Hellobee Boards Topic: Who has been on a cruise?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Who has been on a cruise? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 01:11:05 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207858 Mon, 11 Nov 2013 08:03:42 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1207858@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did I go? Mexico, Belize, 4 day cruise Did you like it? Loved it. Floating hotel with tons of activities and yummy food. Pros/ Cons: Pros- service was impeccable, so many things to do on the ship. Definitely explore the shop the first day so you know what you want to return too. Cons- the bathroom is small. Limited tours you can purchase before your trip, wait until you are on the ship to book your port excursions. Ocean view? We had a balcony and obviously an ocean view. Worth every penny. Our room felt bigger because we had the extra space. Bathroom was still small though. Kids? Not Applicable. Cost? Less than $800/ per person, didn't have to fly to the port. Factor in all the tipping (inluding bag handlers at the port) and the drink packages if you want something b other that water or iced tea. That stuff was a bit of an unknown to us first time cruisers. GrapeCrush on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207848 Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:57:48 +0000 GrapeCrush 1207848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did you go? Spain, Italy and France Did you like it? Loved it!! Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination: pros: lots of places, without having to unpack and repack, yummy food, lots of things to do. Cons: not a long time in each port. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? Yes! I thought so. I loved looking out at night on the balcony while we were sailing. Did you take your child? No. It was out honeymoon and had no lo's looch on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207837 Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:43:30 +0000 looch 1207837@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @MsLipGloss: my experience was exactly the same! I would only consider two cruises, an Alaskan or Disney at this time! dojo on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207684 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:51:00 +0000 dojo 1207684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did you go? To Alaska with my family back when I was a teen and then more recently to the Caribbean with my husband. Did you like it? Yes! When I was younger I enjoyed all the food. When I went more recently I REALLY enjoyed the food! haha I loved how relaxing it was an how everything was taken care of. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination. I loved the Caribbean since I had never been. The biggest negative for us was that our particular cruise line seemed quite a bit older in general so we didn't really get too into most of the activities or meet many people. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? We did. We were actually given our cruise as a gift and were offered the upgrade when we booked so not sure about the extra money. We weren't spending all that much time in the room though so I don't know if it would be worth it if it costs a lot more. Did you take your child? We went just before we decided to TTC so no child at the time. I would love to do a trip in the future with LO and possibly another family or two. Sapphiresun on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207675 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:40:51 +0000 Sapphiresun 1207675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did you go? 12 day Mediterranean (Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Athens, Mykonos, Turkey, Naples, Florence) on Royal Carribbean. Did you like it? Loved it. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination. I don't think you're considering Europe, so I'll talk more about the ship/cruising experience. We liked the food. RCI I find the buffet is really good. We skipped dining room lots of nights because we were tired and the food there was so good. We're also kind of nerdy and really liked playing trivia and stuff in the evenings. The pool was a little lacking, but the weather wasn't super warm and it was really port intensive anyway. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? We had a balcony. My husband really liked it, I didn't think it was worth the money (I didn't think we spent $1200 worth of time out there at all). But he thought he might feel a little claustrophobic in the small cabin, so for our first trip, and because we were already spending so much to get to Europe I didn't want to risk ruining the trip for him by having anxiety in the room. Did you take your child? We didn't have a child at the time Where did you go? 7 day California Coastal on Princess (LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Catalina, Santa Barbara) Did you like it? It was ok... Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination: We're in Vancouver, Canada so California is super close for us. We went when I was 23 weeks pregnant, so we wanted a laid back trip and a short flight. It was a pretty relaxed itinerary. So much so that the clientelle on the ship was a little.... geriatric. Not many folks our own age at all. The dining room food on Princess is really good, buffet and quick service food left something to be desired for me. It was nice that the ports weren't super tiring, so you could get back early, dress for dinner and then "go out on the town" to watch the shows or drinks and dancing without having to worry about an early wakeup call. My husband also really loved the huge movie screen by the pool. