Newbie Question

Hi

Hows this time of year for a cruise to Baja Mexico. I was planning to book
thru web sites like cruises.com; vacationstogo.com is that a good idea since
not sure how the cabins are allocated?

Also how does the location of the inside staterooms affect the experience of
cruise. guess lower decks will have more movement; so how would we choose
the location of our cabin to have a pleasant experience whilst in the cabin

thks
mos

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 21:50:59 -0800, "Mohsin" <mohsinhk@cisco.com>
wrote:

>Also how does the location of the inside staterooms affect the experience of
>cruise. guess lower decks will have more movement; so how would we choose
>the location of our cabin to have a pleasant experience whilst in the cabin
>
Unless you're on your honeymoon, the most pleasant experience isn't
going to be in your cabin! Most of the time there's too much to do
elsewhere - so the cabin (for me anyway) is just a brief stop to
sleep, re-group and head off again.

We buy the cheapest cabin because we prefer to spend our money on more
useful things - of course those folk with more money get the best of
both worlds. I find that provided your neighbouring cabin occupants
aren't noisy, then even the lowest cabins are OK - we almost expected
a propellor shaft running through it for the el cheepo fares we chose,
but then I'm not fussy about cabins as long as i can go to the toilet
and sleep.

Bob T.

I waited for someone more experienced to jump in but it didn't happen,
so take this with a grain of s We're (re)newbies, on our first
cruise in decades.

The price of the cabin is only part of the overall cost, which includes:

Air fare to the embarkation port
Hotel and expenses there a day before sailing
Shore excursions and meals, taxi, shopping
Extra-cost shipboard items (bar, upgraded dining, spa, etc.)
Gambling
Tips
Tips
....etc.

Depending on your personal tastes, you may find that the actual cruise
ticket is half the total - or even less. I bet the average couple spends
at least $1200 plus gambling. Our selected shore excursions will add
$400, and my wife will surely spend $200 in the spa.

HAL's Oosterdam is probably the nicest of the "Mexican Riviera" cruises.
That 6-day 7-night cruise from San Diego, for two people, costs about
$1100 for an inside cabin, and $1650 for an outside cabin with veranda.
Better shoppers may pay less.

For us, it's valuable to open up the sliding doors to the veranda and
share wine and hors d'ouvres with new shipboard friends, and to have
coffee outside in the morning as the Pacific slides by. It's definitely
worth the $$$ difference.

HAVE FUN!

Ike

I believe the lower decks have less movement.
For me it is important to have a balcony since I love to sit and relax . Be
assured that you can do that up on deck too.

As for cabins you should be able to see available cabins when you book.Look
up and look down. Is there a disco on top of you or the midnight buffet
below you ?

Do you want to be near the elevators[ my preference ] or do you want to be
far away?

Let us know how the booking process goes for you.
Doreen

"Mohsin" <mohsinhk@cisco.com> wrote in message
news:1137995940.886256@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi
>
> Hows this time of year for a cruise to Baja Mexico. I was planning to book
> thru web sites like cruises.com; vacationstogo.com is that a good idea
since
> not sure how the cabins are allocated?
>
> Also how does the location of the inside staterooms affect the experience
of
> cruise. guess lower decks will have more movement; so how would we choose
> the location of our cabin to have a pleasant experience whilst in the
cabin
>
> thks
> mos
>
>

Mohsin wrote:
>
> Also how does the location of the inside staterooms affect the experience of
> cruise. guess lower decks will have more movement; so how would we choose
> the location of our cabin to have a pleasant experience whilst in the cabin
>
> thks
> mos
>
>

Lower decks do not mean there are more movements. If you are concern
about it, you should pick cabins toward the middle of the ship and not
near the bow or stern.

IMO, for a Mexican/baja cruise, an inside cabin is fine unless you get a
great deal on an outside cabin. We had an inside for a 23-day cruise once,
and that was a little long (they are DARK!)
There is more motion the HIGHER the cabin, not the lower. And if you look
at the ship's design and try to select a cabin in the centre 1/3 of the
ship, there should be very little motion. (I've often been tempted to book
a rear-facing cabin, but have never done so because of fears of the chance
of a roller coaster ride in rough seas.)
If you are cost conscious, I would recommend booking an inside cabin. At
any rate, I would try to select one on a lower deck, but not the lowest, as
sometimes the lowest deck has a lot of engine noise or vibration, as well as
noise from crew quarters below.

