So many questions!

[novasonic]

Hi all-- I'm new here, and lucky to find such a great site/forum! :D

 

Anyway, I'm thinking about planning a cruise in 2010, for me and my friends after we graduate from college, as a sort of closing for one chapter of life and preparing for something new (does that sound as lame as I think it does? sorry :o) I don't have much experience travelling-- I've been to St. Maarten a long time ago, and my first cruise was in 2003 on the Norwegian Dawn to Bahamas. After taking that vacation I have to say I'm pretty hooked on taking cruises ;) I thought it was really fun and interesting, despite what people seem to be saying now! (But I bet a lot of things have changed since then, so who knows!)

 

I really want to try to make this vacation as good as possible for my friends, since they've never gone cruising before. Also, we've decided on going to the Caribbean--I suggested Southern Caribbean with some exotic destinations! I've been trying to find May-June-July 2010 itineraries for RCCL, NCL, Princess, and Celebrity, but to no avail. Does anyone know when the companies might put out this info? On a side note, we're from NYC, so trying to find something that would sail from here or NJ. I see that there will be a few new ships out or coming out during that time (Celebrity Equinox and Eclipse, Oasis of the Seas, NCL F3)-- is it generally more expensive to cruise on newer ships?

 

I've put out the idea to my closest friends for now (around 6-8). I originally planned on pairing people two each per room but then found out it might be cheaper to just get a suite. Has anyone tried this arrangement, is it a good idea? I haven't decided whether or not it would be more fun to have a big gathering (maybe like 15 to 20, or more? :confused:) Does anyone have a general idea of about how many people you need to qualify for group rates?

 

My goodness, someone tell me I'm not crazy for thinking almost two years in advance!

 

Please feel free to share any ideas, suggestions, or comments! Thanks for reading! ;)

[Darkwolfe]

Nope, you are not crazy. See that counter in my sig? It was over 600 days when I first created it. :)

 

Most cruiselines publish their schedules on their website. The ones you have mentioned can all be searched by ship, destination, date, and port of embarkation if you like. You'll find something amazing in short order I'm sure. Not all of 2010 is posted. I know RCI has most of Spring 2010 posted, but that's because I choose to cruise with them at this time and haven't really given the other lines more than a quick look yet.

 

The times you are looking for will be available before the end of the year. Figure about 18 months of lead time max unless you call the line directly. Some travel agents may have a schedule a little sooner as well, but not often.

[cruiselover57]

Hi all-- I'm new here, and lucky to find such a great site/forum! :D

 

Anyway, I'm thinking about planning a cruise in 2010, for me and my friends after we graduate from college, as a sort of closing for one chapter of life and preparing for something new (does that sound as lame as I think it does? sorry :o) I don't have much experience travelling-- I've been to St. Maarten a long time ago, and my first cruise was in 2003 on the Norwegian Dawn to Bahamas. After taking that vacation I have to say I'm pretty hooked on taking cruises ;) I thought it was really fun and interesting, despite what people seem to be saying now! (But I bet a lot of things have changed since then, so who knows!)

 

I really want to try to make this vacation as good as possible for my friends, since they've never gone cruising before. Also, we've decided on going to the Caribbean--I suggested Southern Caribbean with some exotic destinations! I've been trying to find May-June-July 2010 itineraries for RCCL, NCL, Princess, and Celebrity, but to no avail. Does anyone know when the companies might put out this info? On a side note, we're from NYC, so trying to find something that would sail from here or NJ. I see that there will be a few new ships out or coming out during that time (Celebrity Equinox and Eclipse, Oasis of the Seas, NCL F3)-- is it generally more expensive to cruise on newer ships?

 

I've put out the idea to my closest friends for now (around 6-8). I originally planned on pairing people two each per room but then found out it might be cheaper to just get a suite. Has anyone tried this arrangement, is it a good idea? I haven't decided whether or not it would be more fun to have a big gathering (maybe like 15 to 20, or more? :confused:) Does anyone have a general idea of about how many people you need to qualify for group rates?

 

My goodness, someone tell me I'm not crazy for thinking almost two years in advance!

 

Please feel free to share any ideas, suggestions, or comments! Thanks for reading! ;)

 

A suite will generally cost you more money even with 3-4 people sharing. Your best bet is to get separate cabins with 2 people and that way, you'll have the extra bathrooms as well. I believe you need at least 15 people for a group (then again, things might have changed). Thinking about a cruise 2 years in advance is not crazy. I'm thinking about one in about 1.5 years from now because ships tend to fill up over the major holidays!

