Mid 30's Need Cruise Line Advise

My wife and I are both first time cruisers in our mid-thirties. I'm trying to determine what the best cruise line is for us. Looking to take a 7-10 day carribean cruise. What a relaxing ship with a good mix of activities and entertainment. Neither of us drink a lot or gamble so by entertainment I'm more talking about shows. Don't mind kids (we have two of our own but they won't be coming this time) but am looking for relaxation so a yon of kids probably wouldn't work. Not necessarily looking to be @cheap" but also don't want to spend more then I have too.

Thoughts

Thanks in advance

For your age group, I'd recommend Carnival, RCI or NCL....plenty to do on all those lines, but you can relax as much as you wish, too! All of the lines offer entertainment...but the afore mentioned tend to be a bit more up-to-date in the entertainment....

RCI's Oasis/Allure have TONS of entertainment options....many, many shows to see!

There is NOTHING wrong with not spending a bunch of money to have a great time!

As far as kids....of course, summer and school breaks will have a lot of kids...so if you can cruise when school is in session, the few kids onboard will hardly be noticeable. And, 10 day trips will have fewer kids than 7 days.....and all will have fewer than the 3/4 nighters!

My wife and I have sailed Celebrity a few times. We are both in our early 30's and love Celebrity. We have sailed other lines in the past but liked Celebrity because it is quite and relaxing.

I would also recommend Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Remember if you go in the summer or vacation times there will be more kids.

Wow, tough question, but exciting, too! For me, choosing a cruise line was all about: 1. size of the ship (we like mid-size best: +/-2000 pax), 2. atmosphere: we like a truly 'nautical" feel: brass and wood trims, lots of windows to the sea, wraparound promenade deck, and a quiet sophistication, with good food and excellent service, 3. configuration of the cabin -- we always choose a balcony cabin with a loveseat or sofa. And we ourselves prefer few kids on board.

Of course, all these considerations came after basic decisions about affordability.

But for "relaxing" vs not, I have found the itinerary can make a big difference. We like sea days -- they are the most relaxing for us, as we do not spend tons of time in the public areas, and if we do, they are usually the quiet corners. So we do not go in for the ships with water slides, ice skating rinks, or TV studios. Not to say we would not at some point sail on such a ship -- we just would not choose it for those features.

For what we like in a cruise experience, HAL has been our favorite, and the best value. It had the "classic" cruising feel that we enjoy, the food was great (to our palates), the service was excellent and the staff extremely personable and professional. We very much enjoyed the theater entertainment, which was less "glitzy" and "Vegas" than some would like, but it was just to our liking: really funny (not dirty) comedians, an island steel drum band, the crew show (which was hilarious.) Other live entertainment: there was a string quartet in one lounge, and a singer with acoustic guitar in another -- we enjoyed both in the evenings. We loved afternoon tea, and dancing to a live combo after dinner. Our "guaranty" cabin (what HAL calls their "Signature Suite", though it is really just a large balcony cabin) was beautiful, as was the large balcony with two padded lounge chairs and other furnishings.

We have also sailed with Celebrity, Carnival, and Princess. We liked each for particular reasons, and found some faults with each, as well. In general, we found no faults with HAL.

I hope you get some substantive answers to your question -- more than simply, "We recommend such-and-such a line," so you can figure out what might be best for you. Our way, so far, has been to try different lines, just to see what they are like. Perhaps you will do that, too.

Thanks. Anyone else?

You can relax on any cruise ship, so I won't even try to suggest a ship on that basis. Even on the most active ships, there are still plenty of areas for relaxation and peace & quiet.

For shows, by far the best cruise ship entertainment I've seen is on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Not only are there 90 minute Broadway shows, there are also shows in the ice rink, Comedy Club, and outdoor Aqua Theater. You just can't beat it. Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas also have Broadway shows and ice shows. Oasis will have Cats. Allure has Chicago. Freedom will have Hairspray, and Liberty has Saturday Night Fever as their main production shows.

My wife and I are in our early thirties and we have been cruising for the last seven years. We have been on ships from all three of the "major" brands, RCI, NCL, and Carnival.

By far, our favorite is Royal Caribbean (RCI). Overall, the service and consistent experiences we have had on these ships keeps us coming back. Plus, they have some of the most innovative features onboard their ships.

