Never been on a cruise and I have questions!?

Question

I am a 29 year old male and I want to treat myself to a cruise for my 30th birthday in January. I live in the DC metro area and I have quick access to Balitmore, MD. I would like to take a cruise from there to Bermuda (and back).

I have no idea where to look and what to look for. I will be going by myself and don't care for formal gatherings (I'd rather wear shorts the entire time I'm there). I am looking to relax more than anything.

Any suggestions? Personal experiences would be great too.

Answer 1

For starters you can check w/ www.travelocity.com or expedia.com    They will give you options as to where you want to travel, when, and where from..once you put the info in, they will show you a list of available cruises.  If you are looking for casual, laid back, I'd suggest Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, or Carnival.

Answer 2

I don't see any cruises from Baltimore around that time. Is your heart set on Bermuda, if so maybe you can fly straight there. There are always cheap Caribbean flights out of BWI. If you're open to other options try choosing a different departure port and/ or different location. Also with cruises, check to see if they offer a single supplement. Most book for double occupancy and will charge you the amount for two people, even if you are traveling alone.

Answer 3

I noticed you said you would be travelling yourself.  Just an FYI, when cruising, that you usually end up paying the price for 2 people, even if just one person is cruising.  A $500 per person cruise based on double occupancy will cost a single cruiser anywhere between $800 and $1000.  Call around to different cruise lines and check.  Although I usually cruise Carnival, I got a cheaper single cruise on Royal Carribbean than what Carnival was charging me for a 3 day.  It just depends when/where you are cruising.

Answer 4

That time of year,you might not be able to wear shorts-check the weather in Bermuda in January. My suggestion would be book thru a cruise line, you get the best airfares thru them when booking packages and if the plane is late, you don;t have to worry about getting to the ship-they arrange that. I would suggest leaving from FL that time of year and doing a Carnival cruise-3  or 4 days to the Bahamas..............Carnival is geared to a younger crowd and less formal than other lines. You don't have to go formal, unless you eat in the dining room and then most nights a pair of slacks and a shirt,sweater will work...................except for the formal night and you can skip the meal in the DR and eat in one of the many other places on board.

Answer 5

If you just want to see what is available, then I recommend using one of the big travel sites (Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity).  Click on the cruises tab and you can narrow down the search to Baltimore to see what cruises might be available.  Or, you could just search for cruises to Bermuda and see what ships are leaving from where.

Since you enjoy casual dress, Norwegian (NCL) might be your best choice.  Others that are more casual are Carnival and Royal Caribbean.  However, none allow shorts in the dining room for dinner.  You can wear shorts to the buffet for dinner.  You can also wear shorts in the dining room for breakfast and lunch.

Other cruise lines have a stricter dress code, and you might not be as happy as you would on one of the above three lines.

When you have a better idea of what is available, since you have not been on a cruise, I would suggest a travel agent.  You want one that asks you lots of questions and recommends a cruise based on your answers.  If the travel agent is just interested in selling you want the travel agent wants to sell you, then find another travel agent.  Interview at least three travel agents and find one you are comfortable with.  Cruise lines pay a commission, so there is no need for you to pay a fee.  Also ask about their cancellation and refund policies.  

Ask to see a brochure.  You should identify with some of the people in the brochure, or else you are not the type of person that cruise line is trying to attract, and thus would most likely not be happy on a cruise with that cruise line.  For example, Crystal is an excellent cruise line, but everyone dresses up for dinner, so you would not be happy on that cruise line.

Answer 6

Unfortunately doing a little research I wasn't able to even FIND a cruise to Bermuda in Jan leaving from anywhere :(

Your best bet would to call a cruise travel agent in your area. Just pick one out of the yellow pages or if you are a AAA member call them. They might know something I can't find!  

On a note, you also a passport (or proof of US citizenship aka, birth cert) to come back from Bermuda. And they can vary in the time it gets to take one.

