Perhaps You’ve Noticed

We’ve been cruising for 13 years. If you’ve cruised as long as we have—or even longer—you’ve seen quite a bit of change.

Like most changes over time, some are for the better and some, well, aren’t. Here are a few changes that come immediately to mind:

Formal farewell. Nearly gone are tuxes and gowns. Some folks don’t bother to dress up at all. And the waiters have ditched their formal wear too.

Different MDR. Our first cruise was on Celebrity’s Constellation and we felt like hillbillies, befuddled at the elaborate place settings. Dinners were five courses, wait times were shorter and waiters even had time to talk to us.

 

Main dining room on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

More dollars for dining. Specialty restaurants have become all the rage. It may come at a cost, but there are so many more alternatives to the food-for-all-tastes main dining room, and some of them are really exciting.

 

Izumi on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas

Loyal cruisers exploding. On any given Royal Caribbean ship these days, it’s typical to find hundreds of Diamond Club members. Proof that once you cruise, you’re hooked.

Tech follows us onboard—and off. It’s not just Internet cafes anymore. Technology is everywhere and doing everything—from turning on lights to helping us track our travel companions to serving us drinks. Our faces will even speed the dreaded Disembarkation with Royal Caribbean and U.S. Customs’ new facial recognition.

 

A taste of technology on Harmony of the Seas

Room service perk pooping out. Nearly every mass market line is charging for something delivered by room service.

Extravaganzas extinct. We still swoon over our videos of Celebrity’s unparalleled, off-the-charts Midnight Buffet. Its luau under the stars with parading waiters carrying fruit carvings and doling out samples of guava, mango and papaya. Holland America’s amazing chocolate dessert display.

 

Waiters paraded with fruit carvings, then let you sample tropical fruits of the Caribbean--
on Celebrity, 13 years ago

Cruise ship as amusement park. The cruise lines are outdoing each other with thrill rides, from giant slides to bumper cars to roller coasters. What’s next, a ferris wheel?

 

The Ultimate Abyss on the Amusement Park of the Seas (aka Harmony)

The great cruise smoke out. Smokers have been relegated to one or two areas per ship. One trend with many, many supporters.

All this in 13 years. Wonder what the upcoming years will bring. Any predictions?

Decking the Decks and Doors

You can have it all when you Caribbean cruise at the holidays—sun and sand, and sizzle, sparkle and Santa. Here are just a few ways the ships don holly and make jolly:

Eye candy from Harmony of the Seas' gingerbread village

Light and bright. From Princess’ glittering piazza railings to Royal Caribbean’s ceiling-suspended stars and massive ball-laden trees, eye candy abounds.

Pointing to the holidays. As Christmas nears, poinsettias dot many a deck. On Celebrity’s Constellation, they line the grand staircase. On the Regal Princess, they’re everywhere.

Figuring it out. Holiday figurines pop up here and there, like around Guest Services on Harmony of the Seas.

Guests get into it. Then there are the passengers. Like the ones who wear Santa hats. Or the teens with the reindeer headbands. Those who do up their doors.

It takes a galley to create village. The frosting on the cake, though, is when the gingerbread village appears. The Constellation’s houses with their gumdrop tops was the centerpiece in a common area. Harmony’s frosty, candy-coated village was planted in the Promenade.

It took a galley to create this village on Celebrity's Constellation

The gingerbread village brings out the cameras—and the kid in us all. It reminds us how sweet and surprising cruising—and life—can really be. Happy holidays from Musing About Cruising!

Against the Tide: The Case for Off-season Cruising

Years ago, while on a Celebrity Constellation cruise, we decided to visit the sales office to book the next one. As our appointment neared, I got a brilliant idea. Why not cruise the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and leverage my days off from work?

Then we met with the sales agent. Just so you know, he said, there’ll be about 500 children that week. Wow.

If you’re traveling with kids, this most likely wouldn’t be an issue. But if you’re not, you’d probably prefer to avoid this scenario.