We love Allure of the Seas and think that is a great first time cruise.

Some of the best entertainment at sea, lots of different areas to explore and see, plenty of options to relax, or be active. Really, it has everything. Like 15 different restaurants, and plenty of bars and lounges for live music. Check out Gambee's review of the Allure to get a sense of what a cruise on that ship is like

We also like the Freedom Class and have sailed on Freedom of the Seas and our last cruise this past January was on Independence of the Seas.

As others have pointed out, the fellow passengar composition is going to depend on when you sail.

For food, all three lines are about the same. It is cruise food, and really it is in a separate category. People go back and forth about who has better food and on everey ship I have been on, I have found food I enjoyed and food that was just so-so. I have never left a cruise ship hungry, or lighter than when I arrived!

It does come down to style and planing. Mega ships take planing, and Oasis class ships let you pre-book shows. Also, you should consider what islands you want to see. Big ships go to select islands that can accommodate their 4,000 plus cruisers.

There is just so much that goes into picking a cruise ship, I could go on and on. :cool:

If recommend toyal carribbean princess and celebrity

Maybe carnival also

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I am In my late 20's and my chosen line at the moment is celebrity. We like to relax and have a little quiet. On royal Caribbean we found this wasn't as easy also in our view the food is better on celebrity. Princess could be another option for you though.

Of course, we will all want to know which cruise you choose, and will want a full report when you get back! (That's just how we are on Cruise Critic...) :)

So far NCL, Carnival, RCI, Princess, HAL and Celebrity have been recommended. What, no Disney or Cunard fans out there? LOL.

I am In my late 20's and my chosen line at the moment is celebrity. We like to relax and have a little quiet. On royal Caribbean we found this wasn't as easy also in our view the food is better on celebrity. Princess could be another option for you though.

We leave for our first Celebrity Cruise a week from tomorrow. We are looking forward to trying the brand. It will be tough to compare to RCI as we are doing an Alaskan cruise which we have heard is a much different atmosphere, regardless of cruise line.

So far NCL, Carnival, RCI, Princess, HAL and Celebrity have been recommended. What, no Disney or Cunard fans out there? LOL.

Just so! Therein lies the problem with asking Cruise Critic members for advice on choosing a cruise line! ;)

I imagine the main reason no one recommended Disney is because the OP said he would not be traveling with children. But I know of folks who have been on Disney with no kids and said it was the best cruise they'd had! Also the OP said he didn't want to "spend more than I have to," which lets Disney out, IMO :D (though I myself have no experience with Disney.) As for why no Cunard recommendations...who knows? Just not what folks think of for the 30-something crowd, maybe? Or just not a line folks think of at all... :p

My wife and I are both first time cruisers in our mid-thirties. I'm trying to determine what the best cruise line is for us. Looking to take a 7-10 day carribean cruise. What a relaxing ship with a good mix of activities and entertainment. Neither of us drink a lot or gamble so by entertainment I'm more talking about shows. Don't mind kids (we have two of our own but they won't be coming this time) but am looking for relaxation so a yon of kids probably wouldn't work. Not necessarily looking to be @cheap" but also don't want to spend more then I have too.

 

Thoughts

 

Thanks in advance

If you don't want to spend more than you have to, then don't buy into any of the upsells on the ship. There are plenty of "included" venues to dine, plenty of "included" non-alcoholic beverages, etc. Most Caribbean ports can be done on your own (research on the Ports of Call forum here), so don't buy overpriced ships' excursions.

Remember that gratuities are approx. $12 per person, per day. Outside of that, and spending money at the ports, you do not have to spend any more unless you want to.

It sounds like RCI or Celebrity would be a good fit for you.

DH and I are both in our 30's (me just barely:o) and have been cruising for 9 years. In fact, I have only cruised while in my thirties, so far. We have done Carnival (a lot), Celebrity, NCL, and Royal (RCI).

We just took our first Royal cruise and were really impressed with their entertainment after experiencing all the cutbacks in that area over the years with Carnival. We went on a smaller, older Royal ship without all the bells and whistles and were still very pleased with the product they offered. Royal had very talented entertainers doing wide variety of acts in the main theatre, aerialist gymnasts in the atrium, and live musicians throughout the ship. Not so on Carnival.

