Questions about going on a cruise...?

Question

I want to book a cruise but I have no idea how long to go for, which cruise line to take or where to go. I would be going with my two daughters aged 11 and 13 and we cant spend too much. (Only up to 3000 per person..is that average) Anyways, we'd like somewhere warm and big. We were thinking of going for two weeks. Is that a good amount of time? Any information would help. Thank you so much.

Answer 1

I have been on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises, and one Carnival.  Carnival seemed less classy and more teenage friendly of the two.  Royal has some of the extras on the ship like the surfing thing, but you have to sign up on a list and wait forever to use it.  I love Royal's food better than Carnival, but Carnival's ships are full of young people, and Royal's ships seem full of older people.

My sister did Norwegian, and said she would prefer to cruise on Royal Caribbean again instead of them, she did a 10-day to Hawaii but got delayed 2 days when an engine went out, plus they have free-style dining which means you have to wait like a restaurant for a table!  I think the week cruise is perfect, but that's all I have ever done when I have went.

If you go on the Caribbean cruises the ocean is warmer and better for swimming.  Plus if you go in Oct/Sept the rates are cheaper because it is hurricane season (not to worry though, they will change where you go if there are any storms!).  I did a cruise over Thanksgiving and it was sooooo much fun!  The Thanksgiving meals for excellent and I had no worries of cooking or cleaning!

Have fun!

Answer 2

I would never sail with Carnival, although they do have their fans. My brother and his wife went on a Carnival cruise and HATED it! They complained that the food was bad, their cabin was dirty(although it was later cleaned and kept clean), the decks were crowded with un-supervised children, the staff was very rude and mean, and the decor of the ship may look nice from a distance or in a picture, but up close its mostly synthetic and plastic, and just plain ugly. But Carnival is for people cruiseing on a budget as they have some of the lowest rates. They attract many families and middle class people(as well as drunk party animals). My brother also said that if your idea of fun is drinking and gambling than go with Carnival because thats ALL they do. My choice would be Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribean: Some of the worlds largest and most innovative ships on the high seas are owned and operated by these guys. The ships themselves are very beautiful and clean. They are also very well maintained.

Their ships feature: (Freedom Class)

                                

Surf the FlowRider,® the first-ever surf park at sea



Relax in the Solarium's cantilevered whirlpools, extending 12 feet beyond the sides of the ship



Explore the colorful H2O Zone waterpark, complete with interactive sculpture fountains, ground geysers and a cascading waterfall



Challenge yourself on our largest rock-climbing wall ever



Spar with an experienced instructor in the full-size Everlast boxing ring



Take a walk down the Royal Promenade - it's Main Street U.S.A., right in the middle of the ocean



Stay in the spectacular Presidential Family suite, complete with a private balcony with a whirlpool and wet bar, accommodating up to 14 people



Stay conected while at sea using our wireless internet connection throughout the ship.

Dance the night away at a world-class nightclub

Sample cuisine and wines from around the world in a spectacular three-story dining room

Share a romantic meal at one of our specialty restaurants



Enjoy a juicy burger and fries at Johnny Rockets®

Learn to skate backwards on our ice-skating rink



Give the kids a vacation to remember with our award-winning Adventure Ocean® Youth Program



Get your game on in the sports pool

Share a bottle of wine with new friends at Vintages, our wine bar



Hoist your favorite ale or lager at our unique British-themed pub



Stop by Ben & Jerry's® ice cream for cool treats in a rotating selection of fabulous flavors

Overall they are the best cruise line and the staff is so nice and helpful. You cant go wrong with these guys they will give you a vacation that trumps Carnival.

Hope I helped,

                          Happy Sailing

P.s. The activities that are listed apply to only the freedom class although some are still found on other ships. To find out more go to http://www.royalcaribbean.com

Answer 3

Tinkertoy gave a lot of great information!  

I just went on my first cruise in March and had a blast.  We went on Norwegian to the Mexican Riviera.

If you'd like to see pictures and read about our trip, go to:

http://www.squidoo.com/Mexico_Cruise

If you are trying to stay within a budget, I would recommend departing from a port near you that is served by a cruise ship line.  Since you are undecided on a destination, that might help you to make your decision.

Personally, on my next cruise I would lean toward somewhere in the Caribbean.  It seems like an ideal way to see several beautiful, interesting places with different histories and cultures.

If you would like to see more information about cruise vacations and the different cruise lines and compare prices, here is a link to a travel website that may be helpful:

http://www.vgsims.traverustravel.com/why...

