Jump to content

Help pick a cruise


Lauren

Recommended Posts

Wife and I are raking our first vaca together. We travel multiple times a Month but with clients never alone. In 5 years we have never taken a vacation together.

 

I've narrowed down a cruise from ft Lauderdale 5 days. Nassau, grand turk and some other Bahama island or a cruise leaving Tampa to key west then Havana Cuba for two days. It overnights in Cuba.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would hate that honestly. In fact she suggested that and I voted it down. I'm a busy body and being inn the same place for 5 days would suck.

 

You ever been to an all-inclusive? I'm as busy body as they come, and you're active the whole time while you're there.

 

On a cruise, you can't fucking focus on anything because you're constantly on the move. A lot of people hate cruises for that reason. At an all inclusive, you can just do whatever you want and aren't obligated to do the cruise activities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't do a cruise, do an all-inclusive in one location.

 

/thread.

 

+1 Plenty to do at any resort besides each other. They usually have excursion too where you can leave the resort for the day as part of a guided tour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You ever been to an all-inclusive? I'm as busy body as they come, and you're active the whole time while you're there.

 

On a cruise, you can't fucking focus on anything because you're constantly on the move. A lot of people hate cruises for that reason. At an all inclusive, you can just do whatever you want and aren't obligated to do the cruise activities.

 

Yeah I've never been on a cruise, but my wife and I went to a Sandals in St. Lucia last year and it was pretty awesome. There's plenty to do and see, and you can pick and choose how much/little you wanna do. I definitely recommend

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since 2014, I've been on Disney (3 days/4 nights) and Royal Caribbean (7day) cruises - big ships, too! - as well as last fall doing an all-inclusive at a Secrets resort in Riviera Maya outside of Playa Del Carmen.

 

- If you're traveling with kids, do the cruise.

- If it's just you and the wife, DO THE SECRETS ALL-INCLUSIVE. Tune on Channel 53 in the room, you can thank me later.

 

Just because the boat is moving doesn't mean there's more to do. You'll be annoyed running into the same loudmouth people and inconsiderate kids.

 

Being at an all-inclusive means you will be served nicely, all the time, and there's things to do over a greater area...let alone some great places to travel depending on where you go.

 

Paging Andy (AudiOn19s)...trust me, dude...All-Inclusives are the way to go. WAAAAAY CHEAPER at Riviera Maya as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did a cruise in 2015 that hit St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Thomas, and Nassau. I thought St. Maarten was great, then when we got to Antigua, I was like "whoa, this is even nicer"...then we got to St. Thomas, and I was like "fuck, this is amazing. At this rate, Nassau will be insane!". My gf and her folks told me Nassau sucked, and they were right.

 

A year later we went to St. Thomas and spent 6 days there. Idk if I'd do another cruise. Ours was cheap because her parents booked the same cruise after we did, and they ended up paying for A LOT of stuff. I think we were out of pocket like $400 for the week outside of the actual cruise.

 

I'd say just go to St. Thomas for a week. Airfare is cheap ($600 round trip/person), you can probably find a place for $250-300/night, and there is PLENTY to do on the island. You're just kinda confined to the ship for a good chunk of a cruise. Stops in port were only like 8-10 hours for us so it gave some time to see some of each island, but not a whole lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plus....didn't you call your wife awful names leading up to a divorce just last year???

 

If she's suggesting an all-inclusive, don't be a dick...do that and go and have fun! Marriage is about compromise. I don't think you would've mentioned her saying that if in the back of your mind you felt her opinion mattered.

 

Rent a paddleboard and cover a couple of miles! Go fishing, or snorkeling/scuba diving. Mexico is cheap...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- If it's just you and the wife, DO THE SECRETS ALL-INCLUSIVE. Tune on Channel 53 in the room, you can thank me later.

 

Paging Andy (AudiOn19s)...trust me, dude...All-Inclusives are the way to go. WAAAAAY CHEAPER at Riviera Maya as well.

 

 

Blahahahah...Secrets and the Playboy Channel for the win!!!

 

My wife and I did 17 cruises in 5 years when we first met. I've been to almost every destination in the Caribbean that they stop at at least once. My wife is Puerto Rican so we've been other places down there too and spent tons of time on Puerto Rico.

 

I can appreciate all the cool places i got to see when cruising but since going to an all inclusive resorts we have not looked back and really don't have plans to do another cruise. I know where I'd like to visit in the Caribbean and will go there exclusively instead of on a cruise boat moving forward.

 

I'll preach this until I'm blue in the face, Cancun / Riviera Maya has perfected the all inclusive model. It's cheap, it's quick and easy to get to, there's anything and everything to do both at the resorts and in the surrounding areas, or you can disappear in your room for a few days if you wish to just relax and do nothing.

 

Pick any 4 star and above property in that region and you will have an amazing time. Pick one that's adults only if you are traveling as a couple, it's much better without the family distractions. There are party properties with DJ's at the pools, and really quiet tranquil properties and everything in between.

