• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Who’s been on an Intl cruise - Goods & Bads

GetX'd

GetX'd

Making Life Great Again!
Local time
4:13 PM
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
11,760
Reaction score
12,809
Location
Laguna Beach, CA
My wife was diagnosed with cancer back in April. We’ve been going thru chemo since then. Another month and God willingly we’ll get a good prognosis. I’m wanting to take her on a cruise to the Mediterranean up through Croatia and Greece. Never been on a cruise before and don’t really know what to expect. I want to treat her to the best trip of her life after all that she’s been through. Just wondering what experiences you all have enjoyed about cruising or also things to be careful of. We’re thinking 10days. Too much time? Or is 7 days enough. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thx - Kevin
 
GetX'd said:
My wife was diagnosed with cancer back in April. We’ve been going thru chemo since then. Another month and God willingly we’ll get a good prognosis. I’m wanting to take her on a cruise to the Mediterranean up through Croatia and Greece. Never been on a cruise before and don’t really know what to expect. I want to treat her to the best trip of her life after all that she’s been through. Just wondering what experiences you all have enjoyed about cruising or also things to be careful of. We’re thinking 10days. Too much time? Or is 7 days enough. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thx - Kevin
Click to expand...
Bahamas about 5 years ago. I absolutely loved it. Loved all the port of calls. Lots of stuff to do. FOOD EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME ! There are different kind of cruise lines. Check the reviews. On our ship everything was free except ice cream & alcohol. I free drink per day. Our ship had a Disco, casino, all kinds of shows. It was a blast. One day the ocean was rough. Got tossed out of the bed twice. Pools closed. Some people fell/stumbled as the boat rocked. Older folks had the most trouble. The other 6 days the weather & seas where perfect. Loved the outside movies at the stacks. That’s was cool. Stacks, stars & Meryl Streep. LOL Tip the wait staff & they will look out for you.
 
Med cruises might be different but if you cruise the Carribean what you'll experience is a bunch of ignorant overweight ******** stuffing their faces at the buffet and wasting enough food to feed a small country. Or you might feel right at home - if you get my drift.

Otherwise, cruises are great. More fun if you can go with friends or a group.
 
GetX'd said:
My wife was diagnosed with cancer back in April. We’ve been going thru chemo since then. Another month and God willingly we’ll get a good prognosis. I’m wanting to take her on a cruise to the Mediterranean up through Croatia and Greece. Never been on a cruise before and don’t really know what to expect. I want to treat her to the best trip of her life after all that she’s been through. Just wondering what experiences you all have enjoyed about cruising or also things to be careful of. We’re thinking 10days. Too much time? Or is 7 days enough. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thx - Kevin
Click to expand...
I truly hope that you and your wife get some good news at the end of her treatment regimen.

I haven't been international, but I have been on several Caribbean cruises. Personally, 5-6 days is enough for us...after that, we're ready to get off the ship and go home. First, HIGHLY recommend that you buy the trip insurance. It's cheap and covers you before and during the trip in case you have to cancel or if you become ill/injured while on the cruise and have to go to a local hospital (hugely expensive). My wife takes Bonine (OTC) to combat seasickness and she's says it works great...she has never got seasick while taking it! I recommend that you buy the drink card (non-alcoholic) or drink package (alcoholic) that the cruise line offers. It's convenient and if you consume quite a bit you come out ahead. We also like early dining because it provides a break between when you're done eating and when the shows start. The shows are almost always very good. Tips/gratuities are automatic so you don't have to worry about that. Resist the temptation to overpack; we limit ourselves to one medium suitcase each and an over-the-shoulder bag to hold our stuff when we're on the pool deck. I assume the ship will visit ports during your cruise and I assume that you will debark to sightsee. If you do, I recommend that you buy the shore excursion that the cruise line offers...it will be a better experience in terms of security, quality of your sightseeing experience, and ensuring that you're back on the ship before it departs. If you miss the boat you truly miss the boat...they don't wait for you.

Well, that's the big stuff that I can think of right now. There are many, many other details for you to consider so read the cruise line rules thoroughly to understand them. Bon voyage!!
 
Stanton said:
Med cruises might be different but if you cruise the Carribean what you'll experience is a bunch of ignorant overweight ******** stuffing their faces at the buffet and wasting enough food to feed a small country. Or you might feel right at home - if you get my drift.

Otherwise, cruises are great. More fun if you can go with friends or a group.
Click to expand...

Agree that the more the merrier and that the food availability is seemingly endless until well into the night. As to people's eating habits, a lot of people think that because it's there they have to eat it, so there is a lot of food wastage. Buffet bandits!
 
We’re planning for a tentative October departure. If my wife is healthy enough I want to make sure the weather is not too cool. We’re finding many of the cruise liners are sold out or limited to suites or interior rooms. I’m looking to secure a balcony room if possible. Not trying to save money but a suite is quite a bit more and looks to be a waste of money. They just give you a lot of fu fu stuff that we don’t care about.
 
