Help please, first cruise since the 1980's

[michaelferrigno]

Hello,

I recently decided to look into the possibility of taking a cruise with my girlfriend, except I have not been on one since 1987, when I was just 7 years old... so, I could use a lot of help Is there a principles of cruising to follow? A best practices? A guidebook?

The first decision to be made will be where we want to go. For logistical reasons, I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Caribbean, but there are so many ports there. For some reason I am drawn to those that hit up Central American ports. They seem to have the typical shore excursions that every place has (ex snorkeling), but also seem to offer more authentic historical outings (tours of mayan ruins), which the prefabricated islands won't contain. Is this a fair assessment? I should also mention I plan on cruising for approximately 6-7 days (Jan 2010), with as much land time as possible. I don't want to spend an endless amount of time on the boat. However, while off the boat, I'm not sure what excursions to look for.

Next, I will need to decide what cruise line to go with. But unlike car manfuctures, for which I know which ones make the most luxurious, most economical, more unreliable, etc... I have no idea what labels to attach to each cruise line. Is there a ranking system? Right now I am just relying on the cruise message boards. How important is the cruiseship relative to the destinations you choose? In other words, would you rather be on an awesome ship with cruddy locations, or an okay ship, which stops at more exotic Central American ports? What balance should I stike?

I have a whole host of other questions... What are the best budget cruiselines? Not the bottom tier, in other words, not the Kia of cruise lines, but the Toyota (relatively cheap, but highly reliable). Where sould I book my cruise? How crowded should I except the ship to be. Should I freestyle cruise? How much should I expect to pay in extras while on the boat for an inclusive ship.

Finally, what else do I need to consider? What questions am I not asking?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[cb at sea]

Wow! I think you should visit a local travel agency, get an armload of brochures and talk to the travel agent!
Not all ships go to Central America....and the ones that do, only do it a few times a year....it's HOT down there!
You should expect almost any ship to be relatively full...they seldom sail with less than 3/4 full....usually, they're at their max. The ships are designed for that many, and you really won't feel "crowded".
Almost every line nowadays offers "Anytime" dining...or some form of that...so you don't have to be so "regimented", if you don't want to.
Almost every mass-market line includes almost all of the food, water-based drinks, entertainment and a wonderful atmosphere. Some ships have "specialty" restaurants that charge....you don't HAVE to use them...many don't! All but the "Luxury" lines charge for alcohol, and most charge for sodas. Excursions are where you will rack up the most added charges, so research your ports and find out if there are things you can do on your own!
But first---go to that travel agent and bend their ear! It shouldn't cost a penny to use them!

[kitty9]

Unfortunately, you're not going to get your questions answered here----everyone will have a different opinion as to what THEY like, but that's not necessarily what YOU will like.

I agree with CB, you absolutely need to go to a local travel agent, grab all the brochures you can find, and then ask your questions of a TA. You're under absolutely obligation to book with that person. See what perks that TA offers. Some will give a discount, some an on board credit and others will include tips and yet again, some TA's will do all three.

I will tell you what my preferences are, after taking 62 cruises on most of the lines out there, all over the world. I prefer smaller ships with far less passengers. I cannot stand those huge behemoths that some of the cruise lines are now sailing. I can't stand waiting in long lines and I don't need all those crazy bells and whistles that those huge ships have like rock climbing walls and ice rinks. I think you get much better and personalized service on smaller ships. Plus, smaller ships can go to ports that the behemoths cannot.

You're not going to find many ships that go to Central America, and especially for only 7 day cruises. Most CA cruises are part of a Panama Canal cruise, and those are generally 14 days in length. I don't know of any mainstream or mass market lines that go to places like Honduras or Nicaragua or Guatamala. Most tend to visit Costa Rica, Panama and Belize and for a 7 day, you're probably only going to get Belize.

Most would consider lines like EasyCruise and Costa to be the real budget lines. Some might even put MSC and NCL in that category. The next level would be lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival. The premium mass market lines are Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. Next would be lines like Azamara and Oceania (small ships with more exotic itineraries). Finally, there's the luxury lines. Those are pretty much all inclusive but for those, you're paying upwards of $400 and more, per person, per day.

Once you get on board, there are a lot of things that you will have to pay for, on any mass market line. Bottled water, soda, alcohol, specialty coffees, premium ice cream (on some lines), alternate restaurants, shore excursions and purchases in shops. You will also have to pay for tips.

