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Cruise Discussion Forum?

T

TravelTime

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Would it be possible to add a cruise discussion forum in the Tug Lounge?

Currently we can search for previous cruise posts on Tug but it can get challenging to sift through them that way. I have searched in the past before I booked some cruises to see past posts. I think there might be enough interest on Tug to have a separate section where all cruise line questions could be consolidated. I would find it helpful for the future. Are others interested too?
 
I am for it. Cruise Critic is too complex and overwhelming. Too many cruise cheerleaders and jargon for a new cruiser like me.

Perhaps start with a cruise thread and see how much interest? We are new to cruising so looking for a Tuggers eye on the travel option
 
Rather than putting it in the lounge, I'd propose it go under the Vacation Travel Information forum since cruising is already listed as a topic there.

We need to be cautious of 'mission creep' on this simply because Cruise Critic ( www.cruisecritic.com/ )is already so information dense as to intimidate many new users. Cruise Critic is already the TUG of cruisers, so we don't need to duplicate their expertise.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Cruises and basic comparison of river vs. ocean types, and suggestions on combining timeshare stays along with a cruise seem like good ideas for TUG to stick our collective toes into the cruise waters, but encouraging those who want deck plans and onboard meet 'n' greets is best left to Cruise Critic.

Jim
 
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CRAIGS said:
Yes, and if anyone knows of websites that publish cruises that are (lowest price per day) would be very helpful for this thrifty Tugger.
Click to expand...
Take a look at www.vacationstogo.com/ for their '90 day ticker' for last minute bargains.
 
I do see there is one thread related to cruises in this part of TUG:
tugbbs.com

[ 2005 ] Booking Cruises--Website Recommendations

Ok, I'll start this. Here is a list of the places I go to when I'm checking cruise prices: Cruise Shopping Cruise Vacation Center This is especially good for cruises in the next 90 days, but also has dates further out. Vacations to Go Use this site to request agent bids on a...
tugbbs.com tugbbs.com

I was thinking perhaps there could be a sub section on TUG where people could post various threads (not just one long thread) and ask questions of other Tuggers. Also, for me, I prefer scrolling down post titles to learn rather than searching through one long thread that may be mainly irrelevant. Using the search function is another good option but that can also pop up a lot of irrelevant information.

In terms of a section on TUG vs Cruise Critic. I actually barely use Cruise Critic. I came to perceive it as too promotional. Maybe I am wrong about that. I have tended to prefer Facebook groups on specific topics.
 
CRAIGS said:
Yes, and if anyone knows of websites that publish cruises that are (lowest price per day) would be very helpful for this thrifty Tugger.
Click to expand...

Currently the best objective source for cruise prices for the major mass market lines is https://www.cruiseplum.com/. It only shows prices in USD and CAD. Note that it won't include any particular status discounts you may be eligible for at the various lines, nor any shareholder OBC benefits (though it does now have a way to remind you of those benefits). I use it regularly to review several searches I defined and saved in my (free) account (they limit saved searches to five).
 
id be fine with it being a subforum of vacation travel
 
TravelTime said:
I do see there is one thread related to cruises in this part of TUG:
tugbbs.com

[ 2005 ] Booking Cruises--Website Recommendations

Ok, I'll start this. Here is a list of the places I go to when I'm checking cruise prices: Cruise Shopping Cruise Vacation Center This is especially good for cruises in the next 90 days, but also has dates further out. Vacations to Go Use this site to request agent bids on a...
tugbbs.com tugbbs.com
Click to expand...
Kind of fun reading some of the early (the thread is almost 20 years old) comments. I'd wager that darn few of the participants are still TUGgers, or in the case of a few I recognized are still above the lawn. (Sigh)
 
+1 for a subforum here. I've tried to navigate Cruise Critic, and I quickly get swamped, and feel like I'm missing some kind of insider knowledge on how to find what I'm after. (Case in point: We have a Celebrity cruise booked for next Summer. In time spent wandering across all of Cruise Critic just this morning, I see exactly two posts listed for the entire cruise, which is nearly sold out. One post is from last February, where the person says they're excited to have booked the cruise, and a reply to that post saying, "Following. We're excited too." Seriously? That's it? Did I overlook something, or is there just nothing else posted by any of the thousands who will be on the ship? Seems unlikely, but I can't find anything more to read about it.) It's very hard to navigate that site if you're not greatly experienced in how things are set up. And there is a built-in snarky attitude toward newbies there that is off-putting.

Dave
 
DaveNV said:
+1 for a subforum here. I've tried to navigate Cruise Critic, and I quickly get swamped, and feel like I'm missing some kind of insider knowledge on how to find what I'm after. (Case in point: We have a Celebrity cruise booked for next Summer. In time spent wandering across all of Cruise Critic just this morning, I see exactly two posts listed for the entire cruise, which is nearly sold out. One post is from last February, where the person says they're excited to have booked the cruise, and a reply to that post saying, "Following. We're excited too." Seriously? That's it? Did I overlook something, or is there just nothing else posted by any of the thousands who will be on the ship? Seems unlikely, but I can't find anything more to read about it.) It's very hard to navigate that site if you're not greatly experienced in how things are set up. And there is a built-in snarky attitude toward newbies there that is off-putting.

Dave
Click to expand...

Search for the roll call thread on that cruise and you'll likely find more info there.

