Has anybody cruised on the ship before? My wife and I took a five day cruise last week for our anniversary. We had a blast. The ship was renovated in the last few years and has some pretty good amenities.
I was also amazed at the amount of people that we talked to on the ship that flew into Jacksonville just to take the ship. The couple that was next to us at our dinner table flew in from New Mexico. And I talked to a few of the crew members. All say that the worst part about Jacksonville is that there is nothing near the terminal. Alot of them say they would love to get off the ship and do some shopping or go to a restaurant but literally there is nothing there.
Even more reason to put the terminal at Mayport!!
Our terminal area sucks. Its worse than stopping in Freeport, Bahamas. Granted, it is only temporary. Imagine what this could do for Mayport? It would bring tourists, money, etc
My wife and I were on the ship in Novemeber. It is a nice boat. I think some of the decorating is a bit gudy and the atrium area looks very ealr 1990's, but othersie, the boat is very nice. My favorite part was waving to people all along the St Johns as we left the river.
Its a cruise ship, it gets me to the Bahamas. Why would I want to hang out on the ship?
Agree that the area around it leaves a lot to be desired, but when we get to Mayport, that will all change!
Quote from: Dapperdan on March 16, 2011, 05:27:39 PM
My wife and I were on the ship in Novemeber. It is a nice boat. I think some of the decorating is a bit gudy and the atrium area looks very ealr 1990's, but othersie, the boat is very nice. My favorite part was waving to people all along the St Johns as we left the river.
It was a little corny but its kind of what i expected. It was fun to see how many residents sit out and watch the ship leave. It also makes you realize how many nice houses are on the river.
Quote from: mtraininjax on March 16, 2011, 10:54:21 PM
Its a cruise ship, it gets me to the Bahamas. Why would I want to hang out on the ship?
Agree that the area around it leaves a lot to be desired, but when we get to Mayport, that will all change!
Spot on ,I took that cruise in November and met people from Houston and big Family from Oklahoma and Arkansas they had all stayed in Atlantic Beach the night before. When people come in for a cruise they have beach on the brain that is our area.
Quote from: mtraininjax on March 16, 2011, 10:54:21 PM
Its a cruise ship, it gets me to the Bahamas. Why would I want to hang out on the ship?
Agree that the area around it leaves a lot to be desired, but when we get to Mayport, that will all change!
You do realize on a 5 day Bahama cruise, you will be spending at least 2 full days at sea in the boat right? I think it is important to have nice decor and not look like you are stuck a decade behind. They did renovate parts of the ship like the waterworks, etc, but the main dining room, atrium, etc all still need to be redone. I assume those are on the books as cruise ships are drydocked on a regular scheudle to update and reapir, etc.
You're also paying under 500 bucks for five days of lodging, food, entertainment and travel to the Bahamas. You can't expect too much. I am sure the Disney ships are impressive but they were also about $1,200 per person for a five day cruise.
I love the 80's!
Quote from: copperfiend on March 17, 2011, 11:55:58 AM
You're also paying under 500 bucks for five days of lodging, food, entertainment and travel to the Bahamas. You can't expect too much. I am sure the Disney ships are impressive but they were also about $1,200 per person for a five day cruise.
+1
Carnival IMO is a 'party' ship. The folks on board are younger, the drinks are cheaper and it's all about letting loose.
Some people like having breakfast with Mickey & Minnie... I'd rather have Jack & Jim.
Quote from: Shwaz on March 17, 2011, 12:42:47 PM
Some people like having breakfast with Mickey & Minnie... I'd rather have Jack & Jim.
In a word -AWESOME!
We always go on Royal Caribbean, I think they are a step up from Carnival.
Disney ships dont even have casinos on them. I like to be able to win the cost of my cruise back in the casino. Free vacations are always better! ;D
Sadly, when I looked it was cheaper to pay for extended parking AND drive to port Canaveral because the price was so high to cruise out of jax.
They need to bring back the Celebrity ship, thats the way to cruise!
Quote from: coredumped on March 17, 2011, 01:54:36 PM
Sadly, when I looked it was cheaper to pay for extended parking AND drive to port Canaveral because the price was so high to cruise out of jax.
I think we managed to book at the right time. We got the 5 day with an Oceanview room for $429. When factoring in gas and parking, it was cheapest for us to go out of Jacksonville.
Quote from: coredumped on March 17, 2011, 01:54:36 PM
Sadly, when I looked it was cheaper to pay for extended parking AND drive to port Canaveral because the price was so high to cruise out of jax.
Couldn't you just get dropped off / picked up by a friend?
