Cruises?

[ScrimpAndSave]

I'm trying to plan a cruise this summer...for me an my new SO (I know, I know saving advice...haven't told you about him yet).

ANYWAY...

There is a cruise that leaves Bayonne, NJ (so I will not have to pay for a flight) and it goes to Bermuda. It is 5 days...two days at sea and two days in Bermuda. It is an inside cabin (probably teeny tiny) and it leaves June 19th (is this a really bad time to go - hurricaine wise?).

Anyway, the cost is $799 which I thought was reasonable...of course there are other gratuity fees...but neither of us are drinkers so that should help. It's Royal Carribean Explorer of the Seas...anyone have any experience with this?

Will two days at sea be boring?

Thanks all!

[ActYourWage]

I think hurricaine season starts in September, so no need to worry about that. I have been on a cruise with Royal Carribean before, it was ok, but I am not much of a cruise type guy. If you like to eat, there will be LOTS of food. They do have some pretty good entertainment on board (comedy shows, music, dancing, etc...).

[jIM_Ohio]

We did Royal Caribean as part of our honeymoon.

Late summer (August) starts Hurricane season usually...

If you hang out in room, getting one with a porch (upper deck) is well worth the space. Speaking from experience. If you only use room to sleep, then inside small cabin is fine.

[disneysteve]

We love cruising and have been on 3 so far. It is a great way to travel IMO.

As for your questions, June is not a bad time to go.
I've never stayed in an inside cabin - my wife refuses. It wouldn't bother me a bit not to have a window. Don't be so sure that they are tiny - depends on the ship. Go to the cruise company's website and you should be able to get the cabin sizes.

The best advice I can give you is to go to cruisecritic.com. It is a great forum with lots of helpful people and advice. There are reviews of EVERY cruise, every port, every excursion. I'm sure you can get all of your questions answered there.

And no, 2 sea days won't be boring at all. Those ships are like floating cities. There are tons of activities for every age and interest.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Haha...we do love to eat. We are mostly the type of people that like to relax in the sun...I'm not so sure we would be into the entertainment or not.

[ScrimpAndSave]

Thanks all! I'm looking at cruise critic.com and the cruise ship has 4 + stars...I am guessing that is a good thing. I will look into it a little more. Thanks!


I'm also looking at vacationstogo.com for good deals...any other site you recommend? Thanks again!

[disneysteve]

Haha...we do love to eat. We are mostly the type of people that like to relax in the sun...I'm not so sure we would be into the entertainment or not.

The great thing about a cruise is that you can do as much or as little as you'd like. Before sea days, we would look at the schedule and pick one or two things we wanted to do and just hang out or wing it the rest of the day.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I like cruising too. I want3ed to go to the mediterranean.

[kork13]

The hurricane season generally goes from July to November/December, so you should probably be okay there. And if for some reason a hurricane comes up and the ship can't sail, you'd probably just get a refund or credit for a different cruise.

And you can DEFINITELY stay busy for just 2 days at sea... My family and I did a Mediterranean cruise ~15 years ago (yikes, I can't believe it's been that long!). It was something like 10-14 days long, and about half of them were at sea. The cruise lines do a great job of having lots of fun stuff to do (games, shows, variety of other activities) so if you ever find yourself bored, it's your own darn fault! My family still has great memories of that cruise.

[wincrasher]

Well if you like gambling, then the 2 days at sea will be great.

June is a miserable time to go to down there though - it's very hot and sticky. That's why it's called "off-season". The summer is also the rainy season, so expect showers every day.

Being from Florida, it amazes me that people also vacation down there in the summer - especially going to Disney.

[disneysteve]

Being from Florida, it amazes me that people also vacation down there in the summer - especially going to Disney.

My wife and I have done 2 one-week land-based Caribbean vacations in July, once for our honeymoon and again for our 5th anniversary. We've also done one Caribbean cruise in late June. And this past summer, we spent 2 weeks at Disney World in August. The weather was never an issue.

We live in the Philadelphia area where it is in the 90s and humid that time of year. The weather in Florida was similar to home. The weather in the Caribbean was actually nicer because it wasn't as humid, especially when cruising and there is a constant breeze - quite nice actually.

I'd much rather go to Disney in August when it is hot than during the winter when it can be quite cold. Just a week or two ago, it was in the 40s and I think parts of Orlando actually saw some snow. We went to Disney in March one year and it was in the 30s. That wasn't fun at all.

[wincrasher]

Well, that sounds like an aberration to me. Most of Florida is wonderful Jan-April. Not humid, and mild in the days (70-80's), and no rain. Nights can be cool though, 50's-60's. The weather this last week, as they've said in the news, was record setting lows. Snow in Orlando would be a first in my lifetime, I can tell you that. I did ask a neighbor check on my pipes at my place on Lake Okeechobee. He laughed!

August, really, you found nothing wrong with it? Hell on earth if you ask me. You must have spent most of your time inside in the air conditioning.

Personally, I like to go to warm places in the winter, cool places in the summer. I'd think that the Alaska cruise would be awesome in the summer.

[disneysteve]

August, really, you found nothing wrong with it? Hell on earth if you ask me. You must have spent most of your time inside in the air conditioning.

Personally, I like to go to warm places in the winter, cool places in the summer. I'd think that the Alaska cruise would be awesome in the summer.

August was hot and humid. We got an early start each day, drank tons of water, took a break mid-day and went back out in the evening most days. The good thing about Disney World is that most of the actual attractions are indoors, so you go from one attraction to the next and aren't really outside for any extended period. Our rental home had a pool and we used that several times. Our car had air conditioning as did the monorail, hotels and restaurants we visited.

I totally agree about Alaska, though. You have to do that cruise in the summer months. During the winter, the ships can't go to the same places and you can't visit the same sites.

[zetta]

How about cruising with infants or toddlers along? Anybody tried this?

[kork13]

How about cruising with infants or toddlers along? Anybody tried this?

As I mentioned previously, my family did a mediterranean cruise ~15 years ago. I was 9, and my siblings were 11, 6, 4, and 1 years old. I can't say exactly how it was for my parents, but from what they've always said, they had a great time (which wouldn't be the story from my father if we kids were holy terrors during the cruise). The only issue to be aware of is that if the seas get rough, little kids are more likely to get seasick, and I do specifically remember that a seasick 1-year-old is not much fun.

On the other hand, us older three loved the rough seas -- we thoroughly enjoyed jumping in the air as the ship crested, then had an unnaturally long drop as it went into the troughs. Boys are so easily entertained sometimes