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You can also bring on 1 750 ml of wine for each person you are traveling with that is over the age of 21. But plan on drinking it in your stateroom. Otherwise they will charge you a corkage fee. Or you could just drink at night and keep your costs down somewhat. Lugging wine onboard is a pain!
Is a great place to find good deals on cruises. We find what we want here then contact our Travel Agent about the cruise we found. I have no idea why it is displaying like it is and gave up trying to fix it.
We're leaving in November for the Western Caribbean. Enjoy your cruise.
I love cruising - on a budget. We like cruise411 for great prices and we've been very happy with Carnival (even as an "old" couple). We took one cruise out of NYC and I will not do it again - except maybe for a Canadian cruise - but we were NOT happy with our shipmates. For heading south, I will fly to Miami and sail from there as we have done in the past. Not only do you save on time - it takes over a full day just to get that far south (at sea day) - but you also save on cost and can make that up with an inexpensive flight plus you have more options.
Someone mentioned inside cabins. For the price, they can't be beat. Keep your eye out for specials - you can pay for an inside low deck cabin and get upgraded to ocean view high decks. It's all the same to me - I'm not on a cruise to spend time in the cabin except to sleep, shower, and change clothes. Also check into cabins that can sleep 3 or 4 for price cutting.
You can easily get airfare and a 3-5 day cruise for $700 - just do a lot of homework. Every cruise ticket company and cruise line has a number to call for groups. Look at the prices that are out there - do your research - then call.
Food - included but many ships now offer additional choices for a small extra fee $10 or $25 per person. It's all about choices - you can choose the level you want to go to.
One hint: You will not be hungry - you can always order room service so be daring and adventurous especially in the main dining room. Many cruiselines offer 24/7 dining (pizza bar especially) so go for the snails or octopus, etc.
Liquor: I have no advice. But my preference is to follow the rules. Why risk either a huge fine and confiscation or being thrown off the ship? If it's that important to you, you're probably missing out on much of the point of the cruise.
There are a number of cruise information sites. Some of these were mentioned in previous posts.
I love cruising - on a budget. We like cruise411 for great prices and we've been very happy with Carnival (even as an "old" couple). We took one cruise out of NYC and I will not do it again - except maybe for a Canadian cruise - but we were NOT happy with our shipmates. For heading south, I will fly to Miami and sail from there as we have done in the past. Not only do you save on time - it takes over a full day just to get that far south (at sea day) - but you also save on cost and can make that up with an inexpensive flight plus you have more options.
Someone mentioned inside cabins. For the price, they can't be beat. Keep your eye out for specials - you can pay for an inside low deck cabin and get upgraded to ocean view high decks. It's all the same to me - I'm not on a cruise to spend time in the cabin except to sleep, shower, and change clothes. Also check into cabins that can sleep 3 or 4 for price cutting.
You can easily get airfare and a 3-5 day cruise for $700 - just do a lot of homework. Every cruise ticket company and cruise line has a number to call for groups. Look at the prices that are out there - do your research - then call.
Food - included but many ships now offer additional choices for a small extra fee $10 or $25 per person. It's all about choices - you can choose the level you want to go to.
One hint: You will not be hungry - you can always order room service so be daring and adventurous especially in the main dining room. Many cruiselines offer 24/7 dining (pizza bar especially) so go for the snails or octopus, etc.
Liquor: I have no advice. But my preference is to follow the rules. Why risk either a huge fine and confiscation or being thrown off the ship? If it's that important to you, you're probably missing out on much of the point of the cruise.
There are a number of cruise information sites. Some of these were mentioned in previous posts.
Mostly, just enjoy. Pack light, you want room for souvenirs and stuff.
This is a great post
You need to figure out what you want from a cruise and what is important to you.
We are going on a cruise next month. It is a higher end cruise but so heavily discounted that we are happy to pay a bit extra. We used a specialized Travel Agent who got us a two level cabin upgrade plus a free tour at one of the stops without losing any of the discount. We also got on-board credit by referring someone else to the cruise.
The cruise leaves from Ft. Lauderdale so we are using airmiles to get from Phoenix to Ft. Lauderdale and back and hotels.com for our night in Ft. Lauderdale. With a little bit of planning you can really get costs down.
I agree with you that I am not on a cruise to hang out in my cabin Although I really enjoy sea days, the itinerary is important. When you go ashore, everyone is equal and how much you paid for the cabin has no bearing. Spend a bit less on the cabin and have a bit more fun or do a bit more shopping ashore
Much of this thread has been taken up with how to smuggle liquor on-board. Why bother? How much are you going to save? $20, $30? Is it really worth the hassle? Just factor the prices in and have fun.
Absolutely agree on the packing light If you are going to the Caribbean you do not need a ton of clothes. I usually travel with one medium size suitcase and an overnight bag (in case the airline loses the suitcase). And be practical ... in the Caribbean you only need one light sweater and one light rainjacket. If you need a jacket for the evenings, wear it to travel. I usually take a blue blazer which matches with most pants.
Oh ... and ladies ... on a 7 day cruise you do not need 8 pairs of shoes
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