Time 2 Cruise

Carnival Cruise Line recently posted on its Facebook page that it will offer full reimbursement to anyone that wants to cancel their cruise that leaves December 2 2012 because it will include a booking of a group of drag queens and performers from the LOGO cable TV channel.  Reimbursement includes any non refundable fees incurred with non Carnival entities.  While the short notice sucks, the offer seems more than fair if anyone feels that this would effect their vacation.  Personally, I would keep my booking but that's me.  Now if you read the comments on the posting, you would think it was the first time a cruise line ever booked an alternative lifestyle group onboard.  But for companies like Carnival its just a part of doing business.  I have cruised a few times where I found out there was a large group onboard after embarkation. The 2 most memorable were a Country music group that included multiple recording artists and their fans and a LBGT Halloween ...

If you want to take a cruise and are already expecting, its good to know the policies of the cruise lines.  Many will not allow women over 24 weeks to cruise regardless of what their doctor says.  An article in the Chicago Tribune recently showed what a couple went through with Carnival with the wife being 10 days past the 24 week rule.  People may think its not as big of a deal as the cruise lines make it out, but with the limited facilities on board to handle an emergency of this type, and the effort needed to re route to the nearest port in case of such an emergency, I can only assume that in the past it has happened more than the cruise lines would have liked in the past.  That's how rules like this one get started.  The ship has not only the expectant mother but a couple thousand other passengers to tend to.  While many may be understanding, there will be those that get very upset is something that could have been controlled by the cruise line causes ...

Our last cruise was almost a year ago.  This is the longest we have gone without taking one in a long time.  We have just been so busy with other parts of our life, that cruising has taken a back seat.  But recently I watched a YouTube video of the restoration of the Carnival Conquest and started to get that itch again.  It's funny when you haven't done something in a long time how much you forget, so I started to read my old blogs and pulled out our old books.  While things are always changing, most of the information is still just as valid and valuble today.  Things like what to pack, HOW to pack, and even miscilanious things like bringing a outlet expander are still as important today as they were 15 years ago when we started cruising.  Yeah, the ships are bigger and better, but you know what, they still limit those outlets in the cabins.  Man, time to start doing my research and find a good ship and destinations that will intice my wife as we...

Most people don't think about October or November when it comes to hurricane season, but it does run that long.  Sandy is hitting the east coast and has already done damage by causing places to shut down. Wall Street was closed as a precautionary measure today and may remain closed tomorrow (10/30) as well.  If you have a facebook account, odds are someone you know has posted a picture from today.  While many of the pictures going around are photoshopped fakes, they probably are not far from the truth.  With that we hope everyone stays safe!

For the first time cruiser, destination is probably a bigger draw than the ship, but after a few cruises, does that change?  Well, it depends on the person!  For me, I like to experience different ships just as much as different places.  Especially when the ship is a class I have not been on before.  Finding the hidden areas on board can be just like a personal scavenger hunt.  Don't get me wrong, the destination is still a factor, but being we have visited every port on the west coast of Mexico, some places a few times, having a new ship to explore can make going back just as enticing as visiting a new place we have not been to yet.

In August Carnival Cruise Lines started to experiment with $50 ($42.95 plus the tip) per day drink packages on the Carnival Victory. This month they added the Splendor. The system must be working because Carnival is in the business of making money and if they weren't making money the program would have died on the Victory. The package requires all people 21 and older in the same cabin purchase it.  So can 2 people drink $100 a day? Or willing to part with a guaranteed $800 on an 8 day cruise? It sounds like a lot of money and it is. And many people won't drink their share but that is what the hope.  The average beer is about $5.50 and the average mixed drink around $9 with tip (remember the 15 percent auto added). So a beer drinker needs to drink 10 beers a day and a mixed drink consumer 5 drinks to beat the house. For some, this is easy but those aren't the people that make the money for the cruise line. It's the ones that try hard day one and taper off and the ones t...

Ok, for those of us that have been on a cruise or two.... or 16 or 80!!  What would you like to see?  The typical answers are freebies, dinner with the captain etc....  but really, what kind of changes could make that next cruise just that much more?  I know for my wife and I, there is one thing we would love and that is to change up the times in port.  There are a couple of itineraries that we have done so many times that we can sleepwalk thru the town.  Ensenada is a great example for us.  But what if the ship could switch it up and get into port at noon and stay until 9PM or later?  One thing that is missed at most ports of call is experiencing the nightlife.  Many years ago we were supposed to go to Cabo San Lucas and do just that.  Unfortunately the plans changed and we ended up on a standard early port of call that trip.  Maybe something like that will come along again for us in the future.  A great example of a nightlife...

The season isn't even close to over and we are up to Tropical Storm Hector but it hasn't seemed to be as bad as years past.  Fingers crossed it stays that way!  The National Hurricane Center has raised the outlook for the season which is not a thing however there is an expected El Nino that could change that outlook. If the El Nino forms, it can suppress storm formations in the Atlantic.  What many people don't realize is that hurricane season runs into November because it is August and September that on average brings the most and biggest storms. And sometimes the biggest discounts if shopping for a cruise are found this time of year because of it.  As they say with big risk can come big reward.  It is a gamble, but if you pack your ginger pills and are willing to go with the flow, booking a cruise this time of year could be worth it for those looking to save a buck or 200. 

While everyone is different, I feel 99.999% of us put some planning into a vacation beyond what to pack but how much planning is enough?  For my wife and I it comes down to a few factors with length and location being the most obvious.  But what about others? Time of year, group size and age, lifestyle, and budget are all big as well.  We are planning a 2013 trip to Ireland. Having been to England and Scotland in 2011 we have a good idea of length for us.  Most guide books break it down by whats there to see and their attention span.  Compared to them I put us in the speed category of vacationers but everyone is different (the way we like to vacation is why cruising is tops on our list).  Adding to the planning phase for this trip is the size and varied ages ( 30s to 60s) of the group.  This is where we need to give ample extra time to planning. Not everyone in our group will think less than 2 hours is enough  time for a museum for example....

Stocks have rebounded some from the major lows they hit just a few years ago, but they are still down from their all time highs.  With the Costa accident that happened just a few months ago, it can be easy to assume that it has held the cruise industry back some from the rest of the stock market as well.  Companies like Carnival and Royal Caribbean have incentives for avid cruisers to hold stock which include on board credits of $50 or even $100 per cruise as long as you own 100 shares or more of their stock.  The amount does not go up if you own more and there are other stipulations, but if you cruise a lot, that on board credit could be a nice incentive.  But the question remains is it worth it?  100 shares of Carnival (which I do own shares of) would be around $3200.  Royal Caribbean as of today would be roughly $2800.  Its a lot of money but if someone cruises a lot (3 - 4 times a year or more) it could be worth it.