Well, tendering is when the waters are too choppy for the ship to dock at the port, so to get everyone to the port they put you on a small boat and "tender" you into the port (downtown Cozumel). The last 2 trips I've been on the water was too rough for even the tender boats to take us onto the port in Cozumel.
I LOVE cruises...depends on the ship and line, but its all you can eat, sometimes gambling, and everyone seems to be having fun and in a good mood...As far as dining, I always chose the late dinner (8 p.m) as I wanted to have fun on board and the excursions and not have to rush back by 6:30... I did the Disney cruise with my oldest a few years back and loved it...The ship was newer, the rooms bigger and relaxing... I've done a couple of Carnival and Royal Carribean, and they were both older boats, but still had fun...Went to the bahamas on all of them so far, but want to do the one out of Galveston and go to mexico my next trip...I would also like to do the Alaskan cruise sometime... Not sure if you can do it now, but bring some bottled water and liquor, if you drink...Drinks are expensive on the boat...
I'm not sure what redefined has that isn't available online, but I know you can go to vacationstogo.com and get great cruise rates there. With a week or two of notice, you can get 70-80% off brochure price on some cruises. With that said, I've never used the site, but two of my friends have... they recommended it to me when I mentioned that I wanted to go on a cruise some day. Maybe someone else has more experience with it or another site though.
BenignDMD- I did a New Year's cruise on Royal Carribean a couple years back and loved it. I was a freshman in college so you could imagine how I felt when my parents told me we were gonna spend New Year's on a cruise ship. But it turned out to be one of the better vacations I've been on. Food Breakfast and Lunch were usually buffets, not bad but you could imagine how you feel after 7 days of buffets. Dinner was in the main dinning room with a set time, you had a personal waiter that really took care of you. On our boat, there was also a Johnny Rockets that was open 24 hours. Entertainment We had a casino on our boat and since you're in open waters, you can gamble when you're 18. My family and I spent a lot of time at the casino. There was also bingo (which they gave away a lot of good prizes), a skating rink, movie theatres, comeday shows, etc... You usually go on excursions during the day, but when you're on the boat, we had a basketball court, putt putt golf, climbing wall, ping pong, etc...
I work for an airline company. I get the interline special rates. That special badge I wear every day is what I have that is not available online
Ahhh, I figured. My mom works for Continental and gets the interline rates too, but I wasnt planning on telling her that I was going on the cruise. They want me to come home and do family stuff Let me know if you can help me out.
I have been on 2 cruises so far and heading on a third the first week of December. All of my cruises have been on Royal Carribbean out of South Florida (Miami). www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/...00RPrDQ9TgPhQkJuaOT6qtv-i:10ktmevl6?cS=NAVBAR I am currently in my mid 30's and the first two cruises were just my wife and I. The cruise that we are going on this December we are taking our 4 year old with us. I am excited as we are going on the Freedom of the Seas which is Royal Carribeans newest and biggest ships. Actually that has been one of our biggest factors is that we prefer to go on a relatively new cruise ship. We have been on the Navigator of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, and now the Freedom of the Seas. I feel that Royal Carribbean is a great Cruise Line. They have some beautiful dining halls that are very elegant. So if you feel like dressing up you have the opportunity to do so and have a very special night. Of course you do not have to dress up but I think professional dress is recommended for dinner (i.e. no shorts or flip flops at dinner time). They also have several dining halls that are open for a buffet style (for breakfast, lunch and dinner) with a variety of choices. You can dress as casual as you want to go here. They also have a premium Italian bistro restaurant and a premium Steakhouse. Both of these 2 restaurants have a $20 per person cover charge. But it is well worth it. Plus once you pay this cover charge you can eat as much as you want. Actually this applies even in the formal dining hall. If you wanted 3 filet mignons or an extra crab cake (appetizer) you get it. All the food is paid for with the exception of the two premium restaurants. You have the choice to purchase a soda card which will provide you unlimited sodas during the duration of your cruise. You have to pay for any alcohol and premium drinks. This ship also has a Johnny Rockets on the top of the ship (Burgers, Chicken Sandwichs, Fries, Onion Rings, Shakes, etc). I think Royal Carribbean is a very classy cruise line with great customer service, very good food, and good entertainment. Most of their larger ships have an ice skating ring, a rock climbing wall, minuture golf, basketball, volleyball, running track, spa, several pools (some specifically for kids), a great kids club (with a full array of activities). They also have a nice sports bar. On the Freedom of the Seas they even have a waive rider where you can actually surf on board. Very cool. They also have flat screen tvs in every room and WIFI on the ship. I also love the excursions that you can choose to do when the ship docks.
^^^^ I would prefer to take a cruise out of South Florida, but an airline ticket there costs 1/3 of the price I will pay for the cruise! I would drive if I had the time to do so, but I know that the drive back home would be dreadful....with the killer hangover I know I will have!
That's not all. Don't know if it has improved lately (apparently Hawai and Florida have adopted some Memorandum of Understanding which have certain regulations), but the cruise industry has historically been completely immoral in regards to their use of the seas from an environmental perspective. http://www.bluewaternetwork.org http://www.earthisland.org/project/viewProject.cfm?subSiteID=6 ...or just google to find out more info...
To "tender in" means to ride smaller boats into port, instead of docking directly. If you get seasick easily, it's not so pleasant. But I actually enjoyed it. My wife and I travelled on the Grand Princess for our honeymoon. At the time, it was the newest and largest cruise ship in the world. It has since been eclipsed in size several times over, but it's still a damn big ship. Lots to do. The evening shows are boring Las Vegas-y crap, but that's true of ALL cruise lines. We went to the casino every night, and came out on the winning side (go figure). Food is good: not top-tier gourmet, but better than Carnival. You'll want seconds. Our cabin was on "A" deck, and was very quiet. As I recall, the decks below us were a bit more noisy. I really like Princess Cruises. They seem to offer the best compromise of elegance, price, and fun. Carnival cruises are heavy on the partying and booze, Royal Carribbean are bit more sedate and adult oriented. I definitely recommend the Grand Princess. And if you're going to Grand Cayman, I recommend a second mortgage on your home.
