Cruise Questions

HELP! We still haven't decided on a HM so now we're thinking Cruise - orginally I was pretty against it because of the whole stuck on a boat thing but the more I look into - it looks pretty good so here are my question???

1. Are there loads of kids running around (don't get me wrong - I love kids - I'm a teacher - but I don't want to be fighting them off all trip)?

2. Is the ship packed? Is it difficult to get into the pool....you guys can picture what I mean right?

3. Is it romantic enough?

4. Do you get enough time at the stops to go snorkeling and do the stuff ont he island???

Thanks girls - I know I can count on you all for some honest answers!!!

FH & I have been on 3 cruises & our HM will be the 4th! There is nothing like it! Trust me, before I cruised the first time, I thought the exact same thing as you!!! But as you can tell, we loved our experience & are going back for more!!

1. Are there loads of kids running around (don't get me wrong - I love kids - I'm a teacher - but I don't want to be fighting them off all trip)?

On 2 of our cruises, there were minimal amounts of kids & you never saw them. The last one we did was Disney (kid capital of the world) & let me tell you, even with the large amount of kids on the boat, you barely saw them! The ships offer these 'kid programs' where they are doing activities much of the day. You will see them in passing but it is not like you have little ones running around the ship constantly!

2. Is the ship packed? Is it difficult to get into the pool....you guys can picture what I mean right?

Ships can hold as many as 3000 people but rememeber, if it can accommodate that many, there has to be enough ammenities to also accommodate the people! I can honestly say that on the cruises we have been on, with the large amounts of people, you would never know it. The ships are so well organized that there is NEVER waiting. Of course, you will encounter minor delays at buffets but nothing that is not tolerable!

The only days that the pools are completely packed are the days that you are at sea! Most ships have more then 1 pool! Everytime we are at sea, we usually opted to lay on the deck above the pool (to stay away from the mass crowds) but there are steps that lead right down to the pool. So, if you feel like taking a dip, you are not fighting to get down there!

3. Is it romantic enough?

Like any vacation, you make can make it as romantic as you want! FH & I have never had an experience on a ship that was 'not' romantic! Every night we use to watch the sunsets, stroll around the ship in the morning or at night. Some ships will also allow you to dine alone! So you can make it just as romantic as you would like!

4. Do you get enough time at the stops to go snorkeling and do the stuff ont he island???

You truly get enough time in the islands when you port. Most of the time, you are port by 9am & you don't leave til 3-4PM. I highly recommend doing excursions that the 'ships' offer because they are on a time table where you will be back in time for the ship to depart to the next port. On our cruise to Bermuda, we did a 'ship' offered snorkeling trip that last 3 hours! When we got back from the trip, we still had time to go out & see the city prior to the ship departing. Most excursions do not last more then 4 hours!

I hope I was able to answer your questions. Honestly, FH & I looked into the resort aspect for our HM. When it came down to the $$ value, a cruise beat out all the other vacations by a landslide!!!

I agree with Kissy27.

The only thing that I found to be an issue on the cruises I've been on is that on the days at sea, sometimes you have to get out there pretty early to reserve a lounge chair.

You definitely have enough time at each port. There are numerous excursions you can book through the cruiseline and they make sure you get back in time. There are also little shopping areas right outside the boat usually so if you want to browse at your leisure you can.

I've only been on one cruise, a 3 day Royal Caribbean cruise on Majesty of the Seas to Coco Cay (their private island) and Nassau, Bahamas. We took this trip in August, before our wedding, and we realized that cruises are not for us. If we had done this for our HM, we would have been very disppointed.

1. Are there loads of kids running around (don't get me wrong - I love kids - I'm a teacher - but I don't want to be fighting them off all trip)?

There were kids, but the ships are pretty large, and I didn't feel like we were on top of eachother.

2. Is the ship packed? Is it difficult to get into the pool....you guys can picture what I mean right?

The ship itself was roomy enough that we didn't feel cramped, but the pool was another story. It was very, very small and there were always too many people.

3. Is it romantic enough?

IMO? no.

4. Do you get enough time at the stops to go snorkeling and do the stuff ont he island???

We stopped at Coco Cay, RC's private island and Nassau, Bahamas. They let us out at about 9am, and we had to be back by 4, and that was enough time for lounging, swimming, snorkeling and whatever excursion we wanted. But if it had been a European cruise, I would say probably not. There is too much to do/see in cities for that amount of time.


Hope that helped.

I am a big fan of cruises. We just booked one for our honeymoon last night. I think it is definitely romantic... There is always so much going on, the shows are great, comedians, all kinds of activites or you can just relax and do nothing. As far as pools being crowded they can be but there are so many areas you just have to find your spot. It was never really a problem.
Good luck!

1. Are there loads of kids running around (don't get me wrong - I love kids - I'm a teacher - but I don't want to be fighting them off all trip)?

Depends on the ship- BUT, I have been on three cruises and NONE had an overwhelming amount of children...it is so big you will not even notice them...they have their own little areas too

2. Is the ship packed? There are A LOT of people on a cruise , but it is meant to accomodate that many...sometimes it is difficult to get a lounge chair- as someone mentioned...but not you will never feel like a sardine!

