Cruise info. What should I look for?

Question

My Best friends and I have been saving for a holiday for the 3 of us for a few years now. We opened a High interest bank account that had all our names on it and we all have to sign to get the money out. We should have over $AU20 000 (Around $US19000) saved by the time we leave in the northern summer of 2010. It's our 30th birthday prezzy to each other.

Where is a great place to cruise?

What should we look for in a package?

What sort of prices should we expect? (we were thinking that $6000p/p for 7 nights will be more than enough)

Answer 1

A few questioon to answer:

Where do you want to go?

How much can you afford?

What kind of cabins do you want to have?

Is there any cruises from and to your home town?

The best way to get info is to browse the main cruise lines home pages. Youll find the best info and the best prices there.

Another advice is to book as early as you can for the best prices. And stay away from kids holidays or other major holidays (espacially thoose in the us) for the best prices.

The general rule is that you got what you pay for. So the better the cl the better the cruise experience.

For a real special cruice you maybe should considered booking a suite on say celiberty. Theyre slated for good food and If I am not wrong theyre having excelent service package for all theyre suites. Otherwise I love Royal carebian. Johan

Answer 2

hi i have left some links below they sould help you in your search they have all the info you need to know ,they will help you with understanding where each ship goes and what to do and see you will be able to find all the answer to your question here these are people who cruise all the time ,i hope you find the best cruise good luck in your search

Answer 3

If you have that much saved you can even afford a luxury cruise on a cruises line like Crystal or SevenSeas.  Those generally start at about $4,000 US each.  But you can go on a more moderately priced like (like the most of us) for much less, like in the range of about $1200 each (US) for a 7 day cruise.

You will get the best price for your cruise by booking very early and a year or more in advance is considered early.  But you can also get good prices if you shop for specials and go when the price is the lowest instead of on a set date.  Just look for the specials on the cruise line web sites.

YES you can contact the cruise lines directly.   Each cruise line web site has a number listed for a cruise consultant and they will be happy to help you with your cruise and cabin selection and party plans.

Here are some web sites for you:

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/

Regardless of which cruise line you 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. The things that you will have to pay for are gratuities, drinks, any tours you book, photos, and spa and internet services,

You can reserve a cruise on line, by calling the cruise line, or through a travel agent by paying the minimum deposit which will be between $250 and $350 per person for a 7 day cruise, depending upon the cruise line. The minimum will be more for a longer cruise, for example $450 per person for a 14 day cruise. The balance will be due approximately 60 days before the cruise departure date. But you can make periodic payment on line or with the cruise line.

If you want to go on a winter cruise then the Caribbean is the best place. The Alaska, and New England/Canada cruises will not be going. Neither will those to the Baltic countries (Scandinavia). You CAN however go to places like Australia and South America during the winter.

BUT, if you decide to go to the Caribbean there are really three basic types of Caribbean itineraries.

- Western Caribbean cruises typically go to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and a private cruise line island. If you go western Caribbean you will have great beaches to visit and the opportunity to buy tours to Mayan ruins.

-Eastern Caribbean typically go to St Thomas, St Maarten, a private cruise line island and maybe another island like Tortola or Puerto Rico. If you want to do a lot of shopping then pick a cruise with St Thomas as one of the port stops. St Maarten is also mainly a beach and shopping stop.

- Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries typically start in Puerto Rico and go either to Aruba, Curacao, and St Thomas and St Maarten, OR they go to the southern Caribbean islands like Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia and maybe St Thomas and/or St Maarten. The main difference between these two itineraries, aside from the different islands, is the Aruba cruise has 2 "at sea" days with no port stops, while the other has a port stop about each day.

If you want to do a Caribbean cruise that is longer than 7 days you may want to consider one to the Panama Canal. Cruises there typically do stops similar to the Western Caribbean (as I mentioned above) including Jamaica, Cozumel or a Mexico port, and Grand Cayman along with Panama and Costa Rica.

f you want to go to Alaska there are also a lot of options for slightly different itineraries. Some Alaska cruises start in Alaska, (Anchorage, Seward, or Fairbanks) and others start in Seattle or Vancouver. Cruises of the "inside passage" are generally 7 days but you can also do what is called a cruise-tour which may be 10, 12 to 14 days and involves touring by train and/or bus either before or after the ocean voyage. So you have to look very carefully at your options for an Alaska cruise. You should not just say to an agent I want an Alaska cruise. Pick one or more of the cruise lines I listed above and search for Alaska cruises and look at all of the options available to help you decide.

I suggest going on one of Royal Caribbean's Freedom or Voyager Class ships:

Freedom Class ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis... or

Voyager Class ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis... )

Answer 4

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

There are many great places to cruise to. The 3 of you need to decide where & what you want to do & see.

A package will depend on what time of year, & cruise line.

Pricing will also depend on when & cruise line.

I would suggest that once you 3 decide on where you stop by your local AAA office & pick up some brochures form different cruise lines so you can compare what they offer.

Everyone has their favorite line but, keep in mind evryone also likes & expects different things.

If you can plan your cruise at the start or end of the season where you want to go the prices will be better. Also some cruise lines offer a discount for a 3rd guest. The cabin you select will also effect the price. If a cruise lists a price of say $1000.00 that is per person based on at least 2 guests per room. That is also an inside cabin. A cabin with a porthole or window is higher & a balcony is higher yet, on some ships as much as $500.00 per person more. So you will also have to decide how much time you are actually going to spend in your cabin. Once you book your cruise with airfare if needed the only extra you will pay on the ship is a day fee for tips which usually runs $10.00 aday per person ( staying in your cabin) any drinks soda, beer, wine etc. casino. They setup an on board account for you which is like a credit card, room key & Id all rolled into one. Everything you buy on the ship you use this card & the amount is subtracted from your account which you can see anytime you wish on the TV in your cabin or by going to the front desk.

I have been on over 20 cruises with Holland America, Norwegian & Princess & never had a bad cruise experience.

A great way to see the different parts of the world.

ENJOY.