Cruises

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Cruises

Cruises questions and answers

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Q: cruises????
I was needing to know any great websites that you have personally used to book cruises that were cheap! I'm getting married in june and are going on a cruise for our honeymoon but needed to find some good cheap cruises to go on!! Thanks

A: I always book directly through Carnival, I call and use a vacation planner there. I have always used the same one, and he gets me the best deals, sometimes even better than on the webpage. He is able to "move" promotions around to get the best deal. He also guarantees the lowest price. If it goes lower, then they will match it. I also get any free upgrades that come up. I have always paid for the cheapest room, and ended up on a higher deck, usually the top deck.

Q: What are the ethical issues of cruises giving uneaten food to homeless people in ports?
So much food is wasted on cruises every year.. Maybe cruise companies can start donating wasted food at ports? What's wrong with donating the food at the port areas for human consumption? If it's going to be thrown out anyway, why not? I know I asked this before but I want the ethical issues here. Say they did this in extremely poor countries.

A: There aren't ethical reasons not to do it, but there are legal ones.

Q: How did you like your European river cruise with Viking River Cruises?
We've never been on a cruise before, but we are pretty sure we don't want to go on a ship that has 5,000 passengers and assigned seating, etc. Are the best times to go in June and September? That's when the prices are highest. Is there really enough to do on these river cruises? Are they full of stuffy old rich people? Is the food good?

A: The prices are high in June and September since this is the high season. The possibility that the weather is good is higher at that time and it is school vacation time in Europe. For the food, I can only say, that a friend of mine is the cooperate chef there - so I can say the food is good. lol

Q: What are some really nice cruises/cruise ships to go on in november?
I would like to know of some nice cruises that me and my husband could go on for our 2nd anniversary...We want something nice cause we didn't have a honeymoon or be alone on our first anniversary. We want to keep it at places that will be warm too. I was also wondering where the best places are to find deals so that we can get food and drinks included in our price.

A: most of cruise liner go to a warm places during winter, besides they have any kind of itenerary in 5 different continents that will suits your need. hawaii, southern carribean, panama canal, just to name a few. there are a lot of cruise liner out there, but Crystal Cruise is on top of the list. it's quite expensive though, but it's worth it. Crystal Cruise has been awarded the no 1 spot on the top 10 best cruise liner acccording Condenast Traveller and Travel and Leisure magazine for years. to name other few cruise liner, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Disney Cruise, Carnival, Princess Cruise, Costa Cruise, Cunard Line(Ms. Queen Elizabeth II). there are also some small cruise liner, such as the Yacth of Seaborn, Windstar etc. and ofcourse you could check on their own website to check for itenerary and prices. i hope you have a wonderful and memorable anniversary

Q: What are the catagory upgrades on cruises mean?
What are the catagory upgrades on cruises mean? Example: Get a free 4 catagory upgrade with this cruise.

A: Typically the upgrades are within the same category but higher up on the ship, so for instance you book and oceanview cabin on deck one and they bump you up to an oceanview on deck three. I have never heard of an upgrade on the same deck as everyone in the same type of room on the same deck pays the same price, so if you want to move just ask. Sometimes you can get a category upgrade but that is rare because of the financial costs. If you are a past guest your chances for a decent upgrade greatly imporove. I generally purchase the category I want with the cabin to be determined. As a past guest I have always ended up in better than the lowest priced location for the category I purchased, which is what I paid.

Q: What are the best cruises and cruise lines from NY?
Hello, I am looking for recommendations for the best cruises that are based from New York. I am looking for 14 day cruises that go to the bahamas, or a tropical environment. Does anyone know the best cruises that start from New York? Thanks so much.

A: If its still around I would recomend ncl cruises to florida and bahamas. Other than that RCCL has a great service package and you can always go on a back to back transatlanic crossing with Cunard. And as I always says: There is no such things as the best cruise and cruise line but there is the best cruise for you. Johan.

Q: What are the cruises that depart from Singapore to places outside of Asia?
What are the cruises that depart from Singapore to places in and outside of Asia? any good websites?

A: ask ur travel agent

Q: Does anyone know when the booze cruises start?
Does anyone know when the booze cruises start to put in bay? (Sandusky, OH) My friends and I want to go for a bachelorette party at the end of April and are just wondering if they are running yet??? or Kelley's Island?

A: In my neck of the woods the first booze cruise coincides with the day the ice breaks.

