How to select a cruise line?

Hi all,

My family of four (49, 49, 21, 19) would like to take a first cruise to the Caribbean for 5 nights over Christmas. Our schedule is pretty strict because of college/school calendar.

There are several cruise lines that fit the bill in terms of number of nights and destination.

Frankly, Caribbean or Bahama's doesn't really make a difference to me -- we've never cruised and never been in the region before -- we just want to have a nice time.

So, how does one go about selecting a cruise line? I'm not super cost conscious on this, but don't have unlimited funds either. I was thinking a set of connecting rooms (at a minimum, balcony rooms -- possibly suites).

Thanks in advance for your insights.

PS -- as you can see by my signature, we WERE going to do the Med this summer, but family priorities have made that something for some other day/year.

Boris

There are a number of things people look for in a cruise. So, you might want to ask yourself some questions.

1. Are you party persons? Do you want a lot of late night activities?

2. Are you foodies? Is really good food, and not your basic banquet food, important?

3. Are you looking for something more upscale rather than a ship that overloads the senses with hairy chest contests and constant announcements?

4. Do you want a more adult atmosphere rather than sharing the ship with hundreds of kids?

5. Is the ship important or are the ports the most important?

If you can answer those questions, we might be able to point you in the best direction.

Hi Boris,

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising.

Caribbean is way more varied & interesting than Bahamas.

Stick with a US ship for a first cruise - its a little bit of home-from-home, which can be reassuring.

Port-intensive is best for a first cