Cruisin'

[m_calingo]

Greetings everyone.

I'm considering going on a cruise down to the Caribbean with my girlfriend some time next year.

I've never been there, nor have I been on a cruise before.

Any words of advice, recommendations on things to do or see, or things to avoid from people here who have been there, done that?

Thanks in advance.

ps, I already have the passport thing done, so that's one item off the to-do list!

 

[TimberWolf7.62]

Never been on a cruise ship, but I have been to some of the Caribbean islands/cruise locations. From my friends who have been on cruises, the "cruise" environment is very boxed in and structured. You're either on the ship or locked into their offerings for time spent onshore or structured activities onshore. Safe, admittedly, but structured. You might want to view this as a good intro to several locations to which you may want to later take a longer vacation.

I like a less restricted environment and prefer to do what I want when I want. Anyway, I've been to Cancun, the Bahamas, Trinidad, St. Martin/Sint Maarten, Caymen Islands, BVI, and Panama. If any of these are on your itinerary and you have any questions about these locations, let me know.

 

[Gollnick]

"Restricted" isn't maybe the best word. Structured is a good word. The trick with a cruise, the nice thing about it, is to just relax completely. You don't have to make all the plans and research everything and figure everything out and make all of the arrangements; you just relax and let the staff do all of that because that's what they're for. This, more than anything else, is what a cruise vacation is all about. If you're there with a lady, then this is your opportunity to focus your attentions entirely on her.

You might want to view this as a good intro to several locations to which you may want to later take a longer vacation.

This is a good point. A cruise is not about in-depth exploration of a city or an area. That is just not the purpose nor is the cruise format well-suited to it. But a cruise vacation can give you a brief taste of a number of cities or areas or activities; for some of those things, the brief taste will be satisfying and for others you will want to return later for a longer, more in-depth experience.

 

[m_calingo]

...I've been to Cancun, the Bahamas, Trinidad, St. Martin/Sint Maarten, Caymen Islands, BVI, and Panama. If any of these are on your itinerary and you have any questions about these locations, let me know.

Hmmm...looks like there's no match. The one I'm looking at leaves for Grand Turk, the Dominican Republic, Curacao, and Aruba. Thanks, tho.

 

[timcsaw]

Cruise ship? You'll need a lot of backing on your fly real to reach the water. I also recommend a very heavy tippet or a net with a very long handle. (Why would anyone go onto any kind of boat, unless to fish?)