ExpatCruise

Well you found CruiseCrazies, Really doesn't matter how you found us, maybe it is your first cruise, or your 100th plus cruise. We are simply a community of people that love to cruise. Everyone can add something or learn something here. All opinions are welcome, post your questions, or tell us about your cruises, ports or other things that will interest the members here. You will find many cruise sites on the web, I believe this is the most friendly of them all. Welcome to the only cruise travel site that you will need. Please start posting.

Well you found CruiseCrazies, Really doesn't matter how you found us, maybe it is your first cruise, or your 100th plus cruise. We are simply a community of people that love to cruise. Everyone can add something or learn something here. All opinions are welcome, post your questions, or tell us about your cruises, ports or other things that will interest the members here. You will find many cruise sites on the web, I believe this is the most friendly of them all. Welcome to the only cruise travel site that you will need. Please start posting.

Well you found CruiseCrazies, Really doesn't matter how you found us, maybe it is your first cruise, or your 100th plus cruise. We are simply a community of people that love to cruise. Everyone can add something or learn something here. All opinions are welcome, post your questions, or tell us about your cruises, ports or other things that will interest the members here. You will find many cruise sites on the web, I believe this is the most friendly of them all. Welcome to the only cruise travel site that you will need. Please start posting.

Well you found CruiseCrazies, Really doesn't matter how you found us, maybe it is your first cruise, or your 100th plus cruise. We are simply a community of people that love to cruise. Everyone can add something or learn something here. All opinions are welcome, post your questions, or tell us about your cruises, ports or other things that will interest the members here. You will find many cruise sites on the web, I believe this is the most friendly of them all. Welcome to the only cruise travel site that you will need. Please start posting.

Well you found CruiseCrazies, Really doesn't matter how you found us, maybe it is your first cruise, or your 100th plus cruise. We are simply a community of people that love to cruise. Everyone can add something or learn something here. All opinions are welcome, post your questions, or tell us about your cruises, ports or other things that will interest the members here. You will find many cruise sites on the web, I believe this is the most friendly of them all. Welcome to the only cruise travel site that you will need. Please start posting.

A few photos from Sun Princess it is a nice size ship 78,000 tons, older but in great shape and never seemed to be crowded.

Have been on the ship just about 24 hours now. Boarding went well in Singapore, always a easy port to board a ship, great staff at the terminal and very fast. I remember now what I do not like about princess, no coffee available in the room, no coffee pot or hot water machine, unlike most other lines. Yes you can order through room service but a 20 to 30 minute wait and a small charge. Every line should make regular coffee and tea available free and easy 24 hours a day. Don't know how it happen but requested a group table, but we are at a table for two. Ate in the buffet for lunch, normal first day buffet, had fresh roast beef which was nice. They also have it decorated to reflect July 4th. Dinner was nice Prime Rib and wife had grilled salmon, both done very well. What I did not know is the ship just came out of a 2 week mini dry dock in Singapore. So a few small things wrong the first afternoon: like some lifts still being worked on. The have change over to the newer Princess internet which is nice, the full package for the 6 day cruise was $99.00 which is not a bad rate.

In Singapore now for a Sun Princess Cruise to Hong kong 5 days, Taipei 7 days. The Sun Princess is one of the older ships in the fleet at around 75,000 GT whe has been doing cruises in SE Asia & Australia for the last few years. It is a nice size ship as more personal than the mega ships are. With 2 or ports depending on the end point pick. We are here in Singapore a few days early to enjoy the wonderful city. Staying in a small hotel in Chinatown, only short ways away from the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal. Will do some shopping and have great meals at some of our favorite places before boarding the Sun Princess on July 4th. Tonight is 5 star dining at a Michelin Star Restaurant, which is also the cheapest Michelin Star awarded food place in the World with Complete meals under US$2.00. It is also the only food stall in the world with a Michelin Star. Liao Fan Hawker is a great place for unique meal in the middle of Chinatown. Have a meal and do a little shopping in the market after dinner, and still have time to watch F1 tonight. Singapore is a great city that needs to be on everyone's must due list.

