4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

How much do you think it would cost total for a 4 night cruise to the Carribean? With and without excursions....

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

There are some great deals out there, especially if you are risky enough to do last minute deals. I'd say you can go for $500 each, without excursions. It makes a big difference if you have inside cabins or outside cabins, and which level your room is on. But if you're willing to compromise on some of that stuff, you can get amazing deals. And of course all the food is free, so that's a plus.

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

Sounds right. That, of course, would not include any travel to the departure location, tips, excursions etc.

I would say all inclusive (with airline tickets) $1,000. each.

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can't take any coon dogs either...

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If you go during the 4th week of June and one of your ports of call is Jamaica, we'll be there.

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Huh? You and the Elder fixing on coming through Fort Lauderdale to get on the boat?

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Ask IAM :ursofunny

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You can get a 5 night Western Caribbean for $209pp. (Plus $70pp gratuities)

Here's a link.

The better the room, the higher the price, but all of the ship's amenities are available to everybody.

With young boys, I'd cheap out on the room and spend your money onshore.

CruiseCritic.com will give you all the info. you need to book the best (and cheapest) shore excursions.

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

There are great bargains out there. When figuring total cost don't forget to calculate the tips for the room stewards, waiters, etc. Each cruise line website has what they either suggest for tipping or require (charge automatically) depending on the line. For a four day cruise it should work out to probably less than $100 total for the tips.

If you have not cruised before you will enjoy just about any. If you have cruised before on one of the newer larger ships you will be spoiled and perhaps not as pleased with the smaller older ships used for most shorter cruises.

I love cruising as it is a great way to relax and unwind and eat lots of good food!

My best cruise experience was with Celebrity, next was Royal Carribbean and then way down on the totem pole was NCL.

I have booked direct with the cruise line and have also used a great online site www.cruiseshopping.com That site is run by a large cruise travel agency in Florida. I pick out my cruise online but call their 800# to book as usually they can get me better cabins for the money (high deck mid ship) than I see online. I have dealt with Darren, the manager there, and he is great.

Another site called "Vacations to Go" has a 90 day "ticker" of cruises being discounted as the cruise date approaches.

Balcony cabins are great and you can many times find great deals on them. If you want to gamble (and what Pentecostal doesn't want to!) you can book an inexpensive inside cabin and hope that the "upgrade fairy" calls you.

I only tried that one time and it worked. For last years cruise from Hawaii to Los Angeles I got an unbelievable deal on an inside cabin so took it. Sure enough not long before the cruise date I got a call from NCL offering to upgrade us to a balcony cabin for around just ninety bucks!!!!

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Royal Caribbean ships are usually good. Our only bad experience with cruise ships were on the Christian cruises, where the prices were sky-high and the boats were low quality. We decided we could go on the "non" Christian cruises and just behave ourselves!!:thumbsup

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RCL is great. The only better I have been on is Celebrity and they are owned by RCL and just a tiny step up the "classy" ladder. Either one are great.

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Sounds a lot like that move from the 80's, The Ratings Game starring Danny DeVito and Rea Pearlman. The Needed to get rid of a 100 "Nielsen" families and converted an old garbage barge into a luxury cruise ship for these families that won a "20 fun filled week all inclusive cruise!".

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Travel in steerage and hang out at the buffet during the travel days. It's pretty affordable that way. You can pretend that you're a rock star or one of those fat cat chimney sweeps and nobody else even knows that your cabin is really a closet down by the ship's laundry.

And for the "excursions" - you can arrange your own. There's a Jesus' name Pentecostal that runs a van touring service in Rio Ochos, Jamaica, a popular crusie stop over. He'll take you anywhere on the island and show you the little known places. The restaurant at the old sugar mill is excellent there.

Hey! I sound like an old salt.

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I'd forgo the inside room unless you just feel really lucky and get an upgrade.

It's well worth it to have the window in the room and balcony is even better!

If you make up your mind before your leave that you not "buy into" any of the extras you can have an extremely nice vacation for a good price. There are things you can do when you get off at the islands and not go through the boats "excursions" that are cheaper and of course many times you can just enjoy the beach for free!

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

:nah
You are nuts!

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Eating lobster and crab legs at every meal... visiting resorts... living in a prestigious community... appearing on television game shows...

