does anyone know about , or actually been on a cargo ship cruise?

Mojo and I were discussing this the other night , sounds interesting.

Also , everybody always talks about the deals they get when booking a cruise.....

I want to hear what kind of deals we are talking about.... what is an average person paying , for an average cruise anyway.... is it a per night thing

what kind of minds want to know NMLady?

This last cruise that we took that was 5 days/4 nights over Super Bowl weekend cost $310 per person for an outside cabin. I know that included some sort of "extra" discount for past cruisers. Why in the world would you want to cruise on a cargo ship???? I told you I wanted to go with you guys but I'm not that adventurous

 Don't know about the cargo ships, but we're going on a Carnival 4 day that leaves Mar 12, and it cost us $489 each after all the taxes and fees were added to the base price.  Hubby served in the Navy and that got a bit of a discount.  Sounds like they add a $10 per day per person gratuity to the credit card, so there's another $80.  We saw the same itinerary much cheaper other times, but we were coordinating dates with my daughter and her spouse and had to take the week that all of us were free at the same time, and wouldn't you know, it's spring break week.   We aren't drinkers, so we don't expect to spend very much above that amount.

Not to knock cruising, but a friend of mine just booked round trip airfare to London for $300.00.  British Airways even threw in 2 nights at a hotel as an added bonus. 

 I see ads for cruises on CCL for $80 a day.

Where else will they feed you, clean up after you, entertain you and transport you to exciting places for that price?

 http://www.gonomad.com/transports/0011/miniguide_freighter_voyage.html

I met a couple from Australia last week.  They were exploring the Downtown area while ashore from their around the world cruise.  Dinner is always at the captain's table.  They could check out the bridge and were able to get up close and personal with the workings of the ship.  I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a cruise. I tend to skip the shows and prefer to hang out on deck with a good book.

 I'm basically not a tourist. For the most part, I enjoyed dealing with tourists when I lived and in the Big Bend, but never enjoyed being a tourist. I was basically a tourist during my time in the navy, except for the time I spent in New York City and San Francisco, where I was accepted as a local or almost local by the beatnik types.

We had a lot of part-time locals in Terlingua -- people who couldn't stay away. They would come down whenever they had a three day weekend, spending two days on the road for the pleasure of hanging out for a day.

I spent a week in the Bahamas with my first wife, and a weekend in Cancun with my second. Both times, I managed to get lost, and wander into a workers' neighborhood. The poverty was depressing and disgusting.   

 Same thing in Jamaica...we will never go back.

 I hated Jamaica.  We stay onboard the ship in Jamaica last time.  I've seen so many people stay onboard before.

 Just got back from our cruise.  We really did have a great time, but the first day was spent dealing with unmet expectations.  The swimming pool was tiny.  The food was highly indifferent.   The ship was kind of cheesy.  

Once we adjusted the expectation level and started going with what was, we were fine.  We enjoyed the cruising.  The room was comfortable and the room steward spoiled us.  The 10-5 time frame in Cozumel is too short, but we enjoyed the time we had. On board, we played mini golf, gambled, explored the ship, played games as a group, watched snippets of shows, and by the last day, didn't want it to end.

Will we do it again?  Yes, but probably not on Carnival.  It was definitely over-priced, especially considering how poor the food was.

Which Carnival ship did you go on Suejm? Since the rental housing market is looking pretty bleak on Bolivar, my family is considering taking a cruise instead. The Conquest was in port the last time we were in Galveston & I think that is the ship we want to go on. We wanted to use Carnival because it seems to be more kid friendly. But we have never been on a cruise before, so it will be a learning experience for us.

 We were on the Carnival Ecstasy for a 4-day to Cozumel.  It was definitely kid-friendly.  There were 800+ kids on board, happily involved in the kids' programs, and many, many teenagers, for whom they also have activities.  We didn't have a single negative "kid" experience, and the kids we encountered were having fun.  How many, what age kids are you taking?  On the Ecstasy, the pool is small and there's only one slide.

The food was edible (think your average Golden Corral) and abundant.  There's a junk food bar on the pool deck that's open most of the time.  I expected fancier, better food. In fact, over all, we expected more upscale than it was, but once we accepted what was and started looking for ways to have fun, we had a blast.  We're not drinkers, so the club/dance scene wasn't our thing - there's a lot of that.  Sodas are $2 plus a gratuity.  Alcohol will set you back plenty.  Bottled water is expensive.  Coffee, tea, juice, lemonade aren't extra.  You can bring your own sodas and water if you want.  There's a pizza bar and a sandwich bar open most of the time. 

We were in port in Cozumel from 10 am until 5 pm.  There were all sorts of excursions to private beaches, snorkeling, boating, but we chose to roam on our own.  We got a cab to town and shopped, found beach access as we walked back to the ship and played in the water.  Not great beach access, I'll admit, but it was free!  You need lake shoes or Tevas - the bottom is sand, gravel, and coral.  I don't know what the private beaches are like.

It was really a learning experience for us, too.  Lots of folks on this forum provided very helpful imput.  We spent the night before the cruise at Gaido's Seaside Inn on the seawall.  Their cruise special is great - room, free parking during the cruise, and meal and gift shop discounts for an unbelievably reasonable price.  You have to be very clear at check in that you want the cruise special to get it.

Actually, 4 days wasn't enough.  I'd do at least 5 days next time.  Also, I've talked to other folks who cruised Carnival on other ships who said the food was great.  I know lots of them have bigger pools, more water slides, and more kid-friendly amusements than the Ecstasy does.  We were in port beside the Fantasy, an I was really envying they pool and slides. 

If there's any other questions I can answer, just ask. 

 Thanks, Suejm, that is the exact kind of information we need. Kids ages are 9, 10, 11, 15 & 20 & the baby girl we are expecting in two weeks will be 3 mo. (all grandkids) We don't drink so that won't be an extra expense. We had been planning to go in July but are having second thoughts now due to the economy. We will probably wait & see what happens & hopefully go next year. Thanks for all your excellent help & to all the others who have posted information. We've been reading it all.

 Hi sand piper, The Conquest is a MUCH larger ship than the Ecstasy and only sails a 7 night itineary. Carnival is much more "family friendly". RCCL's Voyager Of The Seas only sails out of Galveston through the end of April or May. Erica will know.

 Thanks, Chrismel, for the information. We've been searching websites for as many details as possible but if you don't mind, I'll be asking you "seasoned travelers" a lot of questions in a few months. Because babies have to be 6 months old, we are going to wait a while. Since our regular beach houses on Bolivar are gone & the few remaining are scarce, I think we are going to stay on the island this year & go to Bolivar for day excursions. Which is fine. We love Galveston, too.

I'd offer you our beach house on the west end...but Ike already checked in . My husband and I cruise out of Galveston at least 2 times a year so if you have any questions ask away. If I can answer them I will. Mojo and Erica cruise as well. I'm guessing luvboat lady does, too so between all of us you just might be in luck

Sorry Ike beat us to the punch (no pun intended) but thanks for the thought. Hope everything goes well for you in getting your house back in order. The last time we rented on the west end, Hurricane Claudette came through. Nothing like Ike but it was a very interesting experience. Believe me, I will have lots of questions further down the road & guess where I'm coming for answers! Thanks.