CRUISE VACATIONS! - Page 4

Financialgrl · ‎03-13-2010

Retired and I usually go on about 2 cruises a year. The absolute best cruise I took was to the Med about 6 years ago. There were good things and bad - it was extremely exhausting but I got to visit ports in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Monaco so I got a taste of countries I'd probably not otherwise have visited and I like that you only have to pack/unpack once.

I have gone on 3 different cruiselines and feel each had their own pluses and minuses. I used Royal Caribbean when I've taken older teens, early 20s nieces and nephews and feel that line has the most for that age group. Did a Med cruise starting in Barcelona, ending in Venice on Princess. We stayed additional days in both pre and post cruise cities and stopped in London on the way home - 23 days total. Princess has coin operated laundry centers on each deck so by doing laundry about day 5 and again just before we got off ship allowed us to pack one week's worth of clothes and have clean clothes the whole trip and able to take less luggage to haul around and pay extra luggage fares on the airlines. Just back from Alaska - went to see the glaciers but sadly there was a medical onboard emergency in the middle of the night before we were to cruise the glacier so we sped up during the middle of the night and bypassed that stop. To be honest, the scenic cruising was the only thing I really wanted to see on the cruise so this cruise was really kind of a bust cuz the days were long but drab and dreary which was explained that was normal for this time of the year. So ya have to be ready to take the good with the bad and I seriously doubt I'd go back to Alaska just to see the glaciers but we went on a whale watching excursion and saw tons of those and they were very active.

ritasNo1Fan · ‎03-12-2010

You will love Regent Cruises. Beautiful ships, great employees, good itineraries. And they (their ships) are not huge so you will not have to put up with huge CROWDS like most of the other cruise lines. I did not expect much before I went on my first cruise, but I soon learned to love Regent. Everything, food-booze, is included in the ticket price.

Stray · ‎04-20-2013

@wonderfulworld wrote:
@Greenhouse wrote:
@Mz iMac wrote:
I've seen the commercials on tv for the Viking River cruises. I am serioulsy thinking about looking into this cruise for next year. I would like to take my grandchild who is teenager w/me. I think this will be a learning experience for him.

I would love to do the Amazon river cruise too!
I did the Viking River cruise but found the Tauck River cruises to be better.
We are going to do a river cruise somewhere in Europe in the next few years.
Would you please share your thoughts on why Tauck River was better and which were the best areas to cruise through?
Many thanks.

I liked Tauck because the accommodations were a bit better but really pretty comparable but I like their land tours better for the same reasons. They are better connected to the people in the regions and give lectures on board about the areas you will visit. I have found they incorporate very different experiences in the countries and you really explore different aspects of the culture and do unusual things. I had highly unusual experiences in Africa compared to many of my friends who toured with other companies including Abercrombie and Kent. As far as areas to cruise, it depends what you want to see. I have been fortunate and been to Europe often and spend 6 months in Italy. The Rhone and Rhine are lovely. I thank there is one to Bordeau which focuses on wine. The one I liked was Croatia which I think still leaves from Venice, so you might want to combine Italy with Croatia. I think everyone must see Italy. I never did a Tauck cruise re to Italy because I do land there but you can go online at Tauck and view the tours and itinerary. But my experiences with Tauck have always been excellent.

wonderfulworld · ‎12-05-2012

@Greenhouse wrote:
@wonderfulworld wrote:
@Greenhouse wrote:
@Mz iMac wrote:
I've seen the commercials on tv for the Viking River cruises. I am serioulsy thinking about looking into this cruise for next year. I would like to take my grandchild who is teenager w/me. I think this will be a learning experience for him.

I would love to do the Amazon river cruise too!
I did the Viking River cruise but found the Tauck River cruises to be better.
We are going to do a river cruise somewhere in Europe in the next few years.
Would you please share your thoughts on why Tauck River was better and which were the best areas to cruise through?
Many thanks.
I liked Tauck because the accommodations were a bit better but really pretty comparable but I like their land tours better for the same reasons. They are better connected to the people in the regions and give lectures on board about the areas you will visit. I have found they incorporate very different experiences in the countries and you really explore different aspects of the culture and do unusual things. I had highly unusual experiences in Africa compared to many of my friends who toured with other companies including Abercrombie and Kent. As far as areas to cruise, it depends what you want to see. I have been fortunate and been to Europe often and spend 6 months in Italy. The Rhone and Rhine are lovely. I thank there is one to Bordeau which focuses on wine. The one I liked was Croatia which I think still leaves from Venice, so you might want to combine Italy with Croatia. I think everyone must see Italy. I never did a Tauck cruise re to Italy because I do land there but you can go online at Tauck and view the tours and itinerary. But my experiences with Tauck have always been excellent.

Thank you for your detailed reply. I just received a Berlitz guide to River Cruises from a friend and Tauck is highly rated there as well. Sounds like you have been on some fabulous trips!

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

No hankerin' for anchorin' . . .

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986