Need help from cruise experts.

You just can't go wrong with RC....

Agree. RC seems to strive for a more elegant experience, Carnival is about the party, and the passengers reflect that.

Which RC ship are you looking at, we've been on several, maybe I can give you more specific info.

Do whatever you can to get the balcony; it's like an extra room to hang out in. At the very least, get a room with the sliding door, so you can feel like you're outside. (FYI, our last cruise, Boom snagged a room on the very back of the ship, the balconies are massive and the views are amazing.)

I wouldn't book excursions in advance, you never really know what you'll feel like doing. Unless you're going at the busiest time of the year (Christmas/NewYears), you can book them on the ship when you really know what you want to do. You will get the best advice from the dining room staff, especially the table captains...they know EVERYTHING, they'll tell you what to do.

Really, some of the excursions are just a waste of money....just as fun to take a cab to the beaches and see what they're offering there, for much cheaper. Although in Grand Cayman, the trip to the stingray sandbar is pretty amazing, you have to do that (get in the water with those slimy suckers, that's when you know if you've married the right person).

Good luck and congrats!

 

Gotta disagree, at least in my limited experience. Lord almighty the food on our cruise in January (Princess) was fucking exquisite. On the bright side, I overate so badly that I realized just how fat I'd become and I went on a diet and stuck with it when I got home.

 

My food experience is with Royal Carribbean, and all of us were disappointed. Especially the food served at the sit down dinners in the dining room. Not good at all. Like I said, you can't argue with abundance, but that's about all I can say about it.

 

RC has a really good private island, at least the one I went to. I wouldn't worry about the cabin. You're never in it. Mention the honeymoon when you're booking and see if anything comes of it.. never know.. never hurts to ask....the most fun on a cruise is the fun ship drinks. they're really expensive. I would definitely take more drinking money over a pricier cabin...I never book shore excursions, although I'd go to stingray city...unless there's something you're absolutely dying to do, I'd just wing it. The falls on jamaica are nice, if you feel like climbing.

 

What 21 said about getting advice from your waiters. Once on a cruise we had a Jamaican waiter and he fixed us up with a buddy of his when we docked at Jamaica. The guy had a van and took all eight of us on a private tour that day. He went wherever we wanted, which was to Rose Hall (the haunted mansion) and then just drove around, pointing out celebs homes, went up into the neighborhoods where you can see the chickens and roosters wandering in the streets, took us to his favorite authentic jerk chicken place out in the boondocks, etc. He charged us $15 each. It was fantastic. Also, if you like to snorkel, the snorkel excursions can be worth it or not. If you have your own equipment, especially in Cozumel, just cab it to the beach. When we did that, we were right next to the people who had paid out the wazoo for the ship's tour. Also, I would tend to agree about Royal Caribbean's food. Only been once on RC and it was OK to good. Celebrity has the best food. I would check Celebrity's prices as well because I really think it's a better experience. The RC private island is a nice experience though. But once you've done all these islands once, and I just about have, sometimes it is very relaxing to just spend time on the ship, go to the near-empty pool and spa and eat on the ship. I have friends who go on Caribbean cruises who never get off the ship because they've been so many times. Anyway, if I think of anything else, I'll post.

 

You'll be astonished by your bar bill. Consider stashing a supplemental pint in your luggage.

Food on RC was OK, not great, as I recall. The food on Norwegian, with freestyle dining, was far better, although I didn't find the additional cost restaurants worth the expenditure, except for maybe the sushi place.

Bring a canvas duffel bag for the stuff you purchase.

 

Agree the food is fair to decent. The trick is to order a little of everything, they're happy to bring it. If you want a drink at dinner, tell the drink guy what you want, they can have it waiting for you when you sit down. Never bothered to smuggle a bottle into the cabin, but it's a great idea.

For the staff, it's all about tips; the ship will give you a guide for how much to tip, and it's very specific. You tip once at the end. There is no use for cash on the ship, you can't use it.

Btw, you can get room service at any time for no charge, which is great for an early breakfast when you don't want to deal with the dining room scene, or just hanging out in the afternoon.

 

Are you staying in Galveston the night before you leave?

Might want to book that now, hotel rooms are scarce in the aftermath of Ike.

Also, it normally would be a great city to go a day early and explore, but not so much now.

 

Oh, and watch out for Somali pirates.

 

We're staying in Texas City the night before -- not many places to stay (or where we would want to stay) in Galveston right now. I've been there a few times.

Thanks for all the advice and help. I'll try to update when I get this sucker booked on Friday.

 

I remember reading in some travel book we bought when we were planning our honeymoon cruise that Carnival was the cruise line for "knuckle draggers." The book was probably titled "The Cruise Snob's Guide to Cruising!!!" But seriously, if you do research, you'll see that certain lines cater to certain groups. Carnival is for the party, knuckle-dragger crowd (read: rednecks and college kids!!) Disney is very much obviously aimed at families with younger kids. Princess and Holland are aimed at the 60-plus crowd. My sister-in-law (mid 30s, married, no kids) takes Royal Caribbean cruises once a year and loves them. Personally, we did Norwegian (comparable to RCCL) 10 years ago for our honeymoon and Disney when my daughter was about 2. Loved them both. If/when we take another cruise, it will probably be with Royal Caribbean, unless I'm making an ass-load of money (not likely) and can afford another Disney cruise.

 

Ask IJAG.
(ducking...)