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The Cruise Thread

My next cruise will be a Disney Cruise. Only makes sense with the kids finally being of age. Plus I hear they are the best in terms of the overall family experience.

The food, Disney club (parent time) and the island Disney owns. Hopefully early next year I'll head out on a 7 day romp.
 
dietDrThunder said:
I am an avid poker player, so when I learned that Card Player magazine had 'Card Player Cruises' I knew I had to try it. All it is, is that CPC rents out a large meeting room on the ship and sets up a poker room. You buy your cruise tix through them, and you get to play in the room. Apart from that, it's just a regular cruise. There were something like 4,000 passengers, and maybe 200 of them were signed up via CPC. We went on a Royal Caribbean trip to the Eastern Caribbean on the Allure of the Seas, and had a ball. We're planning to do another one fall '14.
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THat is a monster boat. One of (if not the) biggest in the world. Did you find that lines, etc were out of control?

Tadashi70 said:
My next cruise will be a Disney Cruise. Only makes sense with the kids finally being of age. Plus I hear they are the best in terms of the overall family experience.

The food, Disney club (parent time) and the island Disney owns. Hopefully early next year I'll head out on a 7 day romp.
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We will definitely get to a Disney Cruise at some point. All we hear/read though is that the food just does not compare to a few others. Now granted, its a top notch cruise line, so still fantastic, but for us with no kids, its harder to make that call when others specifically designed for foodies exist.
 
Yeah I've heard from Disney fanatics that the good was great, but they like the good at the park. I want good meals on the boat so I hope that have good food. You know I likes to eat!
 
Tadashi70 said:
Yeah I've heard from Disney fanatics that the good was great, but they like the good at the park. I want good meals on the boat so I hope that have good food. You know I likes to eat!
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You wont be disappointed. Without a doubt. And if you like Disney movies (and I do), they have a full theater playing them before they hit the public.
 
Cruise suggestions for a first timer?

What to expect, what to avoid or look out for?
A cruise may be in our future.
 
Michigan Slice said:
Cruise suggestions for a first timer?

What to expect, what to avoid or look out for?
A cruise may be in our future.
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Dont settle. Take your time and plan appropriately.
Bigger is not always better.
Find the ports you want to see.
Veranda room (balcony) does not immediately mean better (although it can).
Research Research Research
Choose the line carefully.
Not all boats are the same, even by the same cruise line.
 
So far our favorite lines are Celebrity and Princess. Never had a bad experience on either.

TapAhoy!
 
Well Ward?
 
JB said:
Well Ward?
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Gained .8lbs, ate about 6 times a day because you're not gonna not go enjoy a midnight buffet after watching fireworks at sea with a make your own crepe bar, a taco bar, and all you can eat turkey legs..

Not anymore kids than I've seen on a cruise ship, but a lot more for them to do activity wise so that helped.

The food... Ate so so much. Lamb chops, filet mignon, salmon, red snapper, ahi tuna, sea bass, shrimp, crab, lobster tail, duck, lobster mac and cheese, chicken kabobs, a make your own crepe station, and then your typical pizza bar and burger station. Then the desserts.. So so good. A chocolate peanut butter mousse that tasted like a Reese's peanut butter cup is the one that stands out.. Probably because I had two of those after the three ahi tuna and avocado appetizers and the sea bass main course. How I only gained roughly a pound is amazing.

Boat was very very nice. Rode smooth all trip minus the day we left. Not much you can do with 13ft waves and gusts up to 62mph. We heard there was an earthquake near Cuba that day and wondered if we weren't getting some of the rougher water from that on top of just some bad weather.

Shows were good, a movie theater on the boat was nice with out in theater movies, and the fact you could bring your own alcohol legally was also a nice touch. We brought a bottle of champagne and they just smiled and said enjoy your trip.

Nassau we didn't care for. Just seemed dated and pretty dirty. Atlantis was ok, but reeked of smoke from the casino. Beautiful decorations inside the casino though with a few million dollar hand blown glass sculptures.

Castaway Cay was nice. Enjoyed the beautiful views and the peace and quiet on the adult beach all the way away from the family area. Saw a school of fish swim right up to the beach and swim between our feet and such with no fear at all. I enjoyed watching some of the old ladies scream and run out of the water from them.