Answer 7

To book the cruise, you can check vacationstogo.com.  They offer some really great fares, espeically last minute fares.  If you're going by yourself, be prepared to pay more, as most stateroom prices are based on double occupancy, so if you're staying in it by yourself, you may have to pay more.  Try NCL since they have the freestyle cruising, which means you're not obligated to wear formal wear if you don't want to.  Do some research on the ports of calls offered and the various kinds of excursions in each port.  Also, enjoy the great service and abundance of food on the ship.  Have fun.

Answer 8

Well for the first part of your question..where to find a cruise for you....i have always found vacationstogo.com the most helpful site...so i did a search for what you are looking for:

There actually were no cruises from Baltimore to Bermuda in January....but I did a search for any month...the cruise closest to your birthday would be either this November 11, or April 26, 2008...they are both 5 day cruises on Royal Carribean's Grandeur of the Seas....Here is the itenerary for both dates:

DAY  DATE  PORT  ARRIVE    DEPART  

Sun    Nov 11 Baltimore               5:00pm

Mon   Nov 12       AT SEA

Tue    Nov 13  King's Wharf, Bermuda  9:00am  (ARRIVE)

Wed  Nov 14  King's Wharf, Bermuda   4:00pm (DEPART)

Thu    Nov 15          AT SEA

Fri     Nov 16 Baltimore 8:00am

----->AND <-----

DAY  DATE  PORT  ARRIVE    DEPART  

Sat     Apr 26 Baltimore              5:00pm

Sun    Apr 27         AT SEA

Mon   Apr 28 King's Wharf, Bermuda  9:00am  (ARRIVE)

Tue    Apr 29 King's Wharf, Bermuda   4:00pm (DEPART)

Wed  Apr 30         AT SEA  

Thu     May 1  Baltimore  8:00am

Now the prices would be different for the both cruises....the November 11th cruise would be $719 for the cheapest inside, $1,059 for the cheapest oceanview, $1,689 for the cheapest balcony, and $1,739 for the cheapest suite

For the April 26, 2008 cruise it would be $699 for the cheapest inside, $849 for the cheapest oceanview, $1,149 for the cheapest balcony, and $1,249 for the cheapest suite.

Now keep in mind that since you are cruising alone, it may cost more...also add the port fees if you are driving....and the April cruise is cheaper than the Novemeber cruise, so also keep that in mind when booking your cruise

Here is the link for the Novemeber cruise:

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?de...

and the April cruise:

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?de...

and then the entire search:

http://vacationstogo.com/ticker.cfm

And if you want to start from scratch:

type in vacationstogo.com and click on Find a Bargain

Now for the second half of your question; you don'y know what to expect...

Well on a cruise, one thing you must have is patience...when boarding and embarking your cruise you may have to wait some time...

I also hope you like to eat because cruises are filled with fantastics dishes, and basically all you can eat...Now with formal gatherings....unless you eat dinner at the buffet, there will be a formal night on your 5 day cruise...this means a coat and tie, nothing more than that...now like i said if you don't want to be bugged at all with a formal dinner then i would eat all your meals at the buffet....

Cruises are the best way to relax...there are pools, launges, spas, gyms, wonderful rooms, breathtaking views, and of course the beautiful ports of call, which in your case would be King's Wharf, Bermuda...now I have been to this port of call, although I don't remember it fondly....What I do remember are the amazing caves that they have for you to see....you can take tours all throughout this port of call, which you will most definetely enjoy...for more on this port of call, check this out:

http://vacationstogo.com/cruiseports/vie...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newpor...

http://www.bermudaportreviews.com/KingsW...

Ok, now personal experiences:

I have been on 4 cruises(5th is booked for March), Bermuda, Bahamas, Cozumel, Key West, and Grand Cayman....I wish that I could go on a cruise every single month....anybody who has ever been on a cruise would say the excat same thing as me...there is nothing about a cruise that you could possilbe complain about.....the food, activites, views, staterooms, ports of call, shows and entertainment are all top notch...there will be so much fun things to do, you will forget that you are on a ship.....

