Cruise Ships

I have booked a trip on a ship that is in the process of being built. It will be complete in July of 2008. It is the Carnival Splendor (spender) and is supposing the largest cruise ship ever built.

I am not a cruise person but this one intrigued me because it starts in Ft. Lauderdale and ends up in San Fran. It is a 49 day cruise and goes around the Cape Horn of South America. It makes about 30 stops. I sorta look forward to seeing the glaciers of this area plus all the wildlife.

I like the variety of food and the cabin I selected is very nice with a nice balcony and a lot of room.

What I do not like is they charge you for everything. WIFI, you cannot bring your own liquor on board, limited baggage liability and etc.

I am posting this because I would like your input on your experience. I have already given them a down payment but I have considered canceling because of all the restrictions. It is a tad expensive but averages out about $200 a day but with all the extra charges, I have no idea about the total cost.

The trip does not begin until 1/31/09

Please add your input.

Paul E. Smith

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

What I do not like is they charge you for everything. WIFI, you cannot bring your own liquor on board, limited baggage liability and etc.

On first read I thought you misspelled the name of the ship. I assumed you missed an 'L' in the name. I see you got the name right and it is probably aptly named.

When you say you are not a cruise person, does this mean you don't like them as much as other vacations or you've never been on one? If you've never been, I don't know that I'd want my first one to be 49 days long. I got a little seasick on my 1st cruise (Bonine works well), and would never had made it 49 days.

Though I wasn't supposed to, I brought a bottle of liquor on several cruises. I still bough the occasional expensive drink at the bar, but it was nice to know I didn't have to. I didn't leave it out in the open and never had a problem.

They do indeed charge for EVERYTHING, so make as much use of the free facilities (pools, gyms, etc) as you can. And DON'T be shy to ask for an extra lobster or two

Thanks,

Kevin

I am not a cruise person, I just like the idea of going around the entire South American continent, seeing the wild life and etc. I have been in Brazil, Argentina and Uruagay. I was looking forward to the other countries.Since the cruise was 49 days, I wanted to bring a case of liquor on board. They frowned on that. I may cancel.

I still wonder what the entire trip will cost. I have a feeling that the intial cost is just a small portion of the cost of the trip.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I went on a 1 week cruise about 4-5 years back

I brought a week's supply of my favorite carbonated beverage on board when I learned they were charging for carbonated everages, and never had a problem serving it to myself at the full-service dinner table

The cruises I looked at then did provide free water, juice, milk, coffee, and/or tea, though....all of them were pretty much the same in this regard. Pop and alcohol - those were extra.

I did not make use of internet access while on this cruise, but am finding that even in Orlando, all the disney hotels and more than half the other hotels charge anywhere from 6 to 12 dollars a day for internet service. Not wifi.....plug in. Sad but true.

At the sit down dinners, the suggestion is that you order one app, one dinner, and one dessert....but thats not a rule. You like that night's soup and the salad, each listed as an app? You can ask for and will get both. Prime rib and lobster are two of the entree choices? Ask for one of each, have yourself surf and turf. Same with desserts.

The one extra I did like was carefuly picked excursions. The guided tour of a mayan ruin was incredible, as was a chance to swim with stingrays (this was well before the much publicized croc hunter incident, and his stingray was probably a breed much less well accustomed to people handling/feeding them) which cost a fraction of a similar excursion to swim with dolphins but was just as memorable for me.

Paul, I think it will be a great adventure for you. You do have to pay extra for alcoholic drinks that you want and for on shore cruises. Our family saved money by hiring our own tour guide or taxi to see anything special that we wanted to see or do.

We have always brought a couple of bottles on board so that we could have cocktails out on our balcony...........just pack them carefully! I will give you a good tip. Go to the same bar every night on board ship. Introduce yourself to the bartenders and become friendly. After a couple of good tips, you will get lots of free drinks from them, once you have ordered one. We have been on over a dozen cruises and found this to be true every time.

