Cruises

[SamSpade]

I know people have broadly different opinions about them, but overall - my wife and I enjoy them. We have been aching to go back to them once our kids are grown and out of the house.

BUT - I've been looking at the costs and honestly? I don't know HOW anyone can afford to go even once every several years, much less yearly.

I know my wife wants to try something OTHER than your typical Caribbean cruise, and we aren't interested in cruise lines that cater more to a "party" crowd (Carnival, e.g.). We'd really like something subdued, but - I think the only way we pull it off is to find SOME kind of discount.

Can anyone who likes cruises share their experiences, especially on how to save money?

 

[Sneakers]

Never been on one, but my parents did frequently. The one trip they booked and didn't get to take was an Alaskan cruise. If you want something a little different, maybe look into that.

Another option might be a European Long Boat cruise up one of the major rivers. I have some friends who have done that a few time and loved it.

 

[vraiblonde]

@Monello loves cruises and frequently finds deals. I tagged him and if he's feeling generous he'll give you some tips.

 

[SamSpade]

Never been on one, but my parents did frequently. The one trip they booked and didn't get to take was an Alaskan cruise. If you want something a little different, maybe look into that.

Another option might be a European Long Boat cruise up one of the major rivers. I have some friends who have done that a few time and loved it.

That was our second cruise. Memorable, but my wife was sick for most of it. And some of the stops were VERY brief - Juneau was just a few hours.
Skagway was a whole day, as was Ketchikan. Victoria was beautiful - but we only had a few hours.

Only saw a few whales. First found out that icebergs are BLUE. Bald eagles as numerous as crows.

I think the Viking ships are the kind we would like - airfare included - but they are REALLY expensive.

 

[Monello]

This is the site I use to check out deals.

Discount Cruises, Last Minute Cruises, Cruise, Cruise Line, Cruise Vacation

My mom lives close to NYC, so we can just Uber over to the cruise terminal. That saves us a bit. Many people have to get a hotel the day before leaving. I'd watch the prices and then let Mom know if there was something reasonable. And if she wanted me to book it. I got us a balcony room on the Queen Mary going to New England & Canada for 12 days for $999 each back around 2012. The Cunard line is quite elegant, even though they are a subsidiary of Carnival.

My goal back then was to find trips that averaged under $100 per person per day. All but our first 2 cruises together were balcony rooms.

The real deals are the repositioning cruises. But then you have to find a way back to your original destination city.

The closest departure point to SOMD is Baltimore. They don't have a great selection of cruises leaving and returning from there.

 

[TPD]

My wife and I go on one or 2 cruises every year, mainly on Celebrity Cruises. We were on a 13 night transatlantic cruise last month - balcony cabin midship, with gratuities, airfare, and baggage fees - total cost for the 2 of us was $5050. Airfare alone was $1887 for 2 tickets because we had to buy a one-way ticket from DC to Ft Lauderdale and another one-way ticket from Barcelona to Dulles. But overall for a 2 week vacation with almost everything included, this was a very affordable trip in my opinion. We’ve paid this much for a 7 day Caribbean cruise.

But to your question of finding “deals”, it is tougher now because the cruiselines are filling their ships, but still possible. Here is what we do:

-don’t look at the newest ships but go after ships 10-20 years old. Still very nice ships but just don’t have all the bells and whistles like water slides and ice rinks.

-don‘t cruise during school vacations ie. spring/Christmas breaks, summertime. We like to cruise to the Caribbean in January during MLK holiday and September after Labor Day-usually better pricing than other times of the year.

-look for repositioning cruises. Transatlantic cruises in the spring and fall are usually cheap, all things considered.

-book 1 to 2 years in advance or if flexible enough, 1-2 months before the sail date. We’ve done both. One of our best deals was when we booked a Caribbean cruise on New Years Eve that sailed in less than 3 weeks.

-try to book with a group. If you can find enough family and friends and want to be the group leader, you can get free fares for booking 6-8 cabins.

-hurricane season in the Caribbean (September/October) is a great time to cruise but don’t book a cruise because you want to see a certain island because the itinerary could be changed due to weather. The time between thanksgiving and Christmas is also a cheaper time to travel, and not just for cruises.

Good luck and happy cruising! We’ve already got our next cruise booked for next year and looking at booking another one for this fall.

 

[TPD]

My goal back then was to find trips that averaged under $100 per person per day. All but our first 2 cruises together were balcony rooms.

The real deals are the repositioning cruises. But then you have to find a way back to your original destination city.

The closest departure point to SOMD is Baltimore. They don't have a great selection of cruises leaving and returning from there.

The $100 per day used to be my goal but now $150 per person per day in a balcony cabin is my goal for a ”deal”. The transatlantic cruise I mentioned above was $122/day with tips but without airfare.

 

[DogWhisperer]

Pretty expensive but if you're not into partying and want to see something new check out Lindblad Tours with Nat Geo. They have specials but still $$$. We got our flight to Buenos Aires on them as we signed up early. Once in a lifetime. Don't forget the polar plunge.

