7 Night Caribbean Cruise for $230-$250 per person AR

[ConnCarl]

Originally posted by: BostonYuk

BE AWARE THAT PRINCESS IS THE ONLY CRUISE LINE THAT WILL LET YOU BOARD THE SHIP UNLESS YOU'RE OVER 21.

That's just not true. My daughter has been on three cruises so far on different cruise lines and she isn't even four years old.

Perhaps you meant to add "WITHOUT A PARENT OR GUARDIAN".

 

[cameronj]

Originally posted by: AWEstun
The local FOX TV affiliate in Austin, TX did a report on these 'to good to be true' trips. They had a travel agent research a caribbean cruise for $300. The travel agent found out that the $300 trip will actually cost you $800+, as it doesn't cover airfare to and from the trip, also port taxes, etc...

Eh.... sure you have to pay for other things, but if you think those $800 cruises include airfare, you're wrong. I went on a 5 day to Jamaica a few weeks ago and it was $369 per person. My roommates didn't want to spend much money and they ended up spending about an additional $100, all on alcohol. Drinks were cheaper on the boat than here in DC. Airfare was $200 for each of them. Try to find a land-based carribean vacation for $600 all expenses paid.

 

[tk149]

FYI, regarding tips:

The crew that services you usually doesn't get paid by the cruise line (this probably varies among cruise lines, but essentially the ones I've been on all work like this including Carnival, Royal Carribean, and one that ain't around anymore). They work entirely for tips. At the end of your cruise, you're expected to tip each person for the services rendered. The staff generally work like dogs. Sleep and free time are pretty minimal.

Remember, the purpose of the cruise staff is to baby you. You may not need a cabin steward, but unless you specifically tell him to stay out of your room the whole trip, he's gonna do his best to give you a darn clean room and fresh sheets and towels every day. Same goes for your busboy, waiter, head waiter, wine steward, etc. Depending on the length of your trip, "suggested" gratuities can be significant. Between $50 to $100 per staff person per passenger on the cruises I've been on. Remember, this is their only income, and most of them do a great job.

 

[DVDBob]

Damn, wish I found this thread on Monday. I already booked a 7 day on Carnival that I found on Travelocity for $130 cheaper, BEFORE the $175 back for using a MasterCard. Damn girlfriend and her end-of-month bitchiness.

 

[crazyman]

I wonder if those guys helping you really see that "tip" money...
I just remember watching something and they said that most of those employees won't be american, european, etc. citizens. Almost all these boats "officially" port out of some random place to avoid lots of taxes and the employees are paid little (by our standards). I'd bet its still nice pay for what they are used to but I just wonder about this "tip" money and how much of it they really see...

Not that this changes the goodness of this deal. My wife took a cruise with her family and LOVED it but also said that when the dad got the drink bill he about wet his pants. They gave them these little "charge" cards and if you weren't careful (easy to do on vacation-they weren't) you would rack up expensive charges. And not just on alcohol. They got a lot of these charges from cokes and juice and stuff. So just be careful (as any good anandtecher would be) 🙂

Oh and about the stomach virus -don't let that stop you from taking a cruise. Sure people get sick-but that is usually what happens when you get 1000 people in a small area for a long amount of time. One of my teachers told me that, while the incidence might be higher than in normal cities, it isn't massively higher than what you would find in the normal population-that's what he said anyway (micro professor).

🙂

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: crazyman
I wonder if those guys helping you really see that "tip" money...
I just remember watching something and they said that most of those employees won't be american, european, etc. citizens. Almost all these boats "officially" port out of some random place to avoid lots of taxes and the employees are paid little (by our standards). I'd bet its still nice pay for what they are used to but I just wonder about this "tip" money and how much of it they really see...
🙂

I've wondered about that too. That is why I always personally gave tips in cash directly to each service person, as opposed to leaving a credit tip with the Cruise Line. 🙂