Been on a Cruise?

Take a better class ship…like Celebrity. I’ve been on four transatlantic crossings and two Caribbean.

There are lots of threads about cruises. Also go to cruisecritic.com.

As to your specific comments--remember that the casino will not be open (1) when you're in port and (2) when you're not in international waters. There are lots of activities. I found the "behind the scenes" tours interesting. Most ships have multiple dining options: a main dining room and a buffet (free) and one or more "specialty" restaurants which usually feature one type of food (e.g., steakhouse, Italian, etc.) and have a substantial extra charge. They often require reservations as well.

Lucky you! I've never been on a cruise, but I hope to someday. Have a great time!

I did a southeast Asia cruise a few years ago, enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. We had a balcony, I don't think I could ever stay in an inside room. Upgraded dining is really nice, especially if you want private time with your traveling companion. We didn't do the drink package, we usually don't have more than a bottle of wine per night, so not worth it for us. I would avoid itineraries where families are traveling with kids...low end Caribbean or Hawaii cruises.

Wait, how can a foreign flagged ship depart from a US port and then stop at another US port? They have to go to a foreign port in between.

reddit has a subreddit r/cruise and it has a TON of info.

r5 They only have to stop at a foreign port somewhere along the way. They can't carry passengers between two US ports--for that reason, everyone has to be back on board when they stop at (in OP's situation) Charleston before they can sail again. I've done several cruises-- for example, California coastal where you go to Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, and then a quick stop at Ensenada before heading back to LA.

It sounds like you will have a lot of fun!

FYI you can only gamble in International waters. At least that was how it was when I went on my first cruise (Carnival) in June going to Alaska (we stopped in Victoria as well and the casino was shut down).

R7, thanks.

Cruises are not for people who dislike crowds and forced jocularity. They attract customers who want to go on holiday but want to have everything planned for them. Their conversation will be mostly about other cruises they have taken and how they compare.

Sailing on the ocean is a great experience in peace and solitude but it will be hard to experience that on a cruise ship.

Disney Cruise Line bought a half-finished ship from Genting (which owns Resorts World in Las Vegas) after their cruise division went bankrupt. A lot of DCL fans don't like the new [italic]Wish,[/italic] so it'll be interesting to see what Disney does with it.

RC is not a bad line…especially for your destinations.

It was great, as an introduction to Europe…we did a few….

YMMV it can be the best fun, or it could be a drag.

I wonder if I'd do well with an inside cabin. I'm a light sleeper, and prefer it as dark and isolated as possible.

R1

[quote] I’ve been on four transatlantic crossings...

I'd love to do one of these. What ship and was it considered a cruise or just the passage? What ports from and to? Cost?

Thanks.

The ONE thing that makes cruises enjoyable is that you're ALWAYS near your room.

You never have to think about getting ready for the day's activities. Just throw on some clothes and go - if you need to change, come back and change. Pool (find out if there is an adult one with no kids allowed) and lounging is nice with drinks flowing all day.

There are some modestly entertaining shows.

There is also usually a "Friends of Dorothy" or similar gathering for singles.

R1 - Just don't misread the small print and accidentally book a TRANS Atlantic cruise, eeek that would be scarey.

Plebes need go where plebes would go.

[quote]Been on a Cruise?

He made me sign a paper not to tell anything, but I was able to buy a motorcycle!

All the people that shit on cruises in the comments to display how terribly rich, clever, and sophisticated they are.

I’ve been on one cruise from Venice to Athens and back. The cruise line was MSB and there were too many children on board. Children and hot young fathers. The enforced idleness didn’t appeal to me and we didn’t always pick the best side trips. Instead of going into town on Mykonos, we chose a beach on the opposite side of the island. More enforced idleness. The meals were fine but I’d avoid a buffet option. On our ship, the Poesie, the buffet looked like a free for all and people gorging. We paid for the drink package and that was worthwhile but the bars and clubs were filled with too many drunken hot young fathers.

I retired as a cruise line president (it was a while ago), and the comments on these threads just kill me.

I have been on one cruise and it was on Carnival. I enjoyed it very much. We did do some private dining which was nice. We did a drink package which was great. I grew up boating on the Chesapeake Bay. I always loved the water so I enjoyed the cruise.

R22. That’s not much to go on —so tell? Who was better: Seabourne or Crystal or Regency? Who’s truly the worst of the worst?

Yes, but I'm not a fan of cruises... I'd rather the torture of intimate tours with small groups through the countryside than the flipflop wearing masses.

It's the Villages afloat.

R22 Thanks for the Dodgers tickets.

R24 - It sounds like a PC answer, but it really is true: the best one is the one that has want you want. On the other hand, there's too many 'worst' ones to list, haha. By the way, there are dozens of tiny 'boutique' lines that just short of 100% of the people posting here have never even heard of.

R20 sounds like the kind of person the rest of us avoid by not bothering with lousy, cheap, nasty, loud, creepy cruises.

Proving the point.

Quite a few years ago. my partner and I booked a RC cruise, but as we were boarding, about five people ahead of us was none other than Ms. Shelley Winters! No shit!

Needless to say, we turned around and left.

R29 - No, I'm the R22 retired cruise line president who is a noted expert in the industry and is really disappointed, after all these decades, that people who consider themselves informed travelers STILL don't even know about the existence of several dozens of boutique lines around the planet (that attract, and this is an understatement, really interesting clientele).

A long time ago I was on a Carnival (I know . . .) Cruise that had a laughably amateur show that consisted a various abbreviated scenes from then-popular Broadway shows. But it was OK because one of the Brazilian dancers later found an excuse to go to my cabin and we ended up fucking.

Not my cup of tea, OP. But your friends did go along with your Japan trip, which you said was expensive. Drunk and gambling sounds like a bad combination. But you have your own room, so that's a positive.

R26 The Villages with a chance of drowning.