Going cruising....

[ronmill]

I'm leaving for cruise next month. What do you guys consider to be the essentials for such a trip???

 

[Zenny]

A ship

 

[holymadness]

Nautical-themed pashmina afghan and some flippy-floppys.

 

[SoCal2NYC]

Where is the boat going?

 

[DoTheGrownup]

Originally Posted by holymadness

Nautical-themed pashmina afghan and some flippy-floppys.

And a mermaid.

 

[anon]

Which cruise line, how long is the trip, where are you going?

The only thing you really need to worry about is how to dress at dinner, but that's again going to depend on your cruise line and how long the cruise is.

 

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by holymadness

Nautical-themed pashmina afghan and some flippy-floppys.
This.

 

[AscotMcPocketsquare]

If this is a commercial cruise line, I suggest not going.

 

[TC (Houston)]

If you want to fit in, you will need some gym shorts (the long baggy kind), tank tops (preferably advertising some sort of beer), and some rubber flip flops. To accessorize, get some black plastic sunglasses with the neoprene neck holder thingy, and a gold chain. This was what about 90% of the gentlemen wore about the ship when I had the displeasure of cruising a few years ago.

(Note that this was a bargain cruise from Carnival or some similar outfit that ran the circuit of tourist traps in the carribbean islands. I do understand there are actually some nice cruises from other companies that offer some level of luxury and elegance.)

 

[anon]

what do you guys think is so awful about cruising? I've been on 2 and have enjoyed them both.

granted I'm a "commoner" so I don't normally drive my Ferrari to my helipad to be taken to my yacht to go to my fourth vacation home in the Bahamas.

 

[TC (Houston)]

Originally Posted by anon

what do you guys think is so awful about cruising? I've been on 2 and have enjoyed them both.

granted I'm a "commoner" so I don't normally drive my Ferrari to my helipad to be taken to my yacht to go to my fourth vacation home in the Bahamas.


I think if I had known what to expect, it may not have bothered me so much. For some reason I was expecting something along the lines of the love boat, and my experience was more like a trip to six flags. Crowds, lines, a bunch of inconsiderate people, and a lot of disappointing food. I think people love to bring kids on these things because you don't have to keep track of them and keep them out of trouble. It's like a giant floating summer camp. Thank god I drank at that time, I probably would have thrown some of those little monsters overboard if I hadn't been heavily sedated. And I generally like kids. LOL

And it's not a matter of being a commoner, I have had higher quality vacations for similar expense. I guess I just prefer things that are a little more quiet and exclusive. It's my own fault for not doing some research ahead of time and adjusting my expectations.

All that said, I would have loved something like this as a spring breaker in college, if that's any indication of the experience.

 

[anon]

Originally Posted by TC (Houston)

I think if I had known what to expect, it may not have bothered me so much. For some reason I was expecting something along the lines of the love boat, and my experience was more like a trip to six flags. Crowds, lines, a bunch of inconsiderate people, and a lot of disappointing food. I think people love to bring kids on these things because you don't have to keep track of them and keep them out of trouble. It's like a giant floating summer camp. Thank god I drank at that time, I probably would have thrown some of those little monsters overboard if I hadn't been heavily sedated. And I generally like kids. LOL And it's not a matter of being a commoner, I have had higher quality vacations for similar expense. I guess I just prefer things that are a little more quiet and exclusive. It's my own fault for not doing some research ahead of time and adjusting my expectations. All that said, I would have loved something like this as a spring breaker in college, if that's any indication of the experience.
which cruise line did you sail? how long was the cruise? it wasn't a Carnival cruise out of Galveston, was it?

 

[TC (Houston)]

Originally Posted by anon

which cruise line did you sail? how long was the cruise?

it wasn't a Carnival cruise out of Galveston, was it?


I have actually been three times, two were when I was a kid, and the most recent was maybe 4 years ago. The first two were week long cruises from Carnival and Norwegian, one out of Miami and one out of San Juan. The last one was a 5 day cruise from Norwegian out of Galveston. Good call!

The circumstances are kind of amusing as well, similar to some recounted by iammatt. Every 5-10 years, my mother begins to feel some guilt over the alienation from her white trash, trailer park family. So she flies them all down here and takes them on a trip. Admittedly that may have tainted the experiences for me. LOL

 

[anon]

Originally Posted by TC (Houston)

I have actually been three times, two were when I was a kid, and the most recent was maybe 4 years ago. The first two were week long cruises from Carnival and Norwegian, one out of Miami and one out of San Juan. The last one was a 5 day cruise from Norwegian out of Galveston. Good call! The circumstances are kind of amusing as well, similar to some recounted by iammatt. Every 5-10 years, my mother begins to feel some guilt over the alienation from her white trash, trailer park family. So she flies them all down here and takes them on a trip. Admittedly that may have tainted the experiences for me. LOL
I would recommend a 7-day Royal Caribbean during some time period when college students and their families can't normally make the trip, i.e. during the school year. The longer trip on a slightly more expensive cruise line means a classier type of passenger is usually on the ship, and the timeframe during the school year means younger kids won't usually be there. I've been on 2 cruises so far and yes, there are inconsiderate/trashy people, but it hasn't been horrible. The longer cruise for me was a lot nicer, since the shorter cruise was cheaper and brought people who couldn't afford a longer cruise. But in general, no, this is not the upper-crust experience a la Titanic.

 

[TC (Houston)]

I feel kind of guilty for derailing the thread, so I will try to address the OP's post.

For daytime, and assuming you are going somewhere tropical and not to Alaska, you should bring shorts and polos or short sleeve button down shirts and comfortable deck shoes and walking shoes for excursions. The cruise line usually indicates what dress is required for dinner. Bear in mind that people usually interpret the requirements to be more casual than one of us probably would.

If you and your companions drink, I would suggest your bring a handle of your liquor of choice. If alcohol is not included, you are going to be paying a fortune for decent liquor. My bar tab for 5 days was north of $500 for just my date and me.