Caribbean Vacation Zone

me and a friend have found packages for both destinations for air travel and hotel stay for reasonable pricing. cancun is only slightly cheaper than the caribbean.
do we need a passport if we’re flying for either place?
and which would be better to visit as far as costs and activities that are available? i don’t want to get there and find that everything costs alot more than i thought and planned for.
my boyfriend is mexican and speaks fluent spanish so language would not be a problem in cancun and i’ve heard that people in the caribbean speak mostly english.
any suggestions from experience as to which would be better or just facts that may be helpful??
our plan is to go around march 7 or 8th and we’ll stay about 5 days or so.

Even though your boyfriend speaks fluent spanish, do not go to Cancun. It is a tourist trap and the Caribbean has a lot more to offer you as far as scenery, culture, food, transport etc goes. My cousin just got back from Cancun and she absolutely hated it. She wasn’t looking for any tourist destination and tried to back out of the tourist traps. But she said unless you wanna see 40 something year olds lathering themselves up with coconut oil. there is no reason to go and no mexican culture. Caribbean for sure. I went to Roatan, Honduras and had a blast. It might be more expensive to go but you will save on food and accommodation. Plus spanish is very useful out there if you want to trek off the main beaten tourist path which can offer you sensational alternatives.

Which cruise line should I choose? Are there any all-inclusive packages on a cruise?

Depends on what you would like to do. Carnival is traditionally a "party" cruise, younger crowd but not as elegant. Princess is a nice mid-line vacation. RCCL more high end. Great kids programs too!

I am working with about a $2000 budget for the honeymoon. If we do fly out, we will be flying out of Houston, TX. I’m looking for something in Mexico or the Caribbean but nothing very "touristy". I’ve seen a lot of package deals on the internet sites (expedia, travelocity, etc.) but I’m not sure if they are what I’m looking for. Any first hand info would be great! Anything in Texas that I’m overlooking would be great too. Thanks!

ANTIGUA check out http://www.adventureantigua.com/ and http://www.antiguanice.com

They have a unique reputation in Costa Rica for continuing service via Internet after the Tour, Shore Excursion, or Vacation Package.
These people are also said to be from the same Cultural Salad Bowl as tthe late Bob Marley of Jamaica. Please help me.

www.tropicalpass.com

I’d really like to go on a proper long cruise to somewhere exotic like the caribbean or wherever, and would really like to know what companies offer those sorts of packages. I’m also wondering, if someone has some experience with this, what’s better: a transatlantic cruise or simply flying out to the states and then getting on a cruise ship there?

I have been on about 20 cruises with 4 different cruise lines and to many places including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Baltic countries. So I gave give you some pointers to get you started.

I take it from your comment about flying "out to the states" that you are located in Europe somewhere. So let me say this first. You really do not have to fly to the US to do a cruise unless you want to go to the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Bahamas, or Alaska. There are plenty of cruises leaving from European ports. There are cruises leaving from England, Germany, Spain, Italy, and other countries. If you are in England you can depart from Dover, Southampton, or Harwich. I have cruised out of Dover and come back into Harwich. The main departure port in Spain is Barcelona. You can leave from the Italian cities of Venice, Rome (Civitavecchia). In fact, with all of the cruise lines operating in Europe you have numerous places to get on a cruise ship.

The main cruise lines that most people use are Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America. The Cunard line does mainly transatlantic sailing and the Disney cruise lines does mainly Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.

If you want to take a cruise starting in Europe the itineraries available would be places like the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Ireland, and some others that include port stops in Greece, Dubai, and even Egypt. You have to decide where you want to go and which ports are most important to you. The benefit of doing a European cruise for you if you ARE in Europe is its a short train or plane ride to and from the port.

Another type cruise that you can consider if you really want to get to the US is either a transatlantic from Europe or what is called a "repositioning" cruise. A transatlantic would likely take you from England or Spain to New York City. A repositioning cruise will likely cross the Atlantic but include stops in places like the Canary Islands, Bermuda, and maybe a port or two in the Caribbean before the ship reaches its final destination which may be in Florida in the US. Repositioning cruises are generally a great deal and allow you to see ports combined in one cruise that are not the normal. These cruises generally occur twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall, when the cruise lines are moving the ship to a new location for the summer or winter season. The repositioning cruise is also typically longer than the straight transatlantic, maybe 12 to 14 days vs 7 for a normal crossing.

You can find repositioning cruise by simply searching for them on the cruise line web sites:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/search/vacationSearchResult.do;jsessionid=00001hLdZjWnfFNvs5Uz_W6QF4V:12hbiocus?qvsHome=yes&cS=QVS&date=ANY&dest=ISLAN&port=ANY&ship=ANY&cruiseTourOnly=false&x=43&y=9

You should know that all of the cruise lines give the best price for early bookings that are a year or more in advance. Also, all cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy and the prices listed will be per person and based on at least two people going on the cruise. You can go solo but you will have to pay a single supplement which is basically a double fare.

You should also know that the price of your cruise will depend upon the type accommodations that you choose and there are 4 basic types of cabins on ships; inside (no window), outside (a window or porthole), balcony/veranda, and suites. The "FROM" prices you see will always be for an inside cabin.

As for a dollar figure, I have listed below the web sites for the medium priced cruise lines which operate from US ports. There are some luxury lines that are much higher priced with prices starting around $4,000 for a 7 day cruise. The lines that I have listed below will have cruises starting in the range of $800 to $1,000 per person for a 7 day cruise, again depending upon the date and type cabin you select.

HOLLAND AMERICA

http://www.hollandamerica.com/

CELEBRITY:
http://www.celebritycruises.com/home .

ROYAL CARIBBEAN:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d…..

NORWEGIAN:

http://www.ncl.com/

PRINCESS:

http://www.princess.com/index.html

CARNIVAL:

http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/

What I recommend is that you go to the cruise lines and click on the link for specials and browse what is available. I have been on Princess, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships and can vouch that they are good cruise lines. There are some differences. Princess, Celebrity and Holland America have great ships are more reserved. Holland America has more senior citizens cruising on its ships. Carnival has more first time cruiser and young people who want to party, party, party. Royal Caribbean caters most to families and has the most and best on ship activities. Royal Caribbean’s web site is the easiest to find specials on; the link to its "hot deals" is in red. RC is my favorite !!!

Now, I hope this is enough to get you started.