Cruises - Where to get the best deal?

[Jurollo]

Hey guys,
So I just had some nice wins and want to send my parents on a cruise. I want to set it up so they could just do whatever they wanted to for free when they were there? How much does a cruise normally cost? Like down to the Bahamas. Some ideas would be very much appreciated guys. Also experience good/bad on various cruise lines would be very good too.
~Justin

[TyFuji]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey guys,
So I just had some nice wins and want to send my parents on a cruise. I want to set it up so they could just do whatever they wanted to for free when they were there? How much does a cruise normally cost? Like down to the Bahamas. Some ideas would be very much appreciated guys. Also experience good/bad on various cruise lines would be very good too.
~Justin

[/ QUOTE ]

My rich CEO uncle took my family on a cruise of the mediterranian when I was younger. We were on Princess lines, and I can't imagine having a better time... Everything was fantastic. I don't think we spent a dime while we were on the boat (it happened to be the Loveboat of TV fame) and I had an unforgettable experience.

I would whole heartedly recommend Princess, however, I have no other cruise experience so I have no basis for comparison, only solid history.

[Jurollo]

As a ballpark figure, how much would like $5-6k buy me for 2 people on a cruise? A very nice one?
~J

[Osprey]

Yes- For that you'd definitely be able to get higher end lines like Crystal, Radisson Seven Seas and others, none of which I've been on. The Yachts of Seaborn look real nice too, not sure if that's enough money for 2 people for that. Normally, on a commercial line like Princess $2-3K is a real nice suite. A balcony room, which is the most I've ever had is like $1100-$1500 per person for 7 days. Check out the OOT thread.

OOT Cruise Thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=9239940&an=0&page=0#Post 9239940)

[Slider]

PM me if you want to talk about it Jurollo. I'm booking another cruise for me and my roommates for spring break.

5-6k will be waayyyy more than sufficient.

[Runkmud]

My last cruise I think I paid something like 1.7k for a suite with a balcony for two on a five day cruise, for 5-6k you could probably get a 10 day or 2 week cruise with a mack room for your parents. Unfortunately I dropped 7k n the casino, anyway, gratz on being able to do something this fantastic for your parents. Check the cruise line websites, between the major two I recommend Royal Carribean and book them in the pay for meal special restaurants every night, the difference in the food is huge. Gratz on being able to do this fantastic thing for your parents. Btw, after checking the cruise line websites, check the places that sell airline tickets, many of them sell cruises as well, compare them to the cruise sites. GL!

[Osprey]

Ugh. I would steer clear of Royal Caribbean. Go for the Carnival/Princess side.

[Colt McCoy]

[ QUOTE ]
Ugh. I would steer clear of Royal Caribbean. Go for the Carnival/Princess side.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm guessing you had one bad experience? FWIW the cruise lines all have similar records as far as customer complaints and all the major lines have very good customer satisfaction rates so listening to anecdotal stuff from people on this is really just a waste of time. Sample size is too small.

The cruise lines are all very different. By design they all offer a somewhat different experience so you really should talk to a travel agent about what your parents would enjoy and let the agent help you choose. This is exactly the reason cruises are mostly sold by travel agents instead of just moving to an online model like the airlines have.

Carnival tends to be the bottom of the food chain. It's designed to be the choice for first-time cruisers and lower-end passengers looking for a cheap vacation.

Next is Royal Caribbean & NCL, then Celebrity. But there's more to it than just high-end, low-end. There's also tons of different amenities and atmospheres. There are cruises designed for a more European feel like Costa or younger, party crowds or one overrun with kids. You should definitely talk to a travel agent that specializes in cruises.

As for finding bargains, there are tons of great deals around. But the cruise lines go out of their way to make it difficult for people to comparison shop. They offer different deals to different groups of customers in different geographies. They literally have hundreds of different pricing models involved in their revenue management programs.

[fish2plus2]

For those who have been on a cruise, what is it like?

[dcasper70]

This thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=7190643&page=0&vc=1) generated a good amount of info for me.

Resulting trip report (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=exchange&Number=8654823&S earchpage=1&Main=8654823&Words=cruise+dcasper70&to pic=&Search=true#Post8654823)

[Kneel B4 Zod]

[ QUOTE ]
For those who have been on a cruise, what is it like?

[/ QUOTE ]

it's a great vacation...for some people.

if you are interested in lying around in the sun, and aren't interested in doing a lot of exploring, and don't mind having a flexible schedule/timetables, then it's great.

I did a Boston - Bermuda cruise, which was like 2.5 days getting there, 2.5 days in port, and then 2.5 days getting back. I was with a bunch of people from work, so we basically hung out on deck, played cards/chess/board games inside, and went to the restaurant together. we were all stir crazy when we got to Bermuda so we explored the island a bit.

some other cruises do multiple stops, like you fly to Miami and in 10 days you stop at 7 different islands and can walk around each one.

as I said above, the idea is great for certain types of people. Personally, I'd rather have the flexibility to stay someplace if it's cool, or stay in a certain type of room, or in general do what I want to do. but some people (like my parents) are looking for easy and relaxing, and this is what cruises are great for.

[Colt McCoy]

[ QUOTE ]
For those who have been on a cruise, what is it like?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think you'd like it, KKF. One of the things people like about it is that you visit exotic places, but at night you go back to the ship to sleep (basically go back to America). That way they get a brief taste of local culture w/o having to deal with too many of the inconveniences.