Hi,
I am looking for some advice as we are planning a family cruise.
Sometimes I see last minute deals which seam attractive, and then I hear that if you book long in advance, you can get really good deals too!
Can anyone share what usually works out better?
Thanks in advance?
The family or quad share cabins tend to book out first, especially over school holiday periods. Often kids stay at a great discount in these quad cabins. Booking last minute will probably mean there will only be twin share cabins left on the worst decks and not necessarily near one another.
Can you share what kind of discount the kids might get?
I recall when we did a round trip around NZ with Princess Cruises a few years back (which sail from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne), the kids were about $150 each for 13 nights, plus didn't have to pay airfares which was a bonus.
last minute is best, as they are just trying to fill their remaining rooms for less profit… but if you leave it too late you may miss out!
I have booked two trips in the last two years, both times with a travel agent(bookmark all of 'em!). You can (always) get better deals thru TA's than direct from the Cruise Lines.
Both times I have saved more than $1K on the baseline price by waiting for the last 6 to 8 weeks before the sailing date. However,I am an "outside room" buyer and although, these I found to be plentiful,"balconies" can be rare at this stage! If you are a newby "cruiser" my advice is to book a cabin amidships (good for stability) or towards the bow (this is where the restaurants are) and the stern means a long walk along the passageways every time you eat, and try for a position near the elevators.
I bought a couple's ticket in a balcony cabin about 10 days out from the sailing date as it was just a last minute idea.
I was shocked by how much more others on the ship said they'd paid. The most was paid by oldies who have no net savvy via shopfront agents. Some people had bought last minute inside cabins for very low prices. Lst minute is difficult over holiday times.
We got a great balcony cabin, which in my view you must have.
The food on board is so good that you need all the walking etc exercises you can get. Mid ships sell first and are the more expensive because they are the least rocky. However, the 14 days I did there was no rocking to speak of. Bigger newer ships have stabilisers.
Sign up to all the email newsletters you can.
Stabilisers, Schmabilisers! I have just completed my 9th cruise and all but one in new big liners, and when there is a big swell, you rock and roll! (i.e you find it difficult to walk in a straight line). I don't suffer from the mal de mer, but the missus is in the toilet for the duration…don't bother knockin' till the ship stops rockin' (regardless of copious amounts of dramamine!). I would say you have just been coastal, or just lucky!
Regarding the fare differences, I have learnt from experience, not to discuss passage prices. I have been in the position of paying $1500 per head less on a cabin, two doors away from an older couple on a "once in a lifetime cruise" and could imagine how their trip could have been soured if they knew.
I think mine was about 12 days to the back of Noumea or thereabouts in winter, def only a couple of days slight rocking as the ship went over the deep ocean (a trench or something). Mine was very mild and everyone seemed just fine and marveling at now walking down passages with two hands on the wall. Kids loved it. I felt much much worse going whale watching off Surfers and most people were sick on that - look at the horizon. I wonder if in an inside cabin you feel worse, ughh, I can't imagine being locked in a dark cell and rocking, how'd you know which way was up :(
GLO, I have been sailing with a great agent for my past 2 cruises. They are Eseacruising.com….great prices each time and a lovely bunch of people who really go out of their way to help and find the best deals… 1 of my cruises was a very last minute thing and got a fantastic deal. And my next cruise which goes in Mar, booked last Sept, another great bargain, so its not always a last minute thing…as I have found out too, you just have to keep an eye out for the bargains. I have been using http://www.columbusdirect.com.au for travel insurance….and I do hunt for the bargains and have never had any problems with any of these companies. Hope you find something great. Good luck..
thanks for everyone's tips!
With 4 children, 11,8,5 & 2 may mean that its a pipe dream to get a great deal.
I have been hunting for a 8-10 day first cruise to the South Pacific and if anyone can share which ships have great child facilities.