Now about your ship- Royal Carribean's Grandeur of the Seas

I have never been on this ship...but I have heard remarkable things about it....here is a link to reviews and other information about the ship:

http://vacationstogo.com/ship.cfm?shipid...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/revi...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/revi...

Now my most memorable experience ever on a cruise ship would be in 2004 when I went on the Disney Wonder...my family and I stayed in Disney World for 4 days and then we were going to take a cruise for 3 days to Disney's private island Castaway Cay out of Port Canaveral, FL....when we got on the ship everything was specatacular...this was our 3rd cruise and so far out favorite...We had a day at sea before we were supposed to arrive at the private island....towerds the beginning of that first day at sea, we were informed that Hurricane Frances was headed straight for Castaway Cay...everyone on board was freaking out, not knowing what was going to happen...the captain was honest with us, and told us that if he couldn't find us another port to go to, that we would have to go home....but then later that day he had informed us that Cozumel had a spot open for us to dock....so instead of us going to Castaway Cay, we went to Cozumel, Meixco....each cabin was given $300 to spend onboard the ship because they felt bad that we couldn't go to their private island....no out second problem that we encountered was what port to come back into Florida....the port that we had left out of was totally destroyed....they had to find another port....the open available one was Ft. Lauderdale, 3 hours away from Port Canaveral....but we couldnt go there until there was an opening for us...so we ended up having 2 extra days at sea and $300 per cabin to spend onboard....we then had to take a 3 hour bus ride to where the destoryed port once was....most people onboard had missed their flights, including us, so the cruise line took care of it....this was my favorite cruise overall, because it was like we didn't know what was going to happen next....

I hope that all of this information has helped you, I wish you the best of luck....Happy early birthday, i promise you, you will have the time of your life on a cruise....good luck, have fun, and if you have any more questions, feel free to send me a message!! = ]

Answer 9

You won't be able to go to Bermuda in January.  Bermuda has weather similar to the East Coast - and it will be cool there, in the 50's.  No beaches are open at that time.

Your better off going to the Bahama's, or even the Western Caribbean.

Answer 10

You can first check by looking or calling the certain cruise line you would like to cruise. Then I would book the cruise if the time and rate is right for you. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy yourself. Just remember some cruise lines charge 200% for single person.

Answer 11

Sounds like you haven't travelled abroad too much, so use a travel agent.

As I recall, the trip from Nerw York to Hamilton

involved only one night at sea, so the single supplement is worth paying, and the cost of an outside cabin isn't.

Formal wear is only an issue on some cruiselines, and only on some nights. You can eat well in the totally casual alternative restaurants that all ships have.

In Bermuda, even bankers wear shorts.  Bon voyage!

Answer 12

Hello,

I've been on 2 carnival cruise line trips. Carnival to eastern and southern to the Caribbean.  The attire is casual which sounds like what you like. But I really suggest to bring a nice suit. The dinners in the main dining room are fantastic. You really shouldn't miss it. It also gives you a chance to meet other people on the ship. They can tell you of places to see in the ports you visit. People on cruise ships are very friendly if that's what you might worry about. After a couple of days it's like you're one big family. I was addicted after my first cruise. They keep you so busy you totally forget about any problems or pressures you have at home. You'll feel totally pampered.  I call it a "total escape trip". They have "Captains night"  also.  Cocktails and finger food for all of the quests.  Another chance to meet people and hear some live music. If you're going try to take advantage of everything free that you can.  They usually deliver a paper to your cabin. It will tell you of all that is happening on the ship for that day. You can pick and choose what you feel like doing that day. See the shows, visit the art auction. Swim or just lay in the sun.  If you really don't want to get dressed up, that's up to you. But don't regret what you may have had a chance to participate in. They have other choices as far as eating goes. Have a great time. You won't regret it!!  Staff on the ship are always very helpful, don't be afraid to ask questions.

Answer 13

go to princess.com or royalcarribean.com

that will help you alot