Best Cruise Lines- Looking to take a cruise.?

Question

We are looking to take a cruise , probably towards the Bahamas or Mexico. Looking for personal experience on multiple cruise lines. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

A lot depends on you. Your age, your interests, how much you've traveled, fear of crowds.  I've heard fabulous experiences on Holland America and that it is a great cruise line--but it caters to a retired audience and the people that raved about it were in their 50s as well.  I have no interest in going on one at all, b/c that is not my age range.

I agree with the prior post about Norweigan/NCL.  Stay far far away!  Horrible cruise line.  Bad service, bad food, tiny rooms.  Worst experience ever.

I have taken several Carnival cruises and a Royal Caribbean cruise.  I loved them both equally.  They are great lines and a wonderful experience.  Compared to other cruiselines, they have a younger audience--more 20-30 range.  Carnival is much more party/social scene.  Royal Caribbean is more couples oriented, more romantic.  Both were wonderful and I'd do either again.  On Carnival, I prefer the layout of the Spirit class and the Fantasy class--and I'm not too keen on the Destiny class.  However I've never tried the Conquest class but thats the next cruise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Cr...

I have never been on a Princess or Celebrity b/c they are out of my price range.  That is something you didn't mention is your budget.  A lot of people bash Carnival and Royal Caribbean on here b/c they didn't feel the food was gourmet enough.  Yes the service and food is probably better on Princess and Celebrity but you are paying more than twice as much.  However you asked for personal experience and I have no experience on those but if that is in your budget--why not try it.  I have never heard anything bad about those.

My two favorite stops on any of my cruises have been St Thomas and Cozumel.  Fabulous islands and I've been to St Thomas 3 times and would still take another cruise back to the same island.

Carnival has the biggest rooms in the industry.  Royal Caribbean and Princess constantly rate as the best spas in the industry.  I'd pick a cruise based on price and itinerary.  There are also a lot of smaller cruiselines.  They are a more intimate experience--different ports that aren't as touristy.  However the ships are not as luxurious and there isn't as much on board entertainment.  Plus if this is your first trip to the Caribbean you might want to see the touristy stops.

Overall, I'd avoid an older ship.  A newer ship has more things, is more spectacular.  On any line, a bigger ship is going to have better nightly shows--more popular comedians and better shows--b/c they want to sell the newest/biggest ship.

Some great sites to check out reviews on the specific ship you are looking at:

www.cruisecritic.com

www.cruisemates.com

www.cruisereviews.com

They have reviews from people just getting off the ship in the last month who can give you up to the minute details.

Also I'd take a cruise out of Florida instead of San Juan.  San Juan you are at an island virtually every day.  Miami/Ft Lauderdale and Tampa you have a day of rest and relaxation at sea before you begin your whirlwind of activities.

Hope this helps and wasn't too long for you.

Answer 2

I can only speak for Carnival since it is thee only cruise line I travel on. (5 cruises) I went on a rather unremarkable cruise 20 years ago so I did not cruise again until two years ago. I took the Carnival Conquest out of New Orleans (four months before Katrina hit) and quite frankly had one of my best vacations ever. Since then I have taken 3 more cruises (the most recent June 9th) and had a great time on all. I use Carnival for a few reasons. First they are the biggest Cruise line (they also own Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Costa and Windstar), the are the least expensive, and the mix of guests suits me. (They are generally a younger crowd but have a nice mix of middle aged people, like me, as well) They are well run and make a conscious effort to be sure everyone knows what activities are going on, and believe me there is always something going on. Its hard to offer you advice since you give very little information and indicate you want to go to Mexico or the Bahamas which are on opposite sides of the US. There is one cruise with Carnival (and I would guess the other lines as well) on the Glory that goes to Mexico and the Bahamas. You might want to check that one out. In any event no matter what you ultimately choose be sure to loosen up, try new things and let yourself have a good time and believe me you will.

Answer 3

go see a travel agent they have personal experience and a lot of info on a lot of different cruise lines..

Answer 4

A good travel site to search and compare cruises is a

www.amazingtoursandtravel.com

click on the "book travel" icon for travel site.

Answer 5

Bahamas or Mexico ?

First I'd suggest you decide which you prefer. Mexico has three options, the east Caribbean, the west Caribbean or the west coast of Mexico.

Each has great ports so you need to filter your desires better.

I gave you a URL to follow. On it you can see itineraries, ships, dates and deck plans. Plus highly competitive on prices

Enjoy your cruise and take 1/2 of clothes you think you'll need. Most first time cruisers over pack

Answer 6

Where ever you decide to go, don't pay retail.  Cruise lines always have empty rooms and will fill those room for pennies on the dollar.  If you would like more info email me.

Liz Shaw

www.timelessgetaways.com

866-919-7770

Answer 7

I've been on Disney, Royal Caribbean, Princess and NCL.  

Royal Caribbean is my favorite.  The crew members are the friendliest and the food is terrific.  We always book a suite with a balcony, and their suites are huge.  

Princess is also good, alittle more formal then Royal.  Food is also very, very good.  Crew members alittle more uptight, but still very professional.

Disney is Disney - what can you say.  You cannot have a bad time on a Disney Cruise.  It was wonderful - but also very expensive.

NCL is horrible,  Stay far, far away from it.  The crew members are rude, the food is terrible.  The buffet has plastic tables that are very dirty, we never ate in there at all.  

Best bet for either the Bahamas or Mexico would be Royal or Princess.

Answer 8

Try taking a stab at researching the respective cruise line(s) and cruise ship(s) that you are thinking about going on at www.cruisecritic.com.

This web site has ratings, reviews, boards on every cruise line and cruise ship so that you can do some of your initial homework here along with other feedback, websites, and ultimately prepare you to interview a travel agency/travel agent with some background knowledge.

good Luck.

Answer 9

A lot depends on what you are looking for and how long a cruise you want.  The Bahamas would probably be fairly short.  The Mexican Riviera cruise is usually 7 days.  I have sailed on Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean.  I liked H.A. and Prin. the best.  Best food, shows, and service.  I didn't care for the food on R.C.  I haven't been to the eastern side of Mexico.  I took a 10 day cruise to Acapulco on Carnavel, it was great.  Not the best food, but good shows, and one of the best staterooms we ever had.  We always book the cheapest.  Your only in there to shower and sleep!!  Every ship had excellent room service.  We always had coffee, juice, etc. in our room.  Pick a cruise and have a wonderful time.  I think any cruise is a good cruise.  My ideal would be to sail out into the ocean for a week or so and then sail back to home port.