P & O, Princess and Carnival (all Carnival Group) facilities all seem adequate and depending on the time of year - ankle biters seem to be everywhere! They cater for a range of kid's activities from the top deck pools with burger joints, some with video arcades and creches. Kid's entertainment will include organised children's games and pantomimes.
You can check out the individual deck plans, ship's facilities and cruise itineraries on the cruise company's website. This will give you a complete rundown on what is available on the ship for the cruise that you choose.
Good luck and enjoy!
Almost every deal I have seen IS for the south Pacific, few for NZ which is what I'm keeping an eye on, and the best time to go is in our winter. You leave Aus and it just gets a little warmer each day until you are back into swimming temps. For kids that age and for the parents it is great idea to take a cruise. On my cruise they were having the most best time - and the 3 generations of families.
How would you see the family being 'cabined'?
Don't be put off the inside cabin. My first cruise recently was around the boot of Italy- Venice to Savonna. Rooms are just as nice as outside cabins , not at all claustrophobic. Without a window and light to disturb me, I have never slept better! Got a fantastic deal from Vacations to Go. A US site which was a bit of a pain as we could not register online. Got our itinerary via email and they ticketed us at the terminal. So cheap though. Aud $489 each for 5 night cruise.
I disagree, personally I'd find it claustrophobic. I had a room with a window and found even that claustrophobic as cabins are always so tiny. We went on a P&O cruise and didn't like the whole experience compared to a land holiday, especially as we hit a storm and were confined to our cabins for a whole day due to safety and all you could hear was people in surrounding cabins vomiting from sea sickness…
Also would NOT recommend P&O as an operator. We were unimpressed overall with the cruise but especially disliked our treatment on the last day. Due to the storm our return to Sydney was delayed by 7 hours (I'm not complaining about the inevitable delay itself). We were told at dinner and also had notes put under our cabin doors that lunch would be provided the next day due to the expected delay (otherwise it would have only been breakfast as the cruise was originally scheduled to dock straight after breakfast). The next day, there was no lunch or food to be seen and staff ignored any requests or queries and were quite rude (presumably because tips had already been handed out?!). As we'd been TOLD we would get lunch, we had had an early breakfast and hadn't taken any food from it for the kids. We only docked in Syd at 3pm and the kids hadn't eaten since 8am so were feeling sick etc - it was a nightmare.
I sent a written complaint to P&O management and it was ignored.
Sorry for going completely OT - it just brought back horrible memories!!
Other general issues with the cruise:
- Gastro and the flu swept through the cruise like wild fire, and the 'quarantine' area of the ship was at capacity.
- Gym and swimming pool/spa facilities were woefully inadequate for the number of guests. Good luck getting (any) machine or a spot in the spa.
- The entertainment team were sick so 2 out of the 3 night time shows that they usually put on were cancelled. Perhaps unavoidable, but for us these shows would have been a highlight so we were dissapointed.
- All activities were cancelled for 1.5 days due to a storm, and for 1 full day people were instructed to stay in their cabins (due to safety - you couldn't walk in the corridors without being thrown around)
- The kids were cramped in the cabin and there weren't any playgrounds / areas to run around on the ship - we much prefer land holidays.
- The kids club was 'boring' and the kids didn't want to go, we didn't have this problem on 2 previous holidays at other kids clubs.
Not all of these issues are specific to P&O Cruises - some confined to cruising more generally. After our experience I would never go on a cruise again for a family holiday!
kobrien is right $100 a day is good value. But personally, I'd feel horrible in an inside cabin. I have fond memories of relaxing on the bed watching and listening to the sea with the balcony door open - lovely when I wanted to retire from the humanity outside the cabin. But, balconies are the more expensive option.
Yes, I have to agree, inside rooms are claustrophobic. The last trip we took, we decided to go "cheap" on a NZ christmas cruise with Princess and took an inside cabin (at $1498 for 13 days - not bad for an Xmas cruise) and put our money into shore excursions (which are always twice the price of "local tours") to save hassles! - NEVER AGAIN! - the cabin was tiny. I mean a cat would't fit into the cabin, let alone be swung. No room for bedside tables, had to edge around the double bed to dress from the bags, which had to be placed on the bed, to do so.
