What was your favorite cruise vacation?

Question

Or it could be a hypothetical cruise. How long? What ports of call? What type of ship?

Answer 1

My favorite cruise was a 7 day voyage on the Carnival Triumph during October.  It toured the Western Caribbean, though it's itinerary changed due to hurricane damage.

First, I obtained the cruise for a very low price.  I booked about a year in advance and was looking for bargains, and found that cruise.  I  used VacationstoGo.Com and booked it.  When informed that rate was for the lowest class of accommodation (low deck, inside cabin) I said it was just perfect.  I was booked for that rate, but when I arrived I was assigned to a very unusual cabin on the main deck.  It was at the rear of the ship, and was in an "L" shape and wrapped around an emergency staircase.  It had a single bed, but also a coach and two portholes.  I loved it; it was perfect for the single traveler.  They also provided me with a robe.  

I was among the first to board, though it was late due to a coast guard inspection.  No problem; I had a book with me.  First thing I did was stow my carry on stuff, then hit the lido deck for food (after a red-eye flight I was hungry).  After that I put on my swim trunks (packed in my car on), hit the deck chairs, and enjoyed my book while sipping cool lemonaide.  

I had requested early seating for dinner at a big table with lots of ladies.  I got it - a table for eight with seven women and myself.  It was like hitting the jackpot.  After an excellent meal with excellent service, I went to Game Show Mania, where they picked people out of a hat to play for ship prizes on trivia.  I was picked for the last group, and blew the competition out of the water so badly the host tossed mercy questions to the opponents to keep it running long enough.  The social host remembered me - as did most of the passengers watching the show.  I can only say I felt like Ken Jennings - answering question after question correctly.  I won a ship trophy and a bottle of champaign.  

At the first port of call, I had a fantastic time at XCARET, a water theme park in Mexico.  At Ocho Rios in Jamaica, I did the river walk, twisting my ankle, but never stopping and going through the pain.  I had a wonderful jerked pork sandwich, though I admit the locals trying to sell me ganja got on my nerves.  On ship I found I was indifferent to the escargot, didn't like lobster bique, but generally enjoyed the food.  Both the variety acts and the production shows were great.

On sea days I enjoyed sitting in the hot tubs on aft, sipping diet coke and the retractable roof that let in the sun or kept the rain off.   I went to the past cruisers party, sang karaoke, and had a fantastic time.  

I have had better food (on Princess and Celebrity), more interesting ports (a Black Sea cruise), better romance (Carnival's  Sensation), but overall my memories of that vacation rate it as near-perfect.

Answer 2

My last cruise was my favorite vacation of all time. We flew from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale. Then we stayed one night and boarded the next day. We did a 10 day southern Caribbean and visited Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada, St Thomas, St. John and Princess Cay. We stayed in Ft. Lauderdale one more night and flew back. Amazing. My husband and I started joking about how long a cruise could be before we got tired of it. Can't wait to find out.

Answer 3

I have been on many cruises but two stand out as my best. One was on a Princes cruise line ship, the Island Princess and the cruise was out of Ft Lauderdale, FL. to the Panama Canal. It was a 12 day cruise that had stops in Costa Rica, Costa Maya, Mexico; and Ocho Rios, Jamaica also. I loved the ship and all of the Princess ships I have been on have been very nicely decorated and have had very comfortable cabins. Their food and entertainment is also great.

THE best cruise I have been on was on the Royal Caribbeans' Brilliance of the Seas and it was a 12 day cruise out of Barcelona, Spain to the Mediterranean. The port stops included Nice (including Villefranche, Monaco and Monte Carlo); Florence/Pisa, Italy; Rome, Italy; Naples, Italy; Athens, Greece,and the Greek Isles of Santorini and Mykonos. And then also Ephesus, Turkey. This cruise had a lot of history and must see sights, like the Vatican and the Colosseum in Rome, Pompeii near Naples, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the biblical city in Ephesus and the Acropolis in Athens. It has spectacular scenery in the Greek isles and other places.

The Brilliance of the Seas is my favorite ship of all of the more than 15 cruises I have been on. It is pretty new and has the latest conveniences and amenities, like the new pillow top beds. I like best the layout of the ship and the fact that the casual dining area has provision for eating outside on the back of the ship. Many of the new ships don't have this feature. RC has 4 ships with these identical feature and I have also been on one other of them, the Jewel of the Seas

We went to the Med at the beginning of October and the weather was just perfect. I even sat out on the balcony at night and it was pleasant.

Answer 4

We sailed on the Zuiderdam by Holland America it was extremely nice.  The food was terrific and the staff felt like it was family by the end of the Cruise.  The glass elevators are the best!  We just sailed 2 weeks ago on NCL Pearl and it is a beautiful ship and we had a fantastic time.  We sailed the Freedom of the Seas and the food was terrific but I found it to have way too many people and there was a line for everything.  It became very frustrating.  There were a lot of closures of activities as well where I think they should have kept them open to thin out the crowds.  It is a beautiful ship, but I like the bright colors of the other ships I have been on.   All the ships are nice and if you go with a mind set that your going to enjoy yourself then you will.   Favorite ports, St. Marteen, Grand Cayman, Cancun, Cozumel.  I will not get off the ship anymore in Jamaica.  I don't need the hassle.

Answer 5

this site has useful cruise information

http://allcruiselines.info

Answer 6

This is something my father & I have done 12 times & 6 times with my children. An Alaskan Cruisetour. 11 & 14 days. Inside passages, Ketchikan, Junuea, Skagway aday at the Glacier Nation Park then to Whitter to board a train that takes you threw some very amazing natures best land scapes to Denali National Park for 2 days of outstanding rooms, food, service & a great tour of Denali National Park, then on to Fairbanks for 2 days of outstanding food, service and scenery.

If you like Nature, Wildlife that one rarely sees, very friendly people that treats you like royality Then Alaska is the place to go.