cruise ship

    My wife would like us to go on a cruise in January - something in the
Eastern Caribbean.  We don't really care which cruise line, or which
date - just a 7 day cruise.  This isn't my first choice for a vacation,
but I'll probably enjoy parts of it - like the shows, piano bar &
buffets.  Besides, the last vacation we took was my choice - road trip
across Canada.

   I was wondering if any of you would mind sharing any tips you have on:

A) airfare - best to do a package deal, or no?

B) cruise - how to get the best price?

C) avoiding annoyances - like photographers, additional costs


   Regarding the airfare, I've found roundtrip air from Ohio to Florida
for roughly $235 total per person on Expedia.  This was a couple of
months back, and I'm sure it fluctuates.  When I tried adding airfare
through several cruise websites, however, they wanted between $600 and
$800 per person, which seemed ridiculous.  However, I'm a bit worried
that if I don't do it as a package deal, we'll miss a connection
somewhere between airport & the cruise ship.

   On the cruise itself, I've looked at cruisecheap.com,
cruisebrothers.com, cruisehotsheet.com, and others.  Whatever I end up
finding, it seems like it can be had for $80-$120 cheaper on
cruisecompete.com, which is good if you have a specific cruise in mind,
specific date, specific ship.  In this case, all I care about is week
long, Eastern Caribbean, and I don't care much about cruise line, ship,
or even particular date, other than January 2011.

   Finally, I'd like to avoid annoyances on the cruise.  In particular,
I've heard that on some cruise ships, cruise line photographers are
everywhere, getting in your face, trying to get photos of you to resell
to you later.  I'm one of those guys who gets worked up just looking at
red light photo cameras, so you can imagine how I react when a stranger
keeps taking photos.  I'd really prefer to go on a ship/line that
doesn't have many of those snooping photographers all over the place.


   So, anyone have recommendations?  If so, I greatly appreciate the
time and thought you put into a response.  Thanks be to you, and to God,
and may you have a blessed day.

 
-don't take the cruise line's air package. It's a waste of money
-fly in the day before. You'll be paying an extra night in a hotel,
but that's better than missing your ship by flying in the day of. Some
hotels offer shuttles to the cruise port, so that saves the cabfare
-book your excursions privately rather than through the ship
-the photogs aren't all that annoying. It's easier to let them take
your picture than waste time and energy telling them why you don't
want one. There is no pressure to buy pictures
-ditto for the people selling drinks in fancy glasses. Decide what you
like to drink and figure out the packages they offer. For example,
they have beer bucket specials and soda cards on most ships

The best resource for figuring all this out is www.cruisecritic.com
and click on the "boards" section on the upper left. People on there
are really nice about answering questions.

Viv

 Ohioguy wrote:

Wear a paper bag over your head with a couple of eye holes cut in it.

That should keep the photographers at bay.

On the other hand...

You could try a shotgun.


Thanks be to you, and to God, and may you

I'm a heathen.

 

I've been on several cruises and photographers are *not* in your face.
There are certain days when they are set up at a station to take
purely optional formal shots.  Other than the port pictures (another
station you can bypass or not), that's it.  The rest of the time, they
run the ship's equivalent of a camera store where they would like to
sell you something but they're happy to give you mini lessons on how
to use your camera.  Photos are displayed on the wall and you can
purchase them or not.  There is no pressure to have your picture taken
and no hard sell for you to buy them.

Please believe me when I say the people who told you ship
photographers are "in your face" must be antisocial rubes who wouldn't
know "in your face" if it slapped them in the face.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

 
Never do a package deal.


Wait until the last minute, but that tends to increase air-fare
prices. I was on a flight to Fort Lauderdale last year and the lady
next to me was on her way to a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise that she
had booked at the last minute for $199. Just think what seven days of
meals and hotel would cost on a vacation.


Because the basic cruise cost is a loss leader on the major cruise
lines they count on making money on shore excursions, alcohol, and a
bunch of other things like photography, selling worthless art at high
prices to dumb people, shopping, etc. You are forbidden from bringing
on your own wine, beer, or liquor of course.


January is high tourist season in Florida, so $235 is a good deal.


Watch out for hidden fees.


Good luck with that. But just make up a good story like "my agent
requires that you pay me for all photos."