Learn me: cruise ships

SWMBO wants to go on a cruise this year...actually, she's wanted to for years but the whole thing sounds like a pretty horrific time to me. Regardless, she's put up with my E36 M3 for all these years, it's the least I can do.

So a couple dumb questions:

1.) Do they usually have Wifi? Carnival out of New Orleans is the one we're looking at now, and their website has zero details on pretty much anything related to the cruise.

2.) I have horrible motion-sickness. I cannot ride in a car without looking out the windows, and the one "Brunch Cruise" I did on Lake Michigan years ago ended up with me hanging onto the top rail trying to ride it out until we got back in port. I presume I'll need a steady diet of Dramamine/Bonine to get me through the 5-days, but is there any advantage/disadvantage to choosing an interior room vs. one with a view?

3.) The activity selection on board doesn't really excite me - I don't drink, swim, or care for movies...although they seem to have some decent food choices for my limited diet. So I suppose bringing a book or two along is a good idea?

4.) This specific cruise stops at Yucatan and Cozumel - has anyone been on it and have suggestions about the activities at those stops?

Sounds like a cruise would be absolutely miserable for you. Does she have a friend that she could go with instead?

I have zero interest in cruises myself, so I have nothing else to add.

cruise ships are where diseases hang out.

I hate the idea of a cruise. I love the idea of renting a yacht, chartering a Captain/Cook, and telling him "go that way!"

I had some friends who did this and while it was a bit more expensive than a cruise they loved it.

First off, you have to pay me (a lot) to step foot on a ship. Comes from sailing professionally for 7 years, I suppose. So there is no "novelty" in being at sea for me.

What I've heard re WiFi: It depends on the line. Some lines charge you out the ass for every single little thing, like WiFi. So, ask first.

For motion sickness, you are going to be in a world of hurt. I've seen riding crew (non-sailors) come on board and be basically useless for 3 days. There is a chance that after 3 or so days, you MIGHT be OK. Looking at the horizon will help. So, advantage to having a window. Note that the cruise ships are very well engineered to minimize motion. I've gone past one on a tanker and we've been rolling along in the seas and the cruise ship wasn't moving at all that I could see. They have a bunch of stabilizers built into the hull design.

You'll probably want something to do, although given the above, you will probably spend most of your time sleeping from the anti-nausea meds or puking your guts out. Or, you might get Norovirus so then you'll be puking and pooping all over the place.

As a friend of mine, now dead, said years ago when he went of a cruise ship (he was a professional sailor at one time also, working for... let's just say a shipping line that didn't exist, never existed and would be denied if you showed actual proof of it existing): "There is nothing to do, so you drink, twenty, thirty drinks a day..."

People have phun in Cozumel. I understand it is like other 3rd world tourist places, don't venture outside the official tourist areas and you're fine. Mexico has a large stake in keeping it safe for tourists and the water clean.

I have done a cruise and a bareboat charter.

With motion sickness it sounds horrible! I never noticed any real movement on the cruise ship, but if your sensitive to it you might... It might be worth a room with a balcony even.

I enjoyed it, lots of food, its decent, but always the same. We stopped at a different port almost every day IIRC, get off the boat, see the town beach whatever. Wifi was ungodly stupid $$ when I did it (quite a few years ago now). The theater shows and the stand up they had on the boat was actually really good, like worth going to see every day since it changes.

Bareboat is a whole nother ball game. Not for you with motion sickness as its a smaller boat and will rock. But SO awesome, I did the British Virgin Islands for 3 weeks with my wife for our honeymoon on a 40' boat. Go wherever you want, on your schedule etc. Its our 10 year anniversary this summer and we are going back to do it again!! Bringing the kid sadly but it will still be fun.