"Mohsin" <mohsinhk@cisco.com> wrote in message
news:1137995940.886256@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi
>
> Hows this time of year for a cruise to Baja Mexico. I was planning to book
> thru web sites like cruises.com; vacationstogo.com is that a good idea
> since not sure how the cabins are allocated?
>
> Also how does the location of the inside staterooms affect the experience
> of cruise. guess lower decks will have more movement; so how would we
> choose the location of our cabin to have a pleasant experience whilst in
> the cabin
>
> thks
> mos
>

The ships that sail to Baja are usually older and smaller and don't
have many, if any balconies unless you stay up on a higher deck in a
Penthouse suite, for instance.

We'll be sailing down there for the 3rd time in April on the Carnival
Paradise for 4 nights. We booked 3 cabins---two outside and one inside.
The outsides will accommodate 2 women each and our daughters will share
the inside quad. (4 teenage girls). For that short of a cruise, an
inside would be fine for me. I usually book an inside even on a 10 day
cruise. No problem at all. I don't cruise for the cabin, but many
people like to have at least a window and some demand a balcony. We
experienced our first balcony cabin in Alaska this last August. Sure,
it was nice, but we only got it because my berth was free (booked 9
cabins for a group). So we upgraded. I have no problem going back to an
inside, though. For me, the action is outside of my cabin.

Lindsay

"Linsifer" <Linsifer@> wrote in message
news:1138036692.778195.50690@f14g2000cwb. ...
> The ships that sail to Baja are usually older and smaller and don't
> have many, if any balconies unless you stay up on a higher deck in a
> Penthouse suite, for instance.
>
> We'll be sailing down there for the 3rd time in April on the Carnival
> Paradise for 4 nights. We booked 3 cabins---two outside and one inside.
> The outsides will accommodate 2 women each and our daughters will share
> the inside quad. (4 teenage girls). For that short of a cruise, an
> inside would be fine for me. I usually book an inside even on a 10 day
> cruise. No problem at all. I don't cruise for the cabin, but many
> people like to have at least a window and some demand a balcony. We
> experienced our first balcony cabin in Alaska this last August. Sure,
> it was nice, but we only got it because my berth was free (booked 9
> cabins for a group). So we upgraded. I have no problem going back to an
> inside, though. For me, the action is outside of my cabin.
>
> Lindsay
>

Lindsay's back...

Missed ya.

--Tom

hello

thanks to all u 'gurus' informed replies, i feel more confident abt the
choice of a cabin. So a balcony would be a nice idea but like small cruise
to Baja on ship like Paradise with Carnival i dont see many of those options
for a cabin

So my experience with the Internet cruise booking sites, they are not giving
me a guaranteed cabin allocation & the few which did came up with deep
interior locations..

i think might be a good idea to try a local travle agent, appreciate any
recos for TAs in / around the bay area, california.

thks
mos
"Tom K" <tkanitra@> wrote in message
news:SVgBf.193$7D5.68@fe12.lga...
>
> "Linsifer" <Linsifer@> wrote in message
> news:1138036692.778195.50690@f14g2000cwb. ...
>> The ships that sail to Baja are usually older and smaller and don't
>> have many, if any balconies unless you stay up on a higher deck in a
>> Penthouse suite, for instance.
>>
>> We'll be sailing down there for the 3rd time in April on the Carnival
>> Paradise for 4 nights. We booked 3 cabins---two outside and one inside.
>> The outsides will accommodate 2 women each and our daughters will share
>> the inside quad. (4 teenage girls). For that short of a cruise, an
>> inside would be fine for me. I usually book an inside even on a 10 day
>> cruise. No problem at all. I don't cruise for the cabin, but many
>> people like to have at least a window and some demand a balcony. We
>> experienced our first balcony cabin in Alaska this last August. Sure,
>> it was nice, but we only got it because my berth was free (booked 9
>> cabins for a group). So we upgraded. I have no problem going back to an
>> inside, though. For me, the action is outside of my cabin.
>>
>> Lindsay
>>
>
> Lindsay's back...
>
> Missed ya.
>
> --Tom
>

