What are good cruise lines.?

Question

I am looking to go on a cruise in November. It is only going to be me and my fiance. We are looking to stay around 5-6 nights. We do not want anything too pricey. The only line I was looking at so far is Carnival. I wanted to get some thoughts and other suggestions.

Answer 1

How good or bad a cruise line is depends upon what you are looking to do. I think you will find all the major lines will have excellent food (and lots of it), great entertainment, and similar accomodations. But the type of activities and "feel" of the ship are what make one cruise line better for you than another. Carnival generally has a younger group of passengers. This may be a result of their overall lower pricing. As such they have more of a party or "fiesta" atmosphere. This means loud music and lots of outside activities that will involve passenger participation. Royal Carribean tends to cater to a slightly older crowd and as such tends to be a little more relaxed. By catering to an older passenger the slightly higher price does enter into the decision. I may be the exception but I prefer Carnival even though I am 50. For the shorter cruises you will primarily go to the Western Caribean or the Bahamas. I took the Elation out of Port Canaveral last year and had a great time. We went to the Bahamas for 5 days. I will admit that for some reason the passenger age level was a little older than I usually see on Carnival, but that worked out great because I took my mother and mother in law along with us. We all had a great time. I personally like sailing out of New Orleans, I went on the Conquest but a shorter cruise would be on the Fantasy. This will be the least expensive of the cruises. I am looking at doing a 4 or 5 day and staying in New Orleans for a few days as well. (great food in New Orleans) One final suggestion, if possible can, take your cruise in early December instead of November as you will find the weather to be much calmer (The first few weeks of November are the tail end of hurricane season) and there will be little or no price difference.Hope this helps you and have a great cruise.

Answer 2

ROYAL CARIBBEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is the best cruise line in my opinion! For all ages! It has good deals and GREAT service! I would not try Carnival i've heard from soo many people that it was a bad expirence especially for the price! I've never had a bad expirence on RC and are planning another cruise soon! Go RC you won't forget it!

Answer 3

I really enjoy royal caribbean. I have cruised with them and carnival and feel there ships are a lot more elegant and have a lot to offer. The service and food are a lot better than on carnival. Royal caribbean also had better shows and nightlife. With royal there was never a dull moment due to so many choices of activities, on carnival activities were lacking. Royal caribbean is a little more expensive than carnival but it definitely is worth the price.

Answer 4

in my opinion,  the mass market cruise lines are pretty similar in quality.  each one has it's 'thing' but the overall level of service, food, entertainment etc is pretty similar.  Keep in mind though that alll the cruise lines use their older ships for the shorter (3-5) day cruises. Also, the shorter cruises are the more party, drunk oriented.Nothing wrong with that if that is what you are looking for, I point this out to let you know that the difference between a 5 and a 7 day cruise on the same line can be pretty drastic.  I have been on CCL, NCL and RCCL and have enjoyed them all.

Answer 5

Try celebrity on a 5 night, they are RC big sister, and nicer. Carnival is okay if you don't have an old ship, but personally i prefer Princess the best

Answer 6

Royal Caribbean is really good. I have been on two almost three RCI cruises and I loved them (i'm 13)...i also have been on Holland America, but that is more for old people-the average age on their ships is 70......but everyone I've talked to and from experience said Royal Caribbean is the best.

Answer 7

I liked them all, use to like Royal but there service has gone down alot in my opinion.

I suggest to contact http://www.vacationsnbeyond.com and request a quote when ready.

Answer 8

You have to remember...you get what you pay for when it comes to cruise lines.

I, for one, am loyal to Royal Caribbean. It's worth the little extra money for the perks, nicer facilities and outstanding food and staff. I've been on Carnival once (it was a very inexpensive rate) and was not happy with our cruise. However, that doesn't mean you'll have the same experience.

Before you book, I'd suggest you do your homework on cruiselines like HAL, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Norweigen before booking on Carnival. You can also seek great advice and experiences on the messageboard over at CruiseCritic.com.

Answer 9

"Good" is a matter of opinion, as you can see from the answers you've gotten already.  It depends on what you're looking for.

To get a good overview of what the different lines and ships are like, you can get a book on cruising from your library or bookstore.  You can also go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Cruise Styles" [they have a "Romance" category], "Boards" [for specific tips on all aspects of cruising], or "Reviews", for both professional and past passenger reviews of the different ships.

Carnival is usually a good first cruise, but it may not fit your needs - depends on your age, whether or not you like to "party down", how sophisticated your palate is, what your expectations for service are, etc.  Wanting a shorter cruise is also going to affect your choices - not as many ships do 5-day cruises, they tend to be more "party" type cruises [especially on Carnival], etc.  For not much more money, you could probably take a 7-day cruise.

Once you've gotten a general idea about the different aspects of cruising, you might want to talk to a travel agent, particularly one who specializes in cruises.

Good luck - I hope you find just the right cruise for you.

Answer 10

i went on royal caribean my travel agent suggested it they were extremely reasonable from florida to the caribean it was less than 100 per day. she said it was my best bet because the crowd tended to be a little younger with families whereas the other cruises were more more "loveboat" like.also thee two larger boats are the biggest on the water and dwarf the other ships. they have lots to do and have things to do that younger people like (rockclimbing,rollerblading basketball,miniaturegolf, ice skating,boogie boarding.) i dont think the other ships have some of that stuff. and if you dont have kids they do have a nokids zone too.

Answer 11

You will have a great time on Carnival. We have been on 10 Carnival cruises, and this past December, my husband and I decided we have heard so much about Royal Caribbean, we would try them out. We were very disappointed. There was no lack of organization, not as much to do, the shows weren't as good, and I didn't like the food as well either. I know they usually say that you get what you pay for, but I think you get that and more with Carnival. There is something for everyone. Have a great time.

Answer 12

i have been on 3 cruises.

1. carnival= amazing beautiful ship outstand service and outstand food. the people are very nice and they make every night a blast. many activitys, spa and workout facilty is amazing. also casino is nice as well.

2. princess= its kinda like the baby of the carnival it follows the carnival maybe 4 miles back to the hole time. the preincess has many more different ships and locations

Answer 13

it would depend on where you are located. Can you drive to the port? This will save airfare. Find out what 5-6 day cruises leave from a port close to you and go from there.