ship (flights, shuttles, and any in-port transportation needs), a pre-cruise hotel if you're flying (go in the day before as many are suggesting unless you're a couple of hours or less drive from your embarkation port).

 

Many other expenses are optional. If you're into soda, you can buy a soda package (many cruiselines will allow you to bring on soda or bottled water --being a Mountain Dew drinker, I'll bring on my supply; some lines will allow you to bring on a limited amount of wine, but none that I know of will let you bring on other alcohol).

 

You may want to look at different cruise lines' websites to get an idea of possible cruise lines that will travel to the areas during September (usually Princess stays away from the Caribbean as they find Alaska and Europe are very popular that time of year) unless you're talking about later in the month.

[cruiseapril]

We would look for a cruise which includes: a private island, Grand Turk, San Juan, and St. Maarten or St. Thomas. The first three ports have plenty of activity right near the pier and the other two have some low-cost excursions.

 

No need to spend much on excursions in some ports.

 

Check out the port forums for reviews.

[loubetti]

Hi Katie,

 

The most I will suggest is that the best value will be found on the "big three", Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. Try using a travel agent and let them sort it out for you, while you read some reviews here at CC, but just remember they can be very subjective.

 

Now, not to be a fear monger, but just remember that September is within the peak hurricane season down here, so include insurance in your budget. Personally, that time of year does not bother me, and the Caribe will be nice and toasty.

 

Best wishes! :)

[clackey]

For $2500, even if driving in, you will need to have a shortish cruise, and an inside cabin, though you may manage an OV maybe Carnival.

 

I don't understand this. We have done 15 cruises on 4 different lines and several were 7 nighters. We have never spent $2000 including airfare. We hunt the bargains and book our flights months ahead. With you sailing during September you are in the hurricane season. Prices are usually low then but things can go to crap pretty quick. Bargain time is September, the first week in December and Janurary. You should be able to find an inside cabin on a 7 nighter for less than $400 @ plus port taxes and tips. Air could set you back $250- $400@ . Even on the high side you would still have over $500 for whatever. Very doable.;)

[Markanddonna]

You still have PLENTY of time to learn about cruising. Make yourself a little spreadsheet with the major cruiselines like RCL, NCL, and even Carnival (those would be my order of preference and quality) and they should be the ones in your price range. A few others may offer deals but the population may skew a little older. BTW- Carnival was the LEAST fun ship I have ever been on, but the food and cabin were fine.

 

We did our one and only Carnival cruise and paid $725 for two people for a last minute inside cabin for an 8 night cruise in late Nov early Dec. I had never done last minute but they assured me it wasn't a prison ship... One problem with Carnival and RCL with a last minute booking is that you can't get into their flexible or early dining options and late dining was just too late AND many of our dinner table mates didn't show up so there were many, many couples dining at large tables all by themselves.

 

Keep track of specials and you might want to consult a cruise specialist but you can do this yourself. Some have very little experience and the few that do are hard to find. NCL has some really nice specials going on now with things like the ultimate dining package.

 

I did a trial booking for RCL and thought this ship looked interesting: It leaves out of Puerto Rico but Southwest offers cheap flights there and you could do the whole thing for under $2,500 for a pretty fabulous cruise. the flights were under $400RT from my Midwestern city to San Juan and the cruise was about $500-700 PP for an ocean view.:

 

The Adventure of the Seas offers just about every imaginable amenity at sea. Enjoy ice skating and professional shows at a skating rink that doubles as a venue for concerts, game shows and other productions. Or you can in-line skate on a track that swerves around the 13th deck. There's the nine-hole Adventure Dunes miniature golf course and the Royal Promenade, a bustling "street" of shops, restaurants and bars that's overlooked by four decks of interior staterooms. You can even climb a rock wall that looms 200 feet above sea level. Couples can take romance to new heights at the Skylight Chapel, located at the tallest point on the ship. A variety of themed bars and lounges, dance clubs (separate facilities for teens and adults) and the La Marquis theater offer nighttime diversions. Rising three levels is the Gotham Dining Room, where you'll enjoy Continental fare. For dining alternatives, head to Johnny Rocket's, a '50s-style diner, the Island Grille or one of the spots on the Royal Promenade. Club Ocean is the social center for younger guests, and teens have their own hangouts, too.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Markanddonna