We've always taken inside rooms - we'd rather spend time on the decks than in the room or on the balcony. The cost savings pays for a lot of the tours, etc !!

You'll find most cruises are booked well over a year in advance but most can be cancelled free of charge three months in advance so you can often get a last minute booking. Prices are cheaper a year in advance though.

Booze packages are expensive and everyone in the room must take it - not just you or your wife. As a cancer survivor my wife no longer consumes alcohol so I bring my own booze in things called "rum runners" (google it). Most will allow you a case of pop each so there's your mix.
 
We cruise twice a year on Royal Caribbean and love it. 9 day cruises are the ones we like the most. As stated in another post above, do your excursions thru the cruise line, this way the ship waits if that group of folks are running late. Food is great and with the Wind Jammer you can eat all day as some folks will and it shows on them. Lots of activities on board. Hope you find one and enjoy it. Good Luck.
 
GetX'd said:
We’re planning for a tentative October departure. If my wife is healthy enough I want to make sure the weather is not too cool. We’re finding many of the cruise liners are sold out or limited to suites or interior rooms. I’m looking to secure a balcony room if possible. Not trying to save money but a suite is quite a bit more and looks to be a waste of money. They just give you a lot of fu fu stuff that we don’t care about.
Click to expand...

Thanks for jogging my memory. Yes, room location is important. Those near the center of the ship on the lower decks are the least likely to be affected by rough seas. Having said that, we always go for the higher decks and toward the bow. On most ships (cruise line dependent), the higher decks have more balcony suites...we like those rooms. And we do our best for a room with the least nearby traffic, i.e. stay away from stairwells, elevators, and noisy venues such as the late night clubs that play loud music. On our last 2 cruises, we have gotten rooms at the end of the hall, top deck near the spa...totally quiet with no noisy guests walking by our room late at night. Good luck since you're booking a little late so finding the "perfect" room may be difficult.
 
Stanton said:
We've always taken inside rooms - we'd rather spend time on the decks than in the room or on the balcony. The cost savings pays for a lot of the tours, etc !!

You'll find most cruises are booked well over a year in advance but most can be cancelled free of charge three months in advance so you can often get a last minute booking. Prices are cheaper a year in advance though.

Booze packages are expensive and everyone in the room must take it - not just you or your wife. As a cancer survivor my wife no longer consumes alcohol so I bring my own booze in things called "rum runners" (google it). Most will allow you a case of pop each so there's your mix.
Click to expand...
Yep, I've smuggled my fair share on board. Success rate = ~80%.
 
5 day cruise to mexico a couple years ago. Cruise was fun enough, but it was with my wife and her parents. If you are going to go on a 5 day cruise I strongly advise that you do not take my wife's parents with you....they are lunatics!
 
Just got back from a 14 day Scandinavian Cruise out of Dover. UK and it was amazing. We are experienced cruisers so we knew what to expect for the most part. My wife is in a wheelchair so cruising is the best way for her to see and do as much as possible. If you have never cruised before a couple of things to watch out for. Look for a trip that goes through calmer seas in case of sea-sickness. Example is British Isles can be rough in the North Sea while the Baltic is quite calm. The Mediterranean can be choppy but lots to see and do at each port so it is a busy trip versus having a lot of sea days. If you are looking for the Trip of a Lifetime I would consider the Panama Canal Full Transit. It was amazing and you can leave from the East Coast and end on the West Coast or viceversa. Seas were pretty calm throughout and the weather was great. We prefer Premium Balcony rooms so we can watch the arriving and departing from our room rather than having to push past 3000 other travelers to get to the viewing areas with a wheelchair. Smaller ships are our preference as they can go places the bigger ships can't. We prefer the blue hair crowd as opposed to the party crowd which you find on shorter cruises. We have a little over 100 sea days under our belt so if you have more questions please PM me.
 
We had a balcony room about 3 decks up. Loved it. I sat on the deck in the late evenings & night & watched the tiny islands go by. Hundreds of them. The occasional freighter or sail boat.
 
ksurfer2 said:
5 day cruise to mexico a couple years ago. Cruise was fun enough, but it was with my wife and her parents. If you are going to go on a 5 day cruise I strongly advise that you do not take my wife's parents with you....they are lunatics!
Click to expand...

Thanks I’ll be sure and not take your in-laws with us. I have enough trouble dealing with mine. No - this is just going to be the wife and I - with 2000 or so of our closest friends....
 
