Irish couple want to cruise this November - where to start?

[OhPinchy]

We're a 28 year old couple in Ireland just finished renovating our home and we haven't had a proper holiday in a couple of years. We like holidays where there's plent of activities to keep us occupied (not interested in sunbathing all day).

 

We didn't know anything about cruises, but my parents (both very active at 60+) went on the NCL 7-day Western Meditteranean cruise on the Norwegian Gem in July and loved it though it sounds like some of the ports visited were the lowlights. The easy going nature with various forms of entertainment and excurions they told us about now has us thinking a cruise might suit us.

 

We're hoping to take our vacations in November and will probably take about 2 weeks total, allowing for about a 7 or 10 day cruise. I've read plenty of threads and articles on here, but am still struggling with the information overload and want to figure out what our options are, so any pointers are much appreciated.

 

We can stretch budget if needed but would like to spend about $1.500 on the cruise and hopefully under $500 to get there. Things like casinos, spas, gyms, simulators, sports, bowling, good shows etc. onboard would be great as would some interesting excursions. We would particularly like to have a chance to see some interesting fish by snorkelling, scuba diving being an added bonus (we would need to do refreshers for our PADI licenses).

 

I'll use the fantastic resources on here and elsewhere to dig into the details but for now I'd love to get some tips on what might and might not be suitable options for us (e.g. is Alaska an option in November, is it worth flying to the Carribbean for 7 nights of cruising, would Mediterranean actually be the best option for us). Thanks.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Here are some ideas for you...

 

Begin by looking at the travel related websites such as Vacations to Go, Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity, and others. Also look at the cruise line web sites to see what looks interesting to you.

 

Your budget is a little low but there are some transatlantics in November that are very reaonably priced. Also I noted that RCCL's Brillance of the Seas has a very nice Med cruise in November of 2008.

 

Hope that this helps,

 

Fred

[JanineM]

If you haven't cruised before, you may want to go to a local travel agency and, as a start, pick up brochures on the different cruiselines so you can see what they have to offer. If you are not comfortable with booking yourself online, work with a travel agent that specialises in cruising.

 

There are a lot of transatlantic cruises (ships repositioning from Europe to the US) in October and November, but that means you spend many days onboard and don't see so many ports. If this is your first cruise, that may not be too appealing. There are sometimes great deals available for the sailing and the flight home afterwards.

 

A $500 budget for flight may mean that the Caribbean is out of reach for you. Check airfares, but also check some of the travel agencies that are advertised here on this site and see if they have any "deals" with airfare included. Please know that we can't mention specific travel agencies here, but I've used 2 of the ones that advertise here and have been satisfied with their service.

 

Also, look at some of the charters for flights in to Sanford. One of our neighbours flies from Sanford, Florida (just north of Orlando) to Dublin all the time. It's a direct flight, and I think the prices are okay. If you could get a decent fare the look at Caribbean sailings out of Port Canaveral. We've sailed on Royal Caribbean's Mariner three times and it is a great ship with plenty to keep you occupied.

 

Otherwise, see what is available in the Med. Once you find something you are interested in, read the reviews available here to find out if the ship and its activities are appealing to you.

 

Good luck!

[Essiesmom]

There won't be any ships going to Alaska after early/mid October. Weather becomes too cold and hours of daylight too short. With a low airfare budget, you might want to spend that flying to Southampton and taking a Med. cruise that sails from there roundtrip. EM

[ThePatientOne]

OhPinchy.. First off, welcome to Cruise Critic..

You have come to the right place to gather information for and about cruising... I have been to Ireland, loved the Country and the people.:D

As some have already stated, with the low airfare budget you have stated, it may be hard to get to the Caribbean. (Very nice and warm the time of year you would like to go)

If it were me, I would take the suggestion to seek out a good travel agent who specializes in Cruising. Get information from them and then cross check it for yourself on-line. Pay attention to cabin locations, cabin types etc.. There are threads here that will help guide you into a good cabin type selection for you and what you want to do.. Also from your post, you don't want to be "bored".. Pick a cruise that is port intensive however remember excursions do cost and that can add up pretty quickly.

You mentioned 1,500.00 as a figure.. I don't know if you are referring to Euro, Dollar or Pound, (You did not mention which part of Ireland you are from) A cruise for $1,500.00 USD can be done however you will be in an inside cabin on a lower deck on average for a 7 day cruise. Now with the exchange rate being what it is for the Euro and British Pound, you should be able to do much better on the cabin end of things.

Being it is now September and you are looking to cruise in November, you either will have to get really busy, fast or postpone your "Proper" Holiday for a bit. You do not want to rush into something like this. (My humble opinion of course) Plan it out so you can really enjoy yourselves.

Good luck and happy cruising.

[pennies]

I`m from Ireland too and me and my husband will be sailing on the Mariner of the Seas, Western carribbean route in 3 weeks time.

