Cheap Cruises and Vacations To Go....
 

Anybody have any experience, either good or bad with either of these outfits?

Inquiring minds need to know.:D

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Vic, no but will send you my cruise agency if you want.
She is awesome.

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Thanks Carlos, I appreciate it!

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I have had experience with both of them and while they tend to be pretty good you will need at least 8 to 12 different sources to get the very best deals. I use at least that many before I book a cruise because every agent has different deals to pass on. My last cruise deal that I went on was last week ( Oct. 12-16 ) and it cost me total including taxes $179. I tipped the cabin steward $12 so for 4 nights it was less than you'd pay for one nights hotel and food anywhere. I went on the Majesty of the Seas and the ports were Nassau, Key West and their private island.

My wife and I have gone on a 17 night Transatlantic on Princess in a suite that included A/F from San Diego for $5200 for both of us that started in Rome, Florence, Cannes, Cartegena Spain, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Casablanca, Portugal, Ft. Lauderdale and then New Orleans. PM if you'd like some of the links on where to get the best deals. Booking yourself on these cruises is very easy and you will save hundreds of dollars by sourcing out the best sites. Why pay somebody else to do it for you when you can do it yourself and then use the money you save on more important things,,,,like cigars!!

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I have done it both ways and in the end, I have found my source to have great offers for me. She always works it to get me the best price. Sends me a list of every option I have. I sit back, decide and off I go. The rest of my time? Smoke cigars.:D

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Ive used Vacations to Go 5 or 6 different times, and every time Ive gotten a fantastic deal. If your schedule allows last minute travel, their "90 day ticker" has some unbeatable prices.

if you want any more info pm me, i can give you the number of the VTG agent Ive used to book all my trips, shes great.

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I have compared Vacations to Go with Carnival's website and there is no difference that I have noticed at all. :2

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I've booked with VTG a few times in the past and found their prices to be fairly good, customer service fairly bad. I no longer use them because they seriously irritated me, but if you want a decent price and don't expect a lot from their agents, you should be okay.

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thanks for the help and advice everyone.!

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Good deal as you probably use her quite a bit and repeat business is their forte when getting you the best deals. Sounds like she is getting you "her" pricing and she is worth her weight in gold if she does that for you.

Cruising and cigars,,,,,,ahh! Like a Boss,,,on a boat!!:ss

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Man I can't wait for December.
I am going crazy thinking about this trip.
Will be doing Labadee, going through Eastern Cuba, then to Ochio Rios, then wrapping around Pinal del Rio.
Can't wait to see that. Booked it due to length (5 days), price ($525 balcony, not guaranteed so better room/location - 8th deck, mid ship) but more so because of the navigation completely around Cuba.

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We're wanting to do a Dec. cruise as well and now you have me interested in your cruise. We have been all around the Carribean but the one you are going on seems pretty nice and a good price for a balcony. I am assuming this is on Navigator of the Seas? ON Dec. 14 they have it for this price on a balcony for two people:

Passenger Fare Taxes/Fees Total
#1) $419.00 $79.97 $498.97 USD
#2) $419.00 $79.97 $498.97 USD

Subtotal: $838.00 $159.94 $997.94 USD

Grand Total Including Travel Insurance at NO EXTRA COST:
(Travel Insurance applicable for 5-Night Cruises or longer)
(Applicable to U.S. & Canadian residents only.)

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If I had as cheap a cruise as this,I would have paid a bit more than 3 dollars a day tip...

Geez Gary :rolleyes:

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Easy big fella,,,,the steward only came to my room once because I had the DO NOT DISTURB sign out for 3 days which means he came to the room only once.

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Yes. Navigator of the Seas. Very nice ship. I am doing the 12/5 one.
What is 12/5 going for? Go on that one and one big smoke party.:r
The 12/5 one was down to $449 but guaranteed room, meaning they choose where they place you.
Can't beat that price the following week, 12/14.
I would cancel mine and move it a week but going with boss and his wife and they already have flights booked.

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I've used them for researching purposes and as a baseline for prices, but, since I've only cruised with Carnival, I've always ended up booking with Carnival directly.

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Just checked, 12/5 still $449, plus port fees.

Vic,
Two great choices here.
Either 12/5 or 2/14. Very, very nice ship. The balcony rooms are sweet.
Best part about RC and balconies regarding smoking (from their site):
it is permitted on private ocean view balconies of balcony/suite staterooms.

I know you are an attorney but please don't read the next couple of sentences where it states:
Pipe & cigar smoking is only permitted within the Cigar lounge.
I can't read that far down.:r Not like they can stop the ship for me.

