Sunny Beaches or Cruise??

[$_$]

Hey guys, me and my girlfriend are thinking of going on a trip, (2-7 days) and we are having a hard time deciding where or what is the best thing for us. Basicly, we're both quiet young, so budget is definitely an issue. We're looking at 700-1000 per person, and we're thinking of either going somewhere nice and warm with beaches (mexico, bahamas?) or for an all inclusive cruise. Where and what do you guys recommend? Any websites with good special offers? We're thinking late august or early september. Help!

[jbsali]

dont take a cruise.. you'll seriously regret it. i took a cruise from la to santabarbara,sanfran to alaska, alaska to victoria, victoria to vancouver (<thats one cruise)

the waters were rough from sanfran to alaska and i was sick for 6 out of the 7 days. waste of fucking money! plus its usually seniors on the cruise. entertainments is ok. food great! take a bite of one dish and order another one lol. but i was super sick

if your on a budget go to mexico. i doubt you'll find a trip to bahamas for $2,000 over 5 days

you can go to oregon for cheap ($1,000 for 2)! and its beautiful. go now if your going to go. theres a little hotel in the city called lookingglassinn. the place is amazing.
skip mexico this year cause of SWIIINNNEEE

[$_$]

Originally Posted by jbsali

dont take a cruise.. you'll seriously regret it. i took a cruise from la to santabarbara,sanfran to alaska, alaska to victoria, victoria to vancouver (<thats one cruise)

the waters were rough from sanfran to alaska and i was sick for 6 out of the 7 days. waste of fucking money! plus its usually seniors on the cruise. entertainments is ok. food great! take a bite of one dish and order another one lol. but i was super sick

if your on a budget go to mexico. i doubt you'll find a trip to bahamas for $2,000 over 5 days

you can go to oregon for cheap ($1,000 for 2)! and its beautiful. go now if your going to go. theres a little hotel in the city called lookingglassinn. the place is amazing.
skip mexico this year cause of SWIIINNNEEE

thanks for the feedback, i kind of thought about the rough waters part haha, and yeh, people have told me that cruises are for old people lol! So i was wondering, how are cruises with friends? do they have like younger crowds, ie clubs or bars to mingle? What are the age restriction since your crossing international waters?! (gf is 17). totally forgot about the swine flu in mexico, is that still a major concern? We dont neccessary have to go for like an extended amount of time, even like 3 4 day trip is good for us. Oregon sounds like it would be fun, but we really want to plan a getaway somewhere nice and sunny. I was thinking mebbe one of those packages where they have everything planned out, since we're not there for an extended amount of time ? Any websites that people have experiences with ? As well, do i need any visas for any of these places?

[jbsali]

Originally Posted by T.H.C

thanks for the feedback, i kind of thought about the rough waters part haha, and yeh, people have told me that cruises are for old people lol! So i was wondering, how are cruises with friends? do they have like younger crowds, ie clubs or bars to mingle? What are the age restriction since your crossing international waters?! (gf is 17). totally forgot about the swine flu in mexico, is that still a major concern? We dont neccessary have to go for like an extended amount of time, even like 3 4 day trip is good for us. Oregon sounds like it would be fun, but we really want to plan a getaway somewhere nice and sunny. I was thinking mebbe one of those packages where they have everything planned out, since we're not there for an extended amount of time ? Any websites that people have experiences with ? As well, do i need any visas for any of these places?

for your age id prob just keep it local. your asking for problems. especially with a 17 year old gf. majority of cruise ship are usa owned and require you to be 21 years of age. you can have a parent or someone of age order alcohol over the phone to be delivered prior to the cruise and thats about it.

Mexico still isn't doing to well. people go at their own risk.

You should seriously consider camping or hoteling something local (oregon, california) your girlfriend will most likely need written concent that YOU will be here legal guardian if you travel into the US.

cruises are meant for seniors, not young partiers. theres only so much you can do. the idea is to take things slow. thats why its favoured by seniors. plus you can't have fun unless your legally 21.

it sucks but thats life. i'm guessing your under 20 so consider local.

I've gone to oregon every since i was a child and love it. call me biased but i prefer it over a lot of places i've been. i'm taking my gf there for the second time. its just a great place to relax, visit cool touristy towns, surf/skim, get a tan and build a sand castle lol. but you can do that along the coast of cali too

[skyxx]

Drive yourself to Kelowna and enjoy the vineyards plus pick fruits Nice and inexpensive. There are resorts there as well.

[dhawes]

I've been on cruises to alaska and mexico and thoroughly enjoyed both in my teens, a lot of the stuff you can do on the boat is stuff you can do at home, ping pong, pool, movie theatre, stand up comics, swimming, dance, gamble, tan etc.. I dunno why but its funner on a boat! All your meals are planned out and "fine dining" atmosphere - first time I tried swordfish, bonus for the lazy. Also having food available to you 24-7 is fun If you are looking more to relax I'de say cruise.

If you go on a cruise, remember that the closer your room is to the centre of the boat, the more you will feel the waves and rocking, book early and aim for the outside! My mom just recently booked a cruise to Alaska with my aunt for 600-700$ after everything. Hope that helps

[gnat.]

sunny beaches jackk!! srsly! rofl
take it from a person who's done both.
cruise for young people aren't as fun!
NO JOKE!

[CRS]

Originally Posted by dhawes

I've been on cruises to alaska and mexico and thoroughly enjoyed both in my teens, a lot of the stuff you can do on the boat is stuff you can do at home, ping pong, pool, movie theatre, stand up comics, swimming, dance, gamble, tan etc.. I dunno why but its funner on a boat! All your meals are planned out and "fine dining" atmosphere - first time I tried swordfish, bonus for the lazy. Also having food available to you 24-7 is fun If you are looking more to relax I'de say cruise.