Also, you can buy tax free alcohol at the store on board. The last time we were on a cruise,they let us take it back to the cabins and it was much cheaper than buying it at your local store.

I think that you would have a great time and you will certainly meet some very nice people.

Take $$$$$. If you haven't been on a cruise before, 49 days seems like a lot. I would try for a 4 or 7 day cruise before taking on a 49 day venture. If you don't like it - you're stuck in an unhappy situation and out a bunch of money. The other thing is that at every port, you are almost obligated to take a tour or other venture, which costs additional moolah. And be prepared to spend alot of time dodging scooter-driving seniors, wait, that's you.

Also, IMHO, the food is not what it's cracked up to be, and I'm not sure there are many glaciers in S. America.

Before my cruise in July, 2005, I became addicted to the boards on cruisecritic.com

Everything you could possibly want to know, and then some. Try it, and you may meet some of your fellow passengers.

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

Take $$$$$. If you haven't been on a cruise before, 49 days seems like a lot. I would try for a 4 or 7 day cruise before taking on a 49 day venture. If you don't like it - you're stuck in an unhappy situation and out a bunch of money. The other thing is that at every port, you are almost obligated to take a tour or other venture, which costs additional moolah. And be prepared to spend alot of time dodging scooter-driving seniors, wait, that's you.

Also, IMHO, the food is not what it's cracked up to be, and I'm not sure there are many glaciers in S. America.

I guess I am a scooter driving senior except I have no scooter. I guess some of the folks on the huge ship will have scooters but perhaps some of them will not.

I am doing the trip not because of the cruise but because I have always wanted to do all of South America. I have been to several of the countries there but never the entire continent.

I know that 49 days is a lot but January in Tennessee is a bit boring and 49 days around South America seems like fun.

Another thing about the cruise is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, I second the suggestion to check in on the Boards at www.cruisecritic.com I frequent 2 sites every day, Roadfood and Cruise Critic.

I have only taken one cruise from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, BC on Holland America lines and thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw the calving of the glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park. We helicoptered and landed on two glaciers out of Juneau. We kayaked in Ketchikan's bay. We cruised the wildlife shores of Sitka on air boats and spied seals, brown bears, eagles and deer. We visited Sitka's raptor center. We saw killer whales and humpback whales. For seven days it was great. You had to pay for the excursions and you sometimes had to be alert to get an excursion. A lot of people got shut out. We were lucky. We knew in advance what we wanted to do and booked them. Only booze was extra on the ship and there was no tipping until the end for your room steward. I found out on the first day that all drinks were the same price be it Phillips Scotch or Glenlevit. So every evening I worked myself through sampling the finest Scotches neat to find the one I liked. I liked them all. The shipboard evening entertainment got old within a week. We did not tire of meals but I imagine after a couple of weeks it too might get as boring as company cafeteria food no matter how good it was.

I don't know if I would want to take a 49 day cruise. I think for the money I could see a lot more of South America by other means. For instance, is Machu Picchu in Peru part of the itinerary? If not you will miss one of the new to be seven wonders of the world and that alone takes nearly a week of time. We spent two weeks in Bolivia and Peru alone and it wasn't enough.

Yes, there are glaciers in South America in the Andes and Patagonia.

My only cruises have been courtesy of the US Navy but my Mom has taken several inclduing one out of San Francisco. Before she boarded that ship here, she phoned ahead for me meet her at the pier with a quart of her favorite Scotch (the no "bring-your-own" liquor rule she considered made to be broken even though it's apparently fairly standard). Of course, a quart probably wouldn't last you 49 days. But I can't see that issue as a deal-breaker myself.

My chief concern with your plan is the size of the ship. On the one hand, I suppose such a huge vessel is good if you have concerns about seasickness (and if you don't, watch "Master and Commander" about rounding Cape Horn). But it is definitely bad when you consider the number of people, with whom you will have to compete for everything, it will dump ashore in every port.

