Bermuda Cruise Help

Quote from chic : I will be going to a family cruise from NY to Bermuda Sept. 16 for 7 days. I have not been on a cruise in YEARS so I'm asking for some help. 1) Thinking about either ocean view/port hole or balcony. It's about $300 difference. Is it worth it? What's the difference between ocean view and port hole? 2) The Balcony Guarantee rooms are about $50 cheaper. Should I go for that? I think the lowest deck is 8 for balcony rooms. Is that too low? I heard higher decks are better. I figured as a first time cruiser, they probably won't give me the best balcony spot available anyway. 3) Any excursion or activities I should avoid? I'm not big on swimming or snorkeling. I'm thinking about tours on the island and so forth. There's this excursion where you wear this box. That looked pretty cool. 4) I get car sick often but I don't have a problem on the train or plane. I'm afraid that I may get sea sick. I've taken dramamine for car sickness before but that basically just knocked me out which doesn't exactly help if I'm going to sleep through the cruise. I've taken short boat rides, like dinner cruises in NY and Philly, and I seem fine. But just in case, any tip to prevent sea sick if it should happen? Anything other than dramamine I should take with me? I appreciate any other tips or suggestions. Thanks for your help!

1. Ocean view is typically a picture window type deal. A porthole is just what it sounds like; a smaller (but not usually tiny or anything) circular porthole window. Depending on the cruiseline, porthole rooms can often be the same price as an interior cabin (Carnival, for example doesn't charge more...at least on Fantasy class ships).

2. No way of knowing without what boat you're on. Different for every boat. See #3.

3. You're being a bit too specific for these boards I would imagine. You didn't mention what cruiseline, either, which can make a big difference in excursion experiences. Best bet is to check out cruisecritic.com and other cruise-specific message boards. You'll find a more targeted audience to your questions there.

4. If you were fine on much smaller boats, I wouldn't expect you to have any trouble on a much larger ship as the movement wouldn't be as dramatic.

cruisecritic.com is a great site for cruise planning. I used it alot to find info on my ship.

I would opt for the balcony.
1. you can put your luggage cases outside to save space on the inside.
2. the decks are crowded, so at least you have some private open space.
3. you can leave the door open while you cruise which feels great inside.

I got a partial balcony last time (french doors open half way into the safeboats area, but you cannot go outside) I thought this was decent, until i went to my friends balcony cabin. We spent most of our time on their balcony when we couldnt find a spot on the deck.

also less swaying as you go down and back of the ship. However you get more engine noise.

We were in the middle and i didnt really notice swaying or engine noise.

Friends were on the 8th floor on the front of the ship. Their room was rocking all day.

Sorry I didn't mention the boat. It's Norwegian Star. I'll definitely check out the site mentioned.

Thanks!

Quote from jaqnabox : cruisecritic.com is a great site for cruise planning. I used it alot to find info on my ship.

ITA those folks at cruisecritic.com know EVERYTHING about cruising and the boards over there are great resource.

You have to know yourself. We just got back from a 2 week cruise through the Baltics/Russia, and we only used our balcony once. When you're sailing, it's too windy to leave the door open, and when you're in port it was pointless because the ports were ugly and we were off the ship anyway exploring the towns!

The only thing it was really nice for was the additional light. Next time though, we'll definitely go back to an oceanview room.

As far as guarantees, I've found it's totally luck of the draw. We booked an inside guarantee once with Royal Caribbean, and ended up in the highest category of insides (a promenade room overlooking the main shopping strip in the ship). With Holland America, we went up one or two room levels. They tend to want to keep the cheapest rooms available for last minute bookings, so you may get lucky.

Unless there is a specific room you want (or location, etc), I think a guarantee is a fantastic way to go.

As far as sea sickness, I am the queen of it. I've gotten sick on just about every cruise we've taken. This past one wasn't too bad, but I had found anti-nausea gum at CVS (ginger flavor) that was supposed to help. They also make "less drowsy" drugs you can take. I still avoid taking them until after dinner though, if I can help it. Lower rooms in the middle of the ship are best for seasickness.

For nausea, ondansetron (zofran is the brand name) is hard to beat. It works great and generally has no side effects what so ever. Each pill lasts about 6 hours.

The downsides are that it is expensive ( about $4 a pill, but call around to different pharmacies because price varies widely), and you will need a prescription ( call your doc and ask if they can call it in for you- most docs will not make you come in for an appointment/visit for it since it is a very safe medication with no abuse potential).

Even if you are paying $4 a pill, it is still much cheaper than a drink and will make your trip more enjoyable than a drink.

Quote from chic : I will be going to a family cruise on Norwegian Star from NY to Bermuda Sept. 16 for 7 days. I have not been on a cruise in YEARS so I'm asking for some help. 1) Thinking about either ocean view/port hole or balcony. It's about $300 difference. Is it worth it? What's the difference between ocean view and port hole? 2) The Balcony Guarantee rooms are about $50 cheaper. Should I go for that? I think the lowest deck is 8 for balcony rooms. Is that too low? I heard higher decks are better. I figured as a first time cruiser, they probably won't give me the best balcony spot available anyway. 3) Any excursion or activities I should avoid? I'm not big on swimming or snorkeling. I'm thinking about tours on the island and so forth. There's this excursion where you wear this box. That looked pretty cool. 4) I get car sick often but I don't have a problem on the train or plane. I'm afraid that I may get sea sick. I've taken dramamine for car sickness before but that basically just knocked me out which doesn't exactly help if I'm going to sleep through the cruise. I've taken short boat rides, like dinner cruises in NY and Philly, and I seem fine. But just in case, any tip to prevent sea sick if it should happen? Anything other than dramamine I should take with me? I appreciate any other tips or suggestions. Thanks for your help!

Thank you for everyone's suggestions. I checked out cruisecritic.com and also found cruisediva.com to be helpful. I think I'll more likely go for an oceanview rather than balcony. I'll also be sure to pick up some some of those anti-nausea gum. Never seen those but will look for it. Maybe will pick up the $4 pills just in case too.