O/T: Question for experienced cruisers - Page 2

dionline · ‎03-10-2010

Wow, excellent responses but some also raise new questions! I'll be sure to check out that cruisecritic website, too. I wasn't aware that you could pre-plan the excursions with other cruisers... that could be cool.

I think the idea of cruising to other countries would be great but for now we're just getting our feet wet closer to home.

Thanks everyone!!

dionline · ‎03-10-2010

If anyone's got other tips, please let me know!!

My dental hygenist told me earlier today that she took a Carnival cruise a couple of years back. While she didn't like that cruise line at all, she did say she & her DH fell in love with the pillows they have in their cabins. She had no idea how they differed from what we're used to but they absolutely love them.

Anyone take a Carnival cruise lately and notice the pillows?????

fleawee · ‎04-17-2010

We took a Carnival cruise last summer and yes, the pillows and bed were very comfy! I slept fabulously. We had an ocean view room and everything was arranged smartly so we easily fit and had lots of storage. We did pre-pay our gratuities but it was optional and not required. I thought it made things easier knowing we had all that squared away ahead of time. We also bought trip insruance which was very reasonabe and really took off the worry. I had this fear of getting stuck in bad traffic and somehow missing the flight and the ship and worrying all our money would be wasted!

As for shore excursions be careful on going on your own with the locals. Sure they offer low prices and inside tours but they aren't guaranteed to bring you back to the ship on time. If something were to happen such as a flat tire or delay of some kind, the ship will leave without you. They will not leave with you if you are booked on the ship's excursions, they will wait. Just a thought.

MarthaStewardess · ‎03-09-2010

On 4/8/2014 dionline said:
If anyone's got other tips, please let me know!!

My dental hygenist told me earlier today that she took a Carnival cruise a couple of years back. While she didn't like that cruise line at all, she did say she & her DH fell in love with the pillows they have in their cabins. She had no idea how they differed from what we're used to but they absolutely love them.

Anyone take a Carnival cruise lately and notice the pillows?????

I cruise Carnival a lot and love their bedding. I sleep so well on cruises. Cruising with them again next month.

KathyPet · ‎03-09-2010

I agree that you should exercise caution when going off with some taxi driver on a excursion in a foreign country. Some of these poorer countries are shall we say not very stringent when it comes to licensing of drivers and inspection of vehicles that serve as cabs. the Carribean islands in particular seem to be quite loosey goosey on this sort of thing. Do any of you remember that bus trip that was arranged privately by a group of cruise passengers a few years ago and the bus went completely off a road and down a cliff and several people were killed. in addition if you go off with a cab driver and run into a delay ( flat tire, cab breaks down) and you don't get back to the ship in time they WILL sail without you.

KathyPet · ‎03-09-2010

I agree that you should exercise caution when going off with some taxi driver on a excursion in a foreign country. Some of these poorer countries are shall we say not very stringent when it comes to licensing of drivers and inspection of vehicles that serve as cabs. the Carribean islands in particular seem to be quite loosey goosey on this sort of thing. Do any of you remember that bus trip that was arranged privately by a group of cruise passengers a few years ago and the bus went completely off a road and down a cliff and several people were killed. in addition if you go off with a cab driver and run into a delay ( flat tire, cab breaks down) and you don't get back to the ship in time they WILL sail without you.

basketsiam · ‎03-09-2010

On 4/6/2014 Alter Ego said:
Since nobody else said it, I recommend the forums on cruisecritic.com. Any question you could possibly have about cruising has probably already been asked there. Although, warning, tips are a very hot topic! My understanding is that they are automatic, but you can ask to have them taken off.

On cruise critic, you can also talk to people on the actual cruise you are taking. Depending on the port, you could set up excursions with them rather than taking the more expensive cruise ships or doing it on your own. For example, I will be traveling to Rome and Naples when the Oasis of the Seas is in Europe in September - when in Rome, I'm joining some of the people on the board for a limo tour, but I have decided to do the ship's excursion in Naples.

