Where to go for a cruise?

Question

I'm looking for a cruiseline that is inexpensive, clean, and fun! This is my first time going on a cruise and I'm so excited. Where is the best destination to go to?

Answer 1

There's many to chose from, Celebrity , Costa, Disney, Noerwegian , NCL, Princess.   Depending on what destinations....

Try a pre stay or a city tour.

I did the Pride of Hawaii, we had a 3 night stay at the Mirimar Waikiki, it included my air, transfers and even had a city tour combined.

Or try Back to Back cruising !!

Answer 2

From Antarctida to Antarctica....

Answer 3

Most cruises are done by cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, and Disney. Consider also Cunard Cruise Line and the Queen Mary II.  The ship is fantastic and the prices are comparable with RC, NCL and Princess. Most of the ships for these lines are now 1500 to 2500 passenger ships.  The ships are big but things are so well managed that you really don't feel crowded on them.  Prices on these ship can be as low as $800  for a 7 day inside cabin and about $1200 for a balcony cabin.  Most of these lines go to the same places, they are just in port on different days.  

If you have not cruised before and don't know the ropes it may be beneficial for you to use an agent; the agent does not charge a fee but is paid by the cruise line.  But, also, do some home work on cruise line, itineraries, and ships.  Use the cruise line web sites to look at what's being offered.  Try to have in mind some of  what you want to do when you talk to an agent.  If you feel comfortable doing it, you can do your own booking online, the price is the same and you can do everything you need right on the web sites.  The sites usually have cruises listed for this year and next. I booked my last two cruises completely online, including making payments and booking port tours. The format and service on all of these is about the same.

Carnival is the fun cruise line, but a budget cruise line and their accommodations are not the best.  Carnival is the party cruise line that most young folks and first time cruisers take  (ages 20 to 35) who want to party, party, party.  If that’s what you are looking for then Carnival is the one for you.

Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America,  Celebrity, and Norwegian tend to have people who have cruised many times and are in the 40 and over age group; a more reserved crowd.  All of these cruise lines  may also have some kids but not many. However, on these lines there are activities just for kids of different ages and staff persons assigned to supervise them most of the day

Another important factor to consider is, cruises going to the Caribbean tend to have more young folks than those going to Alaska, Panama, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, or South America.  People who go to the Caribbean are looking for fun things like beaches, jet skiing, snorkeling and scuba diving, parasailing, and a lot of other activities related to water and beaches.  On the other hand, people who go to Alaska, Panama, the Mediterranean, etc., are looking for cultural and historic activities.  These cruisers tend to be the older people (40+).  That does not mean these cruises are dull,  it just means that the passengers are more mature and reserved.  You will find the 40+ crowd in the bars and disco and having as good a time as the youngsters, but you may not hear them across the room or deck.   So you need to know what you want to do before you pick a cruise.

Sometimes people get confused by the categories on ship that agents or the web sites refer to.  Categories are simply a listing of the different types of cabins on the ship by size, location and amenities.  Categories are the price structure. What you need to know and understand is that the category designations DO NOT mean the same thing on all cruise lines. For example, a Cat "C" on a Carnival ship is NOT the same as a Cat "C" on a Norwegian or Royal Caribbean ship. AND, a category "C" is not necessarily the same across all of the ships in a cruise line.  However, there is one exception to this. Some times cruise lines build TWO OR MORE IDENTICAL ships.  So all of the cabins on both ships are the same and thus the categories for these two are the same.  For example, a Cat "D"on the RC's Jewel of the Seas is identical with a Cat “D” on their Brilliance of the Seas because the ships are identical.

If/when you go to a cruise line web site you will see the various cabins listed by type, i.e., SUITE, VERANDA/BALCONY, OUTSIDE, and INSIDE. the category, and generally the square footage of each cabin type. The category will generally be listed next to the cabin type.  The most expensive cabins  are the  penthouses and owners' suites, which are like apartments and what you saw on the old TV program "The Love Boat".  Next are the jr and full suites . The next are the VERANDA or BALCONY cabins (you have your own private patio). The next lowest priced  are OUTSIDE cabins (they have either a window or porthole). The cheapest cabins offered are always the inside cabins; those without a window or porthole. The inside, outside and balcony cabins are generally the same size on each ship, but may vary by ship and cruise line.  

I always recommend the balcony or Veranda cabins because  most ships these days tend to have many of them at a reasonable price (i.e., $1200 to $1500 for a 7-day.) and, frankly, you will enjoy your cruise more with a veranda/balcony cabin.

the terms "cabin" and "stateroom" mean the same thing; the cruise industry prefers stateroom.  The standard cabin that most people get (inside/outside/balcony) are generally between 175 and 200 Square feet, about the size of a 9 by 12 ft home bedroom (balconies are about 45 to 55 sq ft). Suites and penthouses can be between 350 and 1300 square feet. Each cabin has a two beds which can be made into a queen, a bathroom with a shower stall, a closet and some drawer space, a TV and telephone, a safe for valuables, and a life jacket for each passenger.  Some cabins that are built to accommodate 3 or 4 people will have a pull down bed and/or a sofa bed.   Its been my experience that Princess and Royal Caribbean have the best ship and cabin decor (also some of the best food.)

The shorter cruises are 4 or 5 days, and the normal ones are either 7 to 14 days or more.  If you are not sure whether you will like cruising, go on a short one first.  