"Mohsin" <mohsinhk@cisco.com> wrote in message
news:1137995940.886256@sj-nntpcache-3...
> Hi
>
> Hows this time of year for a cruise to Baja Mexico. I was planning to book
> thru web sites like cruises.com; vacationstogo.com is that a good idea
> since not sure how the cabins are allocated?
>
> Also how does the location of the inside staterooms affect the experience
> of cruise. guess lower decks will have more movement; so how would we
> choose the location of our cabin to have a pleasant experience whilst in
> the cabin
>
> thks
> mos

Everyone answered your questions and concerns about a cabin but neglected to
say anything about going down there this time of the year.

I'll answer that part. It's always warm and hot in Cabo. THIS time of the
year it should be warm, probably around the high 70's or so. There will be
a lot of Snowbirds (people running from winter weather up north) down there
now that have their own condos and houses. The stop in Cabo is only for a
few hours and you can do a lot in that time frame. We have a timeshare
there and went down three times already but have opted for other places and
cruises now since we are totally bored with Cabo.

Keep in mind that although Cabo is in Baja California like Tijuana is, the
prices are not cheap by any means. You can haggle and bargain but even with
the lowest price you can get, it will still be a lot higher than Tijuana,
mainly because of it's location and the monopoly they have on you. You can
only shop in Cabo San Lucas or Cabo San Jose.

There are plenty of shore excursions and I recommend you take a glass bottom
boat tour and maybe snorkeling, plus if you have time, a bus tour.

Cabo is getting so commercial now it's far from the little fishing village
it used to be. There's even a COSTCO there now selling items in Pesos. I'm
glad for that though. When we do go down there we stop at COSTCO for items
we need for our stay at good prices. There are Mexican stores and markets
but they are rather expensive for what they sell.

We have never cruised in an inside cabin mainly because of my claustrophobia
(Vietnam related). Therefore we always take a cabin with a full view window
or balcony. Balcony's are nice since you can sit out and have breakfast or
coffee while the sea goes by, catch the ocean breezes, if your neighbor to
the right or left isn't smoking pot. When we went to the Western Caribbean
last year, we had stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios Jamaica.
Some folks loaded up on weed and Cubans and smoked all the way back to
Miami. The entire ship reeked of marijuana smoke and people were even
smoking it out in the open on deck. I bought a couple Cuban cigars and hid
them in my suit jacket. My wife freaked out when she discovered that we
could be fined $300 for each cigar Customs found. I told her to chill.
Customs didn't even check us. I think they only check about 2% of the
people debarking and they have profiles they use.

When you get to Cabo, GET OFF THE SHIP. A lot of folks just lay around on
deck all day. Go into Cabo San Lucas and eat a great Mexican meal and have
some real Margaritas at Squid Row, MargaritaVille (Jimmy Buffet's place), or
one of the many other fine restaurants. Walk around the streets and by all
means, visit the flea market. Try not to use Taxi's though. They are known
to rip you off. We always get a rental car in Cabo. Enjoy the day. If you
went during Spring Break, you probably wouldn't enjoy yourself as much as it
would be too crowded. We can't even get into our timeshare in April,
although we can book for anytime of the year we want.

You will then sail off into the Pacific sunset. Just be sure to bring a lot
of film or CF cards for your digital camera. Cabo is a lot cleaner than a
lot of other Mexican towns and cities.

And when people say the action is outside your cabin, they are correct. We
only use our cabin to slip in for a nap, bathe, change clothes, and sleep.
I would say we spend about an hour a day in our Cabin once we leave it in
the morning until evening when it's time to get ready for dinner.
As for tips, use your own judgment. Don't tip because it's expected of you.
Tip because you got great service and tip accordingly. You can also tip
your waiter or cabin attendant anytime you want. By tipping them throughout
the cruise, a few bucks here and there, will enhance the service you receive
from them - within their means. I used to raid the pillow chocolate bag
every evening when our beds were being prepared for the night. Our
attendant would point out the bag for me and I would reach in and grab a
few. She was great and got a nice tip from us too. HOWEVER, I believe all
tips are consolidated and doled out evenly between the employees, but the
little extra you give them during the cruise remains their's to keep.