Cruise itinerary reviews! Many people cruise because of the ship, I cruise because of where the ships take me. Whether you want to relax, be adventurous, or learn something new, I'll give you itinerary tips to consider when planning your next cruise.
I really enjoyed your video outlining each ship and their destinations. Question...can I get your opinion on cruising during Christmas time on the Celebrity Apex and/or Ascend? I'm am traveling solo and would like to know if this is something I would enjoy. Thanks for your feedback.
We are going on the 7 day southern departing from Puerto Rico. Can’t wait. We actually did a 12 night on the Summit last August to Greenland and Iceland. Great ship. Great service. Can’t wait to be onboard again.
I was confused before I found your content. Thanks for explaining everything so thoroughly. My husband and I are both turning 50 next year, and we're looking at a Fjords cruise to celebrate. The only 7-day cruise that hits Geiranger between Holland America and Celebrity is Bruges, Flam, Geiranger, Bergen. Would you choose this over Holland America's Eidfjord, Andalsnes, Nordfjordeid, Alesund? I'm wondering what the chances are that Geiranger will be changed and we will wish we chose the other itinerary.
Thank you for your video. I do like your thoughtful way of evaluating cruise options. We were looking at a Celebrity Mediterranean cruise and it always stacked up to be more expensive than other similar cruise lines for a comparable cruise. We factor in all costs when making decisions (taxes, fees, gratuities), including the 'all in' packages, since I can't see sailing without wifi, a beverage package, etc. What costs do you factor in when putting together your cost comparisons?
Hmmm, not sure I am liking the continuous music playing. Really found it distracting from this very excellent, information filled video. Maybe turn it down to the point where old people with adhd can’t even hear it?
Good video. I noticed you did not mention the Celebrity Reflection 8-day to the ABC islands. I thought it might not have been sailing when you recorded this, but I’m going to go for it for December 2024. Hopefully it will be worth it and repeatable.
Thanks so much! And you're right, Celebrity had not released Reflection's schedule when I recorded this. However, look for Reflection's itinerary ratings this week! (I recorded it and it's currently available for channel members, but goes public on Friday I believe). I love cruising to the ABCs!
Booked the Jan 29 cruise because it works best for me. Not sure how you rate "relaxation" but for me the two sea days at the end to just chill and rest was big for me. This way I come home and am somewhat ready to get back to work.
Awesome - I hope you have a great time! Yes - it's really easy to relax on the ship for sure (and I aggree that I love a day (or two) at sea before getting back home to rest up and prepare for "re-entry" into work. :-) The Relaxation Score is based on opportunities to rest at a port destination itself. Some people may just want to chill on the beach, get a cabana, or even relax overlooking a fjord in Norway. But if there's too much frenetic energy in a port, it can detract from the relaxation score (but alternately, it likely offers some other opportunities to bump that score up). For example, Marseille isn't a relaxing city, (it's great city to visit!), but one has to get into the Aix-en-Provence region to relax a bit more.
You're absolutely correct. There are so many amazing youtube channels out there covering those very cool ships - so I'm trying to focus on something a bit different and more port-intensive. Unfortunately, the big ships often can't (or won't) do the really port intensive cruises. I wish they would though! Thanks for watching and commenting!!!
Thank you for covering Connie! I'm local to Tampa Bay and am sailing on the Constellation: 11/21/24, 1/2/25, 2/16/25 & 3/9/25. Happy to see one of my sailings as one of your top picks! 😎
We're looking for a 7-day cruise for the summer of 2025 that includes Geiranger. I don't see this fjord on any of Holland America's cruises in 2025. Have they dropped this fjord from the cruise? Thanks
It looks like it. I know Norway has been working hard to protect their UNESCO fjords, and Geiranger is one of them. It looks like there's a significant reduction in the number of ships visiting starting next year. Holland America may not qualify any longer to visit until they get their ships prepped for lower (or zero) emissions. However, Celebrity Apex is going to Geiranger (departing from Southampton) - that may be worth a look. That's staying in the premium cruise lines. Otherwise MSC is going if you want a big ship (but no carbon emissions) and some luxury lines like Viking.