Q: What is the legal drinking age policy for Princess Cruises ?
We will be going on a cruise to mexico through Princess Cruises soon and want to know if my wife can drink with us- she is only 19 right now. I realize i could probably just buy her drinks but would rather not do that.

A: The legal drink age on all cruise ships is age 21 and it does not change when you are in international waters or docked in a foreign port. Its still age 21 and older while you are on the ship. And Princess and all of the other cruise lines DO enforce it. The only exception to this is if you cruise from a European port and your parents sign a waiver for you to have beer and wine. Otherwise always no. BUT, when you get to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Acapulco, and other ports in Mexico you can drink all you want in the clubs, bars and restaurants because the drinking age in Mexico is age 18 and older. BUT, you cannot bring alcohol back on board the ship either as it will be confiscated by the cruise line. While on ship you will have to go to a bar and buy drinks and bring them back to your lounge chair, your seat in the show room, and/or your table in the disco. They control who buys drinks by your cruise card that's issued to you when you first board the ship. Each of you will get one and it will have all of your personal information embedded in the magnetic strip on the back. If she tries to buy a drink her card will show that she is underage. So you buy her drinks and you both act like you are older. No one is going to come by and ask for an ID unless you act silly like you are underage.

Q: Can last minute cruises be purchased at the port on the day of departure for a heavy discount?
Has anyone had any experience going to the port the day of departure and trying to score a really cheap price on a cruise? I have heard of this through the rumor mill, but have not been able to get any details. How about any other ways to get super bargains on cruises?

A: I've never seen it. There is not booking agent outside, and they will not let you in the cruise terminal without a boarding pass. I do know people who have booked online the day before, and gotten a good deal, but not a stellar one. Additionally, all of the cruises that i have gone on have been fully booked when we departed. The cruise lines offer all of their deals before the sail date.

Q: What is the difference between free style cruises and not free style?
And also are there any cruises where tips are only recommended and not automatically billed or charged?

A: There is actually not a big difference and it actually only refers to the dining arrangement for dinner. Before NCL started the Freestyle Cruising a few years ago all of the cruise lines gave you the option of having dinner at 6:00PM or 8:00PM and then they assigned you to a table. You got to know your waiter and all of the people at the table with you. Freestyle Cruising means that you do not have to specify a dinner dining option when you book your cruise and thus don't have a table and waiter assigned to you. "FREESTYLE" means you can go to dinner in the main dining room, or any other alternative restaurant, any time of the evening after 6:00 PM.. But you will have to reserve a time in the alternate restaurants. It also means that you don't have to "dress up" for dinner, but just go "sports casual". But it also means that you may be standing in line awaiting a table on some days (like we had to do a couple times); not what you want on a cruise. Since you go when you want, you rarely get the same waiter and so never really get to know your waiter and he/she never learns what you prefer as is done on “traditional” cruise lines. I have been on many Norwegian ships and at one time NCL was my favorite cruise line. However, after NCL was bought by Star Cruises and they instituted the "Freestyle Cruising", I do not care for their cruises and do not recommend them, especially for people who have been on a number of cruises and prefer traditional cruising. The option to traditional dining being pushed on NCL is their optional dining restaurants. However, these dining options can cost $10 to $20 a person for dinner each night. The cost is called a gratuity or service charge. This is not what you want after paying for a cruise which is supposed to be all inclusive. The optional restaurants are very nice, including French, Chinese/Sushi, Tex-Mex, Italian, and steak house restaurants. But who wants to go pay $20 to $40 each day to eat on a cruise ship where all the meals are supposed to be included. The last time wewere on an NCL ship we always skipped the optional restaurants and just got to the main dining early. That worked fine, except on "at sea" days when everyone wanted to go eat early. We later found that we could reserve a time in the main dining room, but we still got a different table and waiter for dinner each night. NCL is just like all of the other cruise lines except on this one point. All cruise lines, including NCL, have an optional leisure dress dining option, usually a buffet area where you can go in shorts and "T" shirts. However, NCL and all of the others also have a requirement that you cannot go into public areas like show rooms, the casino, and the formal dining hall in shorts and swim wear after 6:00PM in the evenings. Princess also has an optional dining format that they call "PERSONAL CHOICE" CRUISING. This means that you can select traditional dining or opt for unscheduled dining in any of their restaurants. Cruise line tips are not really optional and most lines will automatically add them to your ship's tab. You should not skip the tips because they are the majority of the salary for the people cleaning your room and waiting your table. The high end cruise lines may have tip included in the price of the cruise.

