Where's your next cruise?

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

Amazing!!

Thanks! If you would like to see a really amazing cruise we were on last November on the NCL Jade, check out the Live From thread in my below signature. It was awesome!!! 😀

[snowballs mom]

4 minutes ago, jules815 said:

When I mentioned cruising to England my husband mentioned doing it on Cunard. We're not opposed at all to dressing up, but no sure if we want to, if that makes sense. 

It all depends on how much luggage you are willing to haul around😄. We traveled from October 22nd through November 28th, starting with a family visit in upstate New York, then the QM2, a few days in England, a two week TA back to Miami with stops in Spain and Portugal, a Thanksgiving Caribbean cruise, and a visit to my sister in the Villages. It was an interesting packing experience since we had so many different climates. I had one medium and one rolling carryon size bag (both expanded and checked) and my husband had one large bag and his backpack. With two TAs we only had domestic flights, so we could go first class and take advantage of the 70 pound limit. We also did laundry (Cunard has free washers and dryers, we get free laundry on Carnival and I did find a Southampton hotel with laundry facilities). 

 

[KasioSails]

Next for us is a 9 night Italian/French Riviera next summer. First time in Europe for the boys and first cruise longer than 7 days for us all. 

[Tyler414]

21 minutes ago, jules815 said:

Interesting. Are you starting out in Barcelona or is this a TA? We're interested in trying out VV as well. Their food is supposed to be very good and all included. (no uncharge specialties)

 

Starting and ending in Barcelona.  Overnight in Cannes, France; Marina di Carrara, Italy;  Ajaccio; overnight in Ibiza...

[snowballs mom]

26 minutes ago, jules815 said:

We wouldn't rule out Carnival at all. They have a nice itinerary that included the ABC's.

We also know there's a difference between a shorter and longer sailing on any line. Anyone been on a transatlantic on Carnival?

We were on the Carnival Celebration TA (the maiden voyage) in November, 2022. It was very nice and very different from the short Caribbean itineraries. The ship was not at capacity - few families and mainly couples. Definitely an older, much less rowdy crowd.

[jules815]

1 minute ago, snowballs mom said:

It all depends on how much luggage you are willing to haul around😄. We traveled from October 22nd through November 28th, starting with a family visit in upstate New York, then the QM2, a few days in England, a two week TA back to Miami with stops in Spain and Portugal, a Thanksgiving Caribbean cruise, and a visit to my sister in the Villages. It was an interesting packing experience since we had so many different climates. I had one medium and one rolling carryon size bag (both expanded and checked) and my husband had one large bag and his backpack. With two TAs we only had domestic flights, so we could go first class and take advantage of the 70 pound limit. We also did laundry (Cunard has free washers and dryers, we get free laundry on Carnival and I did find a Southampton hotel with laundry facilities). 

 

Wow. Sounds like quite the trip. And yes, hauling luggage is proving to be a problem on our upcoming B2B next year. We're going to be in Ft. Lauderdale pre-cruise for a wedding so we'll have that and whatever we bring for a B2B. I know I'm guilty of over-packing, something I intend to work on. My husband thought it would be fun to take the train somewhere after the B2B, but then there's all the luggage. As much as I'd love to, I know there's no way we could just do carry-ons. Even looked at shipping most of our bags home from Barcelona, but Fed X office is closed on Saturdays. (I'm also a fan of the 70lb first class limit!)

[snowballs mom]

1 minute ago, jules815 said:

Wow. Sounds like quite the trip. And yes, hauling luggage is proving to be a problem on our upcoming B2B next year. We're going to be in Ft. Lauderdale pre-cruise for a wedding so we'll have that and whatever we bring for a B2B. I know I'm guilty of over-packing, something I intend to work on. My husband thought it would be fun to take the train somewhere after the B2B, but then there's all the luggage. As much as I'd love to, I know there's no way we could just do carry-ons. Even looked at shipping most of our bags home from Barcelona, but Fed X office is closed on Saturdays. (I'm also a fan of the 70lb first class limit!)

At least your wedding wardrobes can do double duty for dressier nights on the cruise. For the England portion of the trip, we booked private cars between London and Southampton that allowed stops for touring. We visited Stonehenge on the way to London and toured Windsor castle on the way back to Southampton. It was pricier than other options, but the convenience of door-to-door service was worth it. The companies I used also pre-purchased the admission tickets, so that saved us quite a bit of time.

[cangelmd]

We are booked this summer with some close friends on a B3B out of Southampton this summer - Norway fjords, then Baltic, then Iceland with a stop in Ireland and Scotland.

Alaska is absolutely amazing and a big portion is best seen on a cruise

[zitsky]

I have done a Caribbean cruise but really, it puts me to sleep.  Not too exciting.  

 

We're going to Italy/Turkey/Greece in May then South America in December.  We did a South America cruise with NCL 5 years ago and liked it.

[EatonDoolittle]

Not my next one, but something different.