I feel for you Lisss, norovirus went through this cruise as well, and even though they suggested, it had been brought on board, I suspect that in had been present onboard before embarkation.
And how about this for stupidity - the ship I was on, the Sun Princess (which is the oldest ship in the Princess Line) was having trouble with the vacuum for the toilets throughout the cruise - on the disembarkation morning, when everyone is trapped in their cabins, they decided to fix the problem - and none of the toilets worked!!. Many other problems were experienced onboard and with their excursions, with which, I shall not bore you.
So, if you thinking of escaping from P & O to Princess for a better trip - forget it!
Ships in Europe and the North America, seem to better run and more spacious, in my experience, but they have other problems.
deals - http://www.vacationstogo.com
reviews - http://www.cruisecritic.com
whilst a balcony isn't essential, windows are :)
Interested as well and have two primary school aged children, wonder where to get the best value for a short cruise from Sydney? Do not mind if I do not go far as I think the experience of being on the cruise ship would be a great short holiday. Where would I get last minute tickets for such a cruise?
You've probably seen the recent news of the ship in the US where some virus spread around the ship and lots of people got sick. People are not always aware that they are getting sick when they board, but some do and go ahead and board anyway. People are supposed to practice extreme hygiene like washing hands frequently and not refilling their personal water bottle at the drinking water outlet because the mouth of the bottle can transfer germs to/from the water spout, but they do. All these things are made clear on the ship. Naturally, people don't want to purchase bottles of water.
On port days at the change over they go through and sterilise all the crockery and utensils etc. But sometimes, it's hard to avoid when people are jammed up together especially for vulnerable people like the elderly on cruises and it is interesting news stories when ships get sick. Buy we don't know how many hundreds of thousands of people are cruising around the world at any one time and what is the proportion of sick people.
Now don't hang me for a cruise critic…I like the occasional cruise, but I'm more of a "traveller" than a "cruiser".
I have noticed, however, as I'm sure you have, that in the great majority of cases the disembarkation and embarkation of passengers is almost simultaneous. My question is how can a correct and proper disinfection of a ship occur, when there is no time between the offloading of passengers and a the introduction of a new boarding. I am sure that without the appropriate disinfection, that the the viruses and bacteria that cause these infections do not cooperate by leaving with the disembarked passengers.
Another thing is that because some of these complaints are caused by "viruses", my understanding is that the infection is "airborne" and although I am sure the ship's and passenger's personal hygiene (and quarantine of the infected) would play a major role in limiting the spread of infections such as norovirus, I am not sure that it would eliminate it, during the cruise.
Now, when cruise lines fiscal schedules require that passengers are packed into their ships and cruises are continuous i.e with no interval to enable them to carry out a proper disinfection,in many cases I am sure that infections can be present onboard, before the embarkation of passengers.
I believe, therefore that the majority of blame for these "outbreaks" can be sheeted home to the cruise lines, after all they are carrying on a business and due dilligence in the safety of their crew and passengers is both their moral and legal responsibility.
I think the main causes of the spread of infection would be that people are cramped together, and also that most meals were buffets with shared utensils. They had hand sanitizer which they encouraged people to use but the majority we saw didn't use it! I was also concerned that the air conditioned air is 'recycled' - you can't open a window to get fresh air, so you're reliant on their filtration systems. It's probably similar to an airplane where you get sick from the recycled air…
I would consider going on a cruise again but it would be a high class cruise (not a budget P&O or Princess one) and without kids. I'd also definitely prefer a land holiday, it would have to be an amazing deal to get me on a cruise ;)
I would consider going on a cruise again but it would be a high class cruise (not a budget P&O or Princess one) and without kids. I'd also definitely prefer a land holiday, it would have to be an amazing deal to get me on a cruise ;)
the best are the small luxury ships of seabourn, silversea, seadream - vacationstogo and past guests have had discounts up to 75% previously with 50% off not uncommon :)
Did you ever think of the cooks, who may be handling food in the infectious phase before they are diagnosed? (shudder!!). Never seen a cook wearing gloves! (except in McDonalds lol)
Yeah, I know where your coming from I've done a few cruises some good some bad. I did a Mediterranean cruise with MSC and it was perfect!