Annie and I have done a couple Viking river cruises in Europe, the Rhine and the Seine. We're hooked and will definitely do more. In my opinion much better and more enjoyable than a gigantic ocean cruiser. Much smaller boats (long and narrow), and around 200 people max. Virtually none of the motion that would normally make one seasick. The scenery along the rivers in Europe is beautiful and sometimes the shore is only a few feet away. Going through locks is interesting. Stop in a different city or town every day, and lots of interesting tours when you're off the boat. Fantastic food too. They tend to be a bit pricier than something in the Caribbean, and you have the flights to Europe to factor in. But well worth it.

Here's Viking's site, but there are other lines.

Link

I've only been on about a dozen cruises. Cruise ships are HELL if you fight the fact that you are on a cruise ship. If you accept it and buy into the concept (eating, being a tourist, meeting people, relaxing) they are pretty great.

I recall WiFi lounges on Carnival and some other lines, not sure about ship-wide WiFi but I don't doubt it. You will pay for it though, that I can guarantee.

Seasickness - Cruise Ships are quite large and it is pretty rare that you realize that you are at sea. I had one issue, sitting in the dining room I could see out the window and realized I was traveling backwards. That messed me up. Moving to another table with no view (and pointing forward) cleared it up. You don't get any rocking motion and can rarely see outside unless you are outside, so it is hard to get that car sickness feeling. I took ginger pills and never had an issue with my stomach. Some people get dizziness or headaches, but a prescription for motion sickness will prevent that 100%. My advice is to get the pills, take the pills before and during. If you wait to see if you get sick, its too late.

Stateroom - Inside vs outside doesn't help much for seasickness IMHO. The boat doesn't seem to roll side to side much. Center of the ship vs close to Bow/Stern DOES matter. Any swells will be felt more near the ends of the ship. That said, having a balcony where I could go outside was the best part of the cruise. Having breakfast delivered to the room and eating out on the balcony in the morning is the shiznit. I can imagine that the fresh air and ability to get your bearings would really help with sickness, much more than just a window. I won't cruise without a private balcony.

Activity - Get off the boat as often as possible, and walk right past whatever tourist trap is on the pier to take your money. I usually rent a car or grab a taxi to some remote part of the island and explore. The ship's activities are usually pretty solid, but book early to get the best ones. I see people who never leave the ship and I think, "why not just get a room at the Hilton Miami?" I have also spend entire days with my headphones on, reading, and having people bring me drinks. There is pressure to GO GO GO when on a cruise because there is so much to do, but true relaxing is rare and wonderful. I recommend at least one day of doing absolutely nothing.

Stops - If you are leaving out of NOLA, try to eat locally if you can. Stop at Mother's for lunch before you depart, or Corporate Bar and Grille or La'Cochon. All easily walkable from the terminal. (your wife will kill you for Corporate, but so yummy)

It has been a while since I was in that part of Mexico. Uhhhh, avoid these guys?

Gary wrote: Annie and I have done a couple Viking river cruises in Europe, the Rhine and the Seine. We're hooked and will definitely do more. In my opinion much better and more enjoyable than a gigantic ocean cruiser. Much smaller boats (long and narrow), and around 200 people max. Virtually none of the motion that would normally make one seasick. The scenery along the rivers in Europe is beautiful and sometimes the shore is only a few feet away. Going through locks is interesting. Stop in a different city or town every day, and lots of interesting tours when you're off the boat. Fantastic food too. They tend to be a bit pricier than something in the Caribbean, and you have the flights to Europe to factor in. But well worth it. Here's Viking's site, but there are other lines. Link

My parents went on a Viking Cruise, and booked 3 more while on board. They are THAT good. They leave for #2 next week.

We cruise a LOT. I never post about it mainly because of the answers you've gotten so far. So many think that it's the worst thing in the world to do- to the point of ridicule, no point in dealing with that.

But since you asked.

Yes, they have wi-fi. I don't know about Carnival's version, but Royal Caribbean's has recently been upgraded and is pretty good. That being said, when I go on vacation, it's to get away, so having internet access is very, very low on my list- so I rarely play with it.