3. Is it romantic enough?
OMG YES! Nothing like watching the sunset over the ocean! As with any vacation, YOU need to be romantic too- But there are MANY opportunities to do this!

4. Do you get enough time at the stops to go snorkeling and do the stuff ont he island??? Yes, but you will want to check the itineraries cause they are different...find one that fits you!

I am going on a Meditteranean Cruise for my honeymoon and I have done 3 carribean/mexican cruises and LOVED them all!

1. Kids?

I never really saw the kids on the cruises I've been on. They keep them pretty occupied in little camp-type activities.

2. Crowded?

I found it to be really obnoxiously crowded at the pools during our days at sea. People would get up at the crack of dawn and 'reserve' chairs with towels. We didn't know this, so the first day at sea we ended up having to sit on our towels on the deck.

3. Romantic?

FH and I have never gone together, but it didn't seem very romantic to me. If you do book a cruise, definitely get a room with a balcony. That way, you'll have a private place to hang out with your DH.

4. Enough time?

I found that you need to be pretty disciplined and get up early in order to have enough time on the island. I went on a cruise with a bunch of girls who all wanted to shower, eat a leisurely breakfast, etc. before getting off the ship. I felt rushed when we were on the islands as a result. I would also definitely book the excursions with the cruise-line. The girls I went with were cheap, and didn't want to book excursions, so we ended up lost looking for stuff on the islands.

HTH!

If you do go on a cruise, I'd recommend one of the newer, larger ships. They have a lot more to do on them than some of the smaller ships.

Like the poster above, I did the three day Royal Caribbean Cruise to their own private island and Nassau and didn't like cruising. I've been on two week long Royal Caribbean cruises around the Western and Southern Caribbean since and have loved them. I went during Presidents Week and there didn't seem to be an overabundance of kids. There were a few obnoxious grown ups though

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Posted by jaclyncalderon

HELP! We still haven't decided on a HM so now we're thinking Cruise - orginally I was pretty against it because of the whole stuck on a boat thing but the more I look into - it looks pretty good so here are my question???

1. Are there loads of kids running around (don't get me wrong - I love kids - I'm a teacher - but I don't want to be fighting them off all trip)?

i found that there were more older people (like old old) than little kids running around.

2. Is the ship packed? Is it difficult to get into the pool....you guys can picture what I mean right?

i've been on 2 cruises...bermuda by RC's nordic empress which is an older ship and bahamas/fFL by NCL's dawn...and i found both to be crowded, but then again, i just don't prefer big crowds to begin with. but i found it hard to enjoy the pools/hot tubs bc of all the people that always hung around in them. also for shows you have to get there early for good seats and for dinner (if you dont have assigned tables like on NCL's freestyle cruises) you have to get there early or late to not have to wait for a table bc it gets crowded. and if you have assigned tables i do not know how it works if you want to eat alone with your new husband, bc the tables were all group tables on the RC cruise i went on...didnt matter for us though bc we went with a group.

3. Is it romantic enough?

um, i guess its what you make of it. i would prefer an all inclusive resort trip myself.

4. Do you get enough time at the stops to go snorkeling and do the stuff ont he island???

for both cruises i didnt feel enough time was spent at the ports, or that we were at the ports at wierd times (like on NCL's dawn we went to nassaue form like 6pm to 11am the next day, that stunk bc i wanted to snorkle and enjoy there beaches! and NCL's private island was soooooo crowded and horrible for snorkling. very dissappointing.
Thanks girls - I know I can count on you all for some honest answers!!!

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well, i was honest lol can you tell i am not a big fan of cruises? i def would rather do a resort, but there are plenty of others that swear by cruises. if you have any more q's, fm me! ~lacey

me and my fi went on a cruise with Royal Carribean last year.. we had a blast...

there are kids and yes they run around by the pool area... there was in indoor pool they weren't allowed in however it had a cover on the roof so it wasn't as sunny... but it was quiet...

we went on trips at every port and spent most of the day off the ship

there is always something to do at night... it is romantic in my opinion.. you can walk around the boat at night and have dinner alone if you wish... and all day you can spend on trips on shore....

its def different.. but worth the try, I would do it again!!!but research the cruise lines... royal is great... I have heard some not so great stories elsewhere...

You guys are great -- thanks so much you all definitely helped...

are the pools of the cruise 24hours???

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Posted by 69

me and my fi went on a cruise with Royal Carribean last year.. we had a blast...

there are kids and yes they run around by the pool area... there was in indoor pool they weren't allowed in however it had a cover on the roof so it wasn't as sunny... but it was quiet...

we went on trips at every port and spent most of the day off the ship

there is always something to do at night... it is romantic in my opinion.. you can walk around the boat at night and have dinner alone if you wish... and all day you can spend on trips on shore....

its def different.. but worth the try, I would do it again!!!but research the cruise lines... royal is great... I have heard some not so great stories elsewhere...

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I agree - I only cruise on Royal... Although I think they Bought Celebrity... But I would def. Check 1st.