 

[RoseRed]

The only cruises that appeal to me are the small European river cruises. A gigantic ship with hundreds of people just grosses me out. Nope.

 

[DogWhisperer]

The only cruises that appeal to me are the small European river cruises. A gigantic ship with hundreds of people just grosses me out. Nope.

I think we had 150 or so on the Antarctic cruise and followed the path of the Shackleford Expedition. Went on shore every day except when crossing the Drake Passage. 4–5-star dining as well.

 

[RoseRed]

I think we had 150 or so on the Antarctic cruise and followed the path of the Shackleford Expedition. Went on shore every day except when crossing the Drake Passage. 4–5-star dining as well.

I'm persnickity now and don't like crowds.

 

[Grumpy]

I'm persnickity now and don't like crowds.

Now??

 

[RoseRed]

Now??

I'm Grumpier now than before.

 

[Sneakers]

I'm Grumpier now than before.

RBF**2

 

[RoseRed]

RBF**2

It's true!

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...


Stay away from cruises such as this one ....

 

[Clem72]

I know people have broadly different opinions about them, but overall - my wife and I enjoy them. We have been aching to go back to them once our kids are grown and out of the house.

BUT - I've been looking at the costs and honestly? I don't know HOW anyone can afford to go even once every several years, much less yearly.

I know my wife wants to try something OTHER than your typical Caribbean cruise, and we aren't interested in cruise lines that cater more to a "party" crowd (Carnival, e.g.). We'd really like something subdued, but - I think the only way we pull it off is to find SOME kind of discount.

Can anyone who likes cruises share their experiences, especially on how to save money?

There's lots of ways to get discounts on cruises, and what's the issue with Carnival? The party goers stick to the clubs, so avoid the clubs. The shows, casinos, pools, restaurants, etc. are not going to have a "party" atmosphere. Unless you just don't like young adults / kids (and I get that). Stick to Princess and Holland America if you want a more mature crowd.

It's been a few years since I used them, but vacationstogo despite having a scammy looking web page usually had good deals. If you are flexible about dates and locations, you can get a very good deal and I believe they can figure in discounts for repeat customers or if you belong to groups like AAA or AMEX Platinum, etc.

 

[itsbob]

I know people have broadly different opinions about them, but overall - my wife and I enjoy them. We have been aching to go back to them once our kids are grown and out of the house.

BUT - I've been looking at the costs and honestly? I don't know HOW anyone can afford to go even once every several years, much less yearly.

I know my wife wants to try something OTHER than your typical Caribbean cruise, and we aren't interested in cruise lines that cater more to a "party" crowd (Carnival, e.g.). We'd really like something subdued, but - I think the only way we pull it off is to find SOME kind of discount.

Can anyone who likes cruises share their experiences, especially on how to save money?

Every year, twice a year, the major cruise lines relocate their ships.. From US ports to European Ports. The cruise lines want to put "butts in seats" to at least cover their fuel costs. These cruises happen during the school year, so mostly childless, adult cruises, or very young (toddlers) onboard. They are longer than normal, think 16 days, so few people could either take off from work, or get their kids out of school.

We did Miami to Madrid, with stops in the Azores, Portgual, Mallorca, Gibraltar, Malaga and Madrid, then flew to Ireland for St Patrick's day weekend.

Very inexpensive. We started with an indoor cabin, no view no balcony, but near every week we would call and ask for an upgrade, and get it. We ended up in a penthouse on the back of the ship, our own concierge, our own room staff, our own dining room, first off, first on benefits at every port (most times our own entrance). Specialty restaurants you are supposed to wait until 2 PM to resrve the place you want that night.. our concierge asked where we wanted to eat every night, and reserved all of them the first day.

CHEAPEST by far, especially considering the upgrades. Downside was a lot of time on the boat getting to the Azores and crossing the Atlantic, it did get a little rough, but we found a group online to hang out with, and traveled with friends from here.

We were totally spoiled.

 

[Kinnakeet]

For your consideration ...


Stay away from cruises such as this one ....

I would be really pissed if I was on a boat full of Crickets all dancing sweaty stinky flopping flappers swinging to and fro.....lol
Nope Im lying I would prolly be out there trying to get smacked by a flopping flapper while I was dancing to and fro

 

[StadEMS3]

I did one cruise with Carnival years ago and couldn't wait to get off it. Too many inconsiderate adults, obnoxious kids, and drunks. I didn't buy the drink plan at first, but as soon we as got on board we started drinking and I thought maybe I should buy it. I had a roommate that couldn't drink for medical reasons and Carnival said both had to buy the plan in a room so I got stuck paying for 2 and by the 3rd day I was done drinking. Plus you'd think after buying their drink plan and go on their island those drinks would be included...nope. I'm going to try a Disney cruise with the GF and her kiddo in the future.