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No worries about the smoking Carlos, my bros. and I are buying the cruise for my parents as an anniversary present. Times are tough all around, but I'd like for it to be a two week cruise, sometime in the spring. They're in Branson right now, then Galveston Island in Jan and Orlando in Feb. I have to work around their new recently retired lifestyle, LOL:r

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Nice!
Although costly due to the air fare there and one I have yet to do (but on my hit list), the mediterranean. RC has 10/12 and 14 day cruise in the area.
The sweet one for me leaves and returns from Barcelona and does Italy, Greek Isles, Turkey, etc. However, by the time you are done, that is one pricey trip.
Caribbean ones usually go 10 days or so at most.
A nice two week one also that does Panama Canal.
There is also a two week or so one to Brazil.
Lots to choose from.

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Hot Dog!! I have been showing the wifey about this one and she's like telling me that Celebrity has this one on the 12th for a 5 nighter for $489 for a balcony: Ports of Call: Miami, Florida | Ocho Rios, Jamaica | Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. I love the Caymans Islands Mahn!

I have done the "guaranteed" rooms before and sometimes you get a great one and sometimes you get the obstructed view. In any event I don't care cuz I'm a Boss,,,on a boat! You're going with the Boss, huh? At some point we're about to bump into each other on cruise as many as I have been taking lately. They are getting so cheap it's actually just as cheap to cruise as it is to live at home and I get somebody to make my bed every day, prepare my meals, smoke my cigars on my balcony and then take in a moolit stroll on Carribean beaches.

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Believe it or not, that Celebrity one was around $800 when I looked into this trip months ago. Amazing how the price has dropped. Celebrity is nice but I think it was an older ship than Navigator but who cares. Nice line.
I love cruising for the reasons you cite. Can't beat it.
Maybe we should start a "cruising" thread so we can post dates and see who is going when.:r

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You have somebody to smoke YOUR cigars???

Can I apply for that job???

:tu

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:r:r:r

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I usually wait til the last month before I buy a cruise anymore because they do what you said,,,they drop the price so they can sell out and I have scored some great cruises. Being retired and able to go at a moments notice is helpful as well.

I like the idea of a sub forum about cruises and such esp. when you factor those ships that have some great cigar areas.

ROFL,,,only after I read your comment did I go back and read what I typed. What a snobby sunova***** that would be, huh? This is what I read about when you hit 55 and start pulling together all of these "senior moments",,,,:r

I'm still trying to figger out what a "moolit stroll" on a Carribean beach is all about.

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Cow on the beach that you are riding when you have your cigar lit. :D

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HaHaHa,,,,not even going to ask you would know that or how much alcohol one has to consume to do that.

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A lot of good information on this post...well I hope so anyway! :r

My wife and I are going on our first cruise (to belatedly celebrate our 10 yr anniversary) next weekend on the Norwegian Sky (3 day Bahamas). We didn't feel we could really go for a longer trip for just the two of us with a 6 and 3 yr old at home. Hopefully the kids don't drive the MIL too crazy (well...crazier :)) I understand that NCL doesn't have the greatest ratings, but I am very much looking forward to the cruise and I am confident we will enjoy ourselves immensely.

I am fortunate that I am able to plan things like this last minute and I feel I got a great deal. The only thing I worry about is if I'll regret that I didn't upgrade to a room with a balcony, but it's a short cruise and I will learn for next time if I wish I got one. Helped keep me within my budget too. :tu

Everyone, and especially Gary and Carlos, thank you for all of the great information posted. This thread really gave me confidence in booking my trip.

Bon Voyage!!! Well, in a week anyway. :tu

If anyone has any last minute advice, it's much appreciated.

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Have fun on your cruise. Don't sweat not getting the balcony. You probably wouldn't have used it much in 3 days anyways!

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If a guy from Kansas wants to see the melted penny trick done with your blazer while smoking on the aft deck, tell him Charlie says hi! :r

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One word of advice. If you board the ship around noon, NCL should have one of the main dining rooms open for lunch. A lot of people don't know this and head to the buffet. You might want to check out the dining room first - the menus are always posted outside.

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Just have a great time, Joel. This is going to be like a recon mission so you can get your head around what cruising is all about. If you like spending time in your room, balcony is a great choice. We've had every room type there is from inside to suite and it's all about what you plan to do on the cruise. I do an inside when I know I am going to do alot of sightseeing in ports. If I do a Transatlantic I book a suite. I do balcony if I want to relax and just see the islands. Food will probably be better in the main dining hall than the buffet for you on Norweigan and I always like my breakfast in the main dining area,,,it's cooked to order instead of buffet style.

