What's Best In Cruises

[mep]

I have no desire to step foot on a cruise ship and many reasons for feeling that way. I personally feel that cruise ships are a *dirty* business on several different levels. Cruise ships are usually always foreign flagged even if they are owned by American corporations so they can avoid taxes. Cruise lines in general hire their staff from third world countries and pay them poorly and expect the passengers to subsidize their employees’ pay through all but mandatory “tipping.”

Cruise ships are notorious for dumping waste at sea so they can avoid having to pay for having the waste pumped off the ship. Cruise ships also have a penchant for catching on fire. Cruise ships also are incubators for highly contagious illnesses like the Norvo virus. How many times have we all seen the news where a ship takes off, all the passengers get sick, the cruise ship comes back into port and dumps the passengers off with apologies, an attempt is made to sterilize the ship, new passengers are loaded on, and the cycle of illness continues and everyone acts surprised?

Oh, and if you are having martial problems and your spouse invites you to go on a cruise, it’s probably best to decline that offer. Husbands and mainly wives somehow disappear overboard on cruises. It seems to be a popular method for ridding oneself of an undesired spouse.

If I had my choice between going on a cruise or going to the Smokey Mountains and having to trot through “As Seen On TV” stores and being surrounded by hillbillies and rebel flags, I say “pass the grits y’all.”

 

[cjfrbw]

Just watch "Deliverance" and "Ghost Ship" and you will never want to do either.

After listening to clients and their cruise stories for years, I have no special interest in cruises, either, but they may be the only good way to see certain areas like Alaska, which I would like to see someday.

As for being floating sweatshops, fetid repositories of contagion, water born torches, and garbage, sewage spewing monstrosities, I think I saw one of those in an Indiana Jones movie.

I think most suburban slugs have more to worry about from rich food, cafe coronaries and falling overboard drunk, although disposing of one's troublesome spouse, I think they are on to that one.

I enjoy the paranoia, though, maybe there are excellent paranoid boating fantasies that haven't been included yet.

 

[treitz3]

All due respect to both gentlemen, this thread is about what is best in cruises. Not what can or may be considered the worst. While your opinions or thoughts may reflect others that may read this, it is not the point of the thread.

Please stay on topic with the thread and thank you, even if your thoughts may lie elsewhere.

You can pass the grits my way.

 

[Soundminded]

everyone that I have talked to raves about the Seabourn cruise line

Seabourn is an outstanding cruise line, very high end, top of the line, however there are several things to understand about it. Seabourn ships are quite small, more like large yachts than conventional cruise ships. I think most are about 5000 tons. Typical run of the mill ships in the industry usually run between about 70,000 to well over 100,000 tons. Nevertheless, expect to be pampered on Seabourn as well as you've ever been. Also expect to pay for it, rates for this line are among the most expensive in the industry. For its size as ships go, accomodations are generous and there are relatively fewer passengers and more crew per passenger. This means better service.

All ship are subject to rocking and other motions that can affect some people more than others, smaller ships on the open ocean more so than larger ships in calmer waters. For me when I get seasick Dramamine works best.

Seabourn was acquired by Carnival Corporation, parent company of Carnival Cruise lines and many other cruise lines many years ago. Originally Seabourn consisted of only two ships Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Spirit. Then it acquired a similar ship Royal Viking Queen. I think with the acquisition of Cunard line Ships like Sea Goddess I and II were acquired by Seabourn.

For a more traditional and usually lower cost cruise I like Holland America (Also owned by Carnival Corp.) It targets an older more affluent crowd like Seabourn (but not as expensive) and IMO is an excellent value. Cunard was also good but usually more expensive than Holland America. A high end competitor not affiliated with Carnival or RCCL is Crystal Cruises.

Personally I shop by price. I"ve gotten good value from thecruiseoutlet.com but they don't seem to have any Seabourn cruises on their menu right now

http://www.seabourn.com/main/Main.action

I don't advise buying a cruise ticket from a local travel agent, I made that mistake once and was badly overcharged. This is a very competitive industry.

Cruise prices quoted usually include the cruise only and do not include port taxes, travel to and from the ports of embarkation and debarkation, transfer to and from the ships, and extras for many amenities on board depending on the cruise line. Also not tips. Prices quoted in ads are usually for the lowest price cabins. BTW, the most stable point on a ship is lowest deck, inside cabin, midship. It's usually best to travel to the port of debarkation a day or two early to avoid any mishaps where a plane trip can be delayed. If that happens, the ship will sail without you even if the cruise line sold you the airline tickets as part of a package. If you choose a pre-cruise package arranged by the cruise line, all paperwork associated with obtaining a boarding pass is usually handled at the hotel, not at the port. You just hand over your luggage and go straight to your cabin without the long lines at the pier.

The movie Speed 2 takes place on a hijacked Seaborn ship, I think the Seabourn Legend (may have originally been the Royal Viking Queen.) Hopefully if you go, your trip will be less eventful than the movie

 

[Soundminded]

Seabourn seems to have made some changes while I wasn't looking. Not only wasn't I consulted, I wasn't even advised. How dare they?

Well they still have Pride, Spirit, and Legend. These are actually 10,000 tons and have a capacity of around 205 passengers, still in the category of large yachts. But they evidently got rid of what they inherited from Cunard and built 3 new ships Odyssey, Quest, and Sojourn at 32,000 tons each with a capacity of around 450 passengers per ship, very large for them. They've got some excellent values (considering their quality) with 7 day cruises starting at around $2500 per passenger (probably exclusive of taxes and transportation to and from the ship) which is less than half their customary price of years ago. Apparently times are tough even in the luxury market.