 

New ships generally cost more when they first come out. Example: Oasis of the Seas. You wouldn't even be able to book that right now. Last week, sales were only open to Diamond members and above (10+ cruises on RCI). Sales won't be open to the general public until 9/3. It'll be the largest ship sailing. If I were you, I'd go on a smaller one just to make sure your friends really like cruising (even though you've already been). To me, 100,000 tons is big enough. If you're in a port where you have to tender (not dock), think about all those people who want to get off the ship at the same time - it's absolute chaos!

 

To get the best deals, try to go when it's not a major holiday and you should be able to save some $$.

[wrp96]

Look for summer 2010 itineraries to be released starting early Spring 2009. Carnival should be the first, possibly as early as February 2009, while RCCL for example is more likely to release theirs in April 2009.

 

Usually for the summer, your only choices for Southern Caribbean are RCCL and Carnival. They usually have one ship each doing roundtrip southern Sailings from San Juan.

 

RCCL does have one ship doing year round sailings from Bayonne, NJ that goes to Bermuda and/or the Eastern Caribbean, also another ship doing similiar itineraries from Baltimore.

 

Carnival has a ship that does Eastern Caribbean itineraries from NYC during the summer, the ship it has sailing from Baltimore is really only doing Bahamas sailings.

 

Princess usually has one ship sailing the Caribbean in the summer - coincidentally it sails from NYC but it does Eastern Caribbean sailings as well, not Southern Caribbean.

 

During the summer, while NCL does have ships sailing from various ports in the northeast, NCL's ships are doing Bermuda sailings and Bahamas sailings.

 

Celebrity doesn't have any ships in the Caribbean during the summer.

 

Usually the newer ships do get a premium price. Also, it seems like most of the cruiselines keep the newer ships on the traditional itineraries, and leave the less visited ports for other ships.

[ggprincess2004]

You might want to review the minimum age policies of the cruise lines as part of the research you are doing. It may be necessary to find someone a bit older than 21 or 22 to accompany the group - say 25 - depending upon which cruise line you choose.

 

Princess has been sending the Caribbean Princess out of NYC over the summers - don't know if they will continue that in 2010, but you might want to look at the itinerary for 2008 and 2009 sailings and see if it appeals to you.

 

Whatever you choose - have a fantastic time, and good luck - the future is out there just waiting for you!:)

[Sailor Gal]

I've found it very helpful to search for cruises using vacations to go dot com. That is a good website and tool. I have booked with them, but usually use the web site and then call my own travel agent to book. He always beats their price.

[novasonic]

Thank you everyone for your responses!

 

A suite will generally cost you more money even with 3-4 people sharing.

There's probably no way we could afford a "full" suite, but I thought for smaller sized suites, like mini-suites or junior suites, the price was almost comparable to a balcony stateroom. But then again, I'm not sure how much bigger the lower suites are, I've only seen pictures that have like sofabeds so you could accomodate 4-5 people in 1 room. Will try to investigate further!

 

To get the best deals, try to go when it's not a major holiday and you should be able to save some $$.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that we should be planning for the first week or two of June. Everyone comes from different universities but most graduations are in May, but some are in early June. I'm hoping that the prices are just a tad cheaper than later June? In the Northeast, public school isn't out until late June, but I know in the Midwest they are out around the end of May-early June so maybe it will end up being more expensive. Isn't it the start of the high season for the caribbean area?

 

@wrp96: Wow! Thanks for the info! Although it does seem a bit disappointing, since the Southern Caribbean itineraries are almost non-existent out of NYC. I'll have to confer with my friends whether or not they'd consider going to the East. But, if you go fly to an area to catch a cruise, is the price almost the same for the roundtrip from NYC? I'll look into this, too!

 

You might want to review the minimum age policies of the cruise lines as part of the research you are doing. It may be necessary to find someone a bit older than 21 or 22 to accompany the group - say 25 - depending upon which cruise line you choose.

I just looked it up now--Yahoo Travel says most cruise lines require a person of 25 or older to be present if there are people less than 21. I'll be 21 by 2010, and I'm pretty sure that I'm the youngest of the group (my birthday is 12/31 :p) But thanks for the heads up~

 

I've found it very helpful to search for cruises using vacations to go dot com. That is a good website and tool.

My mother just told me about this site. My aunt and uncle, who are truly travel aficionados, used this site to book their latest cruise in October. But does anyone have any recommendations for good travel agencies/agents in New York City? Or anywhere else for that matter!

