I have no idea why I didn't post this sooner. It seems there are always posts on CF travel and I never have any good advice to share.
Finally I do.
My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon where for half of it we cruised aboard the Royal Clipper.
http://www.starclippers.com there is information, virtual tours, and a video on the page. (for some reason the site is saying under construction, but when I scroll to USA it works just fine)
I highly recommend this type of cruise if you 1) like cruising, and 2) don't want to be surrounded by kids. Those were the exact reasons we opted for a clipper ship as opposed to a more mainstream cruise line.
There are 3 ships in the fleet with Royal being the largest. At maximum it can hold about 200, but we were told it rarely gets over 180. There were about 130 people on our trip. Guess how many were kids? Less than 10. 1 was aged 6 and we saw him about 4 times in 12 days, 1 was 11 and he was a pain, the rest were teens and were no problem whatsoever.
It's a very relaxing and personalized form of cruising. No lines, everyone knows your name, there are activities you can do that larger cruises can't(such as swimming off the back dock or climbing the mast), and there are zero activities that interest kids. No waterslide, no movie theater, no arcade, nothing.
However, If you are a huge party person and love nightlife, dancing, drinking, and shows that the big cruise lines offer, Star Clippers is not for you.
Anyway just thought I'd share since I know everyone is eager to vacation away from screaming kids.
Sounds pretty great! I've never been on a cruise of any kind, but because I get seasick in small boats everyone tells me I'd have to be on one of those huge ships with stabilisers (and a million kids) if I want to do a cruise. How was your ship for people who get queasy?
I love boats and water, but have had a bit of motion sickness in the past.
However I didn't have a single problem on the cruise. The ship was very stable, more so than several larger vessels I've been on. It may have stabalizers, I'm not sure.
The only time we felt any sort of rocking was when going through the Straits of Messina. This however is a passage notorious for rough seas and you will feel something regardless of boat size. The captain warned us of this ahead of time and he slowed the ship waaaaay down. I stood near the middle of the deck and had no problem. Later at dinner we found out that some people had been in their rooms and had no clue we had been in slightly rougher seas.
The first few days I observed a handful of people wearing those motion sickness patches, but soon they must have decided they didn't need them.
I wouldn't give on on cruising due to seasickness in small boats. The main factor in feeling queasy isn't really the boat size, but the calmness of the water(and weather). A couple we met on the ship said they once went on one of those mega ships and the seas were so rough that they wouldn't let anyone stand on the deck for almost 8 hours. There was water splashing up to the sides. They said it was terrifying and people thought the ship was going to capsize. Sorry, not trying to scare you. I will point out they were in the middle of the Atlantic during hurricane season.
Look for cruises that are in areas with calmer seas, stay close to shore(don't do an ocean crossing), travel during good weather conditions(no, you can't predict the weather, but there are areas that are known to have hurricanes and such on a nearly annual basis) and you should be fine.
This sounds a lot like Windstar. Same kind of ships, same general idea. They do have a small casino and a little game room off it. But again, I have only taken lesbian cruises with them. Not sure what happens when passengers may be mixed.
Anastasia, these small ships also have stabilizers. To be sure, look up the particular ship that interests you, but I have been cruising since 1973 and I have never been on one that didn't have stabilizers.
Lindsay is also absolutely right about location and time of year. The Med is great almost all year, a little iffy in their "winter." We all know to stay away from the Caribbean in hurricane season, and out of Asia in monsoon season, and so on.
Unfortunately, it's not just the fear of seasickness that keeps me from cruising, it's money. Cruising is way too expensive, especially to go where I want to go, which is where Lindsay went! Add to that the cost of a sitter for our three dogs (which is an extra $100+ a day), the airfare to get to the ship, etc., we just can't do it.
Lindsay, glad to hear you liked that cruise. We'll have to keep that line in mind for furture trips!
Our cruise in June was pretty much CF. We were on the maiden voyage of NCL's Epic, and pretty much it was all senior citizens, which was a little surprising because NCL can be rather famblee-friendly. Probably because famblees don't want to spend an entire week crossing the pond, LOL.
Anastasia, cruising can be really comparable to staying in a hotel, the problem is you need to come up with all the money upfront. The non-cruise trips we've done tend to be pretty close to cruising once you add in food and entertainment, which is included in the cruise fare. Just be sure to get an inside cabin, go easy on the booze, and don't book a ton of extra shore excursions (those tend to be over-priced, especially if you just want to walk around the port and sightsee.).
Lindsay Thanks for the idea about a cruise.
I wish I could get my hubby excited about such an event. But he
is very fearful of anything that involves water, he can't swim.
I assure him that it is just as safe as flying. But he watches too many shark shows, lol.
Plus my problem is the same as Anastasia's is... NO $$$
Until my mothers house sells, we just live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet.
Besides nothing will replace going to Vegas for my hubby, so
no cruise for me, sad to say.
I am glad you enjoyed your cruise. And I hope all is going well with your new marriage.
May you both enjoy many many happy years in wedded bliss
My hubby & I took Star Clipper's Star Flyer on a Tahitian cruise last year. We had maybe 2 or 3 kids on board out of a total of ~130 passengers. It was mostly couples and older folks. We absolutely LOVED it and are booked on the Star Flyer Costa Rican cruise this Thanksgiving. I am hoping for a completely CF-cruise or at the most only a handful of well-behaved older kids this year!!