What is the best deal for a first time cruise vacation?

Question

Home town is Raleigh, NC... we have a week or less

Answer 1

When you say "best deal" that can mean a lot of different things.  But that aside, if you want to experience cruising for the first time and not spend a lot of money here's what I suggest based on the my experience with about 20 cruises on 4 different cruise lines.

Since you live in Raleigh (I live here also) you can save money by driving to the cruise port and parking.  The two closest cruise ports will be Charleston, South Carolina and Norfolk, Virginia; about 4 hrs away.   A third option would be to drive to the Cape Canaveral port, about 7-8 hours away  (we did that this past Dec for a cruise).  I have listed the web sites for all three of these for you.  The web sites give driving directions, parking information, a calendar for all of the cruises leaving from each this year and a link to the web sites for the cruise lines that depart from the ports.

Norfolk:

http://www.cruisenorfolk.org/

Charleston:

http://www.port-of-charleston.com/Cruise...

Cape Canaveral:

http://www.portcanaveral.org/index2.php

The cruise lines that use these ports are Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean.  Carnival is the budget cruise line that many first time cruiser and young people use; its the party boat too.  Norwegian is the line to go on if you want an informal cruise; I have cruised on them many times but don't really like their informal "freestyle" cruising.  Royal Caribbean is in my opinion better than the first two because it has better service, food and THE best on board activities of any cruise line.   Things like in-line skating, ice skating, the rock climbing wall, a full sized basketball/volleyball court, multiple pools and hot tubs, a mini-golf course, etc.  

A good beginner cruise from one of these ports would be a 5, 6, or 7 day cruise to Bermuda.  Bermuda is a great cruise destination because the island is small (only 22 miles long), its very easy to get around there using public transportation (I have done that too). its a safe and clean place to go as the island has NO slums or bad areas, and Bermuda has some of the best  beaches of any island you could go to and they are all open to the public with no use fees.

A cruise to Bermuda would give you at least one "at sea" day going and coming back so you could enjoy the ship and its amenities.  There is not a lot to do or see in Bermuda except go to the beaches or golf.  There are just a few sightseeing attractions and on your cruise you will likely dock at 2 or 3 of the main town/places on the island where there are things to do.

Another great option is the cruise out of Port Canaveral that we did this past December.  It was on the Royal Caribbean ship, Mariner of the Seas and it was a 7 day cruise that went to the Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, and RC's private island Labadee, Haite.  Actually this is the option and cruise line that I recommend as # 1 for you as a beginner.  Its a better cruise and a much better ship than you will get at the other ports.  You can drive there in one day and save on airfare (even drive down a day early and stay overnight close to the port) and parking for the week is $84.00.  You park at the pier and just walk right onto the ship; no need to do all of the airline hassles of 2 hrs early, no liquids, security checks, flight delays, etc.

Answer 2

The best deals seem to be the edges of the hurricane season if you are looking to cruise Caribbean.. which would  be June and Dec.  Holidays are quite popular, so dont plan too late in Dec.  Summers are quite popular to take the kids so don't plan too late in June!

Personally, I have found that if you book early, (say just under a year) you will get one sometimes two upgrades. So, if you book a room w/a view, you would almost always get an upgrade to a room with a balcony (which is just fantastic and worthwhile).  I have been on 6 cruises and always have had an upgrade or a refund, and 3 times, both.  We were upgraded from a balcony room to a suite with a balcony, and got back $150 each.  So.. you can time it around the time of year, or you can also book early and reap the rewards!

Answer 3

defintly try ncl or celebirty