There are cruise lines that cater to families, to middle age passengers and to the retiree set. Some, like Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean cater to a younger set, and have lots of kids. That doesn't mean you won't see all ages on board, but some lines seem to have different demographics. Lines like Azamara and Oceania, and all the luxury lines have a higher average age for their passengers than the regular mass market lines. If you want less kids, I recommend taking one of the premium lines and cruise when school is in session.

For me, I prefer traditional dining. I'm NOT a fan of freestyle. I just don't think you get the same service with freestyle that you get when you have the same wait staff every night and establish a rapport with them. But freestyle seems to be something people either love or hate with not much in between.

Good luck with your decisions.

[trish1c]

You can't really compare the cuise ship / line choice to buying a car. You seem to base that decision on quantifiable measurements which don't exist for cruising. You are actually asking a Q more like should I buy the blue one or the green one & the only "right" answer is buy the one you like best.

The mass market lines are similar enough that it doesn't make that much difference. We prefer Freestyle but that's us; other people hate freestyle & want tranditional dining. It's a personal choice. You can get a general flair for each line's reputation on the boards but there are few universal truths.

Carnival -- fun ships, party reputation

RCL -- biggest ships, sporty rep

NCL -- freestyle, bill themselves as "whatever" rep for nickle & diming passangers

Princess -- the Love Boat

X -- more upscale

HAL -- bit older & more sedate

Costa -- international line

The above are generalizations. You can & will get a bit of all of the above on every ship.

Your own spending habits will determine how much extra money you need. You should budget $10 per day per person in tips. The following are all extra: alcohol, gambling, excursions, specality restaurants, bingo, souveniers, & photos. Spend as a personal choice.

The size of the crowd on board depends on a lot of factors & varies from cruise to cruise. The most crowded times & places tend to be embarkation, debarkation, by the pool on sea days & right before meal time on traditional dining vessels. There are plenty of places to go on board that aren't as crowded. One of my favorite hiding spots is on the deck under the life boats.

[zstell]

I agree with other posters, what's important to me might not be so much to you. On our first few cruises, we didn't want too many sea days and did port intensive trips. Now, we LOVE the sea days. We are Carnival fans, but not closed to others if they offer a comparable trip for a comparable price. One of my favorite ships is the Legend and it has a nice itinerary at a decent price.

You can order DVDs and brochures online from different cruiselines to get a better look at what they offer. Then, narrow it down with a good travel agent.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

It seems like you really want to go to central America but I have only seen 10 day or more cruises listed for that area (so ya a travel agent will be of help). If you can only do 7 day and want that type of setting maybe western Caribbean will suit. Belize, cozumel, Honduras. You will have your jungles, ruins and more of a raw feel your looking for.

I have found I either go for the ship or the itinerary. But since you have not cruised in a while go for the itinerary you like. Thish1c did a good job assessing each cruise line. Celebrity is top notch with food and service, but I can't complain about the service I have had on any of the other lines. You can always say I like this on that line and this better on this line. My preference may not be yours. In the end they all have about the same activities and plenty of things to keep you busy. It is up to you whether you have a great time or not.

There are online agencies that have the ships ranked from one star to 5 stars. I have found this to be pretty reliable

You asked what are the best budget cruise lines. There are alot of good deals on all out there. If you can book 90 days or less before the sail date
prices usually drop if the ship is not full. So check the 90 day and last minute cruise sales. But if you see something you like at the price you want don't wait to long to book it just may jump up.

So to sum up Look for the itenary and price you like. Then check out the ship on the cruise lines site and on here.

Enjoy your cruise

[cruisinlawn]

check out Carnival's 8 day that hits Costa Rica, Panama and (Hondurus or Cozumel) I dont recall the third port and think that it varies. We actually had Belize as 3rd port. Great ship, great cruise itinerary and going in January will be totally diff pax then say going in July. Enjoy.

[patseacruiser]

Just my opinion but I think you should talk with a travel agent and get AND GIVE as much information as possible to make the right decision about where you want to go, when you want/can go and what type of cruise line you want (budget). Everyone here has a personal choice of what cruise line they like and where they think you should go so I would personally seek out the help of a travel agent and then go from there.