So, after the sales guy burst my balloon, we began to discover the benefits of off-season Caribbean cruising.

What’s defined as “off-season”? The “in-season” is typically the winter months—December through March—when folks want to get away from the cold.

There are also other times, though, that can mirror the in-season, such as school vacations.

Thanks to the popularity of Caribbean cruising, you can now find trips year round and if you time it right, get just the experience that’s right for you.

Benefits of being a bit off

If you’re able to be flexible in when and where you go, you can:

Save moola. The difference between one month and the next—or even one week or the next—can mean a huge difference in cost. For example, booking a trip in the week between Christmas and New Year’s can be $1,000 per person more than that same trip another time of the year. Watch for cruise line promotions, which offer lower rates for harder-to-fill dates.

Get your pick of the litter. If you pick a downtime of year, you can be choosy when choosing your cabin. Want a bump-out balcony? The big one at the stern? The closest room to the elevator? You’re more likely to get it. Note that even off-season and off-weeks can sell out, so the earlier you book, the better your chances.

Snag an upgrade. The cruise lines get more generous when the ship’s not filled. We recently booked a balcony room on Princess for April and were upgraded to a mini-suite—for free.

 

You may just get an upgrade to a mini-suite for free on Princess

When to avoid

Hurricane season! This past year showed us in neon lights the risk of booking a cruise from June 1 through Nov. 30. It may be cheaper, but is the risk really worth it?

When school’s out. This is when a lot of parents need to cruise, so the rates tend to be higher. The tough part is figuring out when school is out, because spring and winter breaks vary. We’ve found, as a general rule of thumb, when you price compare trips, the cheaper the cruise, the less likely it will be school vacation time.

You might want to be conscious of college breaks too, as there are occasionally complaints on the cruisecritic.com boards from cruisers who had to contend with unruly college kids.

When to go

So, when’s the best time to cruise? Well, whenever you can, of course. But if you’re flexible, we’ve found these to be great times in general for more room choices and better prices: late November, the first half of December, April (not during Easter week) and May.

But whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, here’s the best part of all: you’re on a vacation and the vacation is on a cruise.

Musing’s Top Tip: Got a minute? Check out the new video series, “Musing’s In One Minute,” the best in Caribbean cruising in just 60-ish seconds. The first in the series features “Royal Caribbean’s Sea Day Secret.” Watch it here:

Cruising on $10 a Day

Well, now that I’ve gotten your attention, I’ll own up. This posting is not about how you can cruise for $10 a day. Sorry, that will run you somewhat more.

What it is about is what you can still get for $10—more or less—once you get onboard.

Though we spend thousands to climb that plank to paradise, we still count our pennies, do we not?

So, take comfort in knowing there are still some things that $10 will buy:

Malt shop on the sea. For $6.95 at Johnny Rockets, which is on 13 or so of Royal Caribbean’s ships, you can get burgers, shakes and fries, as well as the oh-so-lovely nostalgic experience of peeling your thighs off vinyl seats.

Some nostalgia with your fries on Oasis of the Seas

Bottoms up. Thankfully, drinks on a ship are still under that magic number. But they are getting awfully close. They ran, on average, about $8.95 for a tropical drink recently on the Regal Princess. The drink of the day will run you less, and so will beer.

That’s a novelty. The gift shop has goodies galore. Mind you, not much can be had for $10 or less, but you can still pick up magnets, a deck of cards or a tee shirt. If you’re really lucky, while you’re on your Caribbean cruise, you might even get something on Alaska, since the ships love to tempt you with low prices on stuff from places you haven’t been.

The bargain bazaar. Otherwise known as the $10 Sale. There’s at least one a cruise and sometimes more. You’ll get what you pay for, but it’s fun just the same. Hats and wraps, watches and chains, piles of stuff for picking through. But be prepared for a crunch of cruisers. Look for the sale in the ship newsletter or ask the shop sales folks.