27 days to and up  the Amazon, with several Caribbean stops on the way down and on the way back. 

Round trip from Ft Lauderdale, so for me, no flight involved. 

Holland America does this trip just once a year, I am going in Feb 2025. 

 

[RTShaker]

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

As listed in my signature, for the remainder of the year, ...New England and Atlantic Canada on Princess (b2b)...

Which sailings? I'm on the Sept 29 out of Quebec City.

[RTShaker]

I'm heading to FLL later today for a B2B on the Celebrity Millennium on Friday. 21 days to Vancouver.

[Milhouse]

We primarily do land vacations with cruises mixed in.  At a high level, we use cruising to sample new locations to determine if we want to go back for longer and hit harder to reach places to fill in gaps.  However, I feel we're going to trend towards cruising a bit more regularly while tacking on days pre and post cruise.

 

Our next cruise is out of Venice and stops at a number of ports of call in Greece.  We've done a similar itinerary a couple of times before but out of Rome and also with a stop in Istanbul.  The appeal of the itinerary (apart from the food 😄) is being able to visit different places in Greece without having to plan a more complex and extensive trip that would require various ferries.  That may still be in the cards but when we have more time.  

 

[Nemanoxer]

Can't decide.

Food was unsatisfying last spring on Equinox, and I am not sure about if I like the new ships. Equinox is my baby.

If at all, I guess I would do the ABC Islands.

[jules815]

24 minutes ago, RTShaker said:

I'm heading to FLL later today for a B2B on the Celebrity Millennium on Friday. 21 days to Vancouver.

Safe travels!  

[marieps]

2 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Our next two cruises this year:

11 night Galapagos cruise + tour on Xpedition in November.

12 night Singapore to Hong Kong sailing on Solstice in December.

 

My recommendation to @jules815 is to do a Europe cruise (e,g, Mediterranean) or an Australia/New Zealand sailing if you don't mind the long air travel.

Hi David,

We did Xped in 2012.  It's amazing.  One tip: Don't rush to be the first on a panga.  Often the last panga out has fewer people and the best guide, because the guides know they'll have a smaller group.

Enjoy!

[marieps]

2 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Our next two cruises this year:

11 night Galapagos cruise + tour on Xpedition in November.

12 night Singapore to Hong Kong sailing on Solstice in December.

 

My recommendation to @jules815 is to do a Europe cruise (e,g, Mediterranean) or an Australia/New Zealand sailing if you don't mind the long air travel.

Hi David,

We did Xped in 2012.  It's amazing.  One tip: Don't rush to be the first on a panga.  Often the last panga out has fewer people and the best guide, because the guides know they'll have a smaller group.

Enjoy!

[HS2BS]

Next week(4/26) Summit, 10 days Miami to Bayonne via the ABCs(been there, done that many times and still love it). August, 12 days on Summit from Bayonne to Reykjavík, October, 8 days on Equinox to ABCs rt Ft. Lauderdale. December, on Beyond for 11 days to Panama Canal. February, 14 days Buenos Aires to Santiago on Sapphire Princess, October of 24, Ascent TA from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale then another 9 nights in the Caribbean. Into 2/25, Eurodam, 11 days to Caribbean. 
Thats all that is booked for know!

 

Hal

[marieps]

Back to topic:

Our next is Sillie's TA in October.  The Azores and Bermuda will be new for us.  Then it's Antarctica on Ponant in Feb '24, followed by a French river cruise in August on AmaWaterways B2B with another TA on Oceania out of Southampton doing France, Ireland and Canada.  They all sound amazing.

 

[Honolulu Blue]

18 hours ago, jules815 said:

My husband and I are recently retired and finally have the time to do some longer itineraries. We were just discussing our next cruise, a B2B on an MSC ship in their Yacht Club, eastern/western Caribbean (yawn). This cruise is more about us getting away after caring for my 97 year old father in-law for the past couple of years and we know 2 weeks in the YC will still be a nice getaway. My husband's referring to this trip as our "Caribbean Swan Song." (Although we haven't done the ABC's yet. 🤔)

 

We also have a Transatlantic booked on ASCENT for next year. Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona. (We did our first TA in 2016 and loved it.) Still haven't been to England, so thinking our next TA would be something starting or ending in Southampton so we could add some days there. We've sailed the most with RC, Celebrity, and a few times with Carnival and MSC. Have no problem with trying a different line. Don't really have any interest in an Alaska cruise.

 

So where's your next cruise, and if you could do or recommend something other than an eastern/western Caribbean itinerary, what would it be?

First of all, I've read the replies here and they've been very interesting.  Thank you for sharing.

 

My next cruise is a boring one that was booked primarily to use up some FCC that had a hard deadline.  It's in November in the Western Caribbean.