 

The older I get, the more I enjoy down time as I'm usually the one that's going non stop like you. We've been to the #1 rated resort in that area (Le Blanc) and most of them up and down the Cancun strip now and Secrets The Vine is our favorite of the bunch so far. it's on the more expensive end but the food, service, and overall quality of the resort are completely spot on. They have 2 of the most amazing rooms we've ever stayed in...rooms that will make you not want to leave the room all day they are that good. it's in the middle of the action in the hotel zone with walking distance t shopping, a great Pharmacy right across the street :-) and good nightlife a quick taxi ride away. The club area in the hotel zone is like Vegas Friday and Saturday night, tons to do, see, eat, etc.

 

The properties in Riviera Maya are a little more secluded where there's not as much to do around the property, but they are huge and like small villages themselves, in the hotel district they're all crammed together but that doesn't bother me any for what I'm looking for.

 

The most important factor about the resorts in Cancun is the staff, they are genuinely happy to have the jobs that they have, While tipping is also included at most resorts I always take tipping money to take care of the staff. They work hard, they do it with a smile and they are on top of everything you need. We've been to Costa Rica and really enjoyed it, and Dominican Republic but the staff in both of those locations weren't nearly as engaged or happy with their jobs and both their attitude and performance showed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done resorts in Costa rica, panama and hawaii. I'm not a resort person. Plus I spend a stupid amount of time in hotels travelings.

 

I've never been on a cruise before. We both want to cruise. I picked the grand turk route this trip. We shall see how it goes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doc and Audion19s are right on!

 

Cruises are great for families with really young kids.

 

All inclusives are the way to go for everything else. (for all the reasons mentioned here)

 

I have also noticed cruise prices have been going up and some resorts have been either declining in price or staying on the lower side.

 

Riviera maya or Punta Cana for all inclusives

 

Have fun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done resorts in Costa rica, panama and hawaii. I'm not a resort person. Plus I spend a stupid amount of time in hotels travelings.

 

I've never been on a cruise before. We both want to cruise. I picked the grand turk route this trip. We shall see how it goes

 

You'll have a great time. I'd highly suggest a balcony room.

 

If you haven't already booked I'd look at cruises that leave out of San Juan and go to the very far southern Caribbean, those were my favorites.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We cruise multiple times a year. If possible, get one that goes to Cozumel and go to Mr.Sanchos. That will be your all inclusive. Awesome food and all you can eat. I have heard bad stories about Cuba and definitely get a balcony!! Just so you know, Nassau is awful. Easily the worst port Carnival goes to. Grand Turk is nice though. If you have more questions, let me know. Like I said, we cruised 4 times just last year.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done both: a Hilton all-inclusive outside of Montego Bay, Jamaica and a 4-day cruise on one of the smaller Royal Carribean boats from Florida, down to Nassau and then to their private island for the day. I enjoyed both very much, but I probably leaned to doing another cruise as I love being on the water.

 

Jamaica was fun and the hotel was awesome. We did go on an excursion to swim with dolphins was fun and we drove around Jamaica, which was eye-opening and beautiful at the same time. Since it was hotel-run, I didn't feel super uncomfortable. If it was just my wife and I, hell no. But by the end of our stay, I was ready to go. There's only so much you can do and the food wasn't as diverse as the cruise.

 

Our cruise was fun. We were with a group of about 12 people that we didn't know and it was nice to be kind of forced to meet people. There was always stuff to do on the boat and as long as you're not on a Disney cruise, kids were almost non-existent (every ship has adults-only sections thankfully). Food was pretty good, and the drink package is super expensive, but worth it. Food was awesome. You can also bring a bottle of wine per person. It was fun to get off the boat each day and see different places as long as you stay the hell away from the tourist traps. We did have a super-obnoxious Zumba group on our boat, but thankfully we only saw them at night. The coolest part for me was we got to watch a pod of dolphins ride the boat's wake into Nassau for like 45 minutes. That was awesome. My only complaint is the bathroom in anything but the suites are like a phone booth.

 

I was reading about the cruise around Cuba and that looks really cool. I would just suggest finding a smaller boat as the ones with 7000 people would kill me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cruising is my favorite type of vacation for a very simple reason. I do a lot in my every day life, I see things, I have to plan every move, etc. When I'm on a cruise I just sleep, eat, and sit around just chill'n and usually talking with the crew members. I don't have to do or think about anything to survive. Its totally relaxing especially mentally.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cruising is my favorite type of vacation for a very simple reason. I do a lot in my every day life, I see things, I have to plan every move, etc. When I'm on a cruise I just sleep, eat, and sit around just chill'n and usually talking with the crew members. I don't have to do or think about anything to survive. Its totally relaxing especially mentally.

 

Exactly!! Plus, there is nothing more relaxing then being on the open water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...