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Best cruise deal?

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
My wife and I have taken 11 cruises together. However, we have never taken our kids on a cruise. My son is a senior in HS this year and will be leaving for college this summer. I was going to take a vacation with them this last summer, but I couldn't get it worked in. Due to our experiences, I am only open to cruises on Holland America, Princess, or Royal Caribbean. It looks like I can get my kids out of school without problems (tests, finals sports tournaments etc.) the week of 1/28/07 to 2/4/07. I have called Princess Cruise lines and since I have taken 4 cruises with them, I seem to get a discount with them. With them I was quoted $6256 for two mini suite rooms together. That price included transport from the airport to the ship and back, but not airfare nor their "soda pass" (damn cruise lines charge for soda now!:mad:), which is an additional $27 per person.

Does anyone here have any contacts with a travel agency or any other way for me to shop for cruise prices? I also only want to take an "Eastern Caribbean" cruise, which has limited ports of call; all of which I've visited several times previously. Ideas? I'd love to get this thing set and finalized this week.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
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Sorry I can't help. I've never taken a cruise. I've won a few but not gone.

I'm curious (and hope this does not take the thread off topic) but what is the attraction to a cruise versus a land based vacation?
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
B_Skurka said:
I'm curious (and hope this does not take the thread off topic) but what is the attraction to a cruise versus a land based vacation?

I'm pressed for time now, but with some cruise lines; nothing. With the 3 I mentioned, everything. I really, really disliked a cruise we took on a small (and very expensive) tall sailing ship. Absolutely nothing to do. On the extremely large ships from the lines I like, there are just so many things to do at any hour of the day and the accomodations are first class along with the food. Each morning you wake up you can go ashore to see a different land based vacation spot, or just stay on the ship. Believe me, even if you don't sleep, you can't find everything and do everything in a 7 day trip on one of the huge ships. They are simply amazing, and you get absolutely no sense of motion at all; even in 40 foot seas.

Like you, I've been fortunate to be able to travel on someone else's tab to wonderful destinations all over the world. Other than maybe Maui, I'd take a Princess Cruise over any of the land based places. Heck, I'd love to take a 21 day or 30 day cruise someday and see some far away ports of call while really enjoying the trip and all the pampering along the way. The service on Princess is just so nice. Heck, we've left our room to go get a snack, realized that I forgot my sunglasses when we got to the elevator, went back to the room to get them only to find that our cabin had already been cleaned and fresh fruit had been placed on our table along with assorted juices on ice.
 

RoadKing

Silver Member
Site Supporter
B_Skurka said:
I'm curious (and hope this does not take the thread off topic) but what is the attraction to a cruise versus a land based vacation?

Ditto !!!

:myopinion:
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Dargo,
One of my co-workers is a travel agent. I'll get her contact info tomorrow if you want.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
OhioTC18 said:
Dargo,
One of my co-workers is a travel agent. I'll get her contact info tomorrow if you want.

Sure, feel free to have her email me. If I don't take the family on a cruise, you won't see me on here much past this winter. You may have to send out a search party for me...:eek:
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Dargo said:
If I don't take the family on a cruise, you won't see me on here much past this winter.
If you don't take the family, you're going solo?

Let me count heads....

I guess that means you'll be gone 6 times longer (not counting the turtle or dogs of course).
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Dargo said:
Sure, feel free to have her email me.

She did not come to work today, but I sent you her contact info via PM.

Why Eastern Caribbean only? We took one to Southern Caribbean. It was great. Started out in San Juan, went to St. Thomas, Grenada, Guadalope, Caracas, and Aruba.
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
OhioTC18 said:
She did not come to work today, but I sent you her contact info via PM.

Why Eastern Caribbean only? We took one to Southern Caribbean. It was great. Started out in San Juan, went to St. Thomas, Grenada, Guadalope, Caracas, and Aruba.

I was going to say that the S route leaves from San Juan, but I see you already know that. I'm not particularly fond of Old San Juan - long story. Also, with my kids, I like the only two ports of call on the western route; St. Maarten and St. Thomas. That way, I don't have to worry about the kids getting off at too many ports of call, and I've been to both of those places over a dozen times each, so I actually know the streets and the shops. Hell, I know where the public cans are at those places and even know several shop owners.

Maybe I sound paranoid, but I've been concerned about taking my kids to many of the places I've been outside our country. When I've gotten off the well beaten path (by accident), it's not been pretty. I actually had several off duty Coast Guard members come to our aid in Jamaica. A guy tried to steal the purse of my wife's friend and I didn't allow that. The theif had several friends who rather took exception to me stopping the theif. Fortunately, that is when about a half dozen of the Coasties came along. I now have a great respect for the Coast Guard. These guys were like Texas toilet paper; even when the 'pseudo' Jamaica police came around. Oh well, if anyone doesn't know, Jamica is a very, very bad place now. The areas between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, and Kingstown are all extremely dangerous. Worse yet, even in the three above mentioned towns things are not good.

Anyway, I'm very familiar with St. Maarten and St. Thomas. They are not perfect, but I've rented motorcycles and have been all over each of those islands. Heck, if you've ever seen Weekend at Bernies II, I'm in several of the crowd scenes (but you have to look really fast), and one scene was shot on the balcony of my hotel room. The director mistook my suite for one they'd rented. My wife and I came back from a diving trip to find we couldn't get to our room, and they were shooting a scene on our balcony! Anyway, I like those two islands and feel comfortable if my kids want to get off and go into town on those islands with me.
 
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