ROLL CALLS

You can browse our list of Roll Calls, but you must be registered and logged in to read and post. Not a Member? Register Now! Learn How to Join Your Roll Call Read: What is a ROLL CALL? and Learn How To Create a New Roll Call
boards.cruisecritic.com boards.cruisecritic.com
 
Ken555 said:
Search for the roll call thread on that cruise and you'll likely find more info there.

ROLL CALLS

You can browse our list of Roll Calls, but you must be registered and logged in to read and post. Not a Member? Register Now! Learn How to Join Your Roll Call Read: What is a ROLL CALL? and Learn How To Create a New Roll Call
boards.cruisecritic.com boards.cruisecritic.com
Click to expand...

I did - and that was where i found the two posts. It seems like a lack of info on this particular cruise, for some reason. :shrug:

Dave
 
Ken555 said:
Search for the roll call thread on that cruise and you'll likely find more info there.

ROLL CALLS

You can browse our list of Roll Calls, but you must be registered and logged in to read and post. Not a Member? Register Now! Learn How to Join Your Roll Call Read: What is a ROLL CALL? and Learn How To Create a New Roll Call
boards.cruisecritic.com boards.cruisecritic.com
Click to expand...

DaveNV said:
I did - and that was where i found the two posts. It seems like a lack of info on this particular cruise, for some reason. :shrug:

Dave
Click to expand...
Since Covid disrupted cruising, roll calls on Cruise Critic seem to have been going the way of the dodo bird.
In the past, we've connected with folks planning private tours and, I've recruited members to join some that I organized. On cruises with lots of sea days, we had book discussions and once, even participated in a Murder Mystery at Sea!
Try FB to find your sailing, Dave. Though I must say the FB cruise groups I've joined haven't been very helpful.
 
It seems that individual Facebook Groups for each cruise have replaced the Cruise Critic Roll Calls. I seem to recall these roll calls dropping off even before the cruise shut down. Cruise Critic uses the worst forum software. I don't find the site easy to use. A subforum under "Vacation Travel Information" on TUG is a good idea.
 
beejaybeeohio said:
Since Covid disrupted cruising, roll calls on Cruise Critic seem to have been going the way of the dodo bird.
In the past, we've connected with folks planning private tours and, I've recruited members to join some that I organized. On cruises with lots of sea days, we had book discussions and once, even participated in a Murder Mystery at Sea!
Try FB to find your sailing, Dave. Though I must say the FB cruise groups I've joined haven't been very helpful.
Click to expand...

Great ideas. Thanks. I'm not terribly concerned about not finding anything, just a bit disappointed there isn't more to be found. This is a new Celebrity ship (Ascent) and I'd have thought there'd be lots of posts with ideas and questions. If they're out there on the CC site, I sure don't see them. The cruise departs July 27 from Rome (Civitavecchia), and ends in Athens on August 3rd, if anyone else sees something I can't find.

Dave
 
DaveNV said:
Great ideas. Thanks. I'm not terribly concerned about not finding anything, just a bit disappointed there isn't more to be found. This is a new Celebrity ship (Ascent) and I'd have thought there'd be lots of posts with ideas and questions. If they're out there on the CC site, I sure don't see them. The cruise departs July 27 from Rome (Civitavecchia), and ends in Athens on August 3rd, if anyone else sees something I can't find.

Dave
Click to expand...
I’ve been reading the DISboards Cruise forum in preparation for our January cruise, and there’s a surprising amount of discussion about other cruise lines there. I also get the impression that most of the specific discussion for individual cruises is on FB - so keeping up with that is DH’s job.
 
Ken555 said:
Currently the best objective source for cruise prices for the major mass market lines is https://www.cruiseplum.com/. It only shows prices in USD and CAD. Note that it won't include any particular status discounts you may be eligible for at the various lines, nor any shareholder OBC benefits (though it does now have a way to remind you of those benefits). I use it regularly to review several searches I defined and saved in my (free) account (they limit saved searches to five).
Click to expand...
Never heard of it before... I am going to check it out. Always looking for easier ways to price/compare cruises.
 
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beejaybeeohio said:
Since Covid disrupted cruising, roll calls on Cruise Critic seem to have been going the way of the dodo bird.
In the past, we've connected with folks planning private tours and, I've recruited members to join some that I organized. On cruises with lots of sea days, we had book discussions and once, even participated in a Murder Mystery at Sea!
Try FB to find your sailing, Dave. Though I must say the FB cruise groups I've joined haven't been very helpful.
Click to expand...

Like you I have found the roll calls on CC to have few cruisers since COVID. However, I have been quite happy with FB cruise groups. My last 3 cruises had large FB groups that got together for Meetup, a slot pull and a pub crawl (2 out of the 3 cruises). I ran the slot pulls on 2 out of the 3 cruises. This past august, we had a meetup and took over 'The District' on NCL Joy for an hour plus I had about 35+ people for the slot pull.
 
CalGalTraveler said:
What's a slot pull?
Click to expand...

Collective gambling on a single slot machine. It’s primarily a social event where everyone contributes the same amount of money (~$20 or so, usually) and then it all goes in one slot and everyone spins. At the end of one full round a decision is made to continue or cash out, though sometimes that’s determined in advance. Whatever amount is left is evenly split.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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