Booked our first Cruise

[gwberg]

We have been on two Oceania cruises and are shopping for another one in 2025. Excellent food and service. Decent entertainment. Small, beautiful ships, no crowds or lines, met some very nice people. We are 77 and 73 but still love to Rock and Roll. But there are plenty of quiet spots, too. Not cheap but my wife works hard to get us the best deal on the new or refurbished ships (e.g Vista) and good-sized cabins.


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[1Kflyerguy]

We just wrapped up the cruise last Friday and are back home for a few weeks. We both enjoyed the trip, and I can see why so many people like to cruise. We ate in all four main dining rooms, as well as Eden and Fine Cut Steakhouse. The food and service were good to great, better than I expected in some cases. About the only restaurant on the ship that we did not enjoy was the Mast Grill, which is their pool deck grill. The burger was really basic and dried out. I could see they had a large stack of pre-cooked burgers sitting to the side, which they simply dropped back on the flat top to warm up when you ordered them. If I had not needed a meal during off hours, I would not have dined there.

One day, it was pouring rain, so my wife stayed on the ship while I ventured out to explore Ketchikan. It was wet, but I had a good time; the other port days were all dry, which was good. I think there were five other ships in Juneau that day, and the port was packed with tourists. I realize almost all the Alaska cruises make the same stops, so crowding seems unavoidable. Is that typical in other areas? The Caribbean seems much bigger with lots of stops, but also lots more ships sailing there.

 

[pedro47]

Did you register for the Celebrity Captain Club.?

 

[Ken555]

Did you register for the Celebrity Captain Club.?

Every cruiser is automatically registered.

 

[dioxide45]

Did you register for the Celebrity Captain Club.?

If you don’t sign up prior to the cruise, registration is automatic the first time you cruise.

 

[jorcus]

We just wrapped up the cruise last Friday and are back home for a few weeks. We both enjoyed the trip, and I can see why so many people like to cruise. We ate in all four main dining rooms, as well as Eden and Fine Cut Steakhouse. The food and service were good to great, better than I expected in some cases. About the only restaurant on the ship that we did not enjoy was the Mast Grill, which is their pool deck grill. The burger was really basic and dried out. I could see they had a large stack of pre-cooked burgers sitting to the side, which they simply dropped back on the flat top to warm up when you ordered them. If I had not needed a meal during off hours, I would not have dined there.

One day, it was pouring rain, so my wife stayed on the ship while I ventured out to explore Ketchikan. It was wet, but I had a good time; the other port days were all dry, which was good. I think there were five other ships in Juneau that day, and the port was packed with tourists. I realize almost all the Alaska cruises make the same stops, so crowding seems unavoidable. Is that typical in other areas? The Caribbean seems much bigger with lots of stops, but also lots more ships sailing there.

Glad you had a good time on your cruise. Cruising the Alaskan inside passage seems like its almost a requirement for retirees. It's beautiful and for the most part very easy and cost effective vacation. To your question about crowds at Caribbean ports. I would say your biggest consideration is the size of the ship you are going to get on. Certain places like Cozumel can handle the largest ships and many of them on the same day. If you want smaller crowds and less populated ports smaller is better. The trick is determining what you want out of a cruise and if that falls within your price range. Some people are all about the ship and where it goes is a minor consideration. Some are the opposite and it's about the ports and port times. If you are into being on the ship because of the entertainment multiple dining options and other features, you are going top gravitate to a larger ship. If you want to see the sites at a port stop in general the smaller the better. You are going to give up some ship features in exchange the places you go. If your own mobility is a consideration be aware small ships may tender into ports and that is not easy hopping on a bouncing tender. I found the following article very useful when trying to determine what cruise lines fit what I was looking for.

Cruise ship guide: 20 popular lines explained - The Points Guy

TPG offers a quick guide to 20 of the most popular brands, from cruise giant Royal Caribbean, which operates the world’s biggest ships, to small luxury players such as Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

thepointsguy.com

Hope it helps.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Every cruiser is automatically registered.

We signed up for Captain's Club right after we booked the trip. The Travel Agent asked if we had numbers, which we did not, but I signed up after that and then linked them to our reservation online. I did not realize they would sign us up automatically. In any event, I wanted the online access to our reservation to review options etc.

 

[Ken555]

We signed up for Captain's Club right after we booked the trip. The Travel Agent asked if we had numbers, which we did not, but I signed up after that and then linked them to our reservation online. I did not realize they would sign us up automatically. In any event, I wanted the online access to our reservation to review options etc.

You did it correctly. They should do it automatically, but then you'd have to setup password, etc. Your proactive process is easiest and best, IMO.

Fun fact: Celebrity and Royal Caribbean share systems, so your login credentials to their websites are the same. But do use a travel agent to book for convenience and accuracy.

 

[Ken555]

I've been on several Windstar ships, and if you desire a smaller passenger count with a relaxed yet refined atmosphere, I would recommend them.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Glad you had a good time on your cruise. Cruising the Alaskan inside passage seems like its almost a requirement for retirees. It's beautiful and for the most part very easy and cost effective vacation. To your question about crowds at Caribbean ports. I would say your biggest consideration is the size of the ship you are going to get on. Certain places like Cozumel can handle the largest ships and many of them on the same day. If you want smaller crowds and less populated ports smaller is better. The trick is determining what you want out of a cruise and if that falls within your price range. Some people are all about the ship and where it goes is a minor consideration. Some are the opposite and it's about the ports and port times. If you are into being on the ship because of the entertainment multiple dining options and other features, you are going top gravitate to a larger ship. If you want to see the sites at a port stop in general the smaller the better. You are going to give up some ship features in exchange the places you go. If your own mobility is a consideration be aware small ships may tender into ports and that is not easy hopping on a bouncing tender. I found the following article very useful when trying to determine what cruise lines fit what I was looking for.

Cruise ship guide: 20 popular lines explained - The Points Guy

TPG offers a quick guide to 20 of the most popular brands, from cruise giant Royal Caribbean, which operates the world’s biggest ships, to small luxury players such as Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

thepointsguy.com

Hope it helps.

I've been on several Windstar ships, and if you desire a smaller passenger count with a relaxed yet refined atmosphere, I would recommend them.

Thanks to both of you.

This helps to sort out the many options available. I think we will cruise again, but I'm not sure how soon that will happen. Probably back to our usual mix of hotel and timeshare for 2026.