Best cruise line for singles in their late 20s?

Question

My best friend and I are both single and in our late 20s and are trying to plan a cruise vacation. Which cruise line is best suited for people in our age range?

Answer 1

I have been on about 20 cruises on 4 different cruise lines and so here's what I say based on my experiences.   The cruise lines that have many people your age group would be Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival.  

First you should know that all of the cruise lines give the best price for early bookings that are a year or more in advance. So its good that you are starting your cruise search process now. Cruise lines also list specials on their web sites so do look for those. The specials can many times save you a couple hundred per person over the price for the exact same cruise on a different date.

Second you should know that all cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy and the prices listed will be per person and based on at least two people going on the cruise. The price you pay will depend mostly on the type accommodations that you choose. There are 4 basic types of cabins on ships;

- inside (no window),

- outside (a window or porthole),

- balcony/veranda, and

- suites.

Royal Caribbean has some inside cabins on its Freedom and Voyager Class of ships that have a window overlooking an inside promenade mall.

The "FROM" prices you see will always be for an inside cabin.  

I have listed below the web sites for the medium priced cruise lines which operate from US ports. These are the cruise lines that most people use. The lines that I have listed below will have cruises starting in the range of $800 to $1,000 per person for a 7 day cruise, again depending upon the date and type cabin you select.

CELEBRITY:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/home .

ROYAL CARIBBEAN:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d.....

NORWEGIAN:

http://www.ncl.com/

PRINCESS:

http://www.princess.com/index.html

CARNIVAL:

http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/

I have been on Princess, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships and can vouch that they are good cruise lines. However, there are some differences.

- Princess, and Celebrity have great ships are more classy and reserved than the other cruise lines. If you want a better cruise experience for your money go on one of these cruise lines. The difference in cost of these two over the others is not that much.

- Holland America has more senior citizens cruising on its ships. It has great ships and service but the majority of the passengers will be about twice your parent's age, and more. You may want to rule them out.

-Carnival is the budget cruise line that has more first time cruiser and young people (20 to 35 age group) who want to party, party, party. If that is what you are looking for then Carnival is the cruise line for you. Carnival is family oriented to an extent and will also have a good number of kids and also some older passengers.

-Norwegian cruise line is good and I have been on many of their cruises. Its the line that you want to go on if you want to be informal for pretty much your whole cruise. They have formal nights like other cruise lines but they do not stress dressing up; the call it "dress up if you want to" night. In my experience their passengers tend to be a mixture of young and middle aged people.

-Royal Caribbean caters most to families and has the most and best on-board activities. Many Royal Caribbean ships have things like ice skating, roller blade track, rock climbing wall, mini-golf course, full sized basketball courts, and adults only pool and hot tub area called 'Solarium", surfing on ship on the "Flowrider", pool tables.You cannot go wrong with RC.

Regardless of which cruise line your parents select, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship.  You will have to pay your gratuities,  for drinks, photos, tours and a few other things that are optional like using the internet.

My suggestion would be for you to look at going on one of RC's cruises and specifically on a Freedom Class ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis... ) or Voyager Class ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis... ) ship. I have been on both of these class ships and they are great and I think you will enjoy them. The Freedom Class is a larger version of the Voyager class and it has THE most things to do. The Voyager Class is slightly smaller and has all of the on-board activities except the Flowrider. Take a look at the features on RC's web site.

These class of ships also give you a lot of cruise options and itineraries. Right now one of these ships, the Mariner of the Seas, leaves out of Port Canaveral (we sailed it last year). The Freedom class ships sail out of Ft Lauderdale and Miami.

Answer 2

A dinghy in the swimming pool in your backyard!

Answer 3

Royal Caribbean is a really great cruise line and has a variety of activities for all ages. Some people would recommend carnival but I've cruised carnival, and besides a cheaper price they don't offer much. Some friends and I took a royal caribbean cruise last year and we loved it. Our ages ranged from early 20's to mid 30's. During the day they offered a variety of activities from ice skating, to salsa lessons and martini tastings. At night we saw shows and partied in the club. Contrary to what people say the club was always off the hook and we partied every night until early morning. They also offered other lounges on the ship which played various music from latin, to jazz, oldies, and even country.  The service and food were also great. With Royal you really get your monies worth and then some.

Answer 4

ROYAL CARIBBEAN!!!!!!! They are the best cruise line for every age. its so hard to believe that a cruise line can cater to every age group and everyone has a blast! As for singles there are many activites to meet people and make new friends! Lots of singles go on these cruises as well as families and such. There are night clubs, Bingo, pools, other activities too! The ports they pick are soo nice too! there is soo much to do for anyone on a Royal Caribbean cruise. We've been on 3 and will never regret it! They hire only the best and gave us 110% service!! I would totally go RC! have fun with whatever  you choose!