1st time cruiser help?

Question

My family and I would like to take a cruise. What line would you reccomend? What do you do on cruise ships? And how was your expierience.

Thanks. I will give a best answer!

Answer 1

I, myself have never been on a cruise yet (but can you blame me? I'm only 13!) But still, I've been looking up cruises online for about a month or two now. To start of, I don't think anybody can answer this question straightforwardly, because you need to know what a cruise has and what it has to do. There is a lot of things a cruise has to offer, but each cruise line is a little different from each other in their own ways. Carnival is an activity-focused line with younger people and a wide family-sought cruise line. Disney is also a family-based line, too. Here's a thing about Disney: DON'T THINK DISNEY IS ONLY FOR KIDS. There are things to do on that line that adults or only adults can do. Royal Caribbean is also family friendly, too, and also lots of activities, but a little more relaxed-based, bigger, and as some people say, classier and one step above Carnival. Princess, Norwegian, and Holland America are cruise lines for the adults and older groups.

More very important factors are where you want to go, and how many days do you plan to spend? Do you plan to spend just a weekend's worth or mid-week's worth of 3-4 days, an average worth of 7-9 days, or a longer vacation's worth of 10+ days? Do you want to discover the great beaches of the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, Bermuda, or Bahamas,The North American ports of New England and Canada, The arts and beauty of Europe, or others such as crossing the Atlantic from the US to eastern Europe? These destinations have certain days you spend. The Bahamas and Bermuda usually last only 3-4 days. The Caribbean and Hawaii usually (or also preferably) is 7-9 days. New England and Canada is usually 4-7 days. Europe is usually 7-14 days, but most people suggest 10+ days. Where you live is also crucial to where you want to go. If you want to go to the Caribbean, most ships sail in Texas (Gulf of Mexico area), Florida, New Orleans, California, and New York. If you want to go to the Bahamas or Bermuda, ships are mostly only in Florida. For Hawaii - ships are in, well, Hawaii and maybe some parts of Mexico and Canada. For New England and Canada - mostly New York. For Transatlantic (from US to some of eastern Europe or possibly Africa) - New York. As for Europe, you need to fly to Europe because the only ports available for European cruises are in Europe itself. But don't worry, though. If you need to find transportation to your port, you can request airfare and port transportation for an additional price.

If you really want more in-depth information you need to find out, here are 10 important decisions you need to make:

1) Big floating city, or small sailing vessel? (Would you rather be on a place that is             extremely huge, or just on a small sailboat?

2) Ship, or Destination? (Would you like the things on the ship better, or things on land better?)

3) Beaches, or Historical Sites and Cities? (What kind of destinations do you like?)

4) Activities, or Relaxation? (Want to go on a cruise that focuses on activities or relaxation?)

5) Casual or Formal? (Would you want to dress casually or formally?)

6) Assigned Seating or Dining Alone? (Do you want to sit with a few more strangers on your table every night, or just be alone with your family?)

7) Everyday food or Gournet food? (Do you like to eat food like pizzas or cheeseburgers, or gourmet food like shrimp cocktails?)

8) Budget Cabin or Luxury Suite? (Do you want to be in a big, spacious room filled with furniture and entertainment, or just a room to sleep, bathe, and pack your bags in?)

9) Days at Sea, or New Port Each Day? (Would you like to spend more days at sea, or visit a new port each day?)

10) Saving Money or Unlimited Budget? (Are you looking for cheap cruises, or is money not a problem for you?)

Just one last thing. When you start searching, you might encounter something called "shore excursions." Excursions are activities that you and/or your family can do while you're on a port. Ask about your cruise planner/travel agent/ cruise company/websites for more details.

Most Importantly, HAVE FUN!!