Cruise Questions Answered

Pool Hours

Hello Kim -

My mother and I are going on our first cruise in Sept with Royal Caribbean to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. I am wondering if the pools and whirlpools on the ship close after a certain time?

Thank you.
Julie

Julie,

In our experiences we have seen the pools open and closed at odd times on the lines we've been on, so we spoke with Royal Caribbean directly to get an accurate answer. We were told that, on Royal Caribbean's ships, the pools were almost always open, unless there was some type of maintenance going on. On our cruises with Royal Caribbean, we've seen folks out at the pools at late hours, but I'm not sure if, on the trips where we've sailed with Royal Caribbean, the pools were 'always' open, even while at sea. For starters, you'll may find that, when you first enter the ship at the cruise terminal, the pools are empty. Then, when you wake the next morning, you'll probably find that they have filled them with the fresh clear seawater you're now sailing in (yes, saltwater). I can't vouch for every cruise line, but even during the cruise, they will probably drain the pool at some point and then refill it a number of times (I hear it's every night on at least one line, but I've never sat out there to check this).

But at any rate, you can be fairly sure you'll find them open quite a bit during your cruise. The only times I recall for sure seeing the pool closed during the day while at sea is during times of rough seas, when the ship is rolling badly, causing violent waves in the pools (for safety reasons). And you're unlikely to see those types of conditions happen on your average cruise trip.

But not to worry, you'll find so much going on around the ship, that you'll probably not even use the pools as much as you think...have a great time!

Smooth Sailing,
--Kim & Johnnie Rhodes

Cruising the Canal

Hello,

Saw your various postings. Probably a universal question, but if have never been on a ship, and don't want to over pay, (first time will be learning experience) and only know one thing, want to go through Panama Canal, then how to get the cheapest thing for two people (complication: one person lives in Albuquerque, N.M., and one in Cumberland R.I. Can I do it? (put it together somehow i mean)

Thanks

Hello,

Thanks for your question. Since your main reason for taking this cruise is to travel through the Panama Canal, then we would recommend a one-way cruise, such as the one offered at the link below:

http://cruises.cheaptickets.com/b/c/sc.asp?d=5/27/2008&d2=11/30/2009&i=837258&c=11&v=56&IncludeAlumnirates=true

There are round-trip cruises that start at a port, such as Miami, and end up back there again, but these may not go all the way through the Panama Canal. The one-way cruise is a sure bet that you'll travel the whole canal, if that's your main interest. I don't think the fact that you and your traveling partner live in separate locations will pose a problem...for instance, on the cruise linked above, you both would just need a one-way airline ticket from your homes to Fort Lauderdale, and would need another one-way airline ticket from San Diego back to your homes. The airline tickets will probably run a little more money due to the fact that you're not buying round-trip airline tickets. So, yes, you can do it, and it should be the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy!

Smooth Sailing,

--Kim & Johnnie

Excursion Booking: Now or Later

Hi Kim,

I found your webpage most informative, thank you! My question is regarding onshore excursions. Is it really necessary to book them ahead of time? We are going to be in the Bahamas in 3 weeks and will be in Nassau for 1 day so we didn't want to book an excursion ahead of time in case once we get there, we decide to do something entirely different. I've heard conflicting stories regarding where you end up once you get to Nassau. Apparently, there isn't a beach or shopping area in the immediate area. We are looking to spend a relaxing day on the beach and do a little shopping. Not real iterested in doing any scuba diving or anything like that.

This will be our first cruise, so we're not familiar with how it all works. Thanks for any suggestions you can offer.

--Rebecca R.

Rebecca,

Thanks for your question. No, it is not necessary to book your excursions ahead of time; you can do that while aboard the ship. We do often book ours ahead of time if we know, for sure, what we want to do at a certain port, but we have also booked excursions aboard the ship. If you're mainly wanting to just relax at the beach, we recommend that you do one of the 'beach break' excursions...or, since you'll be in Nassau, you may want to check for an excursion to the Atlantis Resort! This would give you the opportunity to check out a resort known the world over, and also would be a great place to hang out at the beach. Either way, if you're wanting to do a little shopping, check with your cruise line to see how long the excursion lasts (probably 4 or 5 hours), so you're sure you'll have time for a little shopping afterwards. One word of caution, however you plan your day: be sure you're back aboard your ship with ample time to spare; the ship will not wait if you're late. You're okay if you're on an excursion through the cruise line, but just keep an eye on the time if you're out on your own.

