Cruises whats great FOR YOUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND PRICES PLEASE?

Question

Cruises whats great FOR YOUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND PRICES PLEASE?

Answer 1

The best cruise for your 30th anniversary depends on what you like -- cruise lines are really varied and each caters to a different clientèle.  

Also, it depends on the time of year and where you would like to cruise -- in the winter, many ships are doing a Caribbean / Central American itinerary.  In the summer, most of the ships are either in Alaska or Europe.

Pricing depends on the length of the cruise, the cruise line, the cabin and the itinerary.  It's possible to spend as little as $149 per person for a 2-night cruise to Nassau and over $20,000 per person for a luxury suite on a World Cruise.

There are lots of choices!

Answer 2

It really depends on your budget and what you are looking for. Do you want to be with a young crowd or a more mature environment? The season can affect the passenger profile. Don't only rely on your travel agents for information - they often have little idea.

I have worked in the cruise industry for 6 years and my favourite places have been Alaska (beautiful scenery and not that cold) and Hawaii.

NCL has a very friendly crew, but stay away from NCL America ship (Staffed by Americans and poor service)

Make sure you get an outside / balcony cabin.

Exclusive cruise lines with smaller intimate ships like Radisson are great.

Enjoy

Answer 3

You can use the search engine on www.vacationstogo.com to compare cruise lines, ships, departure ports and destinations.  If your planning to cruise in 2008, you will need a passport.  Apply for it now if you don't have one yet.  

Note...the prices you see on just about any teaser rate on the web is for the lowest/smallest cabin and does not include port fees and taxes.  The port fees and taxes add about $75-100 per person.  The prices you see are for each passenger, based on double occupancy.

A sample of pricing...we took our family on a 7-day cruise on the Conquest last year.  W/port fees & taxes, it was $935 plus $70 tips= $1,005 for the inside cabins and $990 plus $70 tips = $1,060 for a balcony cabin...Notable...this was high season because it was spring break.  The same trip for a Feb, 2008 departure is only about $600 per person.  Depends on when you go.

Carnival is probably the most economical cruise line.  They host guests from infants to senior citizens.  The atmosphere is like spring break all the time.  We took my parents, my husbands parents and aunt and uncle on Carnival, all seniors and they had a good time but it was a family reunion vacation, not a romantic vacation.

Royal Caribbean is a step above Carnival.  Just a bit more laid back.  However, a number of the ships in their fleet are aging and the ship were on had plumbing problems.

Carnival is actually the parent company for:  Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, Yachts of Seabourne and Windstar.

Friends of ours that enjoy a quite cruise enjoy taking Holland America.

5 day cruises are the most economical, but we prefer the 7-day cruises.

Avoid...Spring Break, Thanksgiving and Christmas week.  Also, hurricane season runs from July-Nov.  We took a cruise over 4th of July in 2005 and got caught in the Gulf of Mexico between TS Cindy and Hurricane Dennis.  They had to skip Grand Cayman and hide out in Progresso Mexico.  It was a bit tense.

Answer 4

Nothing can take the place of an Italian cruise on the Costa cruise lines.  An anniversary, wedding or just a vacation puts you at the top of the list.  your cruise party is the ship and it's passengers, crew and people sitting at your table.  Absolutely get a table with 8-10 people to maximize your trip. Let the cruise line know it is your 30th anniversary and you will be treated like royalty. Enjoy.

Answer 5

For our anniversary we took a Radisson Seven Seas cruise (now Regent) and it was awesome, Went from Montreal to NY for fall colors. No tipping (included in price) and all rooms were suites with full size beds and bathrooms. They stocked a bar and offerred wine with dinner. Costs a little more than other ships but it was worth it.

Answer 6

Well Depends, I like Royal. I would go to http://www.galaxy.joystar.com to book, They will get you the best price if you request a quote and tell them the price you found it for.

Answer 7

For a 30th anniversary, I would go with Celebrity.  They're a definite step above the other mass-market lines in terms of food, atmosphere, service.  

For lots of into re cruises, go to CruiseCritic.com.  Click on "Reviews" for both pro and past-guest reviews of different ships.  Click on "Boards" and read some of the postings about the ships/lines you might be interested in.  You can get an idea about different ports by going to the "Ports of Call" board, and info about what things to take into consideration by checking out the "First Time Cruisers", "Ask a Cruise Question", etc.  They also have a board about "Romantic Cruises".

Prices are going to vary a little, but the companies that are featured on the CC website have been "vetted" by people on the boards.  The big factors in price will be which line [mass market or premium], the ship within a line [usually the older ships are cheaper], the time of year you travel and the type of cabin you choose, among other things.  If you don't know what these things mean, then you should do LOTS of reading [there are books at your library about cruising] and lots of browsing on CC.

Hope you find something you really like!