I have some questions about cruises? Please help me.?

Question

Ok so if you have answered any of my previous questions about travel, you know that my husband and I were thinking about going to Hawaii. Well, after some research, we have changed our mind and have turned towards cruising for our anniversary next year.

We have been lookig at 2 cruise ships that we may want to take. One is Royal Caribian (which I have gone one but about 16 years ago) and Carnival. I would like to hear from people who have used one or both and please tell me of all of their experiences and what they thought of the cruise line.

Also, we have been doing a lot of research based on 2 web sites. One being Vacationstogo.com and cruisesonly.com. Both of which I like very much. Has anyone ever used either one of these sites and if so please tell me how your experience was. I really need this information as this is the first time that I have used these sites and booked cruises on my own. If you can also please tell me any other sites that I could use I would appreciate

Answer 1

First off you need to continue your research on www.cruisecritic.com  any question about any cruise line will be answered there almost instantly by people who are obsessed with cruising (i know Ive done it).  Personally I enjoy carnival.  i have been on 13 of them and only 1 royal Caribbean.  you can save alot of money vs royal and then use that money to take more excursions or pamper yourself on the boat instead of having a bit more flashy looking boat.  Any problem i have ever had has been delt with instantly on carnival so the few problems i have had i really cant complain about.

Answer 2

Hi.  My father and I are awaiting our second cruise together (his 4th total, my second); we leave in 12 days for 14 nights in the Mediterranean.

I've previously traveled with Carnival on one of their older ships, and dad has also used a newer Royal Caribbean ship--both in the Caribbean.  As far as the differences between the two, it's difficult to say.  I think the most notable difference deals with the age of the ship itself, and not the cruise company.  I still think Royal Caribbean MIGHT have an edge on Carnival.  If it was me, I'd think I'd choose Royal Caribbean.

We actually ended up booking our upcoming Mediterranean cruise through cruisesonly.com, and I only have good things to say.  We checked them out on the Better Business Bureau website to make sure they were legit, and after finding they were registered, we took the plunge.  The agent I spoke with (Lynn at ext.77691) was great, and I'd recommend you try to deal directly with her (leave a message and she'll return your call as soon as she finishes with her current customer).  The entire booking process took about 30 minutes, and it was simple and stress free.  

How I found this latest cruise we chose, is to visit www.kayak.com which is a site that checks multiple sites.  We found our cruise for $100 less than another site, and $200 less than Norwegian was offering it on their own site.  You can also play with the dates, length, and cruise company at will so you really get to see many options.

It's also a really great site to search for airfare.  We saved $200 for the flights to and from Europe for this upcoming cruise.

Best of luck to you, and happy cruising!

Sky in Alabama

Answer 3

I have taken both Royal Caribbean and Carnival, so I can tell you that Royal Caribbean was DEFINITELY better! Carnival's appeal is the cheaper price, but you absolutely get less of an experience with it. The people on Carnival were lower class and less friendly, we had problems with our rooms, and the ship was not as clean as it should have been (spit hanging from the elevators, 4 pools but only one heated, so only one usable (and dirty!) ). On Royal Caribbean, people are friendly, the staff is nice, and you get the experience you are looking for. My cruise on Royal Caribbean was the best week of my life. You will absoultely love going on yours. Have fun!

Answer 4

Another site that has loads of info - from experienced cruisers - is CruiseCritic.com.  Click on "Boards" at the top of the page, then choose your topic.  You might also want to check "Reviews" at the top of the page - especially "Member Reviews" - for a comparison of the different lines.

Answer 5

Personally, I think you are best off going through either a travel agent or through the cruise line directly.  I’m not convinced that you’d save enough to take the risk.  You just don’t know what kind of hassles you’ll face if you have a problem or need to contact someone and you booked through a website.  I like the security of knowing I can call and reach someone if I need to.   If you are a Delta SkyMiles Member, you could also try booking through Delta SkyMiles Cruises.

I have sailed on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises (a 3-night Bahamas Majesty of the Seas, 5-night Western Caribbean Monarch of the Seas and 7-night Mediterranean Voyager of the Seas) and have been very happy each time.  I had heard that some of the less expensive cruise lines were geared toward singles and/or partiers, some of the more expensive ones seem to be geared more toward an older more affluent crowd.  Royal Caribbean seems to cater to a nice variety of people – older, younger, families, etc.  The prices are reasonable, the cabins are small (they mostly all are), the food is good, the ports of call are great and the entertainment is EXCELLENT.

Answer 6

First let me say that I have been on about 20 cruises and have 3 more booked right now.  I have been on just about every cruise itinerary except Asia or a world cruise.  I have been on Princess, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships (not Carnival) and can vouch that they are good cruise lines.

My suggestion is to just use the cruise line web sites instead of sites that get their information from the cruise lines or their web sites.  just go directly where the first hand information is.  that's what I do and I am confident that you can find what you want.  Royal Caribbean (and Carnival) have very good web sites with easy to use searches and specials or deals prominently displayed.

You can reserve a cruise on line; by calling the cruise line's "Cruise Consultant" whose phone number is listed on the web site; or through a travel agent.  You can reserve 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 to 75 days before the cruise departure date. But you can make periodic payment on line or with the cruise line. I have reserved on line and made payments many times.

Next,  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.

You probably 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.   And 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.

Now, as for the two cruise lines you are considering;

-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.

-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", the surfing simulator on the Freedom Class ships called the "Flowrider". RC also has kids programs called Adventure Ocean and on many ships a special area on the ship for them, plus a teen disco called Fuel. 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. The things that you will have to pay for are; gratuities, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks, souvenirs, photos, tours, casino play, and other incidentals you buy on ship.

For the decision you will have to make on where you want to cruise to in the Caribbean, consider this. 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 (like 7-Mile Beach in Grand Cayman) 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.

If 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 have used the web sites for Norwegian, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean to book cruises and had no problems booking or making payments and completing the pre-cruise information.  My recommendation is that you book a Royal Caribbean cruise and I suggest booking 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.  These are RC's newer ships, all launched since about the year 2000 and so have the latest features of cruise ships.  The other RC ships that you should consider is the Radiance Class: (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis... )

That's my recommendation based on my experiences.

Answer 7

i went on carnival years ago when i was a kid, don't remember much about it

I've cruised with royal Caribbean about 4 times now and i love their ships, i don't look at any other cruise companies now.

The first time i went on a royal caribbean cruise, we booked through vacationstogo, no problems...but sometimes there are advantages to booking directly with the cruise line.

Answer 8

go see a travel agent they can really tell you more than us and if you haven't cruised in the last few years then they can really help. sure check prices on the web and know what you want to pay , but they can get you the same price or better plus all the service for free. remember when you go can really effect the price so be flexible to get the best value.