Inexpensive, comfortable, enjoyable cruises?

Question

I'm a college student planning a cruise over spring break with a few friends. We are looking for a cruise that is inexpensive while staying comfortable and fun. We dont need luxury, but do expect a clean and comfortable cruise. We would prefer a cruise that left from either Tampa, Port Canaveral, or Fort Lauderdale, FL. Has anyone been on any cruises in the past couple of years that fit our criteria? Please share any experiences from specific lines or ships!!

Answer 1

Bahamas is a popular weekend getaway and you can probably find a good deal leaving for Port Canaveral for a 3 or 4 night getaway with Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

Answer 2

Someone reccommended to me going to Walmart.com and do a search on cruises.

Answer 3

I prefer the Carnival lines because they have a clothing optional deck which I enjoy both for the freedom and because there aren't any little kids around.  Shop around for fares, don't forget that your credit card, insurance, and other vendors often offer discounts through their company.

Answer 4

Carnival is catered to your type of age group its inexpensive, comfortable and the staff is nice and its a wonderful cruise and leave mostly out of Miami, but they ahve other departure ports too. Then Royal Caribbean are really nice and leave out of those ports, and they have an atmosphere like that as well. I think that those two are the best bet.

Answer 5

Going from Tampa is fun.

As for affordable, just today we had an offer for a 7 day cruise on Norwegian Majesty for $329, leaving Feb 3 from Charleston.  Usually they are even cheaper than that leaving from a Florida Port.

Carnival has several cruises that will fit your criteria, some leaving from Port Canaveral.    Look for prices from the on line cruise discounters, like vacationstogo.  We have booked from them several times.

Most cruise lines won't accept bookings from people under 21.  Also, you must have a passport now.

Answer 6

I'm also a college student and I took my first cruise last year, which was definitively with Carnival. We left from Miami and went to Half moon cay (best place in the whole world), Grand Turk, St. Thomas and San Juan. We got a really good price through our carnival agent. I have to recommend Carnival because we didn't stop having fun at any time. Water slides, pools, great ports, theaters, clubs, music all night long and lots, lots of young people. Carnival is very clean and comfy. I also like Royal Caribbean but it's really expensive compared to Carnival. We are already booked with Carnival again this summer and can't wait to go. I think one of the best destinations is Eastern & Western caribbean... whatever you decide, make sure to visit Half moon cay... you'll think you're dreaming!

Answer 7

In November I took a Princess Cruises Star Princess out of Fort Lauderdale - it was fabulous!  I am 24 and found it perfect for my age group.  

You can totally take liquor onboard (despite what the official word is) - I just popped it into my backpack at each port and no one cared when it went through the scanner.  Thats an easy way to save money if you want to party on your cruise.  

In addition, the food was so good - we went to the dining room every night and were impressed with the quality.  We had a balcony suite (on the costly side) but met losts of other people in their 20s from FL that booked last minute for an inside cabin for super cheap.  We barely spent any time in our cabin so an inside cabin isn't bad if you are the kind of people who enjoys experiencing the ship.

Answer 8

Carnival is pretty cheap, but your trip will be awesome! It's not like a "you get what you pay for" type of thing. Everything was great. Food, service, room, etc. We payed like $250 a person for a 3 day Bahamas cruise, and had a blast!

Answer 9

SS Minnow

Answer 10

i know that royal carribean leaves from Ft laudederdale and i went on a eastern carribean cuise on radiance of the seas an it was the best and it definetly isnt that formal i mean at the diding room there are like 2 formal nights but there is also a buffet and a seaview cafe and any other places to eat but it is clean and everything and royal carribean is definetly not only for older people there are many differnt activities to do

Answer 11

Over spring break, Carnival is known to be much more of the party ship (If that's what you are looking for). There are many ports to pick from. Check out the link below to pick a cruise based on price and port.

http://cs.cruisebase.com/cs/homeports/ho...

Answer 12

only carnival and royal caribbean leave out of port canaveral i think get on internet and check out all cruise lines my favorite is royal caribbean check with a good travel agent and good luck and have fun

Answer 13

Carnival would be the best for inexpensive and fun.

However, do check with the cruise line directly (not a travel agent) to make sure of their minimum ages for cruising.  

Also, you will NOT be allowed to drink alcohol on the ship if you are under 21 - no matter what cruise line.  Your keycard which also is your shipboard credit card will be a different color from those over 21.

Passports are not required for CRUISE travel to the Caribbean until 2008.  Still a passport is the very best identification you can get so it would be a good idea to get one.