Cruises in Houston, TX

Past cruiser here, 3. Celebrity two times and one time Carnival. Let me just say, the least expensive cruise (Carnival), is not worth even going. Kids were all over the place, in every jacuzzi on the ship. Carnival is known to be very 'kid friendly'. The food was TERRIBLE, and by that I mean, I hate powdered eggs and orange 'drink'. Yes, the dining was okay there, but the day food was horrible. The week I came home from that cruise, I was sick b/c I drank the water on the boat, which I found out later, you never want to do. Now to the positive things... You want a room with at least a window if you aren't getting a balcony. Go to a location you really like, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Alaska, Mexico, they are all beautiful. I loved Jamaica the most. Go snorkeling off the island or do something to explore the island. (while being safe) I checked out tripadvisor.com to book tours or whatever you wanna do. They can be pretty costly when you book them with the cruise. Also, this way you won't be 'herded' with all the other cruisers through the day. It can be a great experience with great food, but like I said, the cheapest isn't always the way to go!

I've been on one Celebrity and three Princess cruises. On Celebrity, and Princess once, we went to Alaska. Traffic jams by the elevators from all the powered wheelchairs and slow-moving people are the norm for both lines. The other two Princess cruises were in Europe, so the physically demanding nature kept some of the older folks at home. Rumor has it that Royal Caribbean is the one with all the cool stuff like the rock wall and surfing on it, and isn't a total party boat like Carnival. It's on my list to try next. Girlfriend's done it before - she's incredibly picky when it comes to food, but liked it on RC. So... *shrug* Edit: Almost forgot... yes, do your research on cruise prices! I've been on Princess so many times because I went on one in 2008. In 2009, they (Princess) had a buy-one-get-one deal, so we paid $1500 total for two people (interior room, but who cares) for two weeks in Europe the second time around, covering lodging and meals on the boat. All we had to add was airfare. Alaska was similar, $600 for two for a week.

[Last minute deals](http://www.vacationstogo.com) If you want more research on the different cruises go to [Cruise Critic](http://www.cruisecritic.com/). It was started by a lady who loved cruising so much she started her own blog which turned into a more fully featured website. I would first recommend figuring where you would want to go and what would be your departure port. Usually, there are many different cruise lines operating the same ports and the same routes.

as others mentioned, def check out cruisecritic, but just remember that people tend to be most motivated to post when something goes wrong. I've done 30, maybe 40 cruises on many different lines. Baring some unfortunate mishap there aren't many 'bad cruises' just cruises that aren't right for the particular customer. What are you goals? Do you want port intensive? Do you like loud parties? Do you have kids? What are you looking to spend? If you have a friend that REALLY knows you and has been on lult lines he/she would be a good 'go to person' that might help figure out if you would like the more quiet Celebrity line (slightly more space per passenger, higher crew to passenger ratio, more experienced cruisers, less loud party) or a 'party resort/glitzy casino' kind of atmosphere of Carnival. Don't take everything from your assumptions either, I really am not a fan of children but Disney has a great product that I love. There are also lines that aren't mass market that you wont know about if you don't ask. Really wanna take it easy with amazing service and great ports of call but not looking for much in teh way of activities at all? Check out Seaborn or Oceania. Oh, and everything can completely change as far as crowd levels, demographics, activities, etc) based on how long of a cruise, if it is round trip, where it's going, what time of the year, and if it is over a weekend or just week days. The options are endless. I recommend visiting a travel agent that truly specializes in cruising just to get your feet wet (pun, umm, well its there). DM me if you wanna chat more about it. I love cruising and hate hearing about people who didn't enjoy a cruise. If you didn't enjoy a cruise it's because you took the wrong one. I'll gladly answer your questions and no, I do not work in the travel industry in any way.

be a man and take a real vacation!

After you've done your research and you've decided to book your cruise, go to cruisecompete.com and submit a bid. We saved a few hundred dollars when we booked. It's free to use and has reviews of all travel agents that use the service.

[Here](http://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/dk4 se/any_cruise_experts_out_there/) is a thread I responded to a while ago. Let me know if you have more questions. I can probably answer them. I've been on a number of cruises.

Look up the freedom class on Royal Caribbean. I took my first cruise on the Independence of the Seas and had an absolute blast. You can surf on one of those endless pools. If you can afford it, spring for a balcony room. Before I went I visited the cruise critic forums. They were very helpful.

i know this site seems ghetto but it provides a really good database of cruises all on one page... http://www.vacationstogo.com/ticker.cfm

I've only been on one cruise but I did a fair amount of research first. We ended up on a Carnival cruise. They tend to have bigger cabins but less 'stuff' on board... and the kids all went to a day camp thing and were barely noticeable. The regular food (in the dining rooms) on Carnival is quite good compared to other cruise lines. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian both have a ton of restaurants that cost extra and are good... but it seems like their free food is sub-par (no doubt to get you to pay extra). Carnival also seems to have more shore excursions available, but of course you can book those on your own too. I'm also 30 and absolutely loved my cruise and plan to go on another one in May. I'd recommend Carnival. Here is the website where I did most of my research: http://www.cruisereviews.com/ there's lot's info about each specific ship in all the cruise lines there. edit: Forgot to mention, there's a big difference between Carnival's 3 day cruises and their week (or more) long cruises. The short ones are known as booze cruises and are generally about partying the whole time. The week long ones are more for people on vacation and aren't quite as wild.

