My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary and am planning a cruise. What's a good cruise line?

Question

We would like a quiet and peaceful cruise. Meaning not a lot of children running around. I am a preschool teacher and would like a real vacation :) We are looking at the Norwegien cruise line and the Carnival but would consider others. I would like formal nights but don't like the idea of sharing a table with other couples we don't know. So I am torn on the freestyle cruises. We have also decided on the Western Carribean.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Each cruise line has it's "own specialty".  If you are married 20 years you are not in your 20's or 30's, so Carnival would not be your cruise line of choice.  Holland America is more for  those over 60.  The Princess cruise I went on 2 years ago to the So. Caribbean also had an older crowd.  Yes they have "anytime dining" which we chose.  Big mistake they seat the scheduled dining persons first an then they look for a table for you.  The any time dining was a very long list and if you wanted a table for two you were to wait up to 2 hours.  so much for "any time dining".  Weate most of our dinners at the buffet.  The food in the dining room is wonderful however the buffet is not so good.  Lunch and breakfast was good at the buffet but definitly not the dinner menu.

Fro my money Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are wonderful cruise lines.  Actually they are the same company, Celebrity being the "premium" crusie line.  Both ahve wonderful ships.  Service is top notch, in fact I feel on Celebrity they give you what you want before you even know you want it!  Food is great and lots of choices of venue.  Entertainment is geared for all ages.  On the voyager and freedom class ships of

Royal Caribbean  there is a Royal Promenade which is great.

It's like a mall in the middle of the ship with a small eatery tha has tea, coffee, pastries, large cookies, finger sandwiches and pizza free 22  out of 24 hrs. a day.  You will not find that on other ships.  Also on the same class ships there is a solarium just for adults.  So if you don't want to be around the music at the main pool you cna go there.  It is quiet and the lounges have padding.  There is a pool and 4 hot tubs there and no children are allowed.  It's a place of serenity on the ship.

I have a web site that has the differences of each cruise line listed.  Why not go to www.SailingTheSea.com and read and decide for yourself.

Which ever you choose, I wish you a very Happy 20th Anniversary!!

Answer 2

Carnival has lots of kids. I prefer Princess cruise lines. Princess has what they call anytime dining. You choose the time you want to dine. So it's the same idea as the freestyle dining. If you want a table for 2, all you need to do is to ask for one, but I do enjoy meeting lots of people. Anyway, I have been on 8 cruises with Princess and to both sides of the Caribbean. I liked St Thomas the best because we went to a place called Trunk Bay. It was the best snorkeling experience I have ever had. Go to princess.com to check out there web site.

Answer 3

We've been on 5 cruises with Royal Caribbean (two more planned for this year), and we wouldn't go with any other line.

As far as sitting at a table with others, you can request smaller tables.

So far, I've liked the St. Maarten and St. Thomas cruise the best.

Have fun!

Answer 4

I prefer Carnival but I also travel with my family, but if you go when children are in school you will get less of them regardless of line, as I home school I plan our vacation like this so the numbers is lower. however er if you really want freestyle Princess is what I would recommend, it is a favorite of several friends of mine as it is also quiet and peaceful too, Carnival is but you have too if you are on a budget

Answer 5

Celebrity or Princess.  

All the best!

Answer 6

sifting through all the cruise line information is hard and time consuming. Ive found the best way is to see what cruise ship offers the most things you and your husband like or want to do. Videos are the best answer because then you can see what the cruise ships offer and hear from people who have gone on them  and what they think. hope that helps!!!

Answer 7

The longer the cruise...the older the passengers.

Try not to go during Summer vacation or any holiday.

Your best bet is through a recommended travel agent who will meet your needs,when you tell them what you want..and you can consult with more than one travel agent then pick the one that suits you needs. Try those specializing in cruises and regular travel agents.

Answer 8

I have been on about 20 cruises on 4 different cruise lines and here's what I suggest based on my experiences.  

First, if you want a quiet and elegant cruise, scratch Disney, Carnival and Norwegian from your list.  On Disney you will be overrun with kids.  On Carnival you will be on the budget cruise lines that caters to the young party people,  not quiet or reserved folks.