The SS United States, the largest cruise ship/ ocean liner ever built in the United States. She still holds the record for Trans Atlantic ocean liner ship crossing (Both ways). Most know something about here history, went into service in 1952, trans Ocean Liner 47,000 GT, 990 feet long, 12 decks, and driven by steam turbines, with a cruising speed of 35 knots and a top speed of 38.32 knots, carrying 1928 passengers. The SS United States was the first class way to cross from New York to Europe in the 1950's and early 60's, and then came the modern jet age and it ended. In 1969 she went out of service and was sold to several different companies. For the last 21 years she has been docked in Philadelphia, rusting away. Cruise lines have talked about bring her back into service, NCL, Crystal Cruises, and much talk of a floating docked hotel, business but nothing really done but to spend money. The ship is now owned by the SS United States Conservancy, a non profit group that seems to have done very little but to spend money. It has cost over 15 million dollars to keep the ship at the dock for the last 21 years. Cruise ship consulates say it would cost 500 million to 1 billion dollars to bring her back to service cruising today. Is it time to just stop dreaming of rebuilding, and this ship cruising again or to keep throwing money at it? The ship is in poor condition now, it could already be to late,. She was a great ship should she just be a memory or rebuilt? Would today's cruising public even be happy with her as a ship? Even if rebuild she is a 1950's model when must today seem to like the current 2018 models. Below is a picture of her today and when jut placed into service.

Cruise ships bring thousands of guests into small ports is a problem and a double edge sword at the same time. While it seems to be great and brings dollars into these ports, it also costs them money. Because the cruise ships can brings to many guest for a short period of time. It keeps other land traveling guests away and overtaxes the capacity of these smaller ports. The lines keep wanting to build bigger and bigger ships but ports like Dubrovnik, Bar Harbor Maine, Venice, Italy cannot handle the larger volume that the lines want. It would be one thing if it was year round but only for short seasons and then the ports need to fill the rest of the year. Ports need to look at some old basic business principles like do not put all your eggs in one basket. A port resort area should limit income from any one source to less than 50% with 33% being much better. I believe Dubrovnik is being smart by addressing these issues. Here is a photo from Venice, is this really the image the city is sold to as with tourist? The Royal Ship Voyager of the Seas, really changes the look of Venice and this is only a 140,000 GT ship, today many ships are 50% larger than Voyager.

Shari Yes I know curfews are hard to enforce. A few years ago I had a friend take his first cruise, with his wife and kids. He is a retired Navy Chaplin, he add two cabins, one his wife and him, the other his 19 ear old daughter and then 17 1/2 year old son. Both kids rock solid good kids. Any ways 2:30 am knock on his cabin door security on Royal bring the son to the father's cabin, would not return him to his cabin with sister, they wanted the father to know. So Royal does follow the rules sometimes. And what bad thing was the 17 1/2 year old doing? He was on deck 6, at the forward observation area taking night pictures of the ocean and sky.... Nothing wrong but not allowed based upon his age and on the Mariner of the Seas the bridge looks down on this area. So seeing someone sitting in a dark area 2:30 am was a flag to security. Does this make him a bad kid are the parents bad? No, just Royal following the rules they have in place and should follow.

The thing I learned on my first cruise was I liked cruise ships. While I see how a table for two can be a wanted thing, most of the time I turn them down (don't tell my wife). I request a larger table as a effort to bring my wife out of her shell. Sometimes it works, but not always. I also enjoy talking to other people and finding new information about things. Yes a 2 top is nice but a big table can also be nice on a cruise.

It is a very nice ship the last time I was on her was January 2016 out of Singapore. It was a good cruise and the ship seemed to be in good shape at that time. So now after a refit she must be really nice. She had some very nice cabins. We had a cabin that was bill as ocean view, it was just below the bridge, it had three nice windows, a separate master bedroom, living room and a second small bedroom with bunk beds. One of the nicest ocean view cabins I have had on Royal.

