I was excited to experience both cruising and staying at a resort and determine which we would prefer to do more of in the future. So - now that I know what we prefer - I'll pass along all the info I can to help you plan your next vacation. Of course, this is totally going off my opinion and our preferences so you'll want to decide what is best for your family based on your preferences and desired activities.
I’ll start by telling you that both experiences were fantastic!
Cruising
Our cruise was my first time out of the country other than our visits to Colombia. I was so excited to be able to visit multiple places in one trip!
This is the same trip we took in February of 2008. We had a Jr. Suite with balcony.
Two thoughts on upgrading your room:
- The room was beautiful and we loved being able to open the doors to the ocean or sit on the balcony and enjoy the view.
- We actually weren't in our rooms too much so I still am undecided about whether it was worth it to upgrade.
Our ship was gigantic! But there were tons of people on the boat. Loungers are set up side-by-side around the pool area and on the upper deck. On cruising days, it is very hard to find an isolated lounger. So be prepared to lay out right next to a stranger and make friends. That is – if you want to lay out at all.
I love laying out but found the boat a less than ideal spot. We did a bit of sunbathing but it is quite windy on the deck while cruising. Instead, we filled much of our cruising time with other activities: ping pong, putt-putt golf, rock-climbing, shows, and – of course – eating.
The food was fantastic… and never ending. Buffet upon buffet of anything you could desire. You could go to the buffet for dinner, as well, or go to the dining room during your assigned meal-time. At dinner, menus are distributed and you order four courses. Still hungry? Want to try more than one entrée or desert? Order two. It really is great. And quality didn’t seem to suffer at all.
There are a couple of specialty restaurants where you have to make a reservation and it does cost. We never ate there. The free food was tremendous so why pay?
There are also other services on the ship: like exercise classes and a health and beauty spa. Lucas and I treated ourselves to a massage for our anniversary. It was good but pricey.
Our most exciting stop was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Now – the cruise line tries to get you to purchase your excursions from them ahead of time. The main advantage to ordering through your cruise line is that if something happens and you are delayed on the main land – the cruise ship will wait on your group for departure. However, you pay a good bit more for the excursion and don’t always get the best tour.
You know I’m cheap so I searched around for activities online and found some great reviews for an individual tour guide. We found Phil Lafayette and his daughter, Tammy, online along with tons of great reviews and not a single negative review to be found. I have to tell you – this was the best tour ever.
When we discussed our excursion with other cruise ship passengers, we were definitely the envy of the trip. We paid a third what the cruise line wanted to charge and had the best most personable tour of Ocho Rios filled with all the exciting activities. If you are going to Ocho Rios – use Phil. If not, you can definitely find good tour guides for a cheaper price and much better trip than through the cruise line. Make sure you check out the reviews, but a good tour guide will definitely have you back to your ship in time so that really shouldn’t worry you too much when purchasing excursions independently.Most cruise ship stops give you a full eight to nine hours on land. It isn’t really enough time to do everything you might want to do, but it is enough time to give you a taste of what is offered.
Our next stop was Grand Cayman Islands. We purchased a cruise line excursion at this stop. The pricing wasn’t too bad but the quality of the tour and the tour guides was less than stellar. Nonetheless, we had a great time. And now we know.
Cruising was pretty fun. We really enjoyed the nightlife. There was a dance club, a bar with a live band, and several bars including those with individual musicians. Our favorite was the piano bar. Of course it is a cruise ship so the same entertainers are on board. Every night we ended up at this little piano bar where patrons made requests and everyone sang along as he played the selections. So much fun!
There was also shopping on board, including a duty free store from which we were able to fully stock our liquor cabinets.
I really thought while sailing that we’d feel the boat moving more so than we did. There were only a couple of times that the motion became clear. Taking a shower in the tiny little bathroom let you know pretty quickly you were on a moving ship. Also, the boat seemed to move more at night. While I first wrote this off as the drinks, we eventually hypothesized that the boat was just moving faster at night. Who knows the real answer…. I’m sure someone does.
Now – the major downside. While the initial price of cruising can be cheaper, the final price gets driven dramatically up if you plan on drinking. The first day we purchased a ‘Coke’ wristband. I think it cost $14 each and we got a nifty thermos and a wristband, which entitled us to all the coke we could drink while there. That isn’t too bad. But alcoholic beverages are crazy. Well, maybe it isn’t crazy but after five nights and six days of cruising – it can get pretty pricey. Plan on paying $5-7 for a drink + tip. Do the math based on how much you’ll drink but don’t forget: a couple little fruity drinks by the pool, plus a bottle of wine at dinner, plus drinks at a bar afterward can equal a pretty pricey day. Multiply by 5. ☺
I’m quite long winded so I’ll save the rest for tomorrow. Stay tuned for my pros and cons of the all-inclusive and my final comparison.
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