Q: How do people dance in clubs on cruises?
I was just wondering how people dance in the clubs on cruises, in the 18+ clubs, not the tween or teen clubs. Pretty much I just want to know if people dance really dirty in them. Thanks in advance for your answers!

A: Well, sometimes it all just depends. It depends on the cruiseline/ship/time of year. That determines what kind of crowd you'll get in the ship, and that basically sets the atmosphere. Also, it depends on when you go to the club. Like if you go during the day (if its open; sometimes it isn't on some ships), you'll tend not to have the more party-hardy crowds there than say at 2 am. I've never actually danced in one of those things, and I don't plan on it. But this is just what I have observed. Obviously if it is an 18+ club, you would probably expect it to look that way as far as dancing.

Q: what is the difference between wheel chair accessible cabin on cruises and non wheel chair accessible?
What is the difference between wheel chair accessible cabins on cruises and non-wheel chair accessible? My partner and I are not handicap and I have been assigned a room that is wheel chair accessible. Can I ask the cruise line to change the room? Or it is not that bad?

A: My family has gone on 2 Royal Caribbean cruises with my father who is an wheelchair. Here are some additions to the wheel chair rooms: -generally larger. RC wheel chair rooms are actually 50% bigger than normal cabins. They take 3 regular rooms and make 2 (trust me...you can see the wall divisions!) -Balcony rooms have a little ramp out to the balcony for easy access. -the bathrooms are much larger and the showers are wheel-in. Now, I am EXTREMELY surprised you go a wheel chair room if you are not disabled. Royal Caribbean requires anyone booking a wheelchair room to submit a letter from a physician stating that it is required. They do this because the wheel chair rooms are much larger than the same class non-wheel chair accessible rooms but cost the same. So of course if they didn't require the proof everyone would be booking them for the space. Anyway, If you have a moral conscience, then you may want to tell the cruise line so that the room could be made available to someone who really needs it...but hey, sometimes it's nice to get something you weren't expecting!

Q: What do you think about cruises donating wasted food?
So much food is wasted on cruises every year.. Maybe cruise companies can start donating wasted food at ports? What's wrong with donating the food at the port areas for human consumption?

A: Just because food is not eaten does not make it fit for human consumption. I saw an episode of Dirty Jobs where they take the uneaten food from all of the casinos in Las Vegas and process it into pig slop. Because of the way the thrown out food is handled and mixed together, it would have to be cooked and processed into a slop for it to be fit for any kind of consumption. And, I doubt anyone would want to eat it.

Q: Are there any cruises to South America that depart from the United States?
The cruises that we've found leave out of South America, but the airfare is too costly.

A: We just did a South America Cruise a few months ago. And when I was searching for cruises I found that YES, there are some cruises that depart from the US going to South America, BUT they are not round trip. SO you have to fly back, which is almost as expensive as flying round trip. Here's one that leaves from San Diego, CA: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000nAYG8jBVExSnU51lC0lTZfZ:12hdhu6tq?packageCode=RD15F012&date=ANY&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=&hasSenior=&hasMilitary=&state= Here's one that leaves from Ft Lauderdale, Fl: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000nAYG8jBVExSnU51lC0lTZfZ:12hdhu6tq?packageCode=RD14F014&date=ANY&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=&hasSenior=&hasMilitary=&state= Here's one that leaves from Port Canaveral, Fl: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000nAYG8jBVExSnU51lC0lTZfZ:12hdhu6tq?packageCode=MA15F009&date=ANY&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=&hasSenior=&hasMilitary=&state= Here's another leaving from Ft Lauderdale: http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/vacationItinerary.do;jsessionid=0000PH9pquehZ0ZIxjmznSTcPky:12hdebebp?packageCode=IN14F017&backPageName=Itinerary+Search+Results There are some cruises that go both ways, i.e., return to the US from South America. But that would be as expensive as flying round trip AND take twice as long to get back. Then there is another BIG expense in cruises to South America, in addition to the fact that they are for the most part 12 to 14 days, and so cost more. There are hefty VISA fees for both Chile and Brazil. The VISA fee for Chile for US citizens is $130. per person, payable on arrival at the airport. For two people it will be about $260. The VISA fee for Brazil is $140. per person for US citizens but you MUST apply no sooner than 90 days before your planned entry date and there are some strict requirements for applying like the application for each person MUST be submitted in a separate envelope and include a US Postal Service money order, and include a postage paid Express mail return envelope. So the total cost for two people for Brazil VISA's will be about $350 if you do it yourself, and more if you have a VISA service do it. So you need to also factor these fees into the cost of your South America cruise also.