Yes they do run a first class operation. And the product they provide is great. But a few things has kept me away from the cruise line. First they seem to offer only longer cruises, which while some may like this if makes it hard to fit these cruises in around other things. They also include lots of things that for myself I have no interest in or limited interest. While I like to do tours I really do not want them pre-planned in every port. True I do not need to take them but already really paying for them. The same holds true for the drink package, no need or use for beer wine or alcoholic drinks. It is great for those who will use but not within my wheelhouse. I would consider Viking if I found a deal I liked and it fit but so many other choices that work better for me.

Came across this case on a legal site I was checking. It happen in 2015 the child was in the library at 2 am, which I do have a problem with that fact. He was assaulted by a man over a comment made while the mans two friends watched. The criminal case already went to court and is over the adult attacker was convicted of lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 16 and is serving a three years. His two friends who watched are serving 2 years for prison sentence for child abuse. So the criminal justice system seems to have worked here. But it is not over. The family sued Royal in Federal Court it seems the security cameras saw everything but no one watching them, also the line had a curfew for children but did not enforce, so drunken guests from bars came in contact with the young boy. I find Royals answers to be very troubling, and this is a quote from the filing: “plaintiff attempts to impose an absolute duty upon Royal to monitor and protect passengers–such a duty simply does not exist.” Really is is not Royals or any lines first duty to absolutely protect guests? I'm sorry but the first thing a cruise line should do is to absolutely protect guests. The judge has rules the case will go forward. Here is the case if you would like to read it Link

Holland America has had another set back the Zaandam was on one of its Alaska Cruises. The CDC has reported Gastrointestinal Outbreaks on the ship, the news reports 73 cases out of 2063 total on the ship. Cruise ships in US Waters are required to report these cases to CDC but if this was a non US Cruise no requirement to report to CDC. I read in another news report that Holland America Line has had 19 cases of Gastrointestinal Sicknesses since 2010. Which is the second worst record reported, only Princess another brand is the Carnival Group has more reported outbreaks. The CDC has set a 2% limit for the reporting requirement. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2018/Zaandam_6-18.html

Hello Everyone, Thank you for your friendly posts , this site maybe CruiseCrazies but the poster here all seem to be very nice. I have always been a little Crazy, some friends think I'm nuts for living outside the United States. I will post as much as I can, we always take lots of pictures and will post those too. But the pictures may need to be posted after the cruise as internet is limited. This is a Princess Cruise, Sun Princess, the cruise is Singapore to Hong Kong 5 days or to Taipei 7 days. I looked at both the 5 & 7 day cruises, went for the five day because I added time before the cruise in Singapore 4 days and after in Hong Kong 2 days. Besides by cutting the last two days off it save me enough money to do the same cruise again in October of this year. And only a 1 hour 20 minutes airplane ride home to Clark, only 15 minutes from home vs 2 ½ to Manila and then a 2 hour plus car & traffic trip home. I will post more information about Singapore and Hong Kong, as these ports are among the best in Asia The cruise also has two port stops in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) & Nha Trang. I'm a member of several sites but plan to limited my postings to CruiseCrazies for this cruise. It is now Sunday night here, my wife & I leave for Singapore in 6 days, it is a 3 hour 45 minute flight. So what would you like to know about this part of the World? Never said I have all the answers but have many of them. Todd & Lyn

Good information in this posting. It seems cruise lines are going the way of airlines. In the golden years of Jet air travel everything was included, meals, drinks, luggage, pillows, blankets, travel kits, etc. Until the airlines found that these things are sources of profit and slowing they have gone from free to paid for extras. The same thing seems to be happening with cruise dinning. One thing in the information that should be corrected is free dinning is not unlimited on all major cruise lines. The third or fourth largest cruise company in the world (depending upon source) is Genting Corporation which owns Star Cruises, Dream Cruises and Crystal Cruises. They limited the free food on Star and Dream to one meal per dinning period. When you enter a dinning area they log your room card, want a second meal, up charged. The buffet offered on the cruises is also very limited, less than 10 hot items and again if you leave the dinning area and come back you pay a up charge. In the dinning room for dinner you have a choice of three main items, very small and poor quality. Crystal Cruises does not have these limits yet but it could happen in the future, based upon the owners history. I really hope this in not the future of cruise travel. Cruise ships have been know for supplying unlimited food for guest to keep them happy. While I fully understand the cruise lines want to make money, the up charge restaurants present another issue. They market them as being a great deal they are in fact not a great deal because you have already paid for a full unlimited meal, they cruise lines save the costs of the included meal and up charge for another meal. So the next time you see a $30 dollar up charge for these meals it should be looked at as $30 plus the $20 they save and have already budgeted. Plus they get the chance to up charge you with a added gratuity service fee of 18 to 20%. Why do guest need to pay a added gratuity to these meals when they already have a daily service fee to cover dinning? Guest need to understand that Cruise Lines are set up to get as much extra cash out of you that they can. It is our job as guest to get the most benefits from the cruise and limited the added cash to the cruise lines.