I decided that I could do all of that once. I coaxed my oldest son up on a neighbor's roof with a rope and a couple of sand bags tied to an old broom head. The courts are still trying to sort out the consequences. Our "customer" ended up looking like Uncle Fester after the light bulb blew. They still haven't found their cat.

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LOL! I work for wealthy folks - my home is not in a prestigious neighborhood at all.

You should learn from existing chimney sweep folklore... It is reputed that they used to tie a rope around the neck of a goose and pull it through a chimney. The blacker the goose - the cleaner the chimney.

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

Thanks for the info....

This summer is our 40th Anniv and I'm considering a cruise. Have never been on one and most of my coworkers say everyone should go at least once.

So....cost is one consideration. Also departure point. We have a daughter in Orlando and she'll take us to those that leave from Port Canaveral.

Any absolutes....things to avoid, or things we should expect from the cruise.

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Avoid the casino, the bars and some of the shows.:blush

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I love the shows! I mostly love the solitude though since the cruises we take are typically transatlantic ones with no ports of call, just a week or more of ocean!!!!

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Seriously, cruises are a great vacation for the money spent. I would avoid the excursions for the most part. Usually you can find excursions on the islands that are cheaper than the ones the boat offers. Just be sure to be back on the boat before sailing time; they wait for NO ONE.

At the breakfast buffet, there is plenty of fruit and granola bars, etc. that you can take with you if you are going to be off the boat during lunch and don't want to have to find a place to eat.

Also, if you want a private table for dinner, which we always do, you can go to the dining room as soon as you board the ship the first day and request a private dining table. There aren't many and they go fast. Sometimes it's not bad eating with others, but if they are bad, you are stuck with them for the entire cruise, as tables are assigned on most cruises.

The room attendants are SO attending that it's almost creepy. It seems that they're spying on you and every time you leave your room, they come in and clean it up. It's a nice gesture, but we always feel like we're being watched. So don't let that creep you out.

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The casino's will rob you blind. The bars will overcharge you (unless your trip is all-inclusive, in which case, go crazy!), and I find most shows pretty boring.

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Thanks.

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Yeah, they have a lot of older ships. One night, I'm not kidding, they had to close the disco early, because people in cabins below us called and complained about the noise! :blink

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Which leaves you with.....

http://egyptsites.files.wordpress.co...ruiseship3.jpg

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RCL sells this "all you can drink" soft drink card. That saved a bundle. You have to ask for it up front when you sign on for the cruise, I think. I saw people carrying their liquor aboard in sealed containers so if you swing that way I guess there's no way around the huge mark ups unless you're truly creative.

They x-ray your baggage and carry on bags too. I was subjected to a humiliating search because the meds I was on at the time set off all of the alarms (We took a cruise to celebrate me not dying kind of thing).

You can order food in your cabin for just the cost of the tip. Or you can load up at the buffets and enjoy it anywhere. The evening meals are formal - though some nights are "Caribbean" where everyone wears a funny shirt and hat. You'll have the same charming Latvian waiter each night who will learn your names and try to ingratiate himself to you in exchange for a handsome gratuity or perhaps a brief marriage to gain US citizenship.

Be sure to have a ready cash reserve to avoid having to marry any of the crew. They are serious about the tips.

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One of the things that I find most interesting is that the crew is from all over the world. By the end of the cruise, you are very connected with your waiters, taking pictures to remember them, etc. Many of them have left wife and kids at home, just trying to make some money for a few months to live on for the entire year. It's a very tiring life - when one group of passengers get off the ship, they only have a few hours until the next group gets on! There are no days off for them.

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

Ever the missionary? http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...cons/icon7.gif

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I love other cultures!!

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Disney Cruises are ridiculously expensive. I can stay 7 nights @ the Grand Floridian for half the cost of a 4 night DCL trip.

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With my luck if we ever went on one, it would turn out to be a Gay and Lesbian cruise. lol

Our Jamaican vacation is 4 full days and 4 nights at a VERY nice resort for 2700 for two including airfare.

Re: 4 night Carribean Cruise...
 

AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

The Preterists are wrong, there really is a heaven!!!

:ursofunny

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No, this is heaven - - the chocolate buffet!!

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...latebuffet.jpg

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Sadly many cruise lines and ships are doing away with the midnight buffet and the chocolate buffet.

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Yes, I've read that - - too bad.

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Figures. Just when I was thinking about going on one.

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Oh, there's till plenty of food everywhere!!

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:uhoh