First Time Cruiser "Honeymoon"

[BobPerkins]

I have been reading through some of these post and you guys seem to really know the ups and downs to cruising... I am getting married on June 12, 2004 and I am considering taking a Western Carribean Cruise on the Inspiration out of Tampa... I have a couple of questions that maybe you guys can help with....

1. Has anyone taken this cruise or have been on a cruise on this ship? Any thoughts..
2. The Price right now is on the upper side of my budget for the honeymoon... Saying that I am considering getting my own airfare from St Louis to Tampa Is this a good Idea? I have had 1 travel agent tell me that is the way to go and then I have a 2nd travel agent tell me that is a big mistake... Is getting transportation from the Airport to the Seaport hard and about how far are they apart...
3. Last but not least... On Average How much would you say that you would spend on extra activities and shore excursions... I know that Carnival has the $10.00/Day/person for tips? what are some of the other cost that we may run into onboard...

Thanks for any info you guys can help with... Everyone I have talked to that has went on any cruise has told me this is the way to go... SO I look forward to some useful advise as I try to pull this whole Honeymoon thing off..


Thanks

Bob

 

[Meathead54]

Hi Bob

Let me start by saying that we just got back about two hours ago from Tampa. The weather was excellent and we had a great time. We took the cruise on the Inspiration to the Western Caribbean. This was our first cruise and here is some things I can tell you to provide you with some ammunition.

1. While we were not Honeymooning (we have not taken that step as of yet!) we had a great time. The ship is beautiful and the ports are awesome.

2. As for airfare here is what we did which worked out great for us, and if you have the time should work for you if you do it. We did spend a week in the Orlando area first. Flew to Tampa and rented a car. The day before the cruise we drove back to Tampa and stayed at Days Inn Rocky Point Island. They have free shuttle (not including gratuties) to and from the airport and the Port of Tampa. Dropped all luggage at the hotel, returned the car to the airport, called for the shuttle and were relaxing with a few drinks in the hotel room less than an hour later. Next morning hopped the shuttle to the Port and after the long process of embarkation we were on our way. Took us about two hours to get on board. After the cruise we stayed one extra night in Tampa, again at the Days Inn. When the ship returned to Tampa, called the shuttle and were back at the hotel by 11:00 am. Again took the shuttle back to the airport for the return flight home. Long and short if you can take an extra day on both ends of the cruise you will not be rushing the get to the ship and not rushing to get to the airport to get home. Leaving on Monday was less hectic. If you can get the time on both ends you can just book your cruise and find the best deal on airfare possible. I suggest booking the cruise through a travel agent as they will get the best deal for you.

3. As for how much you will need, this is a personal thing based on what you plan on buying while away. We are from Canada and did lots of planning for this cruise. With our allowances for customs really (I mean really, really, really low) shopping was not a factor for us. For gratuities we prepaid with our cruise fare. Much easier and you don't have to worry about having money left at the end of the cruise to leave. With grats aside we took $1,000 to cover shore excursions drinks etc. Used $600 for sail and sign and ended up getting $100 back at the end. This covered drinks, two bottles of wine with dinner for each of our birthdays and shore excursions. We only had one port where we did not book an excursion through the ship and this made the excursion the best on the whole trip. We even had money for the casino. Just keep in mind that you will not have to pay for meals. Just plan for the things you want to do. I estimated and got it just about right.

Hope this info helps you. If you want more info drop me an e-mail and I can get you whatever info I can, and tell you more about this trip. If you do send me an e-mail just put Inspiration Cruise in the subject line or I may delete it.

Colin

 

[Petert]

Hi Bob,

Meathead had some excellent suggestions, and planning can really help make your trip a big success. While there will probably not be any great air fare bargains in June it would be well worth your time to work with your TA to get the best deal you can. First get a price for the cruise air from your TA and then start monitoring airline prices on internet. If you find a better price on the internet thats good, if not you can have your TA order the cruise air prior to the final payment. Transfers at the port are not a big factor as there is a shuttle bus from the airport to the cruise port for about $9.00 p/p. You can get a cruise brochure from your TA or from the cruise lines internet site, and research the shore excursions. When you have an idea of what may interest you, a review of (or questions about) your ports of call on this board could help in saving money and getting the best experience. Hope you have a great cruise.

Peter

 

[jester95008]

Bob ,
you sure you wanna take her on that particular cruise for your honeymoon? There are better iteneries to take her on then that one. And besides that's a singles one. My buddy and I went on that same one a while back and I remembered the girls getting really drunk and doing some pretty crazy stuff.
May I suggest the Elation out of Galveston , TX ? Its a 7 day , and been on the elation. You won't have to fight a drunk off of your wife constantly too!

 

[taymiss2]

We are from St. Louis as well. Leave on the Inspiration on 1/04 Our documents came two days ago. We are so excited. In my experience I would NEVER book cruise air. Doing a little bit of research, you will definetly find a cheaper fare on your own. You have sometime to shop around for a cruise fare as well. Try cruisequote. Can't hurt to get some bids and see what is out there. We booked with an agent we found that way. We booked for $430 a person. Better price that we were able to find with an agent in St. Louis.

 

[Cruiser23]

We just got back from that cruise, Imagination with ports in Ochos Rios and Grand Cayman. Thought Grand Cayman was awesome, could have done without Jamacia all together, not a real great experience. We were one of those people that swore we were not going to run up a terrible sail and sign account but guess what, we did. And we didn't drink or gamble with it. There stores on the ship have some excellent deals and I really thought the pictures they took of us were too good to pass up so that's what happened to us. We loved the See and Sea tour in Grand Cayman, lots of fun, well worth it. You can email me with any questions, I'd be glad to help jandkfarms@yahoo.com

 

[BobPerkins]

Thanks for all the great info...

Our first destination was to go to Jamaica for a week but for the cost.. I just could not get anyone to tell me that it would be worth the time and money to go unless I went to one of the bigger resorts... Everyone I have talked to that has taken a criuse tells me that it is the best deal... I don't have a problem spending money as hopefully this will be my first and only honeymoon.. I just want to make sure that the money is well spent and that we have a memorable time...

Just one more question.. Is it best to book though Carnival? It seems like everytime I log unto Carnivals web site I usually get a couple of phone calls and emails from a "personel cruise advisor"... or is it better through a travel agent or possibly going through Yahoo or Expedia... What would be your advice.


Thanks guys for all the great help.

Bob

 

[Petert]

Hi Bob,

Probably your best bet is to book through a travel agent, but it is to your advantage to be well informed before you commit to a booking. The prices you find on the cruise line web site is like the sticker price on an automobile. A good neighborhood cruise only travel agent could give you some help in being sure that you get what you want in a cruise but at about the price you see on the web site. If you have a good idea of what you want in your cruise package you can most likely save money by booking online with a reliable online TA. You can shop around for the best price by requesting prices from several online TAs, and compare to the cruiseline web site price. You should be careful to assure that you are comparing apples to apples when making comparisons. Make sure that the quote includes port charges and taxes and if you are using air that the transfers are included. Know what to expect if you take cruise insurance. Request brochures from the cruise lines for the cruises you are interested in. Read some of the reviews available about the ship and cruise line you are interested in. A little home work now can help a great deal in assuring that you will have a great trouble free honeymoon without unpleasant surprises. Good luck.

Peter