 

Piles for the picking on the Regal Princess

Sidewalk sales. Just about every day, one of the ship’s shops has something or other out there where you see. And it comes with a big sale sign.  We’ve actually picked up simple glass figures for about $10, which made for inexpensive souvenirs. Mostly, these sales are promoted in the ship’s newsletter, but sometimes you just stumble on them.

Bets on the house. You can quickly blow $10 (alas, as well as substantially more) in the casino, but there’s always that chance…

Ways to blow $10 on the Regal Princess

It may only take just one. Speaking of gambling, you can usually get a single Bingo card for $10. But if you want to improve your chances, you’ll need to shell out more.

Going through Downton Abbey withdrawal? Bring back the memories with the Royal Afternoon Tea on the Royal or Regal Princess, where $10 will get you tea, nibbles and prime viewing for all the action in the piazza. Just don’t forget to sip, not slurp, if you want to impress Lady Mary.

 

Tea in Regal style

Scoop it up. If you’d rather spend your dough on sweets, you’ve got lots of choices. There’s a Ben and Jerry’s on most Royal Caribbean ships, where scoops range from about $2.50 to $4. Then there are the gelato cafes, like the one on the Regal Princess, at about $2.75 for three scoops.

 

Gelato on the Constellation

Wash, pay and wear. Spilled red wine on your jacket? The chocolate cake missed your mouth and ended up in your lap? Celebrity will wipe it clean it for you. To laundry a jacket, it will cost $8 and for pants, $7. Dry cleaning will run you a few bucks more.

Bedside manner. Royal Caribbean’s room service continental breakfast is free, but getting something more substantial will cost you $7.95. Carnival’s room service is free, but there’s a charge for its expanded in-room options. Celebrity’s service is free, but food between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. comes with a $4.95 fee. 

So what will Alexander Hamilton get you? From tee shirts to tea cups, burgers to beers and cones to cleaning—in short, more than you might think. 

Sweet Solitude: Finding a Spot Where the Crowd is Not

To those new to cruising, it may seem implausible that you can find solitude on a ship. After all, you are sharing a pretty limited space with 2,000, 4,000—or even 6,000—other folks. 

Yet, those of us veteran cruisers know how to find a spot where the crowds are not. And now we’re going to let you in on some of our secrets:

Stay onboard when everyone gets off. When we first started cruising, this seemed a shocking concept. Isn’t cruising all about the ports? Sort of. But there’s something very appealing about having the ship (more or less) to yourself.

Decked out at night. As long as you don’t get spooked by the sight of dark nothingness, the outside decks are great places to hear yourself think because hardly anyone steps out there at night. You might even get rewarded by an unbroken sky of stars, its equal hard to find on land.

Dark, colorful and quiet--the outside decks at night on Celebrity's Constellation

Check out the library without checking out a book. The library is perhaps the ship’s most unappreciated area (second only, perhaps, to the gym). Except for an occasional card game or a few who choose to invest a chunk of change on an Internet connection, it’s mostly empty.

Head up the ship. Ships often turn an upper deck space into a disco or entertainment venue at night, leaving it alone during the day. Which makes it a cushy, comfy and abandoned place for you to find your space. Some examples: Viking Crown Lounge on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas on deck 14, Celebrity Constellation’s Reflections Lounge on deck 11 and Holland America’s Zuiderdam’s Crow’s Nest Lounge on deck 10.

Java it up in the ship buffet. I’ve often extolled the virtues of Windjamming it (Royal Caribbean), Horizon Courting it (Princess) or Oceanviewing it (Celebrity) at dinner. The ship’s buffets are mostly ghostly at dinner time, so if you want a place to read, write or game your smartphone, with a mug of coffee by your side, they’re a great place to hide. And who knows, there may just be a dessert there, too, with your name written all over it.

The Central Park that’s safe at night. Our all-time favorite space is Central Park. This Royal

Central Park after hours on Allure of the Seas

Caribbean Oasis class “neighborhood” can be all abuzz by day—especially when the lunchtime crowds converge at Park Café—but it’s a lovely site at night. It’s empty and serene, small lights twinkle among the greenery and cushioned chairs tucked here and there make it a really calming way to end your day.