@@ThisistheCruise Also AIDA cruiseline (German) has a wonderful itinerary if you're not worried about language barrier. I don't know much about the cruiseline. But the 10 and 11 day itineraries - seem to be perfect for what I am looking for. If you take a peak and see anything I should consider. I'm leaning towards the 10 day with a departure of June 12th or the 11 day departure June 22 on the AIDAPrima. Which would you chose?
I have a few other videos in line before those, but they're in the queue - thanks for letting me know you're interested in those! I'll try to get them done sooner than later!
Cooments: 1) I would agree with you that the March 1st New Orleans cruise looks like a really interesting cruise. However, the price of that cruise is almost 2x per night of the Constellation's other March cruises. Personally, I avoid the New Orleans scene due to the street crime. 2) That March 8th cruise looks like a winner at a more reasonable price. 3) The March 30th cruise is a really good deal, one of the lowest priced cruises with Celebrity. Personally, I am on the March 23rd sailing on the Regal Princess out of Galveston and the April 5th sailing of the Carnival Magic out of Miami. Great video.
Absolutely - NO is a place I don't frequent often. The story I describe in the video was a few months ago on a work trip - and safety was less of a concern given all the factors. I've yet to cruise out of Galveston - have you cruised from there before? What's your take on it as an embarkation port?
@@ThisistheCruise Pros: 1) Easy to get in and out of. 2) Relatively cheap parking. 3) Very cheap hotels in Houston and Texas City. 4) Good cruise fares. 5) Friendliest cruise port that you will use. Cons: 1) More limited options than other pots. 2) Distance from the airports is significant. 3) There are no rental car options between Houston and Galveston that are reasonable. We are arriving in Houston four days before the cruise to attend the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show and to see other sights. Houston is the 5th largest US city and we will generally get there early as hotels are $75 vs $250 in FLL.
@@ThisistheCruise We have cruised out of Houston twice - Liberty of the Seas and the Regal Princess. The first time we flew into HOU and took the RCL shuttle. On the second, we drove in from Southern Arizona.
Hi Clint. I don’t like a lot ports, more days at sea for me. I’m taking a 10-night Bermuda-Southern Caribbean repositioning leaving out of Boston ending in Ft Lauderdale, but only four ports. It’s Bermuda and the ABC’s only. Looking forward to doing a transatlantic cruise.
Totally get it! There are so many amazing cruise channels out there that do incredible jobs covering the ships and the experiences... I figured I'd do something a bit different and focus on the quality of the itinerary that are port-intensive. There are plenty of ports where I'd rather just stay on the ship too - so it's kind of a win-win. Transatlantics are interesting as well... I gotta retire before I can do some of those though! :-D
Hey just an FYI I’ve been sailing Princess since 2008, they’re nothing special. I have 9 cruises with them & they’re going downhill. They’ve lowered standards and increased costs for things that used to be free. Their ships keep getting bigger & bigger! I do not recommend them.
Thanks for sharing - the lower standards seems to be a common sentiment. I hope other premium lines don't follow the same path. What's your favorite line and cruise region?
@@ThisistheCruise at this point I am giving up on “mainstream” lines…..I have one more trip with Princess next week. I’m changing to Azamara, Silversea, & Seaborn or similar. Smaller ships, all inclusive, more port intensity, & small ships. My two favorite trips were 14 night Norway & 17 night SW Asia to include Thailand, Singapore, & Bali Indonesia.
Not yet - I'm working on the application - and will hopefully be able to make it available to channel members. (It's a lot of work :-D but coming along very nicely)
Did Celebrity as our first cruise. We didn’t know any better, so it was nice. Now, with a lot more experience, I do not paying for the premium fee for a less flexible and more uppity experience. Even for the same price as a RC cruise, I would choose arC.
Interesting - perhaps this is just one more reason we haven't cruised Celebrity? (Stay tuned - three more to go to figure it all out!) - Also, can you give me an example of something that was 'uppity'? - Thanks for watching!!!
We are scheduled to go August 19. I picked that because we really wanted to go to Ketchikan. We’re going with 10 other family members so it should be fun no matter what.