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? We got an "obstructed view guarantee" this time which can be a good savings if you just want to be able to see outside, and don't have a major preference for cabin location. I don't think it was much more expensive than the interior since we booked last minute, so I think it was worth it. Did you take your child? Only in the belly. mrsbookworm on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207414 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:58:53 +0000 mrsbookworm 1207414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did you go? I've been on several: Bermuda, Western Caribbean (twice), Eastern Caribbean, Scandinavia and Alaska. Did you like it? I enjoy traveling and like cruising when I don't feel like doing much planning. It's definitely relaxing for me. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination: I think the best part is not having to do much planning. I don't go for the ports (you don't spend much time in each one) but instead for the experience. The downside is that if you like a port, you're only there for a short time. We did get to "sample" places to know where we'd want to take an extended trip in the future. I've been on Holland America, Norwegian, Carnival and Princess. The only one I didn't really like was Carnival. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? The first few times we had ocean rooms, now we always splurge for the balcony. I love sitting there early in the morning or late at night. We're going to Alaska again this summer and it will be our first cruise with LO. I definitely want a balcony for when I'm back at the room while he's sleeping. Did you take your child? Nope, this summer will be our first time with him. I've cruised out of both Florida and NY. I can't say I preferred one over the other. Leaving from NY means more "at sea" days. I would try to go to the Western Caribbean versus Eastern. I like those destinations better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask :) wheres_c on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207373 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:35:58 +0000 wheres_c 1207373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We've done several! We've been to San Juan, St Thomas, St Croix, Antigua, St. Kitts, Nassau, Freeport. My favourite Destinations were the virgin islands and mexico. not a huge fan of the bahamas. I have enjoyed 2 of the of the 3 cruises I've been on. I did not enjoy cruising with Norwegian. With Norwegian there is no set dinner time. You have a different waiter every night and different table mates. Part of the fun of a cruise is your waiter and table mates. I loved Celebrity.....and Carnival was decent and family friendly. Now LO is here, I would try disney.....they have a lot more aimed at the kids. I personally would not pay extra for an Ocean View. I *would* pay extra for a balcony. That way if J is sleeping, you can sit out on the balcony with room service and enjoy the night. If you aren't able to afford a balcony, a small port hole is not worth the extra price. I've done both inside and ocean view and not noticed a difference. I love <a href="http://www.cruisehotsheet.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.cruisehotsheet.com</a> for great deals and <a href="http://www.cruisecritic.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.cruisecritic.com</a> for reviews. If you have questions about specific destinations, I've been to most of them (They were cheap to get to from FL) so let me know! LalaYes on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207233 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:16:15 +0000 LalaYes 1207233@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes! We went to Mexico for our honeymoon, we don't have kids, but there were kids on the ship. We had an ocean view and I do think it's worth it. My favorite thing about cruises is the food. I love food and there is so much of delicious food available. shopaholic on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207224 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:05:19 +0000 shopaholic 1207224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did you go? I've been on 2. Weekend "booze cruise" to Mexico, and 1 week Mediterranean. Did you like it? I liked it better on the trip with the baby. 1 week cruise - ship was much nicer and it was more convenient. In general though, DH and I are not cruising kind of people. We like to wake up and wander around and see things on our own schedule. The early port calls and rush to get back to the ship always frustrated me. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination: Pros of cruising with a LO. Everything is in one place. You don't have to unpack. I could go back to the room anytime I needed to with the LO. DH and family could still hang out and do stuff even if I was in the room with the baby. Got to "see" a lot of destinations. Didn't have to worry about transportation. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? YES! The ocean view made a big difference in feeling claustrophobic when you're holed up in the room. Did you take your child? Yes. BoogieBea on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207208 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 16:44:10 +0000 BoogieBea 1207208@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes we just went on one this past summer with extended family. Where did you go? Alaska Did you like it? It was my first cruise ever and I did enjoy it. But our ship wasn't super big. I don't think I can handle a really large, crowded ship. I think it's great with a large group and/or elders. I don't think I would want to do it with just our immediate family. I'd rather fly somewhere and rent a place for a week. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination: we had a large group so it was nice not having to worry about logistics of traveling with a large group. My in laws was with us and it was nice not having to worry about whether or not they will get lost around the boat. We can do our own thing and meet up at a certain point of the day. the con is I generally like to plan my own vacation and I did get a little bored towards the end but that's just me. The kids had a great time! Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? We did. The kids really enjoyed watching the waters. Did you take your child? Yes. They had a lot of fun. We didn't put them in the day care they offered on the ship though so I'm not sure how that is. yoursilverlining on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207036 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 14:21:15 +0000 yoursilverlining 1207036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @JoyfulKiwi: We went in August, and it was a great time - not too hot, but good weather (mostly, it rained 1 day!). JoyfulKiwi on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1207015 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 14:06:27 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 1207015@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @yoursilverlining: my husband and I totally want to go on that cruise!! What time of year did you go? @Mrs. Pen: I've been on 2 cruises. Where did you go? - 1st to the Bahamas, 2nd to Encinitas Did you like it? - Yes, I enjoyed them both (although the 1st one I didn't pay for & the 2nd was really cheap, so I didn't have any "I paid so much for this, is it worth it?!" feelings) Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination - The destinations were nothing to write home about (I felt they were pretty boring actually), but I really enjoyed the cruise experience. The 24-hour ice cream machine, the shows/entertainment, the different parts of the ship - I liked it all. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? - We didn't & I didn't care at all. Did you take your child? - Both cruises were during my high school years, so it was just me & friends/family. BananaPancakes on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206972 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:32:49 +0000 BananaPancakes 1206972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We're in FL, so people cruise a lot around here beacaue it's so accessible. I'm not a huge fan, but my husband loves it, so we've been quite a bit. Where did you go? All of our cruising has been in the carribean. The longest was 10 days, and the shortest was 4 days. I really like visiting the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten. Did you like it? It's not my favorite but that's because I prefer the adventure of traveling without an itinerary. My husband likes the fact that he doesn't have to think about anything and can literally do nothing. It just depends on how you like to vacation. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination: If you travel in the Caribbean, you'll likely have to take the bad stops with the good. Some places are gross and some have nothing to offer. Those are the days we just stay on the ship and enjoy having less people aboard. The weather is great for winter vacations, though. The last cruise we took was in the month of January and it was blazing hot the whole time. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? We've always had a balcony or suite. It's absolutely worth it to us to spend the extra $. Did you take your child? We haven't gone since our LO was born, but we've been talking about it lately. We'll probably be comfortable with it once he's 2.5 or 3. And we've been on Carnival, RC, and Celebrity, and we prefer RC. The newest boats (allure and oasis) are amazing. I think they have a new one coming out next winter, and we'll probably plan for that boat if we decide to go. MsLipGloss on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206961 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:24:05 +0000 MsLipGloss 1206961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ 1. Where did you go?: Caribbean 2. Did you like it?: Meh. It was not a vacation that I would want to repeat unless I had to. 3. Pros/cons: Pros: multiple destinations without having to pack/unpack repeatedly, food was good; Cons: crowded, getting on/off boat for ports (and for the cruise itself) was time-consuming, not really enough time to experience different locations (areas within easy reach were really tourist-y) . . . I could go on, but I won't! 4. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it?: YES. I had an ocean view room with a balcony that was totally worth the extra expense . . . it helped me to avoid feeling claustrophobic! 5. Did you take your child?: N/A The trip was pre-LO, but I would not take a baby/toddler. I might consider a Disney Cruise (strictly for family/grandparent purposes when LO is older). Maaaaaaybe. ShootingStar on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206953 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:15:45 +0000 ShootingStar 1206953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've only been on a cruise once, but here was my experience - Where did you go? - A friend and I went to Nassau, Bahamas Did you like it? - No, I didn't like Nassau at ALL. It's really not a good cruise destination, IMO. Walking around Nassau we kept having little kids beg us non-stop for money, which makes me kind of depressed. And if you give them anything you get swarmed. I also wanted to go to a beach, since we were in the Bahamas, makes sense right? Well apparently all the good beaches have hotels on them and we had to go to a public beach kind of far away that wasn't really good. We had to take a cab there and almost weren't able to get back to the ship because it was difficult getting a cab back. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination - The ship itself was a lot of fun. I loved the pools and the hot tubs (we were on a Carnival ship). It was also fun having unlimited food. But we learned if we got room service the portions were teeny tiny and we'd need to get like 3 or 4 orders. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? - We did and it was a total waste. We were never in the room during the day and if we were all we could see was a blue circle. I'd go either cheap and get an inside room, or go all out and get a balcony. In between is so not worth it. Did you take your child? - Back in college, so no. But I'm really looking forward to taking DS on a Disney cruise in a few years. illumina on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206949 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:13:27 +0000 illumina 1206949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Norwegian fjords, Caribbean and Hawaii. I loved them all, but I don't think I'd rush to go back to those places again. I wouldn't take S until she's maybe 3-5 and old enough for the kids' clubs... I think she'd get bored otherwise. yoursilverlining on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206947 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:10:47 +0000 yoursilverlining 1206947@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Where did you go? Europe (Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Denmark) Did you like it? YES!! Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination It's an easy way to see a lot of destinations in a short period of time, and then see which places you might want to go back to later for a longer time period. Also, it's awesome to not have to deal with finding hotels, rental cars, etc. - you only have to unpack once. Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? Yes, and I think it was worth it. The window was right over the bed, and it was fun to snuggle down in bed at night and watch the waves crash against the ship. Did you take your child? No, she wasn't born yet. We went on a Holland America cruise, and there are definitely different "levels" of cruise ships/services. Some cruises and cruise lines are geared towards different crowds, and some of the super cheap options are not really that cheap if they don't include as much as other lines do. If you're going to do the Caribbean I would try to leave from FL so you get more time in the islands, and fewer "at sea" days. Cara M. 17 on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206936 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:02:19 +0000 Cara M. 17 1206936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Pen: DH and I went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise in 2009. The cruise like was Carnival, but with as often as they've been in the news lately, I'm not sure we would cruise with them again. We left out of San Juan, which was amazing because the weather was gorgeous and we got to enjoy the cruise deck and pool right away. I think I would choose Florida over New York because of that and I've also heard that the waters leaving out of New York can be rougher. We had a balcony room and it was WELL worth the extra money. Sitting outside at night while the boat was moving and seeing water all around you was magical. It's also nice to sit outside in the morning and enjoy breakfast (we often ordered complimentary room service for breakfast rather than going to the dining room). I'm not sure if you are drinkers, but if so, I would suggest packing the allowed bottle per person as it can get quite expensive with having a drink or two during the day or with dinner. We did a few excursions - snorkeling, shopping, pirate cruise, beach trip, etc which was fun and it was nice to get off the ship and see the local areas. We did not have a child at the time, but we have already said we would take a cruise with our DD in a few years (she's still on the way). I would look for a child friendly cruise in terms of dining options, activities, daycare if you wanted to have a romantic dinner, etc. hope this is helpful! T.H.O.U. on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206935 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 13:01:38 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1206935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ From Florida we have done several. If you can get it for less than $100/day its a good deal. Where did you go? It kinda depends on what you want to do while you are in port. With a three year old you won't have a lot of options for excursions and will probably just end up finding a beach so any place will be good. Did you like it? Yes and no. My husband doesn't like to just "lay around" so he gets kinda bored. The age and size of the ship really depend on your experience. They are definitely not all the same. Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination Again, ship size and age will factor in a bunch. I'm not really interested in carnival any more (unless it was a brand new ship). So we will stick to RC or Disney (haven't done disney before though). Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? We have always been fine with just interior rooms to save the money. We never spent much time in there anyways. The only reason I would think to splurge to a balcony is if you are doing like an alaska cruise or if you are going to be stuck in there with a napping child. Did you take your child? Nope not yet. I went as a teen with my family and my younger sister though. Mrs. Pen on "Who has been on a cruise?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/who-has-been-on-a-cruise#post-1206925 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 12:50:05 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1206925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ List of questions: Where did you go? Did you like it? Pros/cons of a cruise and of your particular destination Did you have an "ocean view" room, was the extra $$ worth it? Did you take your child? We have been tentatively planning to do a cruise for DH's 30th which is 1.5 years away. I think we're estimating it would be about $2k total including airfare- is that reasonable? We'll probably do some Caribbean tour from New York or Florida. We would likely take J and he will be 3 at that point which I think is a good age to participate in the kids stuff but also really play with him too :) I want to hear all about your experiences!