I have been on about 8 Norwegian cruises a but just do not like their "freestyle" cruising.  They stress their informal cruising not only at dinner but also on formal nights.  The last cruise we did with them the called it the "dress up if you want to" night and only about 10 to 15% of the people dressed up formal or semi-formal.  I prefer the traditional style cruise where most people do dress up and I have "my" table, and wait staff for the entire cruise and don't have to be bothered with making reservations or standing at the main dining room door awaiting a table at dinner.

Royal Caribbean Cruise has some great ships and cruises and I do recommend them.  But they do have lots of families with kids, especially if you are going to the Caribbean.  

The other cruise lines that are great, have great food, service, and staff are Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity.  On all three of these you can go formal and feel special on that night.  On all three of these you can have  a table for two, just request it when you book your cruise.  The main dining rooms on these lines will have a limited number of tables for two so you have to put in your request early.  

In addition, if you select Princess or Holland America to cruise on you can elect to go to dinner any time just like on NCL.  Princess has what's called "personal choice" cruising which allows you to select a time for dinner or just go when you want.  Holland America has "As You Wish" dining.  This allows you to choose  either traditional pre-set seating and flexible dining times.  

The passengers cruising on Celebrity, Princess and Holland America tend to be more reserved and older and there tend to be fewer kids.  Holland America tends to have the oldest cruisers, mainly senior citizens.  Cruises longer than 7 days tend to have fewer kids.  

Some other tips:

- To get the best price, book very early, like 9 to 12 months early.  All of the cruise lines give early booking discounts.

-Search the cruise lines for specials and go when the price is lowest.  To get the best price go when the cruise price is lowest rather than on a specific date.  The price of a cruise on the exact same itinerary can vary by hundreds of prices on different dates.

Answer 9

I would suggest you get a book on cruising from your library, to get a general idea of what each of the lines is like.  Celebrity, Holland America [no, it's NOT just for those with walkers!!] or maybe Princess would be good to minimize the number of kids - definitely not Carnival or RC, especially in the summer.  From what I've read on the CruiseCritic boards, Norwegian is not very high quality, though some people really like it.  If money is no object, go for the top-of-the-line companies, like Seaborn, Regent, Crystal.

I have been on both Celebrity and Holland and both are very "classy" for mainstream lines.  They don't especially cater to kids, so they won't have as many.

Longer cruises will also tend to have fewer kids [i.e. > 7 days], though the passengers in general will also be somewhat older.

You might want to check out CruiseCritic.com for all kinds of info about cruising.  Click on "Boards" and/or "Reviews" [be sure and look for the past passenger reviews, too].  I think they even have a topic on romantic cruises.

Answer 10

Princess. If you don't want a lot of children running around, RUN don't walk away from Carnival. We have been on one Carnival cruise, never again.

Answer 11

Definitely go wit Carnival. U wont regret it.

Answer 12

Royal Caribbean is the best... you can try other cruise lines but not Carnival.. I think they are cheap and dull cruise liner. They will offer you cheap cruise and you will get bad vacation. I have had cruised with Royal, Carnival, Norwegian NCL, Holland America..... the best for me is Royal Caribbean Cruises... visit their website at www.royalcaribbean.com and choose your destination.. I would suggest you should take the European cruise.... particularly Baltic... I've been on Jewel Of the Seas and it is awesome times awesome....great crew onboard too...  I've been on Legend of the Seas too in the Mediterranean.. I really had a great time of my life... I will spend my next vacation on the grandest ship the Freedom of the Seas...

Answer 13

For adults try Royal Caribbean, Celebrity X, or Princess all much more adult oriented

Answer 14

http://www.seabourn.com/

Answer 15

Since it is your 20th anniversary I assume you are in your early to mid forties and as such you are kind of in the middle age for cruising. By that I mean possibly too old for Carnival (which draws a younger crowd) but too young for Royal Caribbean (Which draws an older crowd) So you need to decide what you would like to do. Royal Caribbean will be more sedate and not a very "party" atmosphere. I find it boring and I'm in my early fifties. Carnival draws a younger crowd and does have a "party" type atmosphere with loud outdoor group activities. (You really don't have to worry about children) While you can find quiet space at the back of the ship it would not be the cruiseline for total quiet. Either line will have great food and entertainment but the both have arranged seating at the main dining room. You don't have to eat in the main dining room but the food there is usually excellent. You can request a single table but there is no guarantee you will get one. Personally I find the meeting of new people at dinner an enjoyable part of the cruise. We have made several new friends that way. Hope this helps you.