Well we took the plunge so to speak. Booked a Mediterranean & Adriatic Sea cruise going to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Greece. Eleven days on the high seas. We’re going mid October pending a favorable outcome of my wife’s PET scan this Tuesday. We have a balcony stateroom ship assigned so I don’t know where on the boat it will be. We’re pretty jazzed up because this has been a trying summer with the cancer and all. Neither of us has been on a cruise before so the whole thing will be a new experience. The only things that concerns me is the ship is an older one commissioned in 1998 so it’s 20years old but has been refurbished. Reviews of the boat and all that comes with it are mixed. Many people said it was a great cruise and thought the boat was very nice, clean and good service. Then there were the reviews that weren’t so good and knocked everything. Didn’t know how to take that - my experience with American travelers is they can be very fussy and ultra particular. In any case we’re going cruising!!
 
GetX'd said:
Well we took the plunge so to speak. Booked a Mediterranean & Adriatic Sea cruise going to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Greece. Eleven days on the high seas. We’re going mid October pending a favorable outcome of my wife’s PET scan this Tuesday. We have a balcony stateroom ship assigned so I don’t know where on the boat it will be. We’re pretty jazzed up because this has been a trying summer with the cancer and all. Neither of us has been on a cruise before so the whole thing will be a new experience. The only things that concerns me is the ship is an older one commissioned in 1998 so it’s 20years old but has been refurbished. Reviews of the boat and all that comes with it are mixed. Many people said it was a great cruise and thought the boat was very nice, clean and good service. Then there were the reviews that weren’t so good and knocked everything. Didn’t know how to take that - my experience with American travelers is they can be very fussy and ultra particular. In any case we’re going cruising!!
Click to expand...
Enjoy, you’ll be alright.
 
GetX'd said:
Well we took the plunge so to speak. Booked a Mediterranean & Adriatic Sea cruise going to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Greece. Eleven days on the high seas. We’re going mid October pending a favorable outcome of my wife’s PET scan this Tuesday. We have a balcony stateroom ship assigned so I don’t know where on the boat it will be. We’re pretty jazzed up because this has been a trying summer with the cancer and all. Neither of us has been on a cruise before so the whole thing will be a new experience. The only things that concerns me is the ship is an older one commissioned in 1998 so it’s 20years old but has been refurbished. Reviews of the boat and all that comes with it are mixed. Many people said it was a great cruise and thought the boat was very nice, clean and good service. Then there were the reviews that weren’t so good and knocked everything. Didn’t know how to take that - my experience with American travelers is they can be very fussy and ultra particular. In any case we’re going cruising!!
Click to expand...

We have sailed on some of the older ships and had a very good experience despite what some of the reviews said. The crew is so accommodating that any issues will be addressed quickly. Enjoy the well deserved holiday!

Couple of suggestions from my wife the travel expert:
If you can arrive a couple of days in advance so there isn't a big rush to the sea port makes for a stress free boarding
Take some local currency for each country for taxis or meals
Always carry your passport when off the ship (Leave a copy in your stateroom if possible)
Pack a carry-on size bag for the last night as they collect all your luggage after dinner of the last night so you will have nothing but what you can carry in the morning
Ship board excursions can be expensive so if you just want to look around on your own look into private tour companies in the city you are in. We used these companies and had a great experience one on one
Bring a multiport charger for your electronic devices as likely there will only be one or two 110v outlets in the room
We picked up some small magnetic hooks from Amazon that we use to hang clothes to dry etc as everything in the room is metal (Walls & Roof) We do some sink laundry or use the passenger laundry so we do not have to pack 2 weeks worth of clothes (bring some detergent pods if you plan to do laundry on board as they will charge lots)
Lastly - the crew is incentivised to sell different drink packages so if you want to buy a drink package choose a crew member who has been extra good so they get the commission. They will look after you all the better. The drinks supplied at the buffets are all fountain based mixed syrup with water. Even the coffee is a syrup mix from the fountain taps. They will sell you a coffee package which will get you decent brewed coffees and some specialty coffee if you like that kinda thing. Bottled water is an extra cost otherwise there is only tap water so heads up.
 
Bars and restaurants closed. Jamaica won’t let them off. Pepto Bismol for everybody. For a vacation, I still prefer being low on gas on route 66. Instead of with 9000 people on a ship. Even if Linda is with me. Onboard, I have things they don’t have. Beer. Vodka. Smith. Wesson. Mopar.

upload_2019-1-11_4-6-4.jpeg
 
Last edited:
We've been on a couple (Disney and Carnival) and out of all of our vacations Cruises are the most relaxing. Last one we went to Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Cosmel, probably some of our families best memories happened on that vacation. My word of advice is plan your stops ahead of time vs on the spot to make the most of it. We went tubing and cliff jumping in Jamaica, spent the day on Grand Cayman's famous beaches then went snorkeling in Cosmel, what a blast!

Make sure you study the different cruises to get one that suites you guys, in our case with young kids we looked for ones with the most activites for the kids.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Meep-Meep
The Cancer Factory
2
Replies
39
Views
5K
steve from staten island
S
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top