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TravelHacker
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Right here is a great begining. Start reading the various forums. There will be a lot of threads which will address your interests/questions.

Take the postings with a grain of salt. Check the upper right-hand corner of the individual posting. The higher the number of posts, the longer the poster has been around. Also check their signatures. Many frequent posters will list their bona fides.

Same thing with the reviews you'll read. Often a reviewer who has only been on one cruise will be extreme in their opinion. Either very favorable, or very unfavorable. Put more stock in reviews from folks who have been on a number of cruises. They are more likely to address substantive points concerning the cruise, itinerary, ship, service, etc.; and not be all ga-ga over "the pizza was rteally great!" type stuff. Try to disregard the emotional opinions, unless they are backed by facts.

Oh, and one last thing . . . don't judge a Calgon by his spelling . . . I'm fairly intelligent, but tend to "fat-finger" the keyboard . . . a lot! :D

 

 

 

. . . and . . .

 

WELCOME ABOARD !!!!!!

Edited by Calgon1
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Where do you want to go, like continent or islands? That's where I'd start. Once I figure out general area, then I search one of the online travel sites for cruises in that area, and see what itineraries are available. Then I research the ports to decide which ones are most interesting to me. Then I compare the cruise lines that offer that itinerary, prices, and cabin categories. Then pick one.

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Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

For our first Cruise we did a lot of reading to decide where we wanted to go and to figure out which cruise line.

 

We also asked friends who had already been cruising for a travel agent recommendation and the travel agent was a big help as well.

 

Today there are a lot of great resources including Cruise Critic.

 

Keith

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I would say pick an area close to you for first cruises and find who does them. Then research them on site and here on the boards to decide which is best

Bleed us all of any info to gill in the blanks for you then go for it

And come back on the boards to get the rest of the info you'll need prior to cruising

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Get a travel agent and they will give you some brochures. Look at them, and see which cruiseline "feels" right to you. Then, have the TA book something!

 

Cruising is just a vacation. There is no right or wrong way to vacation.

 

After you book, get a guidebook on your ports, so you'll know something about the places you'll go! (That's a good thing to do for land-vacations, too!).

 

Cruising isn't rocket science! It's probably the easiest vacation you'll take! So, just book something, and go with the flow!

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When we went on our first cruise we had picked something that we felt 'comfortable' with. We did get bit confused over drinks packages and dress rules etc and if we had read some of the posts here we would probably never had booked. We found that all in all it was not such a big deal, get what you want and relax about the rest. In saying that there was also a load of good info much of it in the vein where you could ask 'would that do for me' and from that came answers -usually positive.

Edited by TheBeeSea
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Do you want to cruise as a way to get to particular places or do you see it as a floating resort with frequent changes of scenery/

 

I am firmly in the former group so our first cruise was in the Eastern Mediterranean taking in wonderful places such as Istabul, Alexandria, Cyprus and Athens. Our second was in the far east to Japan, China and South Korea.

 

Others like to relax on the ships and have lots of shipboard facilities and activities.

 

Keep reading here and asking questions.

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Lots of good advice, especially from Calgon1. I would add to that list...always look at the number of cruises a poster takes on a particular line as it will tell you a lot about them. For example, If someone has taken say 10 cruises on RCI and another 10 on Celebrity they are likely going to be "cheerleaders" for RCCL (they own both lines) and tend to defend and rave about them. The will also compare experiences on a "lesser line" like Carnival more harshly...and the converse is also true.

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I've only done one cruise so far, end 2013, so my memory is relatively fresh.

 

We knew we wanted to try a cruise as a new form of holiday for us, but had no one among family or friends who had done one.

 

I've stumbled in an airport over a free cruise magazine, where a Berlitz Cruise Guide was mentioned as containing fundamental information. I bought the book and read the sections specifically addressing first time cruisers.

 

This gave us the picture that we wanted a cruise on a small to medium ship, a balcony cabin, and a certain level of comfort. We decided that we wanted to travel on the Mediterranean, which countries we preferred and which countries were no-go.

 

We then went to a trade fair in the next larger town, from where we returned - I jest you not - 8 kilograms of documentation from the various cruise lines that had small to medium sized ships, dispensed by the competing travel agencies and cruise lines present

 

I then checked again the guide book to read up the information on the various cruise lines and the specific ships where available, made a table to compare duration and cost and eventually whittled it down to two. Next was checking at work if the dates were suitable for me taking leave, and the decision was made.

 

We've decided on a second cruise now for this year and the key element was departure port and ports overall, particularly different ports, sea days and then travel period. There is so much choice out there, that we then could again compare duration, costs, ship size and cruise line. We're heading again for the Mediterranean, 3000 pax ship, different company, more sea days, and higher costs due to a higher cabin category.

 

I like planning (no surprise ;)), so it has been particularly satisfying once I found CC, which only happened just after we booked the first cruise.

 

All the best with your planning.

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For me when I am asked this question from friends, I tell them first they need to pick a location they want to go to. Then figure out how much they want/can spend. Then they check and see if anything fits that criteria. IF not, then go to budget first and have to accept any of the locations that they will be able to choose from.

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Hi

 

When I have been asked similar questions by newbies, I usually recommend a week long cruise at least. Many first timers say they want to start with a short weekend cruise.

 

Most lines usually have the smaller and older ships doing those short weekend cruises. That won't give you the true taste of what a cruise can offer.

 

While you don't have to start with the biggest and newest ship in the fleet , I would stay away from the oldest and smallest.

 

I know some people love the older smaller ships and I don't mean to knock them. But a first timer should get a taste of some of the new bells and whistles out there

 

Noreen

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I'd start by asking your friends and family members who have been on cruises. A good local travel agent who specializes in cruises is also a good resources for your first cruise. I was fortunate to work with one when we first started taking cruises in the late 1980s. She guided us in the right direction toward cruises suited to us at the time.

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For me when I am asked this question from friends, I tell them first they need to pick a location they want to go to. Then figure out how much they want/can spend. Then they check and see if anything fits that criteria. IF not, then go to budget first and have to accept any of the locations that they will be able to choose from.

 

 

 

Good advice.

First choose where you want to cruise.

Think about dates as there are 'seasons' for some cruise destinations. Cruise lines reposition many ships for various itineraries variant by season.

Think about how long you wish to be aboard.

What is your budget?

Do you have a TA with cruise specialty you could consult for assistance?

 

Read CC forums. There is so much information here, you will learn a great deal quickly. Reading individual cruise line forums will help you narrow down which ships/cruise lines you think will be suit your needs.

 

Ask questions. We love to try and help. :)

 

Welcome to CC. Happy you found us.

 

 

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Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I see that you are from Hong Kong. What you and if you are traveling with family need to do is to sit down and decide where you want to cruise to.

Then go and talk to a TA in person -- maybe 2 or 3 and explain where you want to go, how long a cruise, type of cabin, etc. If at all possible, book your own flights and hotels -- you can get better deals doing them on your own.

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