To save some money, consider driving to the port; Miami, Ft Lauderdale, N.O., Houston, LA,  NJ.  Most ports have plentiful and safe parking (I have driven many times to Miami and Ft Lauderdale) at both places that costs about $12 a day.  Driving can save money over the cruise line "add-in" for airfare.  We generally drive most of the way on one day from NC and stop about an hour or two from the port for the night.  Then we continue the short trip the next day to the port.  Most ships start boarding between noon and 1:00 PM.  If you are a cruise club member you generally get to go on first, or early.  

Join the cruise club so that the cruise line will send you their specials and so that you can get discounts on future cruises with them.  The discount will typically be $50 to $100 per person.   If you will be celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday during the cruise, be sure to tell them, they will do special stuff for that.  

Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain.  Cruise lines charge a lot for the photos they take so take your own photos around the ship when you get the chance, especially on the formal nights.  Ask other passengers to take photos for you, they generally are very willing.

The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire.  But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women.  Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown.  You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up.  (we usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway).  The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM when they request that you wear "sports casual" attire.  That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc.  You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

Review the listing of tours offered on your cruise and decide whether you want to pay for a tour or go on your own.  On most Caribbean islands you can get a taxi or tour in port for much less than the cruise ship tours.   HOWEVER, the one big advantage of going on ship sponsored tours is THE SHIP WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU if your ship sponsored tour is late getting back to the ship.  If you will be in a port for 12 to 16 hours you are probably safe to go on your own for most anything.  But if you are only there for six to eight hours you may want to stay close to the ship or go on the ship tours.

Freestyle Cruising  is offered only by Norwegian Cruise line and it means that you do not have to specify a dining option when you book your cruise and thus don't have a table and waiter assigned to you. "FREESTYLE" means you can go to dinner in the main dining room, or any other alternative restaurant, any time of the evening after 6:00 PM..  But you will have to reserve a time in the alternate restaurants.  It also means that you don't have to "dress up" for dinner, but just go "sports casual".  But it also means that you may be standing in line awaiting a table on some days (like we had to do a couple times); not what you want on a cruise.  Since you go when you want, you rarely get the same waiter and so never really get to know your waiter and he/she never learns what you prefer as is done on “traditional” cruise lines.  Otherwise Freestyle cruising is no different from the other cruise lines.  I have been on many NCL ships and I prefer the traditional dining where I get to know my waiter and he/she gets to know me and serves me based on knowing my wants and preferences.  The option to traditional dining being pushed on NCL is their optional dining restaurants. However, these dining options can cost $10 to $20 a person for dinner each night.  This is not what you want after paying for a cruise which is supposed to be all inclusive. The optional restaurants are very nice, including French, Chinese/Sushi, Tex-Mex, Italian, and steak house restaurants. But who wants to go pay to eat on a cruise ship where all the meals are supposed to be included.

Answer 4

I sell more Cruises to the Bahamas than any other. The Sensation is the most popular ship I sell partly because of the nice Itinerary and the low price. For my last client I was able to get 5 Days 4 Nights from Chicago with non stop flights and transportation for $579.99

Answer 5

I did a Carnival Caribbean cruise a couple of years ago. It was about a week long and only cost $600 per person. It was all inclusive meaning all our food was covered. I think water and some juice were included too, and we had to pay extra for soda and alcohol. All of the activities you'd expect to be free in a hotel (beach, library, gym) were free, but other stuff (spa, day tours) were very expensive. $150 per person to do an activity in Mexico that would otherwise cost $50 if you were in a local hotel. The food is kind of like cafeteria dining, but if you get sick of it they have restaurants on the boat that you can pay extra for. For the money, it was a pretty good deal, but definitely not as nice as the cruise company would like you to think - they try to pretend your $600 vacation is a $5000 one.

Carnival was okay. I am thinking of doing Princess when I do an Alaska cruise this summer. I heard Celebrity, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean are also decent. All around the same price range. I would recommend the Caribbean for a fun, exciting vacation (be careful of hurricane season), the Mediterranean for a cultural one that's a little pricier, or Alaska for a nature cruise (about the same price as Caribbean).

Try to get a cheap room and then ask about free upgrades. We got upgraded 5 levels when we did our Carnival cruise and didn't have to pay for it.

Answer 6

In my opinion, I like touring the islands and snorkeling, therefore, I'd pick a cruise that leaves San Juan because you go to better islands and there are hardly any days at sea.  You can get plenty of "at sea" time at night on board the ship.  

Get a cabin on the bottom deck with a window.  Two weeks before you set sail...call the cruise line directly and see if there are any free upgrades.  

Buy your own snorkel gear here and bring it with you.  It'll save you a bunch of money.  Just get off the ship and hop in a taxi. Ask the driver to bring you to a beach "That has good snorkeling...or a bar....or watersports...or both...he'll know exactly where to bring you".  Ask him to pick you up at a certain time..he'll be there because they need the money.  Bring a few extra bucks for him.

Any of the islands are very nice and as for the ships...Carnival has the best stuff going on while at sea for people in their twenties.  So keep that in mind.

I usually find some good travel deals by going to iBtraveling.com where you can compare all the big known companies, and get the best deal.

As for all inclusive...it means they'll feed you all day long, but beer and speciality drinks are the ones you pay for.   Some ships have a "soda card" for unlimitted soda that you pay a couple bucks for at the beginning of the cruise.  Gambling costs more too, but the shows are free.  

Wish you the best and have fun!  Don't forget the suntan lotion!

Answer 7

start in germany and go on the rhein river

Answer 8

ive heard good news about the bahamas.. check prices online.