Personally, if you can afford it, I wouldn't hesistate at the 49-day length of the adventure. On short trips you feel like you have to take advantage of every opportunity and keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny. With 49 days, I'd think you could actually let yourself relax and take it like a vacation, perhaps spending some time in your cabin catching up on reading or sitting around in some little cafe in port.

Hello All,
Sundancer, I love the idea!!!!
The only thing that would scare me is
that you have to pay for everything on board.
Try and see if they don't have a priced menu of the
food and other services, such as laundry. Also, do
they have a pharmacy and what are those costs. What if
you need certain health related meds? Do they even
carry them?
But I would love the idea of such a trip.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Uh......... I would be more than happy to be the quality control inspector on that trip.

Glad you are taking this trip Paul...........
I hope you enjoy it..... Just remember, there is NO roadfood on a cruise ship, but I am sure whatever you ask for, they would be more than happy to prepare it for you.
Just think of all the exotic ports of call...
Sounds like a great time..
I hope you enjoy yourself. and please remember to take photos to share with us!

We went on a Carnival cruise to the Bahamas, and we enjoyed it very much. We thought the all the food was very good, except for the desserts they served at the midnight buffet. All the food is free, but cocktails and sodas are not, and they are priced like they would be in a bar. The service is great - you can get room service 24 hours a day. I woke up nauseous one morning at 4am, called room service and had coffee and toast delivered to our cabin. All it cost me was the tip we gave to the little guy who delivered it.

As for the tips, they gave us little envelopes the day before we left the ship with the suggested amounts for each person who should be tipped. If I recall correctly, it was the dining steward, our waiter, our housekeeping person, and one other person, that I can't recall. Tips for a 4-day cruise totaled around 50 bucks. I'm sure the suggested amount would be much more for 49 days of service.

Also, I'm sure you already know this, but be careful and don't get rooked by some of the shysters that hang around the various ports-of-call. I got rooked into having 30 dollars worth of braids put in my hair in Freeport, and it didn't even look good, LOL.

I hope you have a wonderful time.

Ok, now I'm picturing Paul with braids woven in his hair.



Oh! And the pink Crocs!

Gotta stop reading this so late at night....

Paul, that sounds like an exciting adventure! I'll add another vote for the message boards at www.cruisecritic.com. I have only been on one cruise, for one week, but it was in Europe and it was fabulous. I didn't find Cruise Critic until afterwards but still check into it occasionally just to help relive the experience. There are many regular cruisers there, some who have been on a dozen or more cruises, and the board is divided up by cruiselines so you can get answers to all your questions there. (Any thread that goes to three pages or more is likely to be very funny or a flame war!)

I'll stick with my suggestion about trying a short cruise before embarking on a lengthy one, because they are just not everybody's cup of tea. Our recent cruise was for seven days and aside from nearly quarintining the boat due to shipboard sickness (of which we were victims) all I can say was it was OK. I doubt we would take another except for one in Alaska which we have wanted to do.
Paul, do your pink crocs float?

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

I'll stick with my suggestion about trying a short cruise before embarking on a lengthy one, because they are just not everybody's cup of tea. Our recent cruise was for seven days and aside from nearly quarintining the boat due to shipboard sickness (of which we were victims) all I can say was it was OK. I doubt we would take another except for one in Alaska which we have wanted to do.
Paul, do your pink crocs float?

Oneiron, I am definately not a cruise person and if it was not for my desire to traverse around the South American continent, I would not do it. I expect the scenery to be magnificant cruising around Cape Horn. The ship is huge and according to the dude who arranged it who works for Carnival, he indicated that the stablizers would mostly prevent sea illness problems??" Doggone If I know?

The ship stops in 20 cities along the way and most of them, I have never been to with the exception of Beaunos Aires and Sao Paulo. I sorta look forward to that.

It is still a year and a half away and if I get cold feet, I can always cancel.

