<p>I’ve been on two cruises, one Carnival (1989) and one Royal Caribbean (2012). Overall, regardless of the cruise line, they aren’t what they used to be. The food used to be all gourmet food, not just massive quantities of food. The midnight buffets were famous back in the day. I was a little shocked by the nickle and diming and that all the restaurants weren’t just free. But, that was a change from “then” and “now” rather than the cruise line itself. We traveled with a couple who go on 3-4 cruises a year when we went last year. They said the rule of thumb for food is… the bigger the ship, the worse the food. The best food is on the smaller ships. </p>
<p>I admit, the issues with Carnival lately make me pretty wary of booking with them. It would seem that after the first issue, they would take some time and make sure all their ships were mechanically sound. To have three incidents over a month is kind of scary to me. </p>
<p>Lots of people shun the excursions as over priced but I enjoy them a lot. I get really nervous about finding things to do, getting back to the ship on time, knowing where it is safe to go, etc. so the excursions are great to me. </p>
<p>What I really love about cruises is that you can do as much or as little as you feel like doing that moment. If you want to lay by the pool all day reading, you can. If you want to shop, play games, go to shows and be busy all day, you can. If you want something in the middle, you can do that too. You get to see a lot of different places without packing and unpacking over and over. A lot of the ports I’ve been to were in places where I was glad to visit but also glad I wasn’t actually staying there for a long period of time.</p>
<p>Bumping this up because I have a question. We booked our cruise (Carnival Sensation- it was the only one that fit all of our schedules so it’s the one we got!) :D. We used some AARP discount or booked it through them or something. Now, we’re getting all sorts of emails and preparation reminders. One of the things it says is to bring one set of formal wear. Is this really at all necessary? We were planning on just having carry-on bags, which is how we normally travel, and obviously no room for anything formal in there.</p>
<p>The cruise is only 5 days total with what looks like two stops.</p>
<p>We were on a RC cruise…nine days. There were three “formal” dinners. All that meant was nice clothes. I wore a sundress with jacket or sweater…NOT a formal gown. I seriously doubt you will need that!</p>
<p>They guys in our group of 17 all wore a tie and sport jacket to dinner on the “formal” nights. I had several sundresses with me…some “fancier” than others.</p>
<p>Like busdriver, we really enjoyed Norwegian - we cruised on the EPIC. The flexible dining plan was to our liking, especially since we were busy with shore excursions. We had frequent flier miles and did 25th anniversary tour (a few years late) of Western Med.</p>
<p>Romani, forget the formal stuff unless you are into it. Guys wear khakis and a non t-shirt, women just wear nice pants and shirt, or a dress. Some people really get into it, we don’t, so we just avoided jeans, shorts, sandals and t- shirts, and have never had a problem on any cruise line. Worst thing is that they could make you do the buffet, but that won’t happen!</p>
<p>My H feels more comfortable in a sport coat and tie on formal night, but that’s just him. He would be uncomfortable dressed casually in the dining rooms but he also doesn’t even bring a suit anymore. Neither of us has brought formal wear since the early 80s. We’ve been cruising every couple years for over 2 decades and it has absolutely become more and more casual. I bring a packable cocktail type dress for the formal nights BUT Carnival and NCL are definitely less dressy. Cruises are fun. Now that the kids are grown and we cruise alone we like Princess.</p>
<p>Never been on a cruise. Can someone tell me a cruise line that’s on the level of the Four Seasons Hotel. It seems that cruises are basically a lot of mediocre food with mediocre ( at best) accommodations . I hope I am wrong but the more I listen it seems to be correct. I don’t need to spend my time finding out . I couldn’t go through all the threads but can someone reel me of an ultra luxurious pampering cruise line that is always on the money?</p>
<p>Oura54, I would check out Seabourn and Crystal cruise lines.</p>
<p>I would suggest that the men wear a dark suit rather than a sport coat on formal nights. I want to be one of the better dressed men on these nights, not “middle of the pack”!</p>
<p>If there’s seriously a formal night on a 4 night cruise, we’ll skip dinner or spring for room service. I don’t even think my dad owns a sport coat. If he does, he’s certainly not bringing it. Formal is not my family’s thing.</p>
<p>Oura54, my sib liked a recent Oceania cruise also. If you like to dress up “formal” skip Oceania and chose Seabourn because Oceania is country-club casual wear for dinners.</p>
<p>Have fun barrons. I’m looking for a Panama canal trip before they open the new canal and reading “Path between the Seas” right now. I’d pick a cruise before a “resort” anyday. Thank heavens I converted by husband who originally thought he’d rather undergo torture than take a cruise.</p>
<p>Want to do Europe River cruise but they only seem to have double rooms and we want to take our 14yr old who would be devastated if we left her behind. Anyone know of River Cruise line with triples?</p>
<p>ihs76, Try Amadeus MS Tolstoy. Their triples were basically a double cabin with a pullman (similar to the larger ocean going ships that have triples and quads). It’s been a few years since I checked this out and I’m assuming this ship is still in service.</p>
<p>Trust me romani, you do not have to get overly dressed up on “formal night” on Carnival. Your dad will be fine wearing a button down shirt and a pair of pants that aren’t jeans. If he’s really worried about it, he could bring a tie, but my guys never have. In fact, the kids have gotten away with t-shirts and sandals, on formal nights. My husband doesn’t own a sports coat either. The question is, do you really care if your family dresses in the top or even the middle of the pack on formal night? Who even cares? Sure, you’ll see some people getting pictures taken in tuxes and prom dresses, and you can snicker at them as you walk by. But you will be in their dress code as long as nobody wears t-shirts, jeans, shorts, or sandals (though you could probably get away with it anyways).</p>
<p>If you are totally uncomfortable, usually room service on a cruise is free. Plus, there is always a great dinner buffet, wear whatever you want to the buffet. Sometimes we’d skip that anyways, to get to a show, or if we didn’t make our seating times.</p>
<p>As one casual dresser to another (okay, I’m a slob), you don’t have to get overly dressed up on formal nights. The waiters will still be nice to you, and nobody really cares!</p>