Tips for Planning a Cruise

[tomalak301]

Do we have any cruisers on this board, or those who are experts at planning a cruise vacation? I've never done it, but my father and my brother have done a couple cruises and I'd like to get going on planning a cruise for my Father and I. It's just my knowledge on this is basically a Kindergarten level and I wonder if anyone had any tips or advice. I think the top places I would love to go is Alaska, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, or a South American (Brazil) cruise.

I also want to do the Star Trek cruise one day and considering this is a Trek forum, has anyone ever done the Star Trek cruise?

 

[Commander Troi]

I've done 3 cruises, 1 I planned. Think of the ship as your hotel and restaurants. Then you book excursions off the ship to do cool things. There's also lots to do onboard.

I planned our cruise to Alaska last year and it was awesome.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I've been on three cruises, all in Alaska.

First time was with Princess before the pandemic, and it was the best. I met a lot of people from across the U.S., Canada, and other countries. My only gripes at the time were the expensive WiFi service and specialty drinks. These all changed during my third cruise last year, also with Princess, when I got the special Plus package. It was really worth it, and I recommend you inquire about a similar package with other cruiselines.

The second cruise was with Royal Caribbean during the pandemic. I thought their ship Serenade of the Seas looked much better than 2019's Star Princess. But I felt so much guarded (and isolated myself), so I didn't get to mingle with other passengers. Karaoke night was fun. Also, the buffet was only open for breakfast and lunch, and specialty dining cost extra.

I"m not a big fan of games, casinos, pools, and shows, so there were very few entertainment events I went to, mostly classical performances and live bands at the atrium or bars. The most memorable parts were the port stops and excursions at Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Skagway. You should at least book a tour once, and preferably directly with the ship.

Have fun!

@Tomalak, aren't you from the SF Bay Area? Look for a cruise straight out of SF. It saved me money on airfare and hotel accommodations.

This was last year's cruise out of SF aboard the Ruby Princess:

TikTok - Make Your Day

 

[tomalak301]

The second cruise was with Royal Caribbean during the pandemic. I thought their ship Serenade of the Seas looked much better than 2019's Star Princess. But I felt so much guarded (and isolated myself), so I didn't get to mingle with other passengers. Karaoke night was fun. Also, the buffet was only open for breakfast and lunch, and specialty dining cost extra.

Was this Covid related? I've heard about specialty drink packages and the like and I'm pretty early in my research. It sounded like you really liked the Princess line. When my father and Brother went last year I think they took Celebrity and we get mailings from them from time to time.

 

[Commander Troi]

Don't be afraid to just type in "best cruises 2025" or whatever. That's how I started looking.

I second getting whatever the drinks plus package upgrade is for your cruise line. Our first cruise, we felt nickel-and-dimed by drinks. Princess Plus is a good deal. We went with them for our Alaska cruise and their service is top-notch.

 

[PoorSailorsAirline]

I've done seven so far: Caribbean, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Australia/New Zealand. For two of those, it was myself and PSA+1, so I pretty much just turned up where and when I was told to. The other five were more spontaneous groups who got together so the planning was a lot more The Amazing Race style. The nice thing about cruises as a group is, if you find a big enough ship, everyone can usually do their own thing for a bit then all get together for the evenings or shore excursions.

Agreed that some of the onboard packages are really good value. Even if you're not going to use everything in the package (e.g. how many 'formal night' awkward photos does someone need? Lol), I've always found a way to run the math on one of the bundles and it comes out better than a la carte.

If your family have cruised before, I'm sure they know this but it's always worth repeating...if you're flying to meet the ship for sail-away, leave at least a day of 'cushion' time for flight delays/cancellations, weather, IT meltdowns, etc. etc. etc...no one wants to be that cabin who's boarding the ship at the first port, three days into the cruise!

Celebrity is amazing, just cosmopolitan, great quality, not stuck up/not tacky, they're still my favourite. Virgin are great, very razzle dazzle and cosmopolitan. Norwegian was good, Holland America was pretty sleepy. The less said about Costa the better.

It's such a nice way to travel--have fun!!

 

[Commander Troi]

if you're flying to meet the ship for sail-away, leave at least a day of 'cushion' time for flight delays/cancellations, weather, IT meltdowns, etc. etc. etc...no one wants to be that cabin who's boarding the ship at the first port, three days into the cruise!

YES! Buffer time is essential!

 

[Gryffindorian]

Was this Covid related? I've heard about specialty drink packages and the like and I'm pretty early in my research. It sounded like you really liked the Princess line. When my father and Brother went last year I think they took Celebrity and we get mailings from them from time to time.

Yes, this was during Covid, and it was also a difficult time for me, having lost my dear dad and eldest sister to Covid earlier that year.

I tend to think the cruiselines and destinations factor into the demographics of the passengers. Since I've only taken Alaska cruises, and twice with Princess, I've observed that the majority of cruisers were typically middle-aged and older (70s and up). If you're much younger, this is not the "party crowd" you might be accustomed to hanging out with. I hear Carnival, which I haven't tried before, has a younger demographic and overall a mixed crowd.

If you can, bring an evening jacket and a tie and try a formal night dinner once at a specialty restaurant. You may or may not like it, but I've had some of the best interactions with fellow cruisers this way.

 

[tomalak301]

Don't be afraid to just type in "best cruises 2025" or whatever. That's how I started looking.

Yeah I've done that and also signed up for emails with some of these companies. The reason why I'm doing this is my dad and brother have done a few cruises and I never have, and he has points through Marriott that he wants to use so we are basically booking through them, I think. Also, my brother is the one that has talked up the drink packages. I'm basically at the stage of finding out how many different cruise companies there are and where to go.

 

[Commander Troi]

There are SO MANY!

 

[Gryffindorian]

If you get the upgrade package, e.g., Princess Plus, it would be well worth it and would pay for itself. I enjoyed the cocktail drinks (though I wasn't much of a drinker) and specialty coffees (espressos, lattes, cappuccinos). The unlimited WiFi was decent but got slower and weaker as the ship sailed further up North, due to the ship's position in relation to the satellites. You'd be better off checking your cell phone and using data at the ports, assuming you have free roaming.

Also, believe it or not, gratuities were included in the package!