New to this

I have never been on a cruise

Where and how do I start :confused:

One place to start is right here.

There is a New Cruisers set of forums, including a fairly active First Time Cruisers forum.

There is also a collection of articles, suggestions and reviews in a First Time Cruisers section

I have never been on a cruise

Where and how do I start :confused:

Welcome to Cruise Critic Sudden Change.

How long of a cruise do you want to take?

Where do you want to go?

Are you on the east coast or closer to Florida or the West Coast?

What's your budget?

Do you want a big ship with tons of activities and lots or a smaller ship?

First timers often book shorter cruisers to get a feel for it.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has a great ship Anthem of the Seas that sails from New Jersey doing 5-night cruises to Bermuda.

The 3 and 4 night short cruises from Florida tend to attract a party crowd. Ideally, 7-nights is the best.

Speak with a travel agent that specializes in cruising. There is no fee involved. The agent earns a commission from the cruise line.

Start reading about the various cruise lines, Carnival, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean.

There is a ton of information on the Cruise Critic boards here.

Jonathan

Try to have a conversation with a friend or family who have cruised and will share their experience, good and bad.

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All of what others said is good, but I'd add one thing. Not everybody instantly falls in love with cruising. In fact, I know two people who tried and hated it. I think that's a defect on their part, but different strokes. So, what I'd add is that for your first cruise, you should choose something that's simple and won't break the bank. That way if you really don't like cruising, you won't have wasted a lot of time and money.

All great advice! After a bit of the basic research needed before booking ANY trip, let your personality dictate how much time and effort you want to expend doing further research. Cruising can be tons of fun for the "go with the flow" personalities, and "planning things out to the last detail" personalities also are well served,cespecially by Cruise Critic. Don't be afraid to ask questions!

Since you live in Florida, you have sooooo many choices! I suggest reading, reading, reading about all of the major cruise lines and see which one you are drawn to, and take it from there. I believe there are 5 cruise ports in Florida. (Lucky stiff)

Royal Caribbean (RCCL)

Norwegian (NCL)

Celebrity

Hal (Holland America)

Princess

MSC (Italian Cruise line. Two ships....Divina and the Brand new Seaside coming in 2018.)

Carnival

Disney

As another poster stated, just ask questions and we will be happy to help.

You're in Florida, the cruise world is your oyster.

There are dozens of cruises leaving from all over Florida year round.

If your Caribbean bound try and book one from January to April before it gets too hot.

If you're budget allows try and book a balcony cabin. This is something very special to have a private sanctuary to read, relax and look at the waves.

Take a look at the cruise search engines here on Cruise Critic and see what cruises are available for the time frame you are considering.

If you're traveling without children try and book a cruise that is not during school vacations, when it will be much quieter on board.

For example the Regal Princess is sailing a 7-night cruise round trip Fort Lauderdale with stops in Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Thomas a balcony cabin is $858 per person.

Princess is a great cruise line, gorgeous ships, Regal is about a year or two old.

Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas one of the biggest cruise ships in the world is sailing a 7-nighter round trip Port Canaveral to Haiti, Jamaica and Cozumel, Mexico. Balcony cabin $949 per person.

Go to youtube.com look at some videos of these ships, see what floats your boat. Speak with a travel agent and book your cruise.

Jonathan

Since you live in Florida, you have sooooo many choices! I suggest reading, reading, reading about all of the major cruise lines and see which one you are drawn to, and take it from there. I believe there are 5 cruise ports in Florida. (Lucky stiff)

Royal Caribbean (RCCL)

Norwegian (NCL)

Celebrity

Hal (Holland America)

Princess

MSC (Italian Cruise line. Two ships....Divina and the Brand new Seaside coming in 2018.)

Carnival

Disney

 

 

As another poster stated, just ask questions and we will be happy to help.

You seem to have left out all of the premium/luxury lines.

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All of what others said is good, but I'd add one thing. Not everybody instantly falls in love with cruising. In fact, I know two people who tried and hated it. I think that's a defect on their part, but different strokes. So, what I'd add is that for your first cruise, you should choose something that's simple and won't break the bank. That way if you really don't like cruising, you won't have wasted a lot of time and money.

Great advice - but I would add that a three or four day cruise might not be a good idea - too much of it would be getting aboard, finding your way, then getting ready to get off. Also the short itineraries do not usually no anyplace interesting, and are often loaded with serious partiers.

I think a visit to a travel AGENCY (not online) is a good 1st start. They can give you brochures, so you can get a "feel" for this sort of vacation....and remember, that's what a cruise is...a vacation! Do you want to vacation "laid-back" in the Caribbean...see Alaska, or Europe....each place has a different "feel" as well!

Get a guidebook on your potential ports...that really helps you find things that interest you...and can also help you choose itineraries!

:)

You seem to have left out all of the premium/luxury lines.

 

 

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Because I can't afford them! Lol :'):'):')

:)

 

 

 

Because I can't afford them! Lol :'):'):')

Instead of comparing cabin costs, compare the net daily rate for all your combined cruise related expenses and you may be surprised at the value of, at least, the premium segment.

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Looks like folks have pretty well covered the advice you need, so I'll just say welcome to Cruise Critic and the magical, addictive world of cruising! :)

It took me the guts of 8 years to go from thinking about a cruise to going on my first one, but then I'd the complication of knowing I'd be travelling solo and living in Ireland so I'd have to add significant flight costs for any booking for a cruise to the Caribbean.

But I loved my first cruise so much I'd booked my next one within a week of getting home.

Some people gave you great advice. Go into a travel agency that specializes in cruises. If you have friends, family members or co-workers who go on cruises (if you ask around, you'll find them) get a recommendation.

Have an idea of where you want to go, what time of year, budget. A good cruise specialist will ask you questions about what's important to you (active activities, foodie, educational/cultural) and try to match you up with a cruise for you.

I would been by speaking with friends and/or relatives who already cruise and see if one can give you a recommendation for a travel agent specializing in cruising.

Keith

I have never been on a cruise

Where and how do I start :confused:

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :D

Finding a travel agent who specializes in cruising would be very helpful to you!

Great advice - but I would add that a three or four day cruise might not be a good idea - too much of it would be getting aboard, finding your way, then getting ready to get off.

That is so true! I know that on our first cruise we spent the first few days wandering around in mild confusion.

Great advice - but I would add that a three or four day cruise might not be a good idea - too much of it would be getting aboard, finding your way, then getting ready to get off. Also the short itineraries do not usually no anyplace interesting, and are often loaded with serious partiers.

I totally agree with this. It really does take a few days to relax into the cruise. I would recommend a 7 day cruise, even to begin with. If you like that, you can always do longer (or shorter) cruises. The only time I have done a 3-4 day cruise is right before jumping on a longer cruise (sort of like a B2B but 2 different ships).