If you go on a cruise, remember that the closer your room is to the centre of the boat, the more you will feel the waves and rocking, book early and aim for the outside! My mom just recently booked a cruise to Alaska with my aunt for 600-700$ after everything. Hope that helps

This is what I had experienced as well.

I'm looking for a good deal for a cruise. Those are SWEET.

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by jbsali

dont take a cruise.. you'll seriously regret it. i took a cruise from la to santabarbara,sanfran to alaska, alaska to victoria, victoria to vancouver (<thats one cruise)

the waters were rough from sanfran to alaska and i was sick for 6 out of the 7 days. waste of fucking money! plus its usually seniors on the cruise. entertainments is ok. food great! take a bite of one dish and order another one lol. but i was super sick

The reason your cruise had so many seniors is because it went up to Alaska!! If you want young people on your cruise, stick with Mexico, or the Caribbean. Think about it - old people are not that interested in tanning and/or beaches. Also, the cruise line plays a role in what kind of crowd you'll see. Of the major cruise lines, Holland America generally caters to seniors, while Princess and Royal Caribbean are more family-oriented, and Carnival is where the true party-ers go. Personally, I'd recommend Princess and/or Royal Caribbean.

Another factor is the length of your cruise. Seniors have the time and can afford to go on 7+ day cruises, whereas younger people rarely go on a cruise for longer than a week.

Oh, I found that the waters in the Pacific Ocean were pretty rough. In the Caribbean waters, it wasn't too bad.

As for the OP, wait till your gf is 21 to go on a cruise. Keep in mind, alcohol and pop is NOT included in the price of a cruise.

[$_$]

Originally Posted by Gumby

The reason your cruise had so many seniors is because it went up to Alaska!! If you want young people on your cruise, stick with Mexico, or the Caribbean. Think about it - old people are not that interested in tanning and/or beaches. Also, the cruise line plays a role in what kind of crowd you'll see. Of the major cruise lines, Holland America generally caters to seniors, while Princess and Royal Caribbean are more family-oriented, and Carnival is where the true party-ers go. Personally, I'd recommend Princess and/or Royal Caribbean.

Another factor is the length of your cruise. Seniors have the time and can afford to go on 7+ day cruises, whereas younger people rarely go on a cruise for longer than a week.

Oh, I found that the waters in the Pacific Ocean were pretty rough. In the Caribbean waters, it wasn't too bad.

As for the OP, wait till your gf is 21 to go on a cruise. Keep in mind, alcohol and pop is NOT included in the price of a cruise.

Question: If im taking a cruise to lets say, the carribians, where would the cruise usually depart from ? And if it departs from a far away place, that means i have to buy plane ticket seperately? And i always thought cruises are all inclusive, didnt know i'd have to buy pop

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by T.H.C

Question: If im taking a cruise to lets say, the carribians, where would the cruise usually depart from ? And if it departs from a far away place, that means i have to buy plane ticket seperately? And i always thought cruises are all inclusive, didnt know i'd have to buy pop

Caribbean cruises usually depart from a port in Florida (i.e. Miami, or Fort Lauderdale). Unfortunately that does mean you'll need to find your way down there and back. Flying from Seattle can be significantly cheaper.

Mexican cruises usually depart from LA or San Diego so flights there are probably less expensive. I'd say the average price of a Mexican cruise is less than one in the Caribbean too.

In this day and age, with cruise fares being so competitive, companies are trying to think of ways to get you to spend money while on board their ships. But cruises still offer very good value for the money. I like that you can visit different places without having to go to the airport multiple times, or hop in/out of a car/bus.

Oh yeah, when you're visiting different cities, you have to pay extra if you want to join any tours (but that's probably obvious). If you just want to wander around yourself, that's free of course.

[miss_crayon]

17?! i say save the amount of money for a grand trip when she's legal (at least in canada first).

as for a trip, i agree with some suggestions above to keep it local as you will find it hard for your gf's age. you do need parental consent when travelling internationally and she can't drink/party.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

uh i thought someone in your "group" has to be 24 or older to go on a cruise (or was it 21?)

Originally Posted by T.H.C

Question: If im taking a cruise to lets say, the carribians, where would the cruise usually depart from ? And if it departs from a far away place, that means i have to buy plane ticket seperately? And i always thought cruises are all inclusive, didnt know i'd have to buy pop

the cruise would probably depart from the states or somewhere else down south. i duno how plane tickets work, you could possibly get it with plane tickets included.

you can pay an extra fee and get a thing that lets u get free pop i think.

yeah if you are under 21, you can't use the casino's or go into the bars. remember international waters is 21.

oh as for getting sea sick, i don't mind. i mean if u don't get seasick on a ferry or small boat, a cruise is fine, it will just feel like a gentle rock. i've been on many cruises, but they've all been considered the larger ones of their times, so i can't say what it feels like for smaller cruises.

[Gumby]

Regarding sea sickness, if you're on a huge ship (more than 100,000 tons) sailing among islands (i.e. the Caribbean), you won't feel anything, unless you're really prone to getting sea sick. Medium sized ships (less than 100,000 tons) in open water - you'll feel it.

I don't get sea sick, but I sailed from LA to Hawaii on a medium sized ship and it was frickin' annoying. At night you could feel yourself sliding up and down the bed as the boat rocked back and forth!