Think my husband might do well on a cruise
Oct 31st, 2011, 08:31 PM
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Think my husband might do well on a cruise
So we are back from our three week adventure in Italy and my husband, come to find out, is not as big of an adventurer as I thought. I still want to "see the world" but he is pretty much done with traveling unless he can do it comfortably, (backpacking around Italy was not his cup of tea, and he says there are too many people in Europe!) I am thinking maybe we can compromise and try a cruise. I want to try out a cruise in the U.S. first before I take him international again, so can anyone recommend a good cruise that is in the United States? I don't mind flying to the East Coast and the price I am looking at is around 15,000 max for three people for about a week. I haven't seen much of the world, just Hawaii and Italy so far so I would be willing to go anywhere!
Thanks so much for your help,
GypsyGurl
Thanks so much for your help,
GypsyGurl
Nov 1st, 2011, 03:19 AM
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vacationstogo.com for different US cruise itineraries
[email protected] helps me a lot with custom planning
Pacific Coast or Alaska(Wonderful time on Princess for me)
New England fall foliage cruises all nice safe possiblities.
[email protected] helps me a lot with custom planning
Pacific Coast or Alaska(Wonderful time on Princess for me)
New England fall foliage cruises all nice safe possiblities.
Nov 1st, 2011, 03:21 AM
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Seabourn Cruise Line offers unique, luxury cruise vacations featuring ports of call around ... Seabourn Club Our Company Media Careers Contact Us Travel …
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www.seabourn.com
Up to 85% off some dates this year I am looking at
All Suites All AI no tipping
Nov 1st, 2011, 07:59 AM
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Why not Alaska? Great cruise and can be very comfortable, depending on what options you choose. The stops are interesting, but if on the cruise only you could probably stay on the ship the whole time and see some very intyeresting things. The land tours before/after the cruise are good and not too adventurous. We went on Holland America, which was not overly expensive. Is qwovadis a TA?
Nov 1st, 2011, 08:44 AM
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If I were you, I would try a short cruise as close to home as possible. You may find either you or your husband don't care for cruising. Lots of cruises up and down the West Coast from Acapulco to Alaska. We took a 5 day cruise from Vancouver to Los Angles and had a great time. Spent 3 nights in Vancouver with a day trip to Whistler on the Rocky Mountaineer Sea To Sky Route. Then boarded the ship and stopped in Astoria, Or., San Francisco and ended in Los Angles. If you enjoy that, than the skies the limit, you can travel the world on a cruise ship.
Nov 1st, 2011, 11:16 AM
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If your husband thinks Europe is crowded, I might question cruising. They tend to stuff the ships to full capacity and there is limited public space.
Having been on 4 cruises, I was disappointed in the 3 Caribbean cruises we took. Lots of party type people, lots of kids and getting on and off the ship was basically a nightmare test of patience. Having said that, we did an Alaksan cruise last month and it was like night and day compared to the Caribbean cruises we took. We did do a 4 1/2 pre/post cruise stay in Seattle, so it felt more like a vacation than just doing a 7 day cruise.
Research the ships and iteniaries. Princess, Celebrity and Holland American seem to have more mature type passengers. Carinval can be inexpensive and has a party reputation and lots of kids. NCL can attract families due to their prices. They are some smaller ships that provide all inclusive amenities that the main stream lines don't, but they are very high priced.
The harder to get to disembarktion ports and the longer the cruises will atrract more mature passengers and not families if that matters to you.
I would try to find itiniaries that include as much port time as possible and minimun seas days if you are really wanting to see several destinations. Many people don't realize that cruising is all about the ship, the ports are just a small fraction of it. Bad weather or any other issues, the Captain can chose to skip a port or substitute for another port with no compensation to the passengers. Be careful of Caribbean cruises during hurricane season. Even with insurance, I would not take the chance.
I suggest that you look at cruisecritic.com and read, read, read before making a decision.
Having been on 4 cruises, I was disappointed in the 3 Caribbean cruises we took. Lots of party type people, lots of kids and getting on and off the ship was basically a nightmare test of patience. Having said that, we did an Alaksan cruise last month and it was like night and day compared to the Caribbean cruises we took. We did do a 4 1/2 pre/post cruise stay in Seattle, so it felt more like a vacation than just doing a 7 day cruise.
Research the ships and iteniaries. Princess, Celebrity and Holland American seem to have more mature type passengers. Carinval can be inexpensive and has a party reputation and lots of kids. NCL can attract families due to their prices. They are some smaller ships that provide all inclusive amenities that the main stream lines don't, but they are very high priced.
The harder to get to disembarktion ports and the longer the cruises will atrract more mature passengers and not families if that matters to you.
I would try to find itiniaries that include as much port time as possible and minimun seas days if you are really wanting to see several destinations. Many people don't realize that cruising is all about the ship, the ports are just a small fraction of it. Bad weather or any other issues, the Captain can chose to skip a port or substitute for another port with no compensation to the passengers. Be careful of Caribbean cruises during hurricane season. Even with insurance, I would not take the chance.
I suggest that you look at cruisecritic.com and read, read, read before making a decision.
Nov 2nd, 2011, 07:51 AM
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Definitely try a cruise. The suggestion of doing Alaska or the New England/Canada fall colors cruise is an excellent one. They are not party cruises and would be a relaxing way to see the country. Your budget is more than adequate for a 7 - 10 day cruise. If the 3rd person is sharing your cabin there is just a minimal charge for them and often the 3rd person goes free. Someone mentioned vacationstogo.com to check also a very easy website is cruise.com. You can choose the month, cruise line, ship, destination etc. You can book with whomever you want but that is a comprehensive website to let you see what choices are there. I wold stick to Holland America, Celebrity or Princess for your first cruse. There are a lot of deals out there now so its a good time to give cruising a try.
Nov 6th, 2011, 08:50 AM
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I have to add a couple of thoughts............
It sounds like you would like to see some more of (crowded) Europe and I would like to say that European/African/Asian/So. America cruises are different and attract a different crowd than Alaska or the Caribbean. Alaska is definitely a scenic wonder; Caribbean is beach and party and 7day or less cruises are party ships. Try the mass market big ships of HAL, Celebrity or Princess if you want, but for port intensive cruises on smaller (680 psgrs) ships, take a look at Oceania and Azamara. They are not "stuffed",never feel crowded, have excellent food,very restricted smoking, no formal nights (country club casual dress) open dining, etc. I second the suggestion to take a look at www.cruisecritic.com for more information and thoughts on each line's offerings. No I am not a TA.
It sounds like you would like to see some more of (crowded) Europe and I would like to say that European/African/Asian/So. America cruises are different and attract a different crowd than Alaska or the Caribbean. Alaska is definitely a scenic wonder; Caribbean is beach and party and 7day or less cruises are party ships. Try the mass market big ships of HAL, Celebrity or Princess if you want, but for port intensive cruises on smaller (680 psgrs) ships, take a look at Oceania and Azamara. They are not "stuffed",never feel crowded, have excellent food,very restricted smoking, no formal nights (country club casual dress) open dining, etc. I second the suggestion to take a look at www.cruisecritic.com for more information and thoughts on each line's offerings. No I am not a TA.
Nov 6th, 2011, 02:50 PM
#10
Maybe you should try a river cruise in Europe. But be sure you don't get on an "oldies but goldies" like Grand Circle. (I am an Oldy... but you sound younger.) It's a leisurely way to see lots of interesting sights. Or take a grand cruise like the Baltic..............St. Petersburg, Stockholm, etc ( In my opinion the best way to be introduced to this fascinating area.) There are cruises at all price levels. But smaller ships offer the best experience.