Although Carnival does have the Piano Bars for fun sing-along entertainment. Carnival is moving away from live musicians (you won't find steel drum bands on their Lido decks any more, for example) and scaling back (cheapening) their main theatre shows. They now have DJs playing loud (and far from relaxing) music on the Lido deck.

Celebrity was a very relaxing cruise by day. No piped in music. Just quiet so you could enjoy the sounds of the sea going by, Both Celebrity and Royal had much more tastefully decorated ships - more understated elegance (especially Celebrity), where Carnival looks like to paraphrase another poster on these boards, the 1980's threw up all over the ship. Carnival is gaudy and loud, but can be very lively and fun.

I haven't been on NCL since 2008, so I'll refrain from mentioning details about them, since my information is probably very outdated.

Relaxation and fun can be found on any ship, but sometimes it might take more effort to find it. If you do your research and choose the cruise line and itinerary that you think best fits you and your wife, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding the peace as well as the entertainment that you are looking for.

Good luck and happy sails on whichever cruise line you choose!:)

Any one of the cruise lines mentioned above will give you an excellent cruise experience.

Another thing that has not really been talked about here are the ports of call.

If you sail out of a US port you are going to have several sea days, which will give time to enjoy that ship and its amenities.

If you are interested in seeing the caribbean islands themselves, then it makes more sense to sail out of ports such as San Jan, PR or Colon, Panama. You will have more islands and ports to visit, and your ship is a floating hotel, still offering its great amenities for evening and after hours fun.

So it depends on what you are looking for. There are too many options to list.

If you do like more islands and less sea days, you may want to consider the Carnival Valor out of San Juan. 5 fabulous ports to visit in the 7 day cruise. We went a few days early to San Juan, so it was a really 6 ports.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

Another vote for Princess! Princess has a big sale going on now that you might want to check out!

LuLu

Go book a Carnival ship as it is known as the "Party Line". There are plenty of places on the ships to do Party Up or Party Down. Your choice. Other lines have a different group of folks on board, but some can be more wild than others. Reading reviews from others will help. We are in our mid 60's, and have done Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess. All have their best features and destinations. We book cruises based on Destination rather than the Ship's Company, although Carnival owns alot of the ship's out there.....

I would also recommend Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Remember if you go in the summer or vacation times there will be more kids.

Longer cruises usually mean fewer children. we like Celebrity and Princess.

My wife and I are both first time cruisers in our mid-thirties. I'm trying to determine what the best cruise line is for us. Looking to take a 7-10 day carribean cruise. What a relaxing ship with a good mix of activities and entertainment. Neither of us drink a lot or gamble so by entertainment I'm more talking about shows. Don't mind kids (we have two of our own but they won't be coming this time) but am looking for relaxation so a yon of kids probably wouldn't work. Not necessarily looking to be @cheap" but also don't want to spend more then I have too.

 

Thoughts

 

Thanks in advance

Research the 3 cruise lines a previous poster mentioned and make a determination based on your research. There is no right or wrong line...it boils down to your preference and what you are looking for a particular time.

I am sure you will enjoy which ever one you choose.

in the same boat as OP, thanks for the good advice in this thread!

Princess would be a good fit ..

I am partial to RCL..Im a Royal Chick..lol. For RCL, I would suggest ships from the Freedom class for your first cruise..Freedom of the Seas is the bomb. I would not suggest sailing on the newest/newer ships of any cruise line for first timers just because your expectation for the next cruise will be high.

Also look at how many sea days...i say the more sea days the more time you have to enjoy the ship and really get your relaxation on.

Dynomite

sorry I skipped page two, where are you from??

I mean- are you in florida? or are you traveling from another state?

I would recommend the Dream out of NOLA, for two reasons, great ship from what I hear, and NOLA is a fabulous town to visit. going down the Mississippi is a treat, both in beauty but in History. The ports are pure western Caribbean, good beach options, snorkeling ports, and places of history.

Let us know what you decided-you may have already done that, but since no one asked were you were coming into, which does matter to me when I cruise, I thought i would jump in and ask.