[jena1]

If you want to take a cruise in Jan 2010 you better get busy. A lot of the good cruises are almost sold out. I agree if you haven't cruised in years, you better get yourself a GOOD TA. Don't go the online route unless you know what you are doing. You can start by looking up Western Caribbean, that is a good start and see what is out there in ports. When you have narrowed it down call a reputable TA and ask more questions. There are cruise companies that cater to Western Carib: HAL, Carnival, NCL, RCCL,Princess, etc. Good luck and happy sailings.

[DireMongoose]

Originally Posted by michaelferrigno

The first decision to be made will be where we want to go. For logistical reasons, I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Caribbean, but there are so many ports there. For some reason I am drawn to those that hit up Central American ports. They seem to have the typical shore excursions that every place has (ex snorkeling), but also seem to offer more authentic historical outings (tours of mayan ruins), which the prefabricated islands won't contain. Is this a fair assessment? I should also mention I plan on cruising for approximately 6-7 days (Jan 2010), with as much land time as possible. I don't want to spend an endless amount of time on the boat. However, while off the boat, I'm not sure what excursions to look for.

Next, I will need to decide what cruise line to go with. But unlike car manfuctures, for which I know which ones make the most luxurious, most economical, more unreliable, etc... I have no idea what labels to attach to each cruise line. Is there a ranking system? Right now I am just relying on the cruise message boards. How important is the cruiseship relative to the destinations you choose? In other words, would you rather be on an awesome ship with cruddy locations, or an okay ship, which stops at more exotic Central American ports? What balance should I stike?

People will tell you that you need a travel agent or to do lots of research; there I disagree. (I like doing a lot of research for a cruise, but I don't think it's necessary -- do as much as seems fun to you.)

Probably, if you just go ahead and book something that sounds fun, you'll have a great time with it, and you'll come out of it with better ideas of what you'd want the next time. At this point you're partly guessing about what would be a fun vacation for you, and so are we.

But that said, I'll offer you my opinions anyway.

You're younger, so I'd probably recommend a line like Royal Caribbean or Carnival. Definitely, all the cruise lines try to offer something to every age group and you might yet find through experimentation that what one of the lines that stereotypically caters more to older people is a great fit for you, but first time out I think it makes sense to go with your demographic as a starting point.

If the history and Mayan ruins and the like of Central America appeals to you, book that if you can -- although I don't know how much of that is available in January specifically. Also, a lot of the islands in the Caribbean have been settled for hundreds of years, so you might find that some of them have more interesting historical stuff to check out than you'd imagine.

Something that stops at Progreso from which you could hit Chichen Itza (really overcrowded with people trying to sell you things, but, it is a wonder of the world) or other ruins such as Uxmal (everyone I've talked to who has done both has said they preferred Uxmal to Chichen Itza, but I haven't been there myself yet) might be a good pick for a stop. You also potentially can do Tulum (more ruins) from a Cozumel stop.

If you think you want a time on land, try to pick a port-intensive cruise with only one or a few sea days. If you end up really liking sea days, you can always book a cruise with more of them next time around. I personally like having one of the newer/bigger ships so there's lots to do and check out during the sea days; you'll have to pick what seems fun to you.

I'd cast my vote against 'freestyle' dining for your first cruise. Probably you haven't had the 'traditional' cruise dining experience elsewhere and you might find out you like it. Plus, especially when you're new to cruising, dinner conversation with you tablemates can be a great resource to get up to speed about what there is to do on the ship and on the islands. You can almost guarantee that your tablemates will pick to do different things in each port than you do, and this can really help round out your understanding of your options. Maybe you'll pick an activity for a port that you don't have a lot of fun with, but then you'll hear someone at your table that night talking about what they did, and it'll sound like a lot of fun and now you've got a great idea of something to try the next time.

[parvaz]

Hi. I have never been on any ships!

Now that the kids are gown up, we have decided to go on a cruise. I am a simple guy and all I care about are these:

I need a very reliable cruise: One that is comfortable, secure, safe, with polite and helpful staff and nice people. We like good food, music, sightseeing, beautiful beaches, shopping, and places such as those in the south of Italy. Of course, we also need to find good baragins if possible.

That's all! PLease let me know which ships you think is the best? Thank you very much. parvaz

[paul929207]

Well, first off, cruises to the Med are not cheap. Princess and HAL each have several ships there each summer. Others that are US oriented that sail there include NCL, RCCL and Carnival.

[kitty9]

Carnival has pulled out of Med cruises for 2010. I just checked their summer schedule for next year and there are no European cruises scheduled by Carnival.