I've got photos I'll upload and put on here later that aren't TapaButchered
 
Thanks buddy. So glad to hear you had fun.
Looking at a bunch of different ships and still leaning towards Celebrity Solstice (we are Foodies), but love the Disney lines. Thanks for the thoughts.
 
I just liked the fact they didn't say no when it came to food requests and were pretty cool about things if it wasn't to your satisfaction. As is with any restaurants, be polite to the server and it goes a long way. Replacement entree came out bigger than the last and that was the only food issue all trip.

We thought about doing one from the Oasis class from Royal Caribbean but the standard was more expensive than the verandah on the Disney Line. The book while on the cruise rate for future cruises was pretty attractive as well and the deposit can be transferred to other future trips and still receive that discount. That made things pretty intriguing.
 
Mward said:
I just liked the fact they didn't say no when it came to food requests and were pretty cool about things if it wasn't to your satisfaction. As is with any restaurants, be polite to the server and it goes a long way. Replacement entree came out bigger than the last and that was the only food issue all trip.

We thought about doing one from the Oasis class from Royal Caribbean but the standard was more expensive than the verandah on the Disney Line. The book while on the cruise rate for future cruises was pretty attractive as well and the deposit can be transferred to other future trips and still receive that discount. That made things pretty intriguing.
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Trust me on this, do Celebrity over RC. I assure you, you will be happier. Been researching for months and there is a certain someone (member here on THP) that knows more about these than just about everybody out there and says the same thing.
 
JB said:
Trust me on this, do Celebrity over RC. I assure you, you will be happier. Been researching for months and there is a certain someone (member here on THP) that knows more about these than just about everybody out there and says the same thing.
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I think we may have spoken to the same person. The curiosity was there but as it's been mentioned in this thread, bigger isn't always better. If this year is anything like last year was work wise, there could be enough in the budget to go on two. All just depends per usual.
 
Mward said:
I think we may have spoken to the same person. The curiosity was there but as it's been mentioned in this thread, bigger isn't always better. If this year is anything like last year was work wise, there could be enough in the budget to go on two. All just depends per usual.
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Hmmmm. We might be talking about this online as I have some info.
 
Mward said:
I just liked the fact they didn't say no when it came to food requests and were pretty cool about things if it wasn't to your satisfaction. As is with any restaurants, be polite to the server and it goes a long way.
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Glad to read you had a great cruise, Mike!

What alot of people don't know is the waiters and assistant waiters basically live off gratuities. It's about 98% of their pay and keeps them motivated to give you great service. Tip them a few bucks the first night (along with daily prepaid gratuities) and you'll be treated like a king.
 
Canes said:
Glad to read you had a great cruise, Mike!

What alot of people don't know is the waiters and assistant waiters basically live off gratuities. It's about 98% of their pay and keeps them motivated to give you great service. Tip them a few bucks the first night (along with daily prepaid gratuities) and you'll be treated like a king.
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Both our waiter and assistant were very polite and were quick to recommend certain things over others etc. Our drinks rarely were empty or empty for long. I didn't think about tipping on the first night but just rolled it all into their gratuities at the end and subsequently feel bad about this now haha.
 
Mward said:
Both our waiter and assistant were very polite and were quick to recommend certain things over others etc. Our drinks rarely were empty or empty for long. I didn't think about tipping on the first night but just rolled it all into their gratuities at the end and subsequently feel bad about this now haha.
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Nah don't feel bad. That's the norm.
 
So I'm turning 50 in August and my wife asked me this morning if I'd like to go on a Disney cruise, I'm a huge germophobe and when I see all those people getting sick from ship water it freaks me the heck out. I really want to go but I want a clean ship, with really good food, I don't drink so that's not a seller for me. A friend of our does Disney and said she won't go on any other because of the service and cleanliness, she said there are plenty of adult only areas that are quiet and away from varmin. Good idea?
 
Trout Bum said:
So I'm turning 50 in August and my wife asked me this morning if I'd like to go on a Disney cruise, I'm a huge germophobe and when I see all those people getting sick from ship water it freaks me the heck out. I really want to go but I want a clean ship, with really good food, I don't drink so that's not a seller for me. A friend of our does Disney and said she won't go on any other because of the service and cleanliness, she said there are plenty of adult only areas that are quiet and away from varmin. Good idea?
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I have been fortunate as to never get sick on a cruise and like you do not like germs all that much. Celebrity is one of my favorites because we are foodies. In speaking to my friends, and those that have been on all of them, in looking at the affordable options, Disney and the Celebrity Solstice line are the two favorites.
 
