Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, or some other cruiseline?

Question

I know there other answers out there, but I was wondering what would be the best choice for my family. I'm 18 and I'm going with my mom in mid-March. We're looking for a good Caribbean cruise for about 7 nights. I was wondering what cruise line would suit us best? We like upscale dining and accomodations but don't want anything too stuffy. On the other hand we don't want anything too cheap or rowdy. What's the verdict? Also, any specific ships that had great accomodations and on-ship activities?

Thanks

Answer 1

I suggest and recommend the Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.  Its a brand new ship just launched last year so everything is shiney new.  its got great cabins and ship features, with something for everyone, like the rock climbing wall, the full sized basketball court, the mini-golf course, the FlowRider for surfing (unique to RC ships, Freedom and Liberty), ice skating rink, Karioke BAr, Sports bar, a Johnny Rockets restaurant, and great entertainment.  Plus it has great port stops.  Especially its priavte island called LAbadee.  That is the best private island I have ever been on, huge, with plenty of shade, a free tram to carry you from beach to beach, shopping, plenty of excursions too, like parasailing, jet ski, and other stuff.

Go RC and you cannot go wrong.  I love their ships and service.

Answer 2

Celebrity cruises is a good choice. The Celebrity cruise ships recieve high praise for both dining and accomodation according to the 2007 Berlitz guide to cruising (Celebrity's Millenium, for example, has an overall 4.5 star rating) and is not as stuffy as other cruise lines such as Cunard or Silversea. However, Celebrity ships are a notch above other mainstream lines such as princess, NCL or RCI and the fares for Caribbean cruises are very reasonable.

Answer 3

Cunard lines are the best they have the "Queen Mary II" you can'y get any better than that one. I don't know if they go to the Caribean.

Answer 4

Good Question!  Every cruise line caters to a different clientele.  

Carnival coins themselves of the "Fun Ships".  With this you are going to find lots of activities on the ship.  They price lower then other cruise lines, so with that think about the type of person that always goes for the lowest price, they will be your fellow passengers.  They also have been working on bringing up their image, with an upgraded menu and cabin amentities.  Also on a Carnival ship at 1:00 a.m. you will find many people in the disco.

Royal Caribbean, I believe is the best "mass market" cruise line.  If I was given the choice of a Carnival or RCCL cruise.  I would go with RCCL every time.  When on a RCCL ship at 1:00 you will find a few people in the disco.  

Norwegian has gone down the tubes.  I am not sure what is going on with their company.  They have made some bad decisions.  I am a travel agent/cruise specialist.  I will not sell NCL any longer, because of client dissatisfaction and every time I attend a NCL seminar they start off apologizing for all the problems agents have had to deal with.  NOT A GOOD SIGN!!!!

Princess is also a very good line.  

Find yourself a good, certified cruise agent in your area.  You can do that by going to www.cruising.org  This is the site for CLIA, Cruise Lines International Association, which is made up from all the major cruise lines and promotes the education of cruising.

Happy sails.

Answer 5

Based one what you have said and what you are used to, I think that Royal Caribbean or Princess would be the cruiseline of choice for you. Check out cruisecritic.com for reviews on specific ships for both of these cruiselines.

Just for the record, Prepare to spend $$$ on both of these lines compared to NCL and Carnival, especially with the time that you are planning on traveling (peak spring break season). Check out vacationstogo.com as well as beatanycruiseprice.com for good rates on cruises for both of these lines.

Answer 6

honey i think that royal caribbean is your best choice its not to stuffy and a lot more upscale than carnival . its always been my choice. your treated with respect and  staff is always great food is wonderful and the activities on ship are very entertaining so do a bit of research and ya'll have a ball .

Answer 7

I would say that Royal Caribbean is going to be your best option. Carnival is okay, but I don't think the quality will meet your standards. Food isn't real good, the ships aren't that clean, service isn't the best, etc. They aren't what they used to be. Also, they can be pretty rowdy. Since they are the least expensive cruise line, they are far from the best. NCL is a great line as well, and everything is a lot better than Carnival, in my opinion, but I don't think that would meet you perfectly.

Royal Caribbean is a ton of fun without going over the top, food is pretty good, service is good, cleanliness is good, etc. There are a few nights where you will have formal attire, but most ships do have this. Depending on the ship, they may not be as strict with the "dresscode" as some of the others. But I feel that Royal Caribbean is much less stuffy than some of the other lines. Plus, they have amazing caribbean cruises and the onboard activities are endless. This would be my number one choice for you, I highly recommend Freedom of the Seas, I cruised on it shortly after the first sailing, I loved it and made a return visit shortly after and have another cruise planned on her as well.

Another option, maybe not what first comes to mind, would be Disney. Disney is a really great line, the service is superb, everything is clean, food is great, a lot is included that isn't in some of the other lines. Entertainment is fantastic, I love the shows, I really think it is a great line and is for more than just kids, though they have the best kids programs, in my opinion. Two cruise ago my table-mates included a mother and daughter, I believe the daughter was 19, and she was having a great time. They had been on a few other cruises and they both liked Disney the best. I've been on many cruises, some higher than Disney, some lower and Disney still ranks at the top of my list.

I think that no matter what you choose, you will have a great time. Cruising is wonderful and I think that getting to experience this with your mom will be a great experience. My dad and I went on several cruises together, when I was younger (we really aren't the camping fishing type) and those are some of the best memories my dad and I have. I cruise many times with my sister as well, both with and without the rest of the family and those are some of the best memories I have of her now. Cruising really is something special, if this will be your first, I think you will really enjoy.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your planning!

Answer 8

I'd suggest Royal Caribbean in your case.

Carnival tends to be a little younger and rowdier, and Norwegian tends to be a little more up-scale and sedate.  Royal Caribbean's a good middle choice.

A seven-day cruise will eliminate most of the "party animals" anyway, since they tend to prefer the short weekend "booze cruises."

Answer 9

Go on the Holland America "Oosterdam"!

Answer 10

I think that your best bet would be either RCCL or Celebrity as they have great cruises to the caribbean and I would highly recommend the Eastern Caribbean as its amazing and its really nice especially St. Thomas, and St. Maarten is nice as well and they have the best shopping and the people are fantastic, always nice and welcoming into their country.