But I am a bit "cruised out" for a fair while. I'll go back to plane in - plane out, until perhaps I come across a very, very, very special cruise deal at some time in the future.
I remember the morning of our disembarkation, we could not have coffee in a cup as they'd all gone off for sterilisation. I don't think that everything has to wait to begin that whole process until every last person has got off. Logistics would tell you that that would be silly and unnecessary.
Did you also notice the carpets, soft furnishings and all exposed surfaces being disinfected with steam and a disinfecting solution?? or do you think that transmission of infection can occur only from coffee cups. Do you realise the problem with an "airborne virus"? it means that ANY SURFACE that you can touch, is a possible source of infection.
I know, and have seen the steps that the Lines take to inhibit the spread of infections and I am sure that they are doing at least the minimum required by law to meet their obligations, but even hospitals with whole sections devoted to the control of infectious diseases have outbreaks….it's not that easy to prevent!
What I am saying, is that with no turnaround time, they can't possibly gaurantee a completely sterilised ship before embarkation, especially when there has been an outbreak!
If you have not just neglected to nominate yourself as a Lines Rep before posting and you do not wish to forestall onboard caution by all those reading your posts….I would read this article to edify yourself on the potential problems with infection control onboard ships.
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.ns…
That's an interesting publication! They definitely would not steam clean all carpets and fabric surfaces eg couches, and sanitize the mattresses and pillows in the recommended way between cruises.
We religiously washed our hands and used hand sanitizer after touching surfaces or shared serving implements and avoided getting sick.
There is no such thing as sterilsing a ship or anything unless w' an autoclave.
Well I'll be!, I have just seen a report on the Channel 10 News, in Sydney…. where, an American Cruise Line, on a Carribean cruise has been hit with 600 passengers struck down with a gastro-intestinal infection.
They have been ordered back to dock for a disembarkation and quarantine of all passengers and the ship has been ordered to "complete a thorough disinfection"!…their words not mine!
I guess the'll have to get out the giant autoclave.!
I'm not sure that I'd take Channel 10 as the last word on nomenclature. All my comments previously were as mentioned to me on my cruise. They are not 'facts' and are not represented as such. I am a disinterested thread contributor.
How about NBC then…
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/royal-caribbean-cruise-end-ear…
Am I to understand you have gleaned all this knowledge from one cruise?
You would be well advised to stop taking advice from the ship's company and keep your own eyes and ears open
I haven't cruised for about Three years. Can anyone tell me if they keep pump bottles of hand disinfectant in the rooms like in.hospitals? If not, do you know if we can bring our own aboard?
Yes, P&O have them every where and especially as you walk into the dining areas and bathrooms.
Even in the individual cabins? I'd just as soon get a clean as soon as I walk in to my Cabin, before I start putting on makeup or taking it off. Brushing my teeth etc. If they don't, I'd just as soon bring my own, but it's alcohol based so I don't know if they'll allow it.
Yeah, no…they still use liitle cakes of soap in the cabins…I presume u are joking about the "alcohol base"…their booze restictions are quite strict, but even THEY don't use chemical analysis for hygiene products.
However,if you're thinking of taking a hip flask of metho onboard…I wouldn't!
voteoften, just bring your own. The beauty of cruising is that you can take anything and as much as you like, something for everything. When you board, they xray luggage and confiscate grog. Put the hand cleanser in your handbag to ensure immediate use as the cases can take a little while to get to the cabin after the xray. If anyone tries to smuggle grog on, their case takes a long time to get to the cabin, not sure if they call those people to come and open it or what.
I booked 12 months in advance and am now seeing some deals that would have saved me $600 :(