Websites for planning a cruise

[gamarcilio]

Hello,

I would like first to congratulate this website's staff, I have been reading a lot of stuff from here the last days and everything was really good, thanks for the time put in here and the participation of all the members.

I am new here, I did not find anything regarding this matter so I would like to give it a shot by opening this topic and see if we can gather good websites that help cruise planning and buying.

I would like to start naming a few and if you have others that can be added, I would really appreciate.

1- VacationstoGo - my first pick for viewing cruise prices and itineraries

2- Cruisecritic - my first pick for checking the ship i might be sailing in

3 - CruiseWatch - my first pick for price tracking

4 - Cruisedeckplans - my first pick for choosing a stateroom

5 - Cruisefish - I have read about it, but do not know if it works well. It is also for price tracking

6 - this very own website - Discovered a few days ago and it is great for royal caribbean news, tips and insights

Even though I look in all those websites, I always book through the company website.

Regarding apps, I really like - Ship Mates - It is a great source of information and the community is very active

Help with what you can.

Thank you,

Gabriel

[JLMoran]

I'd exercise some caution with CruiseCritic as far as things like reviews or commentaries. I started off there and quickly found that it was a sea of negativity and noise, especially when it came to ship reviews. Maybe because it's such a "general purpose" site, maybe some other reason, but it definitely wasn't a great "signal to noise" ratio. I have read, however, that it's a good site to use for roll calls of your specific itineraries and arranging meet-ups or group activities.

I'd also add TripAdvisor to your list. It has entries with reviews for many shore excursion options that you won't find listed on the cruise lines' sites (which you'd have to book on your own), as well as excursions that are available on sites like Royal's Cruise Planners. It's a great way to find alternate activities you may not have considered or even known exist, as well as get information on excursions you can't otherwise find.

[ellcee]

Cruise Critic is great for info but awful if you can't ignore some people's negativity.

[fonemanbob]

Its best to ignore all the  negative comments on cruise critic.  Those kind of comments are from people who are negative about most everything.   Trip Adviser has   given us some great things to do over the years i.e. excursions, dining, lodging, etc.   Our travel agent has also been valuable to us.  We used to do it on our own. Not any more. And yes we check and see if we got the best rate, room ,etc.   In all honesty the best site that you can go to is this site hands down.  If you can"t get an answer here then I doubt you will find it elsewhere.  Welcome to the blog.  Their is no such thing as a dumb question.  Just ask away.

[tiny260]

Agree on Cruise Critic, use only for Roll Calls and Meet and Mingles, as JL states, TripAdvisor for information about ports of call and excursions. I have also used Cruiseline.com, don't use them a lot but have found some interesting articles. And yes, as everyone has stated, this web page. Cruisedeckplans has become invaluable to me recently.

[firegal2539]

I agree with JL about the negative noise on CC but I still read the reviews. I think when people go on a cruise they expect it to be like what they saw on LOVE BOAT. I always remember that show and think about how poor Isaac the bartender worked every bar on ship, every day. The Captain was never in the bridge, instead he was mingling with passengers, but I feel people expect that kind of treatment when on a cruise. If you have your expectations so high you will be disappointed. CC is not the only negative review site, there are several others. Trip Advisor has their share of negative reviews.

I have read many reviews where passengers blamed the cruise lines for the weather, the sea conditions, people on board who were sick, etc. It is what you make it.

Anyways I kind of veered off subject, if you read CC and just remember that this review might be biased, sometimes there is still good information in the review. 

I use Trip Advisor when I am looking for a good restaurant at home, a good hotel to stay at the day before the cruise, it is a wealth of information and it also lists excursions.

For information about ports, I use whatsinport.com, cruiseportinsider.com and tomsportguides.com. The first two have a rundown of everything that is in port, weather information and what to pack, many things. Tom's Port Guides is written by a man who has traveled to all of the ports and compiled them into a wealth of information. He will tell you whether the port is walkable, how far from the ship to the center of town, his suggestions on excursions. It is an amazing wealth of information but unfortunately he hasn't traveled to every port, so there are many missing.

I don't like vacationstogo.com. I have had friends who were kind of messed with on their booking. I don't like that they charge a fee for booking with them. A travel agent, at least to me, is the best way to go for a booking. A very good travel agent can make recommendations on everything to do with a cruise. My TA, since I know her so well, will tell me if she thinks the cruise just isn't right for me.

With a membership to the Royal Blog you can get cruise tracking, I use it all the time.

Matt is a wealth of information and so are the members. WAAAYTOOO has taken so many cruises she has so much knowledge about cruising and many others are the same. Just ask your questions and you will always get an answer.

Candie

[rjac]

45 minutes ago, firegal2539 said:

WAAAYTOOO has taken so many cruises

Is it true they named a life boat after her?

[DocLC]

I have a love/hate relationship with Cruise Critic. While I find a lot of valuable information there, the negativity if quite high. 

[firegal2539]

rjac,

I believe it is called the "S.S. I've spent WAAAYTOOO much money in the casino this trip".

Candie

[whenismynextcruise]

I have had very good luck with vacationstogo in the past. I have only ever booked from the "90 day ticker" portion because we are just 2 and can be flexible. I have even had to change bookings before at no cost and with great customer service.

Those were all US domestic based departure/return cruises. For something maybe more complicated like a European cruise I would choose to go with a TA for their wisdom and experience.

Crusie Critic I read just for the sheer entertainment value of it now. @firegal2539 comment about cruisers expecting the LOVE BOAT cracked me up!

