5 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise
Kevin and I went on a Carnival cruise about 2 years ago and had a great time. I did, however, learn some very important lessons about cruising. PLEASE read this, especially if you are considering doing a cruise for your honeymoon.
1. Atmosphere. Think crowds and party party!! It is not... I repeat... NOT a romantic couples vacation. Particularly on a cruise line like Carnival. You are herded everywhere with a massive load of people... on the ship, off the ship, to dinner, etc. It is very very far from private (you don't even get to eat dinner just the two of you... you get cohorted with other people) and is actually very crowded. They make it a point to sail "full" so the pool is crowded, deck, etc. We had gone with the idea of having a romantic getaway, so needless to say we were disappointed in that respect. I would highly suggest cruising with another couple or at least going with the "crowd" mentality. It would be a great vacation for a small group of friends and we are planning on doing just that next spring. Also, if you are looking for a more private /less crowded atmosphere I have heard some of the other cruise lines (Princess, Norwegian) are a little better... but also a little (or a lot) more expensive.
2. Ports and excursions... we did not plan any excursions before we left and figured we would just see how it went. The excursions, after all, are unbelievably expensive. We stopped at 3 different ports on a 5 night cruise...
3. Price. Cruises are a great deal. HOWEVER... the deal is pretty much for the cruise. That's it. Where they realllllly stick it to you is all of the extras that make the cruise really awesome. #1... the booze. Let's face it... when you are relaxing by the pool, you probably want an umbrella drink in hand. $12. A beer? $5 or 6. Wine with dinner? $12 again. It adds up soooo fast. I highly recommend sneaking on some adult deliciousness in a shampoo or conditioner bottle that has been washed out. It will save you a few hundred, no kidding. Also, the pictures that they take on board (which somehow always make you look amazing... I swear they airbrush them) will add up as well. Of course you want to take some memories home ... and when you cruise as just a couple it's hard to take lots of pictures of the two of you, kwim? But they charge like $20 each. Crazy!
4. Tipping. Everybody wants a tip. Everybody. The room steward, the waiter, the maitre d, the guy who brings your bags to your room, the guy on land who tells you where the nearest restroom is. Make sure you travel with cash on hand (in various size bills, esp $1s and $5s)... otherwise the ATM fee on board is like $6 or something crazy.. plus your own bank's fee.
5. Room. Get a balcony room. It is worth every penny. At the very least, a room with a window of some sort. We paid extra for the balcony and were so glad we did. Not only was it really the only place we could spend alone but not holed up in our room, but everybody that we spoke to that got sea sick or motion sick had interior rooms. I think that being confined in a tiny room where the only light is from a lamp messes with your system. Plus, who doesn't love falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.
Hope this helps. I don't mean to discourage, just want to make you aware. We got a great deal on our cruise, but ended up spending more on bar tab (even though we limited drinking to one or two beers/drinks during the day and one/two with dinner)/pictures/ and other random extras (massage) than we did on the actual cruise.... it was kind of sticker shock when we got our bill at the end of the week.
Had I known then what I knnow now, would I still have gone? Certainly. We would have just gone with different expectations (and several liquor bottles hidden in our suit case).
Are we glad we went? Absolutely. We had a blast. Just not the romantic type of fun we were expecting. We met a few other couples (who were on their honeymoon... can't believe they spent it with us, lol) and just hng out together. We partied like rock stars and made the most of our trip.
Will we go again? Sure, but this time with a group of friends.
Would I go for my honeymoon? No-freaking-way.
1. Atmosphere. Think crowds and party party!! It is not... I repeat... NOT a romantic couples vacation. Particularly on a cruise line like Carnival. You are herded everywhere with a massive load of people... on the ship, off the ship, to dinner, etc. It is very very far from private (you don't even get to eat dinner just the two of you... you get cohorted with other people) and is actually very crowded. They make it a point to sail "full" so the pool is crowded, deck, etc. We had gone with the idea of having a romantic getaway, so needless to say we were disappointed in that respect. I would highly suggest cruising with another couple or at least going with the "crowd" mentality. It would be a great vacation for a small group of friends and we are planning on doing just that next spring. Also, if you are looking for a more private /less crowded atmosphere I have heard some of the other cruise lines (Princess, Norwegian) are a little better... but also a little (or a lot) more expensive.
