First time on a Cruise - have lots of questions
in [Cruise Ship]
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From: Carolyn G on 5 Jun 2010 17:05 You've received a lot of advice here. I would go along with those who say go to a Travel Agent to make these arrangements for you. They don't charge for their services. They make their commission from the cruise line, air line and hotel. A good agent will be able to answer all your questions and tailor your trip to your likes and to your pocketbook. He'll reserve your land excursions for you and explain where to get your Passports and their cost. My first cruise was with a tour group headed by retired husband and wife school teachers who had cruised for 20 yrs. They breezed us through customs and showed us the ropes. We ate dinner each night with our group but went our own way the rest of the time. Your meals in the dining room are included in your cruise fare and you can reserve the same table each night and have the same waiters. Their tips are billed to your credit card as is the cabin steward tip. There are usually two dress up nights. Men wear a jacket & tie and I personally have dressy black slacks with a fancy (but inexpensive) top. I also like the buffet but it's sometimes a scramble to find a table to sit at. Room service leaves a menu in your room and you can order breakfast the evening before and have it delivered and set up on your balcony. Your wife would like that, I think. I know I loved having someone wait on me for a change.
From: Sue Mullen on 5 Jun 2010 17:29 gmbeasley(a)mindspring.com wrote: > Bermuda for 7 nights departing October 3, 2010 on Holland America's > Veendam from New York. This is a smaller ship and Bermuda is cooler > than the Caribbean. If there is a hurricane the cruise will probably > default to Canada. When you get to Bermuda you can get off the ship > and walk around on your own - ride the bus, hike the old railroad > trailbed or whatever. And your wife can shop or even stay on the > ship. I think a 7 day Bermuda cruise would be a great fit, Ohioguy would have lots of time ashore if he isn't thrilled with cruising, yet his wife would be able to get a good first cruise experience. There is so much to do in Bermuda, sightseeing, swimming/snorkeling, eating out in fun restaurants and much more. Also in October Bermuda weather would be very pleasant, not as hot as the Carribean and not as cold as it can get up in New England and Canada. Talking about 7 day cruises from the NY area, my first choice would be the Veendam because of a better itin., but there is also the Celebrity Summit sailing from New Jersey. Great idea Rosalie!! sue
From: Sue Mullen on 5 Jun 2010 17:34 Sue Mullen wrote: > > > gmbeasley(a)mindspring.com wrote: > >> Bermuda for 7 nights departing October 3, 2010 on Holland America's >> Veendam from New York. This is a smaller ship and Bermuda is cooler >> than the Caribbean. If there is a hurricane the cruise will probably >> default to Canada. When you get to Bermuda you can get off the ship >> and walk around on your own - ride the bus, hike the old railroad >> trailbed or whatever. And your wife can shop or even stay on the >> ship. > > > I think a 7 day Bermuda cruise would be a great fit, Ohioguy would have > lots of time ashore if he isn't thrilled with cruising, yet his wife > would be able to get a good first cruise experience. There is so much to > do in Bermuda, sightseeing, swimming/snorkeling, eating out in fun > restaurants and much more. Also in October Bermuda weather would be very > pleasant, not as hot as the Carribean and not as cold as it can get up > in New England and Canada. > > Talking about 7 day cruises from the NY area, my first choice would be > the Veendam because of a better itin., but there is also the Celebrity > Summit sailing from New Jersey. > > Great idea Rosalie!! Just adding a bit to my own post!! In Bermuda you do not have to book any excursions. Just get a book about Bermuda to decide what you want to do, then use the bus and ferry service to travel around and see what yoou are interested in. The other point is that no matter which ship you take, different itins., the ports are all in Bermuda and you can still see whatever interests you. sue
From: Tom K on 5 Jun 2010 18:05 On 6/5/10 5:05 PM, Carolyn G wrote: > You've received a lot of advice here. I would go along with those who > say go to a Travel Agent to make these arrangements for you. They don't > charge for their services. They make their commission from the cruise > line, air line and hotel. > A good agent will be able to answer all your questions and tailor your > trip to your likes and to your pocketbook. > He'll reserve your land excursions for you and explain where to get your > Passports and their cost. > My first cruise was with a tour group headed by retired husband and wife > school teachers who had cruised for 20 yrs. They breezed us through > customs and showed us the ropes. We ate dinner each night with our > group but went our own way the rest of the time. > Your meals in the dining room are included in your cruise fare and you > can reserve the same table each night and have the same waiters. Their > tips are billed to your credit card as is the cabin steward tip. There > are usually two dress up nights. Men wear a jacket& tie On the more formal lines like Celebrity and HAL, you really do need a jacket and tie as you say. But on the less formal lines like RCI and Princess, you can easily get by with a jacket and golf shirt or even a nice silk collarless shirt (like a fancy tee shirt). --Tom
From: Jeff Gersten on 5 Jun 2010 18:06
kjmullen(a)comcast.net (Sue Mullen)wrote: gmbeasley(a)mindspring.com wrote: >>Bermuda for 7 nights departing October 3, >>2010 on Holland America's Veendam from >>New York. >>This is a smaller ship and Bermuda is cooler >>than the Caribbean. If there is a hurricane >>the cruise will probably default to Canada. >>When you get to Bermuda you can get off >>the ship and walk around on your own - ride >>the bus, hike the old railroad trailbed or >>whatever. And your wife can shop or even >>stay on the ship. >I think a 7 day Bermuda cruise would be a >great fit, Ohioguy would have lots of time >ashore if he isn't thrilled with cruising, yet his >wife would be able to get a good first cruise >experience. There is so much to do in >Bermuda, sightseeing, swimming/snorkeling, >eating out in fun restaurants and much more. >Also in October Bermuda weather would be >very pleasant, not as hot as the Carribean and >not as cold as it can get up in New England >and Canada. >Talking about 7 day cruises from the NY area, >my first choice would be the Veendam >because of a better itin., but there is also the >Celebrity Summit sailing from New Jersey. >Great idea Rosalie!! >sue I also think that's a great idea given the parameters the OP posted. Bermuda should not be as hot as the Caribbean. Holland America's ships seem to be more relaxed and less activity oriented than the other mainstream lines. The ships tend to be smaller. And they basically have the same meal choices on the buffet as the main dining room, so skipping the dining room for the buffet is an even easier choice to make. And Bermuda should also by a good choice for his wife. It is a beautiful destination. And she'll probably enjoy all the fresh flowers in the ship. |