I assume that New Orleans is the place you have to sail from- which limits options in terms of the ship. But, generally, the larger the ship, the less the motion. That being said, weather is variable around the world- so you can have calm seas in the North Atlantic, and choppy seas in the Gulf. I would experiment with aids like that patch, drammamine, Bonine, etc- to see which one you can deal with the side effects the best. We found some oil drops to apply behind your ear recently- work really well, and use 2 of 3 of the gifts that the 3 Wise Men brought.

Hard to make a call on the activity. So take a book. But at least try some of the stuff. You may surprise yourself. That, and most of the days, you are tied up at a location, so can be on shore doing stuff.

I assume the ports are Cozumel and Costa Maya, as they are the only ones the big companies use on the Gulf side in Mexico. Both- you can see ruins, some small ones on the island of Cozumel, others some of the big ones on the mainland.

We've been at almost all of the stops in the Caribbean at one point or another. And have done an Alaska, Canada/New England, and Eastern Med. They are all different- some are about the sights, others are about the beaches.

BTW, don't be alarmed by getting sick. Ships are like schools. Or Cities. I've gotten Noro, but never on a ship. News agencies like to play on ship issues, just like they do for flying issues. But like flying, there are thousands of cruises that you never hear about.

I can't swim and the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean scares the E36 M3 ouyt of me. But I love cruises. Wife and I are about to take out 7th, 6th with Royal Caribbean. I will ALWAYS recommend this line to anyone not 21 and looking to drink their entire vacation away.

On the larger ships, you will not feel the movement like you do on smaller ships. Even if you do, they have dramamine on board. There are a ton of activities to keep you busy and their shore excursions make visiting new places a breeze. Staff is usually super helpful and nice. Food is pretty good and there's lots of it.

We wanted t do a Viking, but it would have been $5k for the cruise plus airfare. So we are doing one out of Rome on hte med instead tha was $1200 plus airfare.

Honestly, if you can go in with an open mind you'll have a great time. If not, you'll hate it no matter what.

I find it funny that the majority of people that slam cruises have never been on one.

Im useless because ive never been on one but i hope you have fun! Its one of those things i want to do one day.

Bobzilla wrote: I find it funny that the majority of people that slam cruises have never been on one.

I've stopped trying to convince them. I'm fine knowing that I'm really happy with cruising, and others can do what they want.

dropstep wrote: Im useless because ive never been on one but i hope you have fun! Its one of those things i want to do one day.

They can be the worst thing ever, or they can be incredibly addictive. We started in 2001, and have a bunch under our belts. Very good value, to us.

alfadriver wrote:

dropstep wrote: Im useless because ive never been on one but i hope you have fun! Its one of those things i want to do one day.

They can be the worst thing ever, or they can be incredibly addictive. We started in 2001, and have a bunch under our belts. Very good value, to us.

We started in '04. Did Alaska on Norwegian (that will make you feel young!), the rest on RC. They are, in our opinion, a great way to get a taste of new places without being stuck there or having lots of flights etc. Think of it as checking into a movable hotel room that takes you to a different place each morning.

I did 2 cruises while I was married, for the same reasons you are considering it.

I have never experienced motion sickness in my life. Until I went on a cruise. If you already have a propensity for motion sickness... ugh.

Bobzilla wrote: I can't swim and the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean scares the E36 M3 ouyt of me.

Not trying to rag on you--serious question here. How have you never learned to swim? It is a completely foreign idea to me--my dad grew up vacationing and boating on Lake Michigan and I did the same; my mother, though from a tiny town in southern Indiana, was forced to learn to swim by her mother--before becoming a lifeguard. So it wasn't an option for me to not learn how to swim, it just was something we "had" to do.

So how have you never learned? Was it just not a thing where you were from? Phobia of water? The idea, when I think of it, is absolutely terrifying to me.

I know its a little off topic here, but I highly recommend bare boating too!!

mtn wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: I can't swim and the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean scares the E36 M3 ouyt of me.