2. Ports and excursions... we did not plan any excursions before we left and figured we would just see how it went. The excursions, after all, are unbelievably expensive. We stopped at 3 different ports on a 5 night cruise...
- Half Moon Cay (Carnival's Private Island) was very relaxed, the ship staff just had a big BBQ on the beach and played games... it was fun. There were a handful of local vendors, but the island is not consumed with tourist-y junk.
- Grand Turk... they had a Margaritaville there and some shopping... everything was $$$$ but we had a great time just lounging on the beach. At Margaritaville they had a DJ and it was sort of a "pool party" type atmosphere. They had lots of different contests (beer chugging, booty shaking) and it can get very raunchy, but it was entertaining to watch other people make complete asses of themselves.
- Nassau. TBH, it was a dump. The locals want your money and will try to pester you to buy their junk. I have traveled a lot and found it to be just like any other third world country I have been to. The kicker... it is an island, yes? Can you find a beach to just hang out at? NO! Seriously. You have to find one of the nicer hotels (Like Atlantis, for example) and pay like $100 just to use their sand. It was very odd. Bottom line, either avoid Nassau or plan an excursion for that day. They actually have "excursions" that take you to Atlantis for lunch and a relaxing day at their pool/beach... that probably would have been worth it had we known that we wouldn't be able to actually find a beach on the island. lol
3. Price. Cruises are a great deal. HOWEVER... the deal is pretty much for the cruise. That's it. Where they realllllly stick it to you is all of the extras that make the cruise really awesome. #1... the booze. Let's face it... when you are relaxing by the pool, you probably want an umbrella drink in hand. $12. A beer? $5 or 6. Wine with dinner? $12 again. It adds up soooo fast. I highly recommend sneaking on some adult deliciousness in a shampoo or conditioner bottle that has been washed out. It will save you a few hundred, no kidding. Also, the pictures that they take on board (which somehow always make you look amazing... I swear they airbrush them) will add up as well. Of course you want to take some memories home ... and when you cruise as just a couple it's hard to take lots of pictures of the two of you, kwim? But they charge like $20 each. Crazy!
4. Tipping. Everybody wants a tip. Everybody. The room steward, the waiter, the maitre d, the guy who brings your bags to your room, the guy on land who tells you where the nearest restroom is. Make sure you travel with cash on hand (in various size bills, esp $1s and $5s)... otherwise the ATM fee on board is like $6 or something crazy.. plus your own bank's fee.
5. Room. Get a balcony room. It is worth every penny. At the very least, a room with a window of some sort. We paid extra for the balcony and were so glad we did. Not only was it really the only place we could spend alone but not holed up in our room, but everybody that we spoke to that got sea sick or motion sick had interior rooms. I think that being confined in a tiny room where the only light is from a lamp messes with your system. Plus, who doesn't love falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.
Hope this helps. I don't mean to discourage, just want to make you aware. We got a great deal on our cruise, but ended up spending more on bar tab (even though we limited drinking to one or two beers/drinks during the day and one/two with dinner)/pictures/ and other random extras (massage) than we did on the actual cruise.... it was kind of sticker shock when we got our bill at the end of the week.
Had I known then what I knnow now, would I still have gone? Certainly. We would have just gone with different expectations (and several liquor bottles hidden in our suit case).
Are we glad we went? Absolutely. We had a blast. Just not the romantic type of fun we were expecting. We met a few other couples (who were on their honeymoon... can't believe they spent it with us, lol) and just hng out together. We partied like rock stars and made the most of our trip.
Will we go again? Sure, but this time with a group of friends.
Would I go for my honeymoon? No-freaking-way.