I think my ORANGE crocs float. Ainb't no sissy here.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

I'll stick with my suggestion about trying a short cruise before embarking on a lengthy one, because they are just not everybody's cup of tea. Our recent cruise was for seven days and aside from nearly quarintining the boat due to shipboard sickness (of which we were victims) all I can say was it was OK. I doubt we would take another except for one in Alaska which we have wanted to do.
Paul, do your pink crocs float?

Oneiron, I am definately not a cruise person and if it was not for my desire to traverse around the South American continent, I would not do it. I expect the scenery to be magnificant cruising around Cape Horn. The ship is huge and according to the dude who arranged it who works for Carnival, he indicated that the stablizers would mostly prevent sea illness problems??" Doggone If I know?

The ship stops in 20 cities along the way and most of them, I have never been to with the exception of Argentina and Sao Paulo. I sorta look forward to that.

It is still a year and a half away and if I get cold feet, I can always cancel.

I think my ORANGE crocs float. Ainb't no sissy here.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7
Oneiron, I am definately not a cruise person and if it was not for my desire to traverse around the South American continent, I would not do it. I expect the scenery to be magnificant cruising around Cape Horn. Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, I'll be surprised if the scenery rounding the horn lives up to your expectations because I'll be surprised if you are close enough to land to see anything but angry seas. Especially under typical Cape Horn weather conditions (bad), most captains with any sense would not go anywhere near land since it's near land where most of the danger lies (currents, rocks etc)--and the size of the ship makes it even more sensible to give the coast a wide berth. Where you'll see scenery is entering whatever ports you enter and hopefully that's enough to make the trip worthwhile.

By the way, I have a bit of experience with this part of the world, having spent about 12 months living and working in Antarctica and 3 months or so in New Zealand, but I did not get to the southern tip of South America. Some fellow members of the US Antarctic team did arrive by ship out of Ushuaia, Chile (picture below) though--if you are pulling in there, that's where you'll get to see Tierra del Fuego:

quote:

Originally posted by Oneiron339

I'll stick with my suggestion about trying a short cruise before embarking on a lengthy one, because they are just not everybody's cup of tea. Our recent cruise was for seven days and aside from nearly quarintining the boat due to shipboard sickness (of which we were victims) all I can say was it was OK. I doubt we would take another except for one in Alaska which we have wanted to do.
Paul, do your pink crocs float?

As a travel agent, and long time supporter of Carnival, I think that this is great advice. Cruises have a very high satisfaction rate, and Carnival is, perhaps the best at what they do. That said, not all people like to cruise. A lady who used to work here said that it was like being locked into a very nice hotel, because one the ship is at sea, you can't leave. Carnival DOES have a unique gaurantee. Your travel agent might have mentioned it. It is on Pg 110 of the new catalog. Basicly, you can get a pro rata refund and return air if you debark at the first port of call. "No ther cruise line has it".

Carnival DOES make a lot on the "extras", especially the bars. They buy tax free liquor, but sell at prices similar to a good USA restaurant/bar. They do charge more for shore excursions, but it is often $$$ well spent. I've heard a lot of sob stories from customers who did shore excursions "on their own". At the extreme, I once had Alaska customers who had to endure the bragging of table mates who saved $20pp on a shore excursion (my customers had pre paid). On the day of the shore excursion the ship had to leave port early due to an on coming storm. My customers got back to the ship on time and got a shore excursion refund. The bragging table mates missed the ship and had to charter a plane to catch up. $975pp for a 20 minute flight.....take it or leave it...lol.

Carnival is a "midmarket" cruise line. Their competition is (IMO) Royal Caribbean, Princess and Norwiegen. Don't expect the service that you will get on the more upscale lines like Holland America (owned by Carnival), or Celebrity (owned by Royal Caribbean). The very top lines like Seaborn (also owned by Carnival) cost even more. All cruises are a bargain compared to land based vacations, but like anything, you pay more, you get more.