Then, there are always nooks and crannies on every ship, but you need to round a corner, venture a hallway or do a different deck sometimes to find them. You’ll be glad you did.

Is a Smartphone the Smart Choice for Cruise Picture-Taking?

Smartphones seem to be the camera of choice on cruises these days. Well, why not? They’re compact, slip easily into your pocket and double as a phone, TV set, radio and game console. Photo album, calculator, mirror, flashlight…
 
In fact, smartphone cameras are so easy to use that they turn everyone instantly into a photographer. But is a smartphone the smart choice to capture and safeguard your cruise memories?
 
Cameras can be easy to use too—and give you much better results. I barely ever take mine out of the “IA” setting and have gotten some really amazing shots. IA stands for “Intelligent Auto,” which means the camera uses the intelligence the photographer clearly lacks and automatically adjusts to the conditions (e.g., a lot of light, not a lot of light). So you don’t have to do a thing but aim and shoot.

Of course, you can keep on using your smartphone as a camera. But know the downsides:

 
Tiny sensors limit what you can do. Smartphones typically have tiny sensors that let in less light. So you end up with fuzzy photos of the parades on the Oasis Promenade or acrobats in the Caribbean Princess’ piazza.
 
Wimpy flashes keep you in the dark. Smartphone flashes are minimal, so photos of your friends and family inside the ship can’t be taken from more than a few feet away. 

Hard to hold makes for shaky shots. Smartphones are very light and hard to hold steady, making it tough to get your photos crisp and clear. Throw in a little boat movement and you might as well throw in the towel.
 
When the sun comes out, the screen goes away. The smartphone’s screen washes away in bright sun. Which means you have no clue what you’re shooting.  

The RX100 is even smaller than the Galaxy III

Small zoom misses opportunities. There’s barely a zoom capability on smartphones, so you miss out on capturing Caribbean parakeets on palms over the streets of Aruba, rainbows melting into the hills of Dominica from your verandah and other in-the-moment photos.

If, at this point, I’ve succeeded at convincing you that a real camera is the way to go, how do you choose one? You’ll need to do some research, but below are a few thoughts. And note that these cameras are no bigger than a smartphone:
 

For inside the ship You’ll want something with a larger sensor, which lets in a lot of light and allows for photographing inside and up close. So, you can get great shots of family and friends, ship food, artwork and just about anything your imagination can conjure up. An example is the Sony RX100.


The RX100 captured this yummy shot on Celebrity's Constellation.

For the ports
A camera with a substantial zoom (up to 30x) is great for outdoor faraway shots, like seagulls in flight or the blue ice steeples of Alaska’s Glacier Bay from the deck. With a camera like this, you’ll find in your photos what your eyes can’t even see. You’ll want one with a viewfinder, so you know what you’re shooting, even in bright sun. And it will help you hold the camera steadier. An example is the Panasonic ZS50.  


This seagull at Princess Cays didn't know the ZS50 was pointing right at him.

A jack-of-all-trades, but not pocket-size
You can even get a camera that has it all, a “superzoom,” with a wide angle for close up, good zoom (e.g., 24x) for far away, and a viewfinder to boot. This will be bigger than a smartphone, though, but is easier to hold and much more versatile. An example is Panasonic FZ200.


To get shots like this one on Princess Cays, you'll need a bigger camera, like the FZ200.

All digital cameras today not only come with bigger sensors than a smartphone, but also image stabilization, to keep your shots steady even when your hand isn’t; and high definition video.

The right camera will open up a whole new world of exciting photo possibilities onboard and on shore. For some ideas on the cruising creativity that can be yours, see the posting Fun Ship Photography: Unleashing Your Inner Artsy-Fartsy.
 
And just what do you do with all your terrific new shots? Check out What to Do with Those Cruise Ship Photos.
 
Musing’s Top Tip: Some great sites for doing research on what camera to buy are amazon.com and http://www.dpreview.com.

Photos by RJ Greenburg