I agree that you would have to book well in advance to get the best deal. We booked this cruise (our first) about a year ago and will hopefully celebrate our first wedding anniversary on board.

Although I`d have to say I`m a bit nervous with all those hurricanes :eek: brewing, I really hope they dont spoil our trip after a years planning !!

[ThePatientOne]

Hi Pennies..

Welcome to CC... In three weeks who knows.. Hopefully the big blows will calm down a little.. Even if they cause some disruption with your cruise, just get on board, trust me, any time spent on a cruise ship is much better than a day on land.. (and not to worry, they will steer well clear of the bad weather)

Enjoy your cruise..

Happy cruising..

[fann1sh]

OhPinchy, The Patient One has given good advice, and I'd like to expand on it. Sadly, not all the prices you see on the internet are available to residents of the U.K.

 

Costa, Holland America, Oceania, Princess and Star Clippers now prohibit U.S. travel agencies from selling cruises to passengers who don't live in the U.S. or Canada. While that leaves a lot of cruise lines, you should keep it in mind.

 

The price you see listed for the cruise is far from what you will pay, even before you step aboard. For example, Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas departs Barcelona November 1 for 7 days to Nice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Palermo. The cheapest cabin, an inside guarantee, is listed at $749 per person. However, with taxes and fuel surcharge, that turns into $1,800 for 2.

 

Royal Caribbean, unlike most lines, hasn't yet made tipping = "hotel service charge" mandatory. However, the crew is paid nominal wages and rely on tips for their "real" salary. I know tipping isn't normal in the U.K. the way it is in North America, but you must include $10 per person per day tips in your budget = another $140. Going on a cruise, then refusing to tip because you can't afford it is just wrong.

 

That is far from the last of the expenses you must budget for. Even if you don't drink alcohol, and attend the free evening shows, many of the other things you mention cost money. While using the gym equipment is free, many classes such as yoga will cost another $25 or so. The spa prices are higher than on land, and it's easy to drop $100 on a facial or massage. There's no end to how much you can spend in the casino - even bingo will set you back $20 a day. The simulators cost extra. Even premium coffee and carbonated soft drinks cost extra.

 

You can do shore excursions more cheaply yourself than booking through the ship, but if you took the Voyager cruise I mentioned, I'd be gobsmacked if the trip didn't cost $2,500 before you were done.

 

If you do choose to cruise from Barcelona, fly in a day early to make sure you get there on time, and don't miss the cruise ship. I priced October 31 to November 8 flights, and Aer Lingus can likely get you there for $255 each. If there's a cheap way for you to get to London, EasyJet would be more like $70 each!

 

The best deals on cruises are usually very early (a year ahead) or about 90 days before the ship sails. Final payment date is about 90 days before sailing, and that's when North Americans can still cancel without charge. That's when cabins become free again, and cruise lines want to sell them. If you put off your holiday, keep it in mind.

[OhPinchy]

Thanks for all the great information folks - I've been in hospital (ok on the recovery path now) so that's why I'm late getting back to this thread.

 

I've done a bit more searching and am now convinced that a cruise in the Caribbean would be a good fit for us and is doable on a reasonable budget. I mistakently mentioned $ but meant EURO € and from what I'm seeing online it's quite reasonable. That said, our budget is more a notional budget of what we'd like to spend and was just a ballpark and was really only intended to cover flights & the cruise.

 

I've contacted a few travel agents in Ireland but am not overly impressed with their knowledge. For us the most important thing is ensuring that the ship suits us in terms of clientele, activities etc. and the Irish travel agents are only able to give the standard blurbs for each ship I could read on their website.

 

So, I'd like to reverse engineer things - find ships that suit, see what routes those ships do, and then select a route based on how it suits us and how much it would cost to get to it.

 

We're targetting end of October or start of November so we're well within the 90 days and I'm seeing some good deals online. E.g. Royal Carribbean for about 700 EURO pps for 7 nights from Orlando or Miami, Norwegian Pearl for under 800 EURO 7 nights. Both prices are for balcony cabins.

 

Flights to Orlando or Miami are looking around 600 EURO from Dublin (where we're based).

 

Once we have identified cruises that suit us, I'll then go to travel agents and ask them to price those specific cruises.

 

I think it's probably best for me to start a separate thread entitled 'Help me choose a Caribbean cruise' to ensure anyone with Caribbean experience might see it and post in it. Thanks again.

[OhPinchy]

I think it's probably best for me to start a separate thread entitled 'Help me choose a Caribbean cruise' to ensure anyone with Caribbean experience might see it and post in it. Thanks again.

 

Well that has kind of backfired :o with no bites on the other thread, so I thought I'd post the link to it here in case anyone that has read this thread might have something to add: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=842493

 

Thanks.