That having been said, congratulations on making an awesome vacation choice -- you're going to have a great time! One of the greatest things about a cruise vacation is knowing that once you're aboard, everything you need is taken care of. Drop us a line when you get back and tell us about it!

Smooth Sailing,

--Kim & Johnnie

Hurricane Season Concerns

Good Morning Kim

Thank you for such a great web site. It is most informative!

We are planning a Canada & New England Cruise in the first week of September 2008.

We have learned through the internet that the hurricane season is around that time. Have checked past hurricane seasons and we will have to base an opinion on that.

Should we be concerned to cruise around that time of the year? We have not yet booked.

Thank you and you have a great day.

--Denis & Geraldine

Denis and Geraldine,

Thanks so much for your kind words about our site...they truly mean more than you know. We hope that it will continue to be a source of information for you, and that you will spread the good word about our site.

Although September will indeed find you in Hurricane Season, we doubt that you will be affected significantly, being as far north as you will be. However, if something happens to blow that far north, it has been our experience that the cruise lines will possibly just 'work around the weather.'

In other words, they may decide to have you board at another port location to avoid the weather, in which case they will probably give you some type of credit for your inconvenience.

By the same token, if the weather strikes your departure port while you're at sea, they may bring you back to a different port location for departure and then bus you to your vehicle when the weather clears, etc.;

Or, if no other option is available, they may cancel the trip and refund your money.

At any rate, the cruise lines usually 'take it upon themselves' to bear the burden of dealing with uncertain weather during hurricane season. We can't guarantee what any cruise line will or won't do, but usually they're the ones who make good on things when the unexpected happens during hurricane season.

If things go like they have the past couple years, you shouldn't have much problem! And we certainly hope weather doesn't stop your trip.

Again, thanks so much for visiting our site, and please don't hesitate to ask any other questions!

Smooth Sailing,

--Kim & Johnnie

To Dress to the Nines?

Hi

This is our first cruise. We are leaving from Seattle for Alaska on May 11. We were really wondering about dress wear for dinner. Are dresses a necessity or dressy pant suits. And anything you think we should know. I really enjoyed your site but was not able to access the first thing on your list about what to do at home preparing for the cruise had no trouble with the rest. The first cruise ships have already arrived in Seattle. I believe it was Tuesday when the first one came in. Thanks for the great site and any help you can give me. My husband and I are celebrating our 45th anniversary so we are not youngsters but not over the hill yet.

Thank you again,

Rose Marie D.

Rose Marie,

Congratulations on your 45th anniversary, and on making a great choice on how to celebrate it! We celebrate our 15th anniversary on April 10th. It's truly a blessing in this day and age to see folks like you stick with each other for the long haul. We know that doesn't happen by accident. You are to be commended!

As far as Formal Dining goes, the cruise lines are usually pretty easy going about what to wear. Usually, on a one-week cruise, you'll only have two true "Formal Nights", where they'll recommend dresses for the ladies and tuxedo or suit for the gentlemen. The other nights in the formal dining room are something along the lines of "Smart Casual", in other words, khaki pants and a nice shirt are fine for the men, and pant suits are fine for the women for all the other nights in there. We've even worn blue jeans and a nice shirt a time or two in the formal dining, just not on "Formal Night", and they're not going to give you any problems. The only time I've seen them say anything is when a guy wore shorts to formal dining, and they told him he needed long pants. So don't let the formal dining scare you -- you're going to be spoiled when you go in there! Go have a great time! Do try something new every night while you're in there -- you can even order two different plates for one person, that way you'll have that steak in case you don't like the other plate!

You mentioned having trouble with the first link on our page -- I believe you're talking about the one that says "Cruise Tips Home". If so, that is just a link that takes you back to our main home page, it doesn't take you anywhere else. But speaking of preparing at home, do take a look at our "Cruise Packing List" page, and make sure you click the link for the "Printer Friendly Version". That'll take you to our Packing List that even has checkboxes to check as you pack, and blank spaces to write in extras that you think of.

