Whear is the best place to take a cruise?

Question

Me and my family are trying to find a good place to take a cruise but cant find anything!! We need the best cruise carrier like carnival, costa, etc. We also need it in middel class price! We need cheap air fare from Minnesot to whatever state it (the cruise ship) take out of!!!!!

Answer 1

If you've never been on a cruise before...then you'd know if you'd enjoy the days at sea.  In my opinion, I'd rather be on an island during the day since there's plenty of time at night to be on the ship.  Any of the islands in the Caribbean are awesome, some are nicer then others, but if you think about being there or in Minnesota, then you'll be grateful you're in the Caribbean.

I'd suggest finding a cruise out of San Juan so you won't have as many days at sea and  you'll already be further south to begin with, so you'll go to better islands on your cruise too.

As for the cabin...it doesn't need to be balcony cabin (especially if there are no days at sea), so pick a window cabin on the bottom floor, the cheapest one they have, but mid ship, not at the bow or the stern if you can help it.  Two weeks before you go, call the cruise company and ask if there are any free upgrades, then take them.  Once you're in a cabin...it really doesn't matter where it is located.  I've been on a bunch of different floors and in the back next to engine...no problem.  I've been in a balcony too, and it's awesome IF you have days at sea.  Otherwise, you're only there to get dressed and sleep.

Buy some snorkel gear at home to bring with you so you can save a ton of money from renting.  Get off the ship and hop in a taxi.  He'll take you to a "snorkel beach" and will pick you up too.  Why pay the extra the ship will have avaiable for you?  Make sure you have a few bucks for the taxi man.  He'll appreciate every penny.

And if you're looking to compare some prices, I usually find something on this web site:  iBtraveling.com   Maybe you can too?

You'll have fun no matter where you go.  :)  Enjoy!

Answer 2

Price it out.  Carnival and Royal Carribbean are the two cheaper cruiselines.  They carry more people, budget prices and do it well.  Next, there are more ships that sail Carribbean.  Therefore you can cut prices by doing a Carribbean as opposed to a Mexican Rivera b/c there is more competition.  Western or Eastern is up to you.

New Orleans and Galveston are still trying to recover after the Hurricane so they have the lowest fares right now.  Eartern Caribbean frequently leaves out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami.  It's barely a 20 min taxi ride so if you find a cheaper flight to Miami instead of Ft Lauderdale don't worry about it.  Many hotels offer free shuttle pickup from the airport and will drop you off at the port the next day.  Some do it for just a $10 fee.  Look for a hotel that offers that as long as they don't charge per person.  Otherwise just prepare to rent a cab.  

Depending on how many people are booking at any given time the price is constantly changing.  My husband and I usually book our cabin for around 1100-1200.  Thats the ocean view.  You can find cheaper if you only have a porthole or an interior cabin.  However I enjoy the picture window where I can look out over the water.

There are tons of sites out there for finding discount airfare.  I love orbitz and I usually fly airtran or southwest b/c they are cheaper but book the cruise first then look for airfare.  For big cities, (like out of St Paul) you could easily book a standby ticket the day before.  Then if you aren't able to get on the first flight, you can catch the next one and it's no big deal.  That usually saves you some money.  As long as you have the time (the kids aren't young) and the patience to wait at the airport.

Many cruise lines offer complete packages.  You book the airfare and cruise together.  I've never done that but you should price it as well--it might be cheaper if flying to New Orleans or Galveston.

Last minute travel deals happen too and if you aren't in a rush, it's a great idea.  You might consider driving over flying if you do New Orleans.  It's a straight shot and if you break it up over 2 days its just 9 hrs a day--depending on the size of your family it might save a lot of money.

Don't stress.  You don't have to do this by next month right?  Spend a couple months looking over the prices and you'll see it go up and down. Enjoy.  after all this is Vacation and half the fun is getting there!

Answer 3

on the ocean! (it would be kind of hard to take  crusie on the highway

(althought in San Diego there is  a sign from the freeway that

said Cruise ships use airport exit)

Answer 4

hawaii or alaska--------

Answer 5

The Cruises to the Mexican RIviera are great value cruises and a lot of fun.  Of course the CArribean cruises are great, but often way pricier.. for a great time on a bvudget.. consider flying into and cruising out of San Diego..And HAVE FUN!!

Answer 6

Your next questions should be what do you want to do or see on a cruise? What is your ideal of a place you want to experience? Do you want a warm place? Do you want to experience snorkeling, swimming or more about seeing beautiful sights? Do you want to be on a cruise more so than being out at places while just being on the ship to get there or a good mix of the two?

Lots of questions, I know. But that will help you get a better idea of what would be an ideal cruise that you have in mind.

If you want to be on a cruise that goes to somewhere that is warm and you can like snorkel, a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise is probably best. A Bahamas cruise will take you to ports mainly by cruising overnight while being at different ports each day. A Caribbean cruise will give you the warm places with a little more time on the ship (full days and nights on the ship between some ports). And even with that, you'll still have the decision of whether Western Caribbean or Southern Caribbean. (Hint: Western Caribbean cruise are less expensive).

For warmth and being on the ship just between ports, Hawaii cruises are nice. The draw back is you will have to fly to Hawaii to get on these type of cruise and they are expensive. An alternative is to go on a Hawaii cruise that starts and returns from California ports and you get lots of days at sea and less ports when you get to Hawaii and they are also expensive.

Alaska cruises are great scenery cruises with lots of port stops with about the same time on the ship getting to them. Alaska cruise however are very popular and therefore very expensive. And although not freezing cold until you get way up north by Alaska, you certainly aren't going to be doing any snorkeling or swimming.

As far as middle class price, you would best look towards the Bahamas or Western Caribbean out of a Florida port (the port will depend on what cruise and where you are going as cruise ships are ported at different ports and have different cruise internaries (length of cruise, what ports they go to, etc.).

As soon as you decide what your thoughts are of what a cruise is suppose to be, there are numerous cruise options out there so you won't have any problem finding one.