posted
So I'm not normally a sucker for themed cruises, but JoCo has me on the hook for this one.
This year's cruise featured: - JoCo, Wil Wheaton, Grant Imahara, and various others playing on an Artemis Star Trek bridge simulator. - Celebrity versions of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me hosted by Peter Sagal. - Concerts by Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, Pomplamousse, Sara Watkins, and Paul and Storm. - Standup by Jim Boggia, John Hodgman, and Paul F Thomkins. - Live version of the Thrilling Adventure Hour with Ben Acker and Ben Blacker. - 24 hour board game room with geeky games, magic, etc. - "Regular" guests traveling as passengers included Brett Glass and John Scalzi. - Film festival with the Rifftrax version of Doctor Who and the Daleks. - A mustache fezzstravaganza party!
It was only six day this year, but they're booking JoCo Cruise Crazy 5 for an eight day to the Bahamas next January. That means EVEN MORE entertainment. They've already presold more cabins than the entire attendance at Cruise Crazy 3.
It's almost like when I stumbled upon Comic Con before it got "big". I guess it's time to enroll in scuba lessons.
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
My old grad school boss has gone to this every year. Last year, a boat with Carnival (JoCo 3 were on Royal Caribbean) had the infamous sewer incident at the same time and we were quite worried it was the boss (it wasn't).
I don't know if I would go on a cruise based on the number of health incidents.
There's no reason not to get SCUBA certified.
Posts: 1757 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I've been on two cruises, my wife has been on three, my grandmother has been on more than forty.
Minor health incidents happen occasionally. Major health incidents are rare. The majority of the time, if there's an issue, the result is extra hand sanitation stations. It is MUCH more likely the exception than the rule. But any vacation is prone to risk / interruption. And any foreign travel is always at risk of ... digestion issues.
I'd say that a cruise is slightly higher at risk of gastrointestinal illness than most foreign travel vacations. But on the whole, it isn't something to be overly worried about.
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posted
I'm thinking SCUBA would be a good thing. There's an excursion with two dives -- one shipwreck and one reef -- in St. Kitts that comes highly recommended.
I just wish I'd learned earlier. Maybe when I was stationed in Guam for three years.
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posted
Tom: are you inferring that cruises are an activity for the old and infirm? Maybe it's just the ex-military crowd, but I know tons of people (even in their twenties) that are avid cruisers. Costs are so low, it's one of the most budget-friendly ways to vacation.
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posted
yeah, to use a specific example, a Norwegian Cruise Lines week long trip to islands like bermuda with a 3-4 day docking. 1500 dollars. it's your food budget, transportation, and hotel accommodations all rolled up in one, leaving only what you pay for on the island itself. and drinks.
compared to the other options for a vacation, it does shave off quite a bit of money, as long as you don't mind half the people you're travelling with being geriatric?
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I drove from Utah to California and took my family of four (at the time) on a Holland America 10 day cruise of the Mexican Riviera. Not including excursions, it ran about $1,600. And maybe a couple of hundred dollars gas.
Yes, I booked through CruiseCompete. I decided to drive, and I pinched pennies. But it was a way better vacation than I'd be able to afford otherwise. And ten days without driving? Amazing.
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posted
i wouldn't take kids on a cruise or many other significant-cost-per-head adventures, but some cruise lines do have family packages that would make that worthwhile.
but i'd rather take them hiking and camping, or to las vegas (no jokes)
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posted
When I went, kids cruised free. Plus, they are in programs all day, so you have the time to yourself. It's pretty much a win / win.
Maybe it was just an excuse to go on some of the more juvenile (read pirate ships and watersports) excursions.
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quote:Originally posted by Herblay: When I went, kids cruised free. Plus, they are in programs all day, so you have the time to yourself. It's pretty much a win / win.
My ears just perked waaaay up...
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Kids (or extra passengers in a cabin) can cruise free on certain cruise lines. But not all cruise lines that offer the program offer it ALL THE TIME, and others never do. - Kids always sail free on MSL and Norwegian. - Kids sail free on certain sailings with Holland America and Carnival. - Every year Disney designates a certain number of cruise dates where kids sail free. It's based on low-booking, so you have to keep an eye out and be ready to book.
Unfortunately, it's not always as magical as you'd expect. You'll still pay for kids on most prime sailings. And even when they ARE free, you'll still pay a little for taxes / fees for each kid.
But still, if you plan a cruise right, you can save A LOT of money. In addition to food, hotel, etc, child care is INCLUDED at no extra charge.
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posted
kids always free on norwegian is a hell of a thing, because that means you could drag, like, three tikes along to bermuda or the bahamas on an eight day cruise for one to two thousand dollars
and norwegian is one of the better cruise experiences imo, their new ships like the Breakaway are into the land of "this ship doesn't feel tacky" territory
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posted
I like Holland America: smaller ships, teak decks with chairs always available, bring all the wine on-board you want. They've got the best food at sea and the biggest on-board libraries. They go to out-of-the-way ports that don't normally get cruise ship travel as well.
Downsides? The passenger mix has a median age similar to that of the Old Testament, and the entertainment is terrible.
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posted
ahaha. see, i like the huge-ass norwegian boats, because I prefer huge ships (to compensate for other shortcomings in my life) and because there's way more room for diversity in onboard amenities and eating and stuff like that
breakaway even has a studio section for solo travelers with its own lounge, deep in the inner recesses of the ship
also: it's a newer ship so it's not ... you know, like liners usually are.
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