How to choose a cruise line?

Question

First time going on a cruise, want to have time to stop at Carribean destinations, and also have a fun time with young people.

Answer 1

If you're young and like to party then Carnival is for you. Otherwise, Royal Caribbean is a good choice.

Answer 2

you need to look at your options, what ports you might like

cruisecritic.com

cruiseclues.com

have info on carribean ports.

then you can choose a cruise line.

i would suggest carnival or royal carribean (a third choice is ncl )for you if you like the party atmosphere.  good luck

Answer 3

If you are looking for an active cruise with a younger group of passengers than I would recommend Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean.

Answer 4

I would second the recommendation for Carnival or Royal Caribbean.  Carnival is known as the "fun ship" or, more to the point, party ship (i.e. lots of drinking and late nights.)  But my middle-aged aunt and uncle like Carnival -- go figure.

Royal Caribbean is more family-orientated.  But if you are not so wild as to want to party all the time, I think it would be a good choice.  I have been on RC and Celebrity (which is a little more upscale) and loved them both.  No matter which one you choose, have fun and be safe!

Oh, most cruise lines offer either Western or Eastern Caribbean destinations.  Either one is worthwhile.  Do some research online at the cruise lines' websites.

Answer 5

Well you just have to go look on cruise line websites.  I go on 2 cruises every year with young people and i would recommend Royal Caribbean, Princess, or Carnival.  Carnival is cheaper and less fun but its good for kids.  

HERE ARE THE LINKS FOR THE CRUISE LINES I RECOMMENDED:

WWW.RCCL.COM

WWW.PRINCESS.COM

WWW.CARNIVALCRUISELINE.COM

Answer 6

When choosing a cruise line, there are a number of things that are to consider...you said that you want to go to the carribean with young people...for you, i reccomend Royal Carribean cruise line....but if you would like to know about every cruise line that I have been on, I will list every one:

Carnival is more of a party ship...there is a lot more drinking and people drunk, and even overboard...this cruise line has the most people overboard over any other cruise line...the food is just average, the entertainment ok, and the ports of call not the best that I have ever seen...it is much more packed than other cruiseline....it holds the same amount as others, but isn't as much to do onbaord...it is good for singles, but not really with kids because there are areas that should be for adults only, such as the nude areas, but kids can just walk right in...not such a great thing in my opinion...now price wise it is a bit overpriced for service that isn't so great...meaning you pay for things you don't get...here are some links that will help you:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_line...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/crui...

http://www.carnival.com/

Now my favorite cruise line is Royal Carribean...I have been on over 15 RCCL cruises...there is so much to do onboard; rockwalls, ice skating, amazing shows, inline skating, and entertainment during the day...now the rates are great bcause they are cheaper than most other cruise lines and offer so much more...the food on this cruise line is like a fantasy, it is so incredibly delicious...there is so much to choose from and I am shocked that you don't have to pay extra for it....here are some links:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_line...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/crui...

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/home.do;js...

Celebrity Cruises are my second favorite cruise line...it is exactly like rccl except they dont have the ice skating and rock walls...the shows are fantastic...the food incredible, the activites for kids of all ages, adults also...the pools and pool side games are amazing...it is a little bit cheaper than rccl, but has similar itineraries, just from some different ports:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_line...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/crui...

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

Now Disney cruises are perfect for any age, the only downside is that it is very expensive...there are so many different varieties of cruises such as a land and sea, 3 and 4 night cruises, 7 night carribean, and several mexican riviera cruises..the activites onboard are endless...jump in the pool, catch a game in the oceanears lab, play bingo, watch the fantastic night shows, eat and endless amount of food...and especially travel to several different places around the world, including Disney's prviate island, castaway cay:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_line...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/crui...

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en...

To know more about the Carribean, check out these sites:

Eastern Caribbean Cruises

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.c...

Southern Caribbean Cruises

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.c...

Western Caribbean Cruises

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.c...

The many different styles of cruising include Luxury Cruising, Romance Cruising, Family Cruises, g*y & L*****n Cruising, Disabled Cruising, Senior Cruising, Single Cruising, Fitness & Recreation, Holiday Cruising, River & Canal Cruising, Soft Adventure, Gourmet Cruising, Ocean Crossings & Repositionings, Group & Theme Cruises, and World Cruises. The links:

Luxury Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Romance Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Family Cruises

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

g*y & L*****n Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Disabled Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Senior Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Single Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Fitness & Recreation

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Holiday Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

River & Canal Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Soft Adventure

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Gourmet Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Ocean Crossings & Repositionings

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Group & Theme Cruises

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

World Cruises

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles...

Now I understand that you want to go to Carribean, but I just wanted to inform you about other typesand desitinations of crusing as well

I hope that I helped you, and if you have any further questions, feel free to send me a message! = ]

Answer 7

The things which determine your cruise are as follows.

1. Departure port.  Where is it easiest for you to get to start the cruise?  There are Caribbean cruises routinely from ports in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas in the US (with most leaving from Texas or Florida)

2.  Where do you want to go?  itineraries are different for the different cruise lines and departure ports.  If you want eastern Caribbean then Florida, Western Caribbean Texas, Florida or smaller ports.

3.  How long a cruise are you interested in?  They are generally 4-7 days to the Caribbean, but there are a few longer cruises.

4.  How much do you want to pay?

You have already stated your desire for fun with young people.  All cruise lines are fun, Carnival has the youngest crowds and has been selected as the cruise line with the best onboard entertainment by the Travel Channel.  Every cruise line has it's own good and not so good areas but all are nice overall. Other good choices would be Princess, RCCL and NCL as well as Holland America.  Carnival would probably be your best rate however.

Try this site for Caribbean cruises:

www.greatratestravelservice.com

Nikki above has made some demeaning comments about Carnival, and she is welcome to her opinion, however she has also noted more people fall off Carnival cruises.  This is not a very specific statement when you consider that Carnival owns several cruise lines including Carnival, Princess, P&O and Cunard and has more passengers sailing world wide than any other cruise company.  The numbers are therefore not a one on one comparrison.  Their avaerage of passengers missing or overboard is not statistically significant when compared on a percapita basis.

Answer 8

It depends on what age group you are in, and if you have kids or not. The smaller ships have less things to do on them. The bigger ones have skating rinks, rock climbing, basketball courts, mini golf, ping pong and roller skating.

Answer 9

Carnival would be your best cruise line.  It's a 'fun' ship with lots of younger crowds and the alcohol flowing everywhere.  The 7-days are the best, but be sure you pace yourself.  There's tons to do, but don't wear yourself out.  Remember to relax by the pool or on the beach.  

Check out their website and they'll show all the activities and what to expect out of their excursions and the stops.  

Have fun!

Answer 10

Hey i never been in a Cruise BUT!, what i heard was that you should chooses the one that you don't have to "tip" for everything they do for you.

A friend of mine told me that she went to one that every single thing that they did for her they put their hand out for you to tip them, so she said that she didn't pay a lot for the trip but she spend A LOT of money tipping everybody on board LOL

So next time she found out that it's one out there that you DO NOT have to tip nobody, no matter what!!!, so i will think about that before i book anything, hope this helps!

Answer 11

No one can really answer that but you.  It is your vacation, and while some like one cruise line, others may not.  You should look at as many different lines as possible, and see which one appeals the most to you.  Here is a link to an article for you to consider when picking the perfect ship:

http://www.cruisingco.com/learnaboutcrui...