Not trying to rag on you--serious question here. How have you never learned to swim? It is a completely foreign idea to me--my dad grew up vacationing and boating on Lake Michigan and I did the same; my mother, though from a tiny town in southern Indiana, was forced to learn to swim by her mother--before becoming a lifeguard. So it wasn't an option for me to not learn how to swim, it just was something we "had" to do. So how have you never learned? Was it just not a thing where you were from? Phobia of water? The idea, when I think of it, is absolutely terrifying to me.

Neither parent knows how to swim, grandmother/father and aunts either. It just wasn't something we did. By the time I got old enough to try to learn on my own I freak out. Wife has tried a few times and I just am not comfortable in water. I like to say "If I was meant to be in water, I'd have gills"

I won't slam cruises because I've never been on one, but I will say that I have zero desire to even try it. I very much enjoyed the few sunset cruises I've done on catamarans and island adventures on speed boats. I know there are meds I could take to help avoid sea sickness, but that's not my issue. Just the thought of being stuck on a ship with little else to do doesn't excite me. I'd be all in for a daytime river cruise, but 5 days at sea...no thanks.

I think cruises are similar to Disney World in that people either love them, or want no part of them.

Reading the thread with interest. Never been on a cruise and have had ZERO interest in it--not sure I've ever badmouthed it online, but I might have. But wifey desparately wants to go with some friends of ours, so I might bite the bullet soon.

The reasons I don't want to go are that I HATE pools, dislike sunbathing for the sake of it, and greatly dislike crowds. Just don't see where I'll enjoy it anymore than getting a hotel on a beach and ordering out every night.

Bobzilla wrote:

mtn wrote:

Bobzilla wrote: I can't swim and the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean scares the E36 M3 ouyt of me.

Not trying to rag on you--serious question here. How have you never learned to swim? It is a completely foreign idea to me--my dad grew up vacationing and boating on Lake Michigan and I did the same; my mother, though from a tiny town in southern Indiana, was forced to learn to swim by her mother--before becoming a lifeguard. So it wasn't an option for me to not learn how to swim, it just was something we "had" to do. So how have you never learned? Was it just not a thing where you were from? Phobia of water? The idea, when I think of it, is absolutely terrifying to me.

Neither parent knows how to swim, grandmother/father and aunts either. It just wasn't something we did. By the time I got old enough to try to learn on my own I freak out. Wife has tried a few times and I just am not comfortable in water. I like to say "If I was meant to be in water, I'd have gills"

Interesting. Completely foreign to me--I love water, as long as it isn't a pool.

mtn wrote: Reading the thread with interest. Never been on a cruise and have had ZERO interest in it--not sure I've ever badmouthed it online, but I might have. But wifey desparately wants to go with some friends of ours, so I might bite the bullet soon. The reasons I don't want to go are that I HATE pools, dislike sunbathing for the sake of it, and greatly dislike crowds. Just don't see where I'll enjoy it anymore than getting a hotel on a beach and ordering out every night.

That's what makes a good cruise so awesome... you never have to go outside to a pool as there is so much going on that you won't have time. We've been wanting to take a few friends for a while. We did go with her entire family 2 summers ago. 26 total people. There were several days the only time we saw them was for dinner.

I've only been on one cruise, but will probably do another (maybe Viking). I viewed it as a way to get away from my usual life. I loved the food, had problems with motion sickness, but not as bad as others, we spent most of the cruise on rough seas. If you go, I highly recommend taking the "behind the scenes" tour of the ship. It's neat to see a bunch of the areas tourists wouldn't normally see.

Klayfish wrote: Just the thought of being stuck on a ship with little else to do doesn't excite me. I'd be all in for a daytime river cruise, but 5 days at sea...no thanks.

This is the thing most people don't realize. You're not "stuck" on it with nothing to do. There are shows, movies, acts, shops, ice skating rinks, putt putt, basketball, tennis, spas, gyms, auctions, art shows, beverage tastings, etc. You will try to plan your day and I guarantee you'll never get to half the things you wanted to.