The wife and I have taken two cruises together. Both were Carnival, out of Charleston (the Carnival Fantasy). The first time, we were looking for an economical but still nice way to get married. We were married in port, on the main stage of the ship. Reception was held on the ship and before we departed everyone not sailing was escorted off. Was a great day, and a great start to the honeymoon (we had family sail with us). The second time, a couple of our friends were looking for the same sort of deal for their wedding and when they heard about our experience they did the same thing, and we sailed with them. The Fantasy only has two stops Nassau and Freeport, so we probably won't do it again any time soon but there is some good scuba diving out of Freeport (UNEXSO), and the beaches at Nassau were sufficient (they say it's a good shopping port, but I didn't see it). Charleston of course is a great place to stay pre- or post- sailing. I wasn't golfing back when we sailed so not sure how the golfing is in the Bahamas (or if there even is any).

Trout Bum said:
So I'm turning 50 in August and my wife asked me this morning if I'd like to go on a Disney cruise, I'm a huge germophobe and when I see all those people getting sick from ship water it freaks me the heck out. I really want to go but I want a clean ship, with really good food, I don't drink so that's not a seller for me. A friend of our does Disney and said she won't go on any other because of the service and cleanliness, she said there are plenty of adult only areas that are quiet and away from varmin. Good idea?
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Great idea! Our family has cruised a couple of times together and we've all said that our next cruise will be a Disney cruise. As a microbiologist, I'm right alongside you ... I called them "floating incubators" before my wife convinced me to get married on one. It was a great time. When the Disney ship pulled alongside our ship, it dwarfed it in size. The Disney cruise ships are huge.
 
Trout Bum said:
So I'm turning 50 in August and my wife asked me this morning if I'd like to go on a Disney cruise, I'm a huge germophobe and when I see all those people getting sick from ship water it freaks me the heck out. I really want to go but I want a clean ship, with really good food, I don't drink so that's not a seller for me. A friend of our does Disney and said she won't go on any other because of the service and cleanliness, she said there are plenty of adult only areas that are quiet and away from varmin. Good idea?
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The Norovirus issues really don't happen that often but of course the media makes a big deal. It can happen on any ship.

Where are you looking to sail from? Do you want to go Caribbean or Bermuda? I can try to help if you're interested in Royal or Celebrity.
 
My only cruise (not counting when I was in the Marine Corps, and our cruise ships were large and gray) was a Disney cruise a couple years ago on the Magic. It was really a great experience. We went to Castaway Cay twice (once on the way out, once on the way back), then hit Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We had a great stateroom with a huge balcony on the top deck. We were right next to the Walter E. Disney fancypants suite, which was unoccupied and being worked on during our cruise. I snuck inside and walked around while the workers were doing their thing just to see it (hey, the door was open and there was a banging noise), and it was something else. I was surprised at how few kids we encountered.

We are taking another Disney cruise this summer, but I don't remember which ship or itinerary. I think this will only be a 4 night.
 
Marc, they were doing constant cleaning and such on our cruise after every meal. Also, every restaurant had an employee with a big thing of hand wipes that they gave to every person walking in. They also don't want guests getting sick.

I'm sure other cruises do the same but since you're aiming disney for the moment, it seemed relevant. Also, movie theater on the ship. And, can bring your own beverages of choice.
 
Well, we just booked our family 3 day cruise on the Disney Dream over the July 4th vacation. Should be a blast. My kids and wife are Disney nuts so this should be pretty epic. My wife says we're keeping it a secret from the kids until the day before we leave. I doubt her resolve but we shall see. Pretty excited to get back on this boat after the wife and I did the same cruise for her birthday 1.5 years ago. There is so much to do I don't think this is going to be a "relaxing" trip as much as activity filled. Between the shows, movies, theme dinners, Castaway Cay water park and other excursions, it should be pretty memorable!
 
Dream was the boat I went on too G4L. That slide is a lot of fun but man that water is really freakin cold.
 
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