I often say that WHO you're traveling with may be the biggest factor. I hope you have an amazing time! Make sure to check out 55 North coffee when you're in Ketchikan! We absolutely loved it!
I just found you and LOVE how you do this! So inspiring! And by the way, you have a beautiful voice, which makes the whole experience even better. Thanks for all of this!
Same here -- booked on 9/2 as we have friends in Seattle that invited us out to join them. First Alaskan cruise and hoping to find some videos that review the different excursions as well. A lot to choose from and we're excited, too.
Hi @Thisisthe Cruise. I just viewed your Radiance of the Seas Itineraries to Alaska this year. I was glad that our itinerary was chosen as the best! However, I noticed that you mentioned the July 19 sailing, but it was not on your visual list of dates for that South bound itinerary. Why wasn't July 19 listed? Thank you.
I honestly don't recall. However - it's likely that one of two things happened (even a combination) - I overlooked it - OR (more likely) it's the same itinerary that leaves at an earlier date and I didn't point it out in the visual. My graphics come from my app, and I try not to have the repeated sailings displayed. (I can easily confuse myself LOL. :-D) I hope you guys have (or had) an amazing time!!! If you remember, let me know how it went - I'd love to hear what you thought! Thanks for watching!!!
We have actually booked almost the same itinerary from Fort Lauderdale on 21 January. The only difference is that it stops at Martinique and not Grenada. The ship, however, is the Majestic Princess this time. We're really looking forward to it.
In terms of Southern Carribean, I have been to Puerto Rico (2X), Aruba (5X), Curacao, St. Thomas(2X), St. Maarten, St Kitts, St (2X). St.Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia (2X), Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad, Tobago, and Barbados. I am looking to visit new islands, which is hard because cruises tend to repeat. My goal is to go to Bonaire, St. Croix, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadaloupe, Virgin Gorda, Tortola and Nevis. (I think I became your 1K subscriber :) )
Thanks for subscribing! (Still sitting at 999... So close!) I completely understand the challenge of trying to get to new places. You end up booking something that goes to a bunch of places you've been to get in just one new place. I can't imagine getting to Bonaire without getting another stop in Aruba at least. Good luck though! I think you can do it!!!! (We're wrapping an Iceland cruise now, but will be back in the Caribbean in a few months)
Love this series! You’re soooooooo detailed! ❤😂❤ Early in the month when people like me (finance/accounting) cannot take time off work, is almost always cheaper 😢
In the itinerary with the stop in Haines you mention there are no seadays, but the first day after Seward is Hubbard Glacier and the day before arriving in Vancouver is the inside passenger, that‘s 2 seadays in my opinion, as you don’t leave the ship and are a bit more relaxed.
I totally understand. For me, the distinction between a Sea Day and a Scenic Cruising Day is that a Sea Day doesn't offer anything beyond the walls of the ship. Done well, a scenic cruise offers a level of enrichment and enhanced experience you wouldn't otherwise get and a regular day at sea. This really depends on how the cruise line handles a scenic cruising day. For example, Holland America has their naturalists available in some of the public areas during scenic cruises to talk to passengers about what they're seeing. Plus they'll do talks over the P/A (only heard in public areas - or on the stateroom TVs) during those times as well. This is super interesting for places like Glacier Bay or Geirangerfjord Norway. We even had this happen during a scenic cruise of Stromboli - we were watching it erupt while Holland America gave a history of the island, the people, and how they handle the eruptions. If the line just treats it as a way to keep people on the ship and doesn't do anything special, then yes, I completely agree - it's just a little bit more interesting Sea Day.
Good morning. Finally got to watch your video this morning. I agree about the inside cabin. In the Caribbean we do inside cabins. We booked a balcony to Alaska because it was a great price at the time. It was even cheaper than a window room. Thank you for these details.
We take Brilliance of the sea 7 days cruise to Alaska last May 19 will be back at Alaska by Sep. taking Ovation of the sea we love cruising every other month we take a cruise and its free from casino
Thank you. I will come back to watch the video tomorrow. A little late now. Congratulations. You are getting close to the 1k subscribers. I recently made it to the 1k with my cooking channel. We are heading on this cruise in couple weeks or so. 😊
