haroldwilliams

The cruisers here are very knowledgeable about future plans. Do you think there will be any cruise companies starting up from smaller ports on the east coast?

The pictures of Amber Cove are beautiful , btate. You know it is only a few miles from Puerto Plata, and Cruise Travel magazine had an in-depth article in the Jan. Feb 2016 issue.

And now, apparently, she will sail February 13,2016 on one pod. That seems questionable, but the Coast Guard says it`s safe.

I don`t know anyone specifically for that job, but it could be of interest to a semi - retired dentist, or a new dental school graduate who had not yet established a practice. Some larger ships have over 1500 crew, and I have seen several elderly persons who have had dental problems on board ship. A doctor may be able to help in emergercies, but I was thinking in terms of very long cruises, or in cruising areas where there were no dentists on land. -- just a thought --.

Do you think North Carolina, which has the 6 th or 7th largest shoreline in the United States, ever have ocean cruises ?

Is there a need for a dentist or dental hygenist on larger ships, or ships on longer cruises ?

I just got back from a 4 day cruise on the Ecstasy and enjoyed it. The ship is old (1991) but I have been told Carnival keeps their ships up well. I believe these ships can go for a long while, and Carnival decided to keep the Fantasy class ships longer. They seem to be the right size for most ports. For upcoming cruises from Charleston in February 2016 there`s not much choice. It`s either the Ecstacy, or, well, .... basically, the Ecstacy.

I feel like you should not have to pay for things you do not use. Also, I was thinking if it were posssible to have stand-by fares, where one could negotiate with the cruise line on the day of, or day before sailing., The newer ships do command a premium price, but what about all the used ships on the market - is there any chance they could be used, or are they headed for the breakers ?

I`m glad there has been a lot of response to the question. My first cruise from Port Evereglades on Costa years ago was about $59. and $6 or $7. in taxes and port charges. I believe there were 3 of us in the room -Ernie, Dennis and myself. It was a 4 Day cruise. We paid about $180. for the room. Today the taxes are about $100. per person for the room, making the taxes more than what we paidfor the room itself. Groceries were less then, too. But there has been a lot of inflation making the dollar worth less. I don`t support bare bones travel. We all like to be comfortable. We want our sheets changed and we have to eat. I wonder if we are doing mother earth any good, in the scheme of things, by our excessive pricing, and paying for things we do not use. Yes , for sure, new ships have to be paid for, and government requirements have to be followed, but there must be some common ground. Many people have never cruised. I feel like we are getting fewer ports for the larger ships, which may make less choice. As ships get larger, air reservations to the embarkation port is harder to come by, too.

Thanks, It could have been Easycruise . They had two ships and did allright, for awhile. I think they tried to go too many places too quickly. It did have cabins that were in various catagories, but I think most of the dining was buffet, but I can`t say for sure. I do remember they stayed longer in ports - even into the night - and gave people a lot of time to explore on their own. It was intended to be a niche cruise line, and not for everyone. I think it suited a younger crowd, and a off the beaten path ports. I don`t think there was a casino on board but I could be wrong about that. I thought for beach trips and for those who could do volunteer work it would be good, but most people aren`t thinking of volunteer work on a vacation.

Thank you so much jacketwatch, DebbieandJerry, and sunluva7 . I think you brought up some very good questions; most concerning is who would start up such an operation, seeing that we already have numerous cruise lines, already. However, cruising continues to grow at a fast clip. Some areas seem to be in the dark about the importance of water travel, when they have so much coastline, such as North Carolina. Virhginia had built a new terminal, but did not attract any other cruise line except Carnival (for embarkations), very likey for the lack of impetus from officals. One reason could have been the higher price of cruises from Norfolk. As you mention, jacketwatch, most cruise companies are under a few umbrellas. NCL has single cabins, but they can be as pricey as the regular double cabin. Larger ships just can`t get into the smaller ports, but in the past there were cruise lines that did cater to a more egalitarian public. There seems to be quite a few ships on the market for sale. I have been waiting to see what Sterling cruise line will do, and if they will begin their cruises, and also if Celebration (Paradise) will have longer cruises, or get another ship. Palm beach could grow. Again, to me the big question is `who`, and whoever would have to have a lot of start-up capital and a real interest in sailing and water travel. HW

Basically I am thinking less incidentials, less taxes and port fees, competitive parking fees, at lesser known ports, that lower the over all price of the cruise. I would hope the cruise line would not attempt to make money on liquor, or excessive tips, and not have the need for speciality restaurants. Single passengers should not need to pay for a ghost passenger that is not there, and the general cruise fare should be affordable to the working class person. There needs to be honesty in advertising, as well. Menus could be more basic and more emphasis on buffet. I would like to know what others think and not suggest the parameters myself . Maybe there is no need for `economy` in cruising, (the price may be in the high airfares), but I do see a lot of folks where I live that would like to go on a cruise but think it is too pricey for them,

Is there a need for an economy cruise line on the east coast of the United States?

So many people seemed to love the cruises to no-where. I enjoyed one many years ago from New York on the Britanis. Do you think there will be any new informal, and less expensive cruise line to have the informal cruises, to take the place of the cruises to nowhere, for longer duration, such as 4 or 5 days ?