[Aunty Pat]

Work with a travel agent to set up a block of group space that their agency can sell into. This will get you the lower group pricing even if you don’t take all of the blocked space. The size of the group depends on the cruise lines. It can be anywhere from 5 to 8 cabins. Depending on the cruise line they may not require upfront deposit until 120 days before departure. The group may also get extra amenities like ship board credit or a cocktail party.

 

Aunty Pat

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, Westerdam ’09 & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ‘07

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

[cb at sea]

Since you are just out of college (almost!) having a ton of folks in a suite wouldn't bother you--college kids can (and do) sleep under any conditions! You're used to sharing space!

While I would never take a cruise with a group in a room, my 20-something daughter has no qualms about sharing a crowded bed/bath room! it's all what you're used to!

In your case, a suite may be the most economical way!

You should probably get a good travel agent to research all this for you--if you can get enough people to sign up, it's possible to qualify for some kind of "group" rate! Good luck and happy studying!

[138east]

If you pick rooms by the stairs and elevators, you will have quick access to the rest rooms that are on the public decks. These are typically located right by the stairs and elevators. Also, many ships have showers in the locker rooms in the spa. These showers tend to be much bigger and there are usually lots of towels. This could take the pressure off the bathroom usage in your room.

[MNfamilycruiser]

Since you are just out of college (almost!) having a ton of folks in a suite wouldn't bother you--college kids can (and do) sleep under any conditions! You're used to sharing space!

While I would never take a cruise with a group in a room, my 20-something daughter has no qualms about sharing a crowded bed/bath room! it's all what you're used to!

In your case, a suite may be the most economical way!

You should probably get a good travel agent to research all this for you--if you can get enough people to sign up, it's possible to qualify for some kind of "group" rate! Good luck and happy studying!

Royal Caribbean has a Royal Family Suite that can sleep 8 - although that would be VERY crowded - and with only 2 bathrooms. It has 2 on a sleeper sofa, 4 in an inside room - 2 below, 2 in Pullmans - and 2 in a "master bedroom". It is an aft cabin with a BIG balcony.

 

The plus side - you get suite privileges including the concierge lounge.

[novasonic]

Regarding the royal family suite, does anyone have any idea the price range of this accomodation? The RCCL website doesn't give much information and also says you need a minimum number of guests to book. Although, I'm sure if I have to ask we probably couldn't afford it :o

 

I pitched the idea of taking a flight to catch a cruise elsewhere, and while most agreed NYC would be the most convenient, no one really opposed the idea, so that opens up some more choices.

 

Anyhow, seeing as though there's nothing I could really do for the time being, I figured I might do some research on shore excursions. Is it the general consensus that it's best to plan things on your own rather than choosing to take part in ship-planned activities? Anyone have any travel books they could recommend? :p

 

Thanks for the help everyone! I appreciate it :D

[MNfamilycruiser]

Regarding the royal family suite, does anyone have any idea the price range of this accomodation? The RCCL website doesn't give much information and also says you need a minimum number of guests to book. Although, I'm sure if I have to ask we probably couldn't afford it :o

 

I pitched the idea of taking a flight to catch a cruise elsewhere, and while most agreed NYC would be the most convenient, no one really opposed the idea, so that opens up some more choices.

 

Anyhow, seeing as though there's nothing I could really do for the time being, I figured I might do some research on shore excursions. Is it the general consensus that it's best to plan things on your own rather than choosing to take part in ship-planned activities? Anyone have any travel books they could recommend? :p

 

Thanks for the help everyone! I appreciate it :D

They won't let you book (at least early on) unless you have 5 people. You have to call Royal Caribbean directly or work through a TA to get prices.

 

For a 7 day Western Caribbean on the Mariner, the Royal Family Suite was $2648 for the first 2 people - but then only $399 for each additional person. That works out to about $1150 per person with 6. If you want to squeeze more people in there.....

[bransonpa]

I was talking to my PVP with Carnival as we are doing a Mommy n me Cruise next year. I was informed that if we did the "Group Rate" that no other discount would be given....no past guest, no military, no nothing. So, we decided against it. You didn't say if you had a mixture of males and females (not that it makes a difference - except maybe bathroom time) but I would go with 3 or 4 to a cabin (since the 3 & 4 people are so much cheaper) and then divide the TOTAL COST OF THE ROOM by the 3 or 4. We are doing four to a cabin on the Sensation September 28, and I am not for sure how that will be. We did three to a cabin on the Fascination - ocean view room - and that was not a problem at all. ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!!!!