Anyway, back to Oneiron's excellent advice......... Investing in a 3 or 4 day cruise would be a good idea. They are very cheap this fall, especially if you can drive down to Miami to catch it..........a good road trip!!!! You would now, also, be considered a "past guest", on your longer cruise, getting potential discounts, and an invitation to a cocktail party (open bar) for past guests.

quote:

Originally posted by tmiles

Carnival is a "midmarket" cruise line. Their competition is (IMO) Royal Caribbean, Princess and Norwiegen. Don't expect the service that you will get on the more upscale lines like Holland America (owned by Carnival), or Celebrity (owned by Royal Caribbean). The very top lines like Seaborn (also owned by Carnival) cost even more. All cruises are a bargain compared to land based vacations, but like anything, you pay more, you get more.

Don't forget the one I'd take if I were cruising without a budget: Crystal.

quote:

Originally posted by tmiles
Carnival is a "midmarket" cruise line.

If they are "mid" - who is lower?

Carnival's prices were the lowest of anyone's when I did my research, admittedly several years back

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by tmiles
Carnival is a "midmarket" cruise line.

If they are "mid" - who is lower?

Carnival's prices were the lowest of anyone's when I did my research, admittedly several years back

That is interesting. The "lower" lines are gone. I used to sell Dolphin, Commodore, Chandris etc., but Carnival had a better product for less. The last of the old "cheapies" , a former Commodore ship now owned by GoGo is going out soon (if not already). The only cheapies, now, are European ships that come over here for the summer. A few "bucket shops" sell them, but I don't. Carnival as has been noted, has figured out how to do a good product at a low price. It is hard for others to compete.

After checking out Carnival's website, I see that they are listing your cruise in 3 separate sections: a 17-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Buenos Aires, Argentina; a 14-day cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile; and an 18-day cruise from Santiago to San Francisco. Perhaps you should try just the 14-day section (around Cape Horn), so if you are "bored out of your gourd" the cruise won't be for too long a period. This would also give you a chance to find out how much the extra hidden costs are, without breaking the bank. Assuming this cruise is successful for Carnival, I am sure they will offer it again (and if you like what you see, you could do another "section" then.)

Paul,

As someone who wishes he could travel a lot more, this sounds great. Rounding the Horn? Glaciers? 30 stops? I'm so jealous. Can't wait to read your trip report.

I'm going to Cancun myself for vacation this year. I've never been to Mexico and it's been about 5 years since I've been out of the country. I'm getting so excited. Is it September yet?

I've done several cruises and heartily endorse them. I agree with those that say try a 4 day first-----it will give you a good idea if they are for you. I used it as a way to try different foods------trying escargot or kippered herring is much better if you know you can always get something else if you don't like it.

quote:

Originally posted by desertdog

Originally posted by improviser

Paul,

As someone who wishes he could travel a lot more, this sounds great. Rounding the Horn? Glaciers? 30 stops? I'm so jealous. Can't wait to read your trip report.

I'm going to Cancun myself for vacation this year. I've never been to Mexico and it's been about 5 years since I've been out of the country. I'm getting so excited. Is it September yet?

Improviser -

If you scuba dive (if you don't, learn) be sure to go over to the island of Cozumel for some of the most fantastic underwater scenery ever along the Palancar Reef.

My wife and I did 5 days there a few years ago, still talk about going back.


Paul-

I think the cruise sounds like one a hell of an adventure. The ship, being brand spanking new, will have all the bells and whistles to make the trip as comfortable as possible.

Going by yourself for that long ensures that you will meet some very interesting people along the way, maybe even a couple friends for life.

I have fun traveling with friends/family, but some of my best experiences have been by myself, meeting people and going places I wouldn't have had I been with a travel companion.


DD

I agree with desertdog. this is 49 days, not the rest of your life. i have cruised for 4 days, 2 weeks, 7 days, and 21 days [to antarctica ].. by myself. well, there were other passengers, of course.

i have always found some passengers very interesting. staff usually keeps an eye on singles travelling alone. as for carryingliquor aboard, if the cruise lines with whom i've travelled were concerned, i'd have been persona non grata a long time ago.

so i say treat this as an adventure and enjoy.