Answer 4

maybe disney cruise, royal caribbean, or carnival. ive been on disney crusie before when i was 10 and im now 14. it was so fun for the kids and for the parents because my parents loved it also. ive also been in carnival and it was a blast for everyone. for the disney crusie it was so awesome cuz they have there own private island and its do beautiful. im going to be going on royal caribbean this weekend actually and cant wait. but for you and your kids i would say disney cruise. they have 2 ships: wonder and magic. magic is bigger so that probably means it better but i went on wonder and it was a blast. so hope i helped=] and have fun

Answer 5

I have been on about 20 cruises on 4 different cruise lines and can give you some advice/help based on my experiences.  A cruise for you and your daughters will not cost $3,000 each; more like $700 to $1200 each depending on what type cabin you select, when you book, and how many days you cruise.

There are a lot of factors that affect what cruise you should select. Cruises generally cost about $125.00 per day per person AND all cruises are priced based on double occupancy (2 people per cabin).

Since cruises can be 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, or 14 days or more the price will depend mostly on how many days your cruise is. Then the cruise lines give the best price for early bookings that are a year or more in advance. 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.

If you are thinking about a cruise in the Caribbean you need to remember that the hurricane season in the Caribbean is June through the end of October.  So if you want a Caribbean cruise with no hurricane worries then go in November through May of next year.

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. (If you have a 3rd and/or 4th person in your cabin their fare is generally about 50% of the first two persons.) SO, for example, if a fare for you and one daughter is $1200 each, the fare for your other daughter would be about $600.  All three of you for $3000.

The price you pay will depend a lot on the type cabin/accommodations that you choose.

There are 4 basic types of cabins on ships;

- inside (no window),................................... least expensive

- outside (a window or porthole),

- balcony/veranda, and

- suites and penthouses.......................... most expensive.

The "FROM" prices you see will always be for an inside cabin. There are also some subcategories within each category with cabins on a higher deck, and/or a better location on ship (like midship), and/or that are slightly larger costing more. So as you browse, pay attention to the square footage of the cabins. You may not want to pay more for the same sized cabin on a higher floor; or vice versa or prefer to pay less for the same cabin on a lower deck.

You can reserve a cruise by booking on line; by calling the cruise line, or through a travel agent. You will pay at booking 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 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. If you book within about 60 days of the cruise you will likely have to pay the full amount.

I have listed below the web sites for the medium priced cruise lines which operate from US ports. These are the cruise lines that most people use. There are some luxury lines that are much higher priced with prices starting around $4,000 for a 7 day cruise. The lines that I have listed below will have cruises starting in the range of $700 to $1,200 per person for a 7 day cruise, again depending upon the date and type cabin you select.

HOLLAND AMERICA

http://www.hollandamerica.com/

CELEBRITY:

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

ROYAL CARIBBEAN:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d.....

NORWEGIAN:

http://www.ncl.com/

PRINCESS:

http://www.princess.com/index.html

CARNIVAL:

http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/

I have been on Princess, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships and can vouch that they are good cruise lines. However, there are some differences.

- Princess, Celebrity and Holland America have great ships are more classy and reserved. They are just a little more upscale and luxurious than the other cruise lines. Passengers tend to be middle aged and up and have cruised multiple times. Holland America has mostly senior citizens cruising on its ships.

-Norwegian cruise line is good, they cater to families and have mostly passengers in the range of age 35-40 and up. Its the line that you want to go on if you want to be informal for pretty much your whole cruise. They have formal nights like other cruise lines but they do not stress dressing up; the call it "dress up if you want to" night.

Carnival is the budget cruise line that generally has the lowest prices. They cater to young people, first time cruiser and families. The best of their ships are their newer ships so do pay attention to when the ship was launched is you find a really cheap cruise. A seven day cruise on a Carnival ship can be as low as $650. per person. :http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/cms/f...

Royal Caribbean is also a cruise line that caters to young cruiser and families. It has the advantage of having the most on-board activities. Things like ice skating, roller blading, mini-golf course, a full sized basketball/tennis court, the rock climbing wall, and on the new Freedom Class ships the surfing simulator, the Flowrider.  Like other cruise lines RC has programs for kids called Adventure Ocean and a teen club where they can hang out all day and evening.  

The RC ships that I recommend that you  look for cruises on are the RC's Freedom Class and Voyager Class ships. You can look at the features of these ships on these two web links:

Freedom Class:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...

Voyager Class:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...

For the most part all cruises are all inclusive. Let me explain.

Regardless of which cruise line you 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), free admissions to all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship except spa services. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice. So everything on ship except the casino is cashless; everything you buy goes on your account.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.

OTHER: most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.

SPA SERVICES: If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.

INTERNET SVCS: Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).

You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).

Those are the basics and hope this helps you get started..

Answer 6

Just type in 'Cruise ships' in your search engine and you will get loads of choices its easy and all rates, tines are given