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Thanks for the tip...will definitely check into this. :tu



And a slight change of plans. I checked NCL's website today and apparently they still hadn't filled their balcony rooms...for an extra $30 pp I was able to upgrade my room from the Oceanview to Balcony. I think a heck of a deal for $199 pp (before taxes/fees/etc.) :wo

Three days from now I will be on board! :banger

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Have fun Joel.

Living in Orlando is convenient for me to hop a quick 3 day cruise out of Canaveral and we do at least 2 a year, mostly on RCL. It winds up being a 3 day weekend and the drive to port is about 1 hour and the cruise costs under 300 bucks a person. We always get an inside cabin as we only are in the cabin to sleep and change.

I never drink fruity or frozen drinks in my normal life but seem to spend 3 days wobbling around blitzed on Bahama Mamas every time I get on a cruise. There is always someone in front of you with a tray full of them.

On a couple occasions I have gotten sick on them and swore them off forever, but it never works.

For smoking, RCL has a cigar afficianado meeting once a night although it never seems to have more than a couple people there and I normally wind up smoking on the top port deck and always seem to find other herfers.

Not sure about your ship, but RCL allows smoking on the port side of the boat.

Between the shows and the food, it is a real value in my opinion although I always give the casino plenty of extra spending money.

Have a blast.

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Just got back from my RC Navigator of the Seas cruise.
What fun.
Got an invite from the captain himself to join him on the bridge to see Cuba as we were near it.
Sat on his chair.
Photos to come once I upload them to Photobucket.
My internet is down and I am tapping a neighbor's signal that is not secure.
Wonder how long that will last.

That bridge experience was AMAZING!!!

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What's it like up there Carlos?

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AMAZING!!!

What a view to a kill.
We got the full tour. They had us over the section that extends out from the ship that they use when docking, then took us around the bridge and told us of all the equipment, then got to sit at the captain's chair.
We were over the barrier islands that are on the northern part of Cuba, between Holguin and Camaguay.
What a breathtaking view and experience.
I will post pictures on a separate thread once I can upload them.

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My wife and I got back from our 3-day Bahamas cruise earlier this week and all I can say is I loved cruising! I am glad we went on a short trip to see what we thought of the concept, and boy were we pleased.

We only ate at the buffet one time during the cruise...I would say the buffet was below expectations by a lot, and probably below average. Breakfast in the dining rooms was definitely a great tip. Eggs Benedict in the AM really hit the spot. :tu We elected to pay extra and dine in the "special" restaurants each evening, and the food was outstanding. I was very pleased.

We spent the day Saturday in Nassau, taking in the sites at Atlantis, and hopping on a taxi to visit Greycliff. I wish I scheduled, or made someone aware of my visit, but still, it was cool to visit there. Unfortunately, due to rough seas, we did not have the day at their private island on Sunday, but we enjoyed the day at sea on the pool deck all the same.

I was glad we got the balcony, even though once we were out we didn't go back to the room. But it takes me only about 15 minutes to get ready, and my wife about 3 times that. The 30+ minutes on the deck during that time, along with the nightcap on the balcony made it well worth the upgrade we paid. On Sunday there was a meteor shower that, being on the balcony, we were able to enjoy. 15-20 "shooting stars" over a couple of 30 minute segments. :)

I only had a couple of cigars while on board (one on the top aft deck, one on the balcony). The pool deck was quite full on Sunday since we missed the excursion and I didn't feel smoking a cigar would have been well received. Besides, there was some confusion with the staff as to where I could smoke one, so I just decided not to. If (who am I kidding? - WHEN) I go on my next cruise I will probably make a point to get clear definition for when and where it's cool.

Overall, a great experience which I hope to enjoy again. A couple days longer in duration would be sweet too. :ss

Oh yeah, kind of neat side story...We ate at the steakhouse on Friday night and I decided to order Oyster Rockefeller as an appetizer. Lo and behold, I found a small pearl in the first oyster I tried. We had the several people from the staff come to the table to verify the story. lol

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Too bad about the rough seas. I have been held back from the private island more times than I have been on it due to the seas.

Once a storm made the trip back on the tender so rough, they showed it on the videos all night and navigating the plank blitzed on rum was a real treat as it bobbed up and down.

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All cruise lines have it well defined on their website.
RC as an example allows cigar smoking either in cigar lounge or on the smoking side of the pool deck.

Sounds like you will now be a regular cruiser. Welcome to the club. You did well in trying out the 3 day as that is the best way to go for a first timer. Now for a 5 or more as you will enjoy it much more having a day at sea on the way out and a day at sea on the way in, at minimum depending on how many days beyond 5 your cruise is.