Finally, thanks so much for your kind words about our site, it means more than you know! Remember we're always here if you have any questions, and, let us know how your trip goes!

Smooth Sailing,
--Kim & Johnnie

After-Christmas Cruising

Do cruises the week after Christmas tend be be full or not so full? When is the best time to book for that week???

Thanks,

Jen

Jen,

That time of year does tend to be busy for the cruise lines, but no situation is ever exactly the same. But the best time to book is most always right away. Often you will find that the rooms go cheaper the earlier you can book them, and, of course, by booking earlier you'll have more choices as to which room you want. We've heard it said, "book early, or book late." Which is to say, early on, the cruise lines are eager to get bookings going, and will often offer great prices then. And as the cruise draws near, they're frantic to fill those last rooms, so the good deals come again -- it's just that, being that late in the game, you're very limited on room choices. So it's best to book as early as possible. We've even had situations where we booked, only to see the cruise line drop prices a couple weeks later. We'd call, tell them we saw the lower price, and they'd automatically lower our booking price to match the new price! (They don't want to go through you cancelling, then bothering them again to re-book at the lower price) So our advice is, book as soon as possible!

Have a great trip, and let us know how it went! Any other questions, we're alway's here...

Smooth Sailing,

--Kim & Johnnie

Don't Rock the Boat!

Hi Kim

Thank you for your reply and information.

Where on a ship is the best for the least motion. We were told the center and closer to the bottom. How bad would the 8100 (stateroom number) be on the Naviagtion Deck, port side, on the new Eurodam Holland America be?

Any suggestions on what tours that would be good to do on this Sep[t 1, 2008 cruise might be?

Regarding dining, is the anytime dining a good idea?

Any other addtional information would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Denis U.

Denis,

The information you were given is generally correct -- there is less motion in the center and towards the bottom of the ship. However, although we do generally book a room near the center for this reason, we always try to be on one of the upper decks near the center. We do this kind of as a 'tradeoff' -- less motion due to being in the center, but closer to the dining and other facilities by being on the higher deck.

We've never cruised with Holland America, so we're not familiar with many things about that line or that particular stateroom. But if you'll stick with the 'near the center' idea, you'll have a much smoother ride. Actually, believe it or not, some people like the motion in their room -- they say it rocks them to sleep at night!! I say, the little rocking I get in the center of the boat is enough for that.

For dining, we always do the Formal Dining...we find it to be a great treat and would do nothing else. But it's hard to go wrong with dining, you're pretty much going to be taken care of however you choose to go.

But while we're on the topic of dining, we'd like to recommend the later dining times if available. We like the later seating because, on port days, the later seating allows us more time in port, without having to rush back to the boat before departure to get ready for dinner. On a cruise, you're already limited to only a few hours in port...we sure don't want to be limited any more than that by an early dining time.

We hope you have a great trip, and let us know if you have other questions. And, when you get back, drop us an e-mail reviewing your cruise!

Smooth Sailing,

--Kim & Johnnie

Costa Maya Reopening Date?

Kim,

Hello! I am trying to get info on Costa Maya. We are scheduled to go on the Disney Magic September 27. I have heard the construction will not be complete by that time and some cruise lines have already changed itineraries. So far Disney hasn't posted anything on their web site. I called Disney but the agent didn't have any info. What do you know about this? I will be SO sad if we have a change of plans. We booked this cruise specifically for Costa Maya. I appreciate any help you can give us.

Thanks,

Lori Ann S.

Lori Ann,

Thanks for your question. All news coming from Costa Maya says that they'll be open for business this summer. We are hearing that they will be able to dock two ships at a time by around July, and will be able to accomodate three at a time before year's end. Also, we're hearing that they will be able to accomodate larger ships than ever. So, although construction won't be entirely complete by the time of your cruise, they should be more than ready to accomodate you by that time, from what we're hearing.

We don't blame you for being concerned, Costa Maya is one of our favorite ports too! If you haven't done so already, check out our review of Costa Maya at http://www.kimscruisetips.com/costamaya .

By all accounts you should be okay for your stop at Costa Maya. We hope your cruise goes great, and, as always, we're here if you have any other questions.

Smooth Sailing,

--Kim & Johnnie