Be aware that the least expensive rooms have no windows. If you know that won't drive you batty, go for it! I sailed with Celebrity. They had fantastic food, really good activities, very few little kids, but they didn't have the surf pool or rock climbing wall or anything like that. I think Celebrity Cruises tends to cater to older people (which is fine by me, since it meant no kids all over the place!) Overall, it was a really great experience. Low stress travel. Our cruise was 5 nights 6 days, and I think that was a good length. I don't think I would have enjoyed a cruise much longer than that. Also, be sure to book your land tours yourself to save money. The cruise prices are outrageous.

Can you smuggle weed on board easily? I would love to do a cruise in Jamaica, but I would also love to be able to smoke weed on the boat...

**Side question:** Which if any cruises are set up more for cost/transport/sightseeing than luxury? As in, I would like a shower, and a clean room to sleep in at night whilst we travel between ports. Aside from that - I don't care. I want to spend my time outside the ship as much as possible. Preferably entirely outside, aside from sleeping/bathing. Such a thing exist anywhere the geography makes it applicable?

There is an agency I used a month ago near DT, Ill reply later with the name, think it was Gusto or something.

I used http://www.vacationstogo.com/ with some luck a couple years ago. Got a pretty good deal with some extras on a Carnival cruise. The prices do fluctuate and change though depending on how booked the ships get.

Prices for cruises are pretty much the same no matter where you look, it's the perks they offer you that make one agent or website better over another. Some will offer free onboard credit, free spa services or specialty dinner, free hotels nights or sometimes an all you can drink free package ( depending on the cruise line. ) The price also depends on when you book... It's pretty much luck of the draw in this case. I've seen prices on a random day with no sale for $79 a person for an indoor room. A week later during the sale they were putting on, the prices were $219 a person for the same cruise and room. I very recently saw a price mistake for a 6 night cruise ocean view for $187 for both people including taxes. I'm still upset about missing that one. I've never used a travel agent so I can't tell you the benefits of using one but I am an avid traveler. I recommend checking prices over a week and just see how much the prices fluctuate. See what "offers" they are giving and read the fine print on them! Vacations to go is good but cruisecompete.com is great because you tell them the lowest price you can find with all the perks and it will send the info out to all the travel agents, who will try to sweeten the deal and win your business by offering more perks :) Prices change fast though and when you see a good deal, move on it because they quickly disappear. I usually bookmark the cruise and check the page frequently. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

Cruise.com and crucon.com Best sites for discount cruises, make sure you put that your a resident of Florida.

Husband and I use cruiseplannersoforlando.com. We've been using Brad and Michelle for years. The price will be similar if not a bit cheaper, but using them always lands us upgrades, onboard credits, free meals at specialty restaurants etc.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/ is the website to visit for last minute deals on cruises. Honestly, I've booked a cruise through a travel agent and I don't feel like it added anything at all to the experience. I didn't get any better deal than I found online.

Is this question from 1995?

We used Getaway Travel for our honeymoon booking to mexico. According to her website she does also help with cruises. I've never been on a cruise so don't know how good she would be, but she was very knowledgeable and friendly when we were planning. http://ezgetaway.net/

There are many advantages to using a travel agent. I think you guys need to read my blog post on Why You Should Use A Travel Advisor/Agent: http://aliciasaba.com/why-use-a-travel-advisor/ Why spend time researching yourself? If there's an issue while traveling, you always have someone to call. For cruises, Travel agents can also set up personalized shore excursions and activities based on your interests so you don't have to be stuck with a crowd.

Google. Seriously. Websites have made travel agents sorta pointless.

You would be at sea 2 weeks just to get there...

That only cruises I can think of that hit both the US and the Indian Ocean are world cruises, which would be much more expensive. That'd be like trying to find a Western European cruise that departed from LA. Fly to a port city and sail from there.

The exact opposite side of the earth for most of the USA is the Indian Ocean. Probably the least likely destination most cruise lines would schedule. Leaving from Europe, Australia, and Africa are all more likely.