We booked 6 months in advance for our trip through a really great travel agency who grouped us with a bunch of other people traveling. So we got a great group discount, and 75 dollars applied to our room accounts each. I think we paid 350 a head for ours because of the way we booked. PM me if you want my travel agent's info. She's awesome.
As for the cruise, it was good. We went in October, and it was a bit choppy the first day getting out of jax. But after that it was smooth sailing down to half moon and Nassau. The drinks were not "cheap" by any stretch of the imagination. But (I heard >.>)the blackjack tables are "loose".
It definitely pays to plan ahead and have a creative travel agent.
Would I go again? Probably.. but I want to give Royal Caribbean a try.
[EDIT] The mongolian bbq is the best thing on the ship... screw everything else including the set dinner.
I wasn't a fan of the dinners either. We got paired up with crazy cruise people and it was awkward. The first night one of the couples wanted to exchange contact info and set up a trip for us to come visit them in Kentucky... before we were even properly introduced. The other couple argued the entire time because the husband apparently had a gambling problem and spent the first 24 hours of the cruise in the casino.
We ended up power napping though our assigned dinner times, ordered almost everything off the room service menu and power bender'd through the night.
Cruise Liner = Prison Ship
Although it did have a recent refurbishment, it is still not anywhere near the league of the newer ships out there now. Not even close.
Quote from: Shwaz on March 17, 2011, 03:18:18 PM
Couldn't you just get dropped off / picked up by a friend?
You mean in jax? Yes, but the drive to the cape and parking was STILL cheaper than going out of jax getting dropped off. I would've like to go out of town here, I'll consider it next time, but it was more when I looked (august 2010)
Quote from: coredumped on March 17, 2011, 05:11:07 PM
Quote from: Shwaz on March 17, 2011, 03:18:18 PM
Couldn't you just get dropped off / picked up by a friend?
You mean in jax? Yes, but the drive to the cape and parking was STILL cheaper than going out of jax getting dropped off. I would've like to go out of town here, I'll consider it next time, but it was more when I looked (august 2010)
You probably looked during peak season (summer). if you take a crusise in Spring or Fall, you will pay much less, but be careful about the fall as winter storms sometimes wreak havoc on the seas. My wife and I paid I lthink $729 for a balcony cabin. I do not think that is expensive.
Shouldn't the price be cheaper then in cape canaveral too? That is, if it's say 30% cheaper in the off season here, it would stand to reason that it's also 30% cheaper in cape canaveral.
I know a lot of factors are in play here (amount booked, ship deals, etc), and for me when I booked it was cheaper.
I would certainly prefer to go out of jax. It was my understanding jax is so expensive because there's no competition here.
Quote from: buckethead on March 17, 2011, 04:18:33 PM
Cruise Liner = Prison Ship
+1000! Tried it one time for ten days on a smaller, luxury ship out of Lauderdale to PR and St. Thomas, etc.. Never Again! Boring, boring, boring.
Tried to fly back from PR but wife stopped me as being insulting to friends we were with.
You cant compare a small boat to one of Royal Caribbeans huge ships. They are like floating cities.
Apparently the old ships really traumatized the previous generation...
The Carnival Fascination probably isn't helping either.
Yeah! Really BORING cities with not a Springfield, 5 Points or Park & King on them. The islands are interesting and fun, but next time I'll fly.
QuoteTried it one time for ten days on a smaller, luxury ship out of Lauderdale to PR and St. Thomas, etc.. Never Again! Boring, boring, boring.
Tried to fly back from PR but wife stopped me as being insulting to friends we were with.
Cruise ships are not for everyone. Just means more for me and my friends! 8)
QuoteThe islands are interesting and fun, but next time I'll fly.
It's the only way to go. The plane tickets were $200 bucks from MCO, stayed at some resort near a golf course & cricket field on Nassau and had an absolute blast. My wife and I went for a friend's wedding. I've cruised there several times from both Canaveral and Miami and I don't see myself ever cruising to the bahamas again. Alaska maybe, but not the Bahamas.
Anyone who thinks cruising is boring needs to have his head examined. Luxury cruise ships today have every amenity you can imagine from reading rooms to rock climbing to skiing right there on the damn ship. Granted, I'm not talking Carnival Fascination out of Jax which is a lame excuse for a cruise. You are better off driving down to Port Canaveral and catching a Royal Caribbean.
For all the Cruise BASHERS, Times Union said that today marks the 1,000,000th visitor onto a cruise ship out of Jacksonville.
Again, if you don't like it, fine, but can 1 million visitors to cruise ships out of Jax be wrong? I do not believe so!
Like someone said earlier, cruise ships are not just for everyone. I took the fascination out of Jax I loved every minute of it. Never bored, went to the gym everyday, partied late into the night. I can't wait to go again. My significant other never been, has no plans to go.