 

My humble suggestions for your possible next destinations, without knowing whether you're interested in these places:

 

• Pacific Coastal.  Cruise ships sometimes have free time before or after sailing to Alaska, so they do these.  They can go from Vancouver to Ensenada.  I did one last year.  I didn't explore the cities that much (we were still under pandemic rules).  I'd like to go back sometime.
• Mexican Riviera.  This is a closer look at the "real" Mexico than Cozumel and Costa Maya. It helps if you know a little Spanish.  I was impressed by the one cruise I took to this area last month.
• Hawaii.  I preferred the one-way trip from Vancouver to the other options (one-way from Honolulu, RT from SF, LA, or SD), though that flight back from HNL was pretty bad. 
• Themed cruise.  My last three cruises were music themed cruises where the itinerary barely mattered (though one of them was the Mexican Riviera).  If you can find a handful, or more, acts that are playing that you'd like to see, then it might be worth pulling the trigger.  Keep in mind they're mostly a lot more expensive than ordinary cruises.

[ontheweb]

Our next cruise is this summer on the NCL Prima starting in London (Southampton) and ending in Reykjavik, with an overnight there before disembarkation. Other ports are Amsterdam, Bruges, 3 ports in Norway, and 2 more in Iceland before Reykjavik. The second sea day is between Norway and Iceland and will be on our wedding anniversary.

 

I should add that we missed out on a Princess Norwegian Fjords cruise in 2020, and will be getting to some of those missed ports this time.

Edited April 18, 2023 by ontheweb
added second paragraph

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

First of all, I've read the replies here and they've been very interesting.  Thank you for sharing.

 

My next cruise is a boring one that was booked primarily to use up some FCC that had a hard deadline.  It's in November in the Western Caribbean.

 

My humble suggestions for your possible next destinations, without knowing whether you're interested in these places:

 

• Pacific Coastal.  Cruise ships sometimes have free time before or after sailing to Alaska, so they do these.  They can go from Vancouver to Ensenada.  I did one last year.  I didn't explore the cities that much (we were still under pandemic rules).  I'd like to go back sometime.
• Mexican Riviera.  This is a closer look at the "real" Mexico than Cozumel and Costa Maya. It helps if you know a little Spanish.  I was impressed by the one cruise I took to this area last month.
• Hawaii.  I preferred the one-way trip from Vancouver to the other options (one-way from Honolulu, RT from SF, LA, or SD), though that flight back from HNL was pretty bad. 
• Themed cruise.  My last three cruises were music themed cruises where the itinerary barely mattered (though one of them was the Mexican Riviera).  If you can find a handful, or more, acts that are playing that you'd like to see, then it might be worth pulling the trigger.  Keep in mind they're mostly a lot more expensive than ordinary cruises.

If your next cruise is too boring, I’d be happy to take it from you.  You pay, of course.

 

I liked our Mexico cruises but I remember a really bad ferry ride to/from the mainland.  It think it was from Cozumel or Costa Maya.  We went to Tulum on that trip.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

• Pacific Coastal.  Cruise ships sometimes have free time before or after sailing to Alaska, so they do these.  They can go from Vancouver to Ensenada.  I did one last year.  I didn't explore the cities that much (we were still under pandemic rules).  I'd like to go back sometime.

We booked one of the California coastal cruises on the HAL Koingsdam in November to use an expiring FCC, but it is cruise we have no done before and will be much different from one that primarily stops in foreign ports.

Edited April 18, 2023 by terrydtx

[Honolulu Blue]

44 minutes ago, zitsky said:

If your next cruise is too boring, I’d be happy to take it from you.  You pay, of course.

 

I liked our Mexico cruises but I remember a really bad ferry ride to/from the mainland.  It think it was from Cozumel or Costa Maya.  We went to Tulum on that trip.

I primarily said it was "boring" because others would likely think it was boring, not that I actually thought it was boring.  I'm sure I'll have a great time that's not a bit boring.  😁

33 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We booked one of the California coastal cruises on the HAL Koingsdam in November to use an expiring FCC, but it is cruise we have no done before and will be much different from one that primarily stops in foreign ports.

My California Coastal started in LA and had port stops in San Fran, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and the token foreign stop of Ensenada.  I thought it was fun, despite not doing a whole lot on land.  You'll probably have fun on yours too.  Safe travels!  🙏

[terrydtx]

13 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

My California Coastal started in LA and had port stops in San Fran, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and the token foreign stop of Ensenada.  I thought it was fun, despite not doing a whole lot on land.  You'll probably have fun on yours too.  Safe travels! 

We round trip from San Diego and go to Santa Barabara, Monterrey, SF and Ensenada. Booked an all-day Sonoma County wine tour in SF. I grew up in the LA area and have been to all the stops on land but will be seeing them in a different perspective from a ship. We had a sizable FCC from HAL that had to be used by Dec 31st and it covered the cost of this cruise in an aft facing verandah cabin. We are actually getting excited about this cruise, short and inexpensive flying time to San Diego adds to that too.

Edited April 18, 2023 by terrydtx