Just fly to South Africa and take this one https://www.ncl.com/cruises/24-day-indian-ocean-explorer-south-africa-seychelles-maldives-and-thailand-from-cape-town-SPIRIT24CPTMOSLIZRICPDGLUIPVIMALHKTLKWPENPKGSIN?cruiseTour=1&embarkationport=4294941868&autoPopulate=f&cruiseHotel=1&numberOfGuests=4294953449&pageSize=20&cruise=1&sortBy=Featured&from=resultPage&state=undefined¤tPage=1&cruiseHotelAir=1&itineraryCode=SPIRIT24CPTMOSLIZRICPDGLUIPVIMALHKTLKWPENPKGSIN

Either a world cruise or passage on a freighter are probably your only options.

Another option from Cape Town[Oceania Cruise Cape Town to Singapore ](https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Africa-cruises/cape-town-to-singapore-NAU210202/)

I was thinking about going on a cruise ship. But then I remembered that I get seasick. So now I'm thinking about a straight-through drive to Wall Drug.

I have been on two cruises, both to Alaska from Seattle. We bought our trips on vacationstogo.com and got some hefty discounts. That site also offers a lot of detail about the ships and their features as well as about the cruise lines. We were on Holland America and Norwegian. Of the two, I like Norwegian best.

I don't know about their departures, but my family has been on a handful of Carnival cruises. They've all been a lot of fun. The food has always been delicious, the staff very nice and attentive, and the ships have been amazing. We went on one Norwegian cruise, but the general consensus in my family is that Carnival is better (and I agree). Just a tip: My mom booked early, and as departure time kept getting closer, she kept asking about upgrades. The cruise lines want to fill the cheaper rooms, so those who book early can get bumped up to nicer rooms but for the same price as a cheap room. Consequently, we've stayed in rooms with balconies for the price of a room at the very bottom of the boat. Be cautious about booking shore excursions independent from the ship, you can get ripped off. My dad independently booked a van tour of Cozumel, and when we got there, we found out the van company no longer existed! Fortunately we scraped everything together okay, but it was still a hassle.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000G86 fD34Q0 wOS6 lggHihlHqo:12 hbiocak?packageCode=RH14K035&date=ANY&selectedCurrencyCode=USD&year=2011 This one looks pretty cool. I prefer Royal Caribbean to Carnival, but it's just a personal preference.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/ You need to register but can give bogus details.

I second Vacationstogo.com. I have used it Multiple times, and the deals are always awesome. Registration is simple as an email address. Tons of great cruises.

I think Carnival has a low-price guarantee - they beat all of the resellers. Long Beach is def. going to be a cheaper departure than San Diego. P.S. Cruises suck.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8 eQPZM_HgNA#

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EyZUHUYtifE#

Check with the actual cruise lines themselves (Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean), and look at their "Hot Deals" sections. Generally, these cruises are ones that are going to set sail fairly soon, and the companies would rather have a room filled up at a low price than empty. You could also try a travel agent, but sometimes they mark up the price. Generally, anything around or less than $100/night is what you'd be looking for. It might sound steep, but remember that you're getting housing, entertainment, and food included.

vacationstogo.com There is a link for cruises I believe...

Just wait a little longer for the oil spill to travel around the state of Florida.......then they will be giving Gulf of Mexico cruises away.

You can get to Cuba with nothing but an inflatable tire

I do not know if they have cruises, but you can always show her the Hershey Highway.

Contact Alfred event coordinator, he can help you with what you need (210) 857-2944

Shannon@happilyeveraftertravel.net She was so great planning our trip! Made everything so easy.

The way I see it is that it’s always cheaper to book things on your own. Even if agents can secure lower prices, they have to eat too. For something as simple as a cruise that requires literally no planning you’re prob better off just shopping around directly with the cruise lines.

The best deals I've found on cruises is at vacationstogo.com You have to give them an email address to view their 90 day ticker, but you can get cruises really cheap if you're willing to not plan it too far ahead. My buddy took a 4 day cruise for $250 for him and his wife. My wife and I took an 8 day cruise for $1100 and got $300 to use on the ship.

Check out a local lady I've used named Cruise Mom Cruises. She helps me with a cruise every year for past four years and has been very honest with what she can and can not do to accommodate.

Cruises and Moore Kennedy Blvd

Vacationstogo.com.....pick by length, port of departure, etc...some great deals too

Sydney has one Morris and Sons. It's not like the shops in the US. Nice yarn selection downstairs.

I just returned from New Zealand and Australia. Didn't find any shops in Australia but went to the The Ribbon Rose in Auckland. Lots of yarn but a nice variety of threads for needlepoint. Didn't have a chance to see if there were any canvases. It's off the beaten track but might be worth a visit!

Carnival Magic was fun for our kids December, 2 years ago. I've always heard Royal Caribbean is great for families...just never gone on one of theirs.

Princess cruises also leave from Galveston. My advice is to go through a travel agency. They have a lot of experience with families cruising. Carlson Wagonet is one of the best..

Tapisseries de la Bûcherie 2 rue du Haut Pavé in the 5 eme