They have different forums to search by port (to get ideas of non-cruise excursions), cruise line (RCCL is also my cruise line of choice - although I really haven't taken many cruises), to miscelleneous items such as fashion, 1st time cruiser, solo , etc. I sometimes go there just for the trip reports and pictures!!

Ditto this one!!! Cruise critic is an awesome website with lots of forums that address just about everything. Tipping is a frequent discussion. As for the wait staff, even those in the buffet depend upon tips as the primary component of their wage. Because most ships are registered outside of the US, the US minimum wage standard does not apply to these employees. I believe most cruise lines currently charge about 11 or 12 dollars per passenger per day, and this fee is distributed between the cabin steward, head waiter, assistant waiter, and buffet wait staff. This is very little compared to the 18-20% gratuity usually expected with restaurant meals in the US. Any drinks or sodas purchased will automatically have a 15% gratuity added.

Enjoy, and Happy Cruising!!! Cool Cool Cool

Chatam · ‎04-14-2010

I have been on many cruises and you have been given some good advice here. However we never have our travel agent include our gratuity. We put it on our charge when on the cruise. The ship automatically charges us on our ship card. Reason for this is the cruise insurance we take out doesn't cover the tips if you have to cancel for any reason. We usually travel with several other people and at times people have had to cancel. Our last cruise someone broke their ankle and they canceled. If she had prepared the tips she would not have been reimbursed for them. Someone mentioned you have to pay tips ahead of time if you do open dining and I have never found that to be true. We usually always do open dining and have never paid our tips ahead of time and travel on all different cruise ships. Depending on which port we are going to determines if we book tours from the ship. We have done many many tours on our own off the ship with no problems at all. We prefer doing this then if we want the taxi to stop somewhere we spot along the way we can. However, we always plan early and plan on getting back to the ship a couple hours before it is due to leave so we do not have the problem of missing the ship. We save our shopping to do at the end at the shops near the pier. Some ports are not safe to wonder off by yourself so one really has to do their research. I do highly recommend getting cruise insurance. We don't buy what the ship offers because our travel agent's is less expensive. If you have a pre-existing condition you need to book the insurance when you put your deposit on the cruise or within a couple of days if you do not have a pre-existing condition you can wait until final payment is due. It gives me a peace of mind and I would rather be safe than sorry.

Hoovermom · ‎03-19-2010

If you do decide to go out on your own for excursions, check out tripadvisor for the places you want to go. We did this when we were in Europe on a cruise and found very reliable tour companies taking only 6-8 people in a Mercedes SUV instead of the 50+ on the cruiseline buses. Also, cruisecritic and the "roll call" for the various ships is a great way to meet other cruisers and form groups to venture away from the ship's excursions. As a result of the "roll call" group on our ship, we formed a facebook page and arranged all the excursions and groups that way. Have fun!!!

IControlMyHappiness · ‎01-21-2012

There are some really good tips in here...I'd like to post a suggestion also as a cruiser. I recommend if you take an excursion on YOUR OWN....please ...please ....please make sure you are back at least 2 hours we took a ship sponsored excursion.

When my hubby and I went to Alaska. We took a ship sponsored tour....Well the tour lasted longer due to delays and they had to HOLD the SHIP For almost 1 1/2 hours until we (the entire group) returned.

Just understand that if anything goes wrong and you are late, the SHIP WILL LEAVE YOU. I have seen it happen.

For me, I advise everyone to be careful, please remember some of these countries where the ships stop are VERY POOR and Americans are looked at as easy PREY AND RICH. I have heard stories of cab drivers setting people up, getting them on the other side of the island, robbing them, charge double the fare to bring you back or just leave YOU....women getting raped etc....so for me....I rather save money by taking my lunch to work before the cruise, less souvenirs ....but I would NEVER EVER VENTURE far away on my own.

Also, GOD FORBID you are in some random cab and an accident occurs, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN....My mother worked at an international organization and you would be surprised the things that have happened to Americans in foreign countries. BE CAREFUL.