Nancy Welcome to the site. A repositioning cruise is a great deal. The cost per day is less than a regular cruise and the extra sea days gives you lots of time to fully enjoy the ship and what it has to offer. Most guest on a normal cruise really do not even see half of the ship it seems, you will have a great time. November is a ways off, but since you are in Florida you should look at the last minute cruises, with all the cruises lines and ship you should be able to add another short cruise before November, if you have a few few days. Florida is a great place to live for those who like to cruise.

It is a 2 mile walk from Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to Faneuil Hall, for the average person 30 to 40 minutes, by taxi without traffic about 13 minutes. If can be walked by really not that close. You can also use the water taxi service, I believe that still stops at the terminal and will take you to long wharf, Faneuil Hall is about 150 meters away.

Yes I know that the 2018 cruise sold out 2500 fans. The charter has taken the whole ship so every single guest on the ship is a fan. Lets look at this closely 2500 fans 4 days and 4 stars. So about 168 hours lets take 8 hours a day off for sleeping and three hours for meals so 11 hours a day gone. Which brings us down to 124 hours. Now throw a port call in and take off 12 more hours and the stars need some personnel time, even if only 2 hours a day. So we are down to 104 hours, 4 stars and 2500 guests. If every guest wanted interaction with just one star 104 hours 2500 guests 104 x 60 = 6240 or less than 2 1/2 minutes contact. If you wanted all four stars less than 40 seconds. Look at the pictures on the website it is a open mob scene. If you want to hang with other Walking Dead Fans great but very little real interaction with the cast.

I can understand how fans would be interested in this cruise. But it is only a four day cruise and the rate is more than double a normal cruise. How much interaction do you really think you could have with the shows stars? I know they did a cruise in 2018 so I'm sure some people who have been on one of these cruises. Since I have never really been into meeting stars maybe I miss the appeal of this cruise.

The cruise lines are missing a good market with solo cruisers. But when the ships are sailing near full based upon 2 in a cabin no real reason to offer a deal on solo. A small line that doesn't sail full great idea. A mainstream line with nearly full sailings, it will cost the line money that is why they do not offer.

"...debut of the line’s new Magic Carpet, a traveling platform the size of a tennis court hanging off the side of the ship..." These are not things that belong on ships, guests are on very very small ships in relation to very very large oceans. Stop trying to make ships into something they are not. What is it going to take to get the cruise lines to understand this? Do a thousand, two thousands or more people need to die for the cruise lines to get the message? Put one of these mega ships in a class 4 or 5 hurricane, and the ship is in trouble. Even it it makes it through the hurricane, it would result in major injuries and or death. The cruise Industry really needs to wake up and go back to building ships with the first goal of Safety Safety Safety. These new mega ships are great until people start dying.

The Australian market has belong to Royal Caribbean, they have the largest ships and most cruises from down under. Carnival Corporation tested the waters with Princess and has done very well. But Princess is a upscale cruise line and the largest market in Australia is more mainstream. Yes they have done well with Princess and will do even better in the future. And with a nine month cruise season it is a profitable market. With the prefect setup to send the ships north to SE Asia in the 3 off months, which happen to be great cruise months in SE Asia. It is a win win. But being Carnival Fun Ships here is a market changer, Carnival can and will take passengers from Royal. But overall the cruise market here will grow and they is a great thing for this market. I look forward to seeing the battle between Carnival & Royal, it should make for some great deals and once in a lifetime cruises.