Cruise suggestions???

[neverenoughguns]

We are looking at a cruise to visit Cuba next year. Any lines to avoid? Not interested in a booze cruise. Looking at a short cruise just to try it out. Any suggestions?

[Taco]

Not enough information to make a suggestion.

Go to vacations to go, sign up for the mailing list with a fake email address, mailinator is fine. Do a search from your home port (or any Florida port, which is an option) with a destination of Cuba. You can search by stateroom category (inside, outside, balcony). That should give you 10 or fewer ships that hit your timeline- likely just 2-3. From there, look up the specific ship details on cruise critic. You can then determine what is important to you... More hot tubs? A movie theater? Outdoor movie screen? Nightclubs? Nighttime shows? Large Casino? Frequent Bingo?

If you have a specific ship or line you're interested in you can ask here. I cruise often for someone who isn't retired but haven't hit Cuba yet. Was looking at one last April but could never get the dates to work. Maybe in the next year or two...

[Slartibartfast]

https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseto/c ... ofcall=474


https://www.vacationstogo.com/ticker.cfm?t=y#11

[jjk308]

Unless you are a drunken 20 something NOT CARNIVAL. And unless you are a real bottom feeder not those 2 or 3 day "Bahamas Cruises". BTW all cruise lines just break even on the cruise fares and make all their money on drinks, gambling and other extras. If you don't drink or gamble or buy overpriced crap then cruising is a bargain, cheaper than most any vacation aside from road trips when you figure in hotel and meal costs.

Personally I get bored hanging around on a ship with its contrived entertainments. So take a cruise with a lot of interesting ports and figure port excursions into your costs. Cuba might be interesting - or might be depressing since its pretty run down, with the lowest per capita income outside of Haiti. We've been everywhere in the Caribbean outside of Cuba and aside from Belize had a good time everywhere.

I'm not big on paying extra for a cabin with a view as you really cant see anything and all you have to do is go out on deck. A private balcony is nice only in areas with lots of scenery like Alaska, a waste in the Caribbean.

[photohause]

Do not go June - November 1st...Hurricane Season!

[jjk308]

If there's a hurricane you might miss a port but that's it. All the ships are about 3x faster than a hurricane. Regardless of the season take some Meclizine with you if you ever get seasick. The other remedies are pretty useless. It's very cheap, for example:
I get sick on smaller boats, but never a cruise liner.

[Flame Red]

My sister-in-law just took my MIL with her on a cruise to Cuba. She liked it except she got a stomach virus on the last day. Not sure if it was something she ate while in Cuba or on-board. Lots of pushy locals looking to separate you from your $ anyway they can. What helped is my SIL's boyfriend spoke Spanish fluently and could tell the locals to F off. I forget which line she used but it was a VERY old ship and it had LOTs of mechanical problems. Like with the engine and being dead in the water. Reminded me of the Big Red Boat Disney used to run out of Port Canaveral in the 80's - with a trailer on the back that contained the engine.

As the others have said, cruising can be a good value. But I have not gone in decades mostly because they treat you like cattle.

[rug357]

My family has been taking 8 or 9 days Thanksgiving cruise for past 7 years and we've had great time on Carnival ships. Two or three years ago we went on 8 days Royal Caribbean and had terrible service. Long trips usually means new or newer ships and usually more experienced staff. Short trips usually mean older ships and less experienced staff.


Let me state here that my worked at Carnival for many years.

[photohause]

If there's a hurricane you might miss a port but that's it. All the ships are about 3x faster than a hurricane. Regardless of the season take some Meclizine with you if you ever get seasick. The other remedies are pretty useless. It's very cheap, for example:
I get sick on smaller boats, but never a cruise liner.

Still irrelevant to my statement.

[jjk308]

"stomach virus"?? Somehow the majority of those who get digestive tract problems on cruises are women. I think its because they can't stop eating those salads. Raw veggies, especially leafy ones, often are grown by unsanitary 3rd world workers, are impossible to wash off completely, are served on cruise ships and other foreign vacation venues by more 3rd world workers, so the women get sick.

And I repeat - carnival ships are rowdy and drunken. You may like that atmosphere but I cannot tolerate it.