[mom2mybugs]

14 hours ago, whenismynextcruise said:

 

Crusie Critic I read just for the sheer entertainment value of it now. @firegal2539 comment about cruisers expecting the LOVE BOAT cracked me up!

I totally did too!  Sometimes you get a happy review and the pics are awesome.   But the rant threads are just hilarious.   Jane

[gamarcilio]

Thank you all, people. It was very helpful 

[twangster]

I like the search and filter options for researching itineraries on cruiseline.com.  Filtering by ship size, sorting by cabin type rather than simply lowest inside cabin price, etc.  I've participated on a few user feedback panels with them and they do listen.

There is negativity on many forums, you can usually tell in the first line or two if a review or post should be ignored.  

[rjac]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

There is negativity on many forums

Not so much here!

[twangster]

 

Just now, rjac said:

Not so much here!

Newbie here but like what I see so far.  I've often referred people here in other forums to view the cruise compasses - great resource to prepare for a cruise.

[rjac]

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Newbie here but like what I see so far.  I've often referred people here in other forums to view the cruise compasses - great resource to prepare for a cruise.

By the way, Twangster, welcome aboard!

[RCVoyager]

Here are two more websites I really like:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Marine traffic is supposed to show you the location of all the ships, all the time.  It does pretty well.  You have to learn how to finesse it a little.

cruise time tables shows the schedule of port of embarkation or port of call around the world sometimes more than a year in advance.

I use them both almost daily.

 

[rjac]

25 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

Here are two more websites I really like:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Marine traffic is supposed to show you the location of all the ships, all the time.  It does pretty well.  You have to learn how to finesse it a little.

cruise time tables shows the schedule of port of embarkation or port of call around the world sometimes more than a year in advance.

I use them both almost daily.

 

Wow, those are really neat! Thanks for the links.

[twangster]

Adding PTZtv webcam sites to the list, like:

http://www.portmiamiwebcam.com

http://www.portevergladeswebcam.com

http://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com

And so on...  Visit any of the above and there is a drop down menu in the upper left corner with all of them.  Click the "VHF" icon to listen to marine frequencies.  Overheard the captains of the Harmony and Oasis chatting last week.  Some have live microphones so you can hear the ship horn during sail away.

Oh look... there is Allure of the Seas in Port Everglades.  Sail away in an hour or so.   

PTZtv incorporates marinetraffic.com data into the page if you scroll down.  

Also, Twitter.  You can follow @JamesVanFleet , the chief meteorologist for RCI and Celebrity,  and @HarleyCaptain, the current captain on Harmony. 

[RCVoyager]

3 hours ago, rjac said:

Wow, those are really neat! Thanks for the links.

You're welcome.  When I say you have to finesse marinetraffic.com, I mean that you have to read it carefully.  The cruise ships are in the big blue icons.  Oftentimes there is an old reading for a particular ship (say 12 hours ago).  Then when you go ahead in the general direction that ship was going you may see a smaller blue icon identified as "passenger vessel".  Most of the time, that is the ship you are tracking from the 12 hour old reading.  

There is something in the website that doesn't always identify the ships by name.

[Traveler]

Regarding CC site , 

I agree with most of what was said here , its is a very good site for the meet and mingle but problematic with the reviews, but i guess it is true for all sites which allows reviews , people tend to right reviews when they are very very upset on something or where very happy with something else. 
So always , reading reviews with filter is a must .

One thing which is quite annoying in CC , if you will try to put a link that points to this wonderful site you will see a magic happens and the URL is becoming scrambled .
This magic not happens to most of the other site ... interesting.

[twangster]

1 hour ago, RCVoyager said:

You're welcome.  When I say you have to finesse marinetraffic.com, I mean that you have to read it carefully.  The cruise ships are in the big blue icons.  Oftentimes there is an old reading for a particular ship (say 12 hours ago).  Then when you go ahead in the general direction that ship was going you may see a smaller blue icon identified as "passenger vessel".  Most of the time, that is the ship you are tracking from the 12 hour old reading.  

There is something in the website that doesn't always identify the ships by name.

Agree marinetraffic.com is a great site.  Cruise geek here, so I use it often.

When ships are close to land, VHF frequencies are used to record ship data.  Eventually they leave VHF range and once away from land, satellites are required.  If you dig into the position details they make reference to "Terr-AIS" (land or terrain) versus "Sat-AIS" (satellite).  You need a subscription to leverage Sat-AIS data, including ship name, and those are geared towards corporate users, so $$$$$$.  

I love marinetraffic.com and have the paid app, but no SAT subscription.  Still a great site.

[BrianAlt]

Cruise Critic is worthwhile for the Roll Calls, but I stay off the general boards.

[craig403]

I use Vacations To Go to quickly find ships and routes I'm interested in.  Remembering that prices are for a guaranteed rooms.

To get in idea of which cabins and categories are available for a cruise see http://www.seascanner.com/  

There may be others but this one is quick and mostly accurate.  Then your able to go to the cruise website and select that cabin to see actual prices.  

[monctonguy]

Great info here guys...wish I had more to add but everything I use has already been listed here and more besides.

 

Quite a few sites will not allow Canadians to quote or book without calling in which limits us a little in our searches but I have booked multiple times with VTG...cheapest option out there for when/what I was looking and no issues.

Was glad as the first few cruises I had booked with Royal directly and wondered how so many others paid less than me and had OBC given to them when they booked..lol

[Jason.H.]

I have used cruisedirect.com for booking many times because at the time they were offering either more state room credit or paid gratuities or dinner in a specialty restaurant along with same price as royal caribbean's website. However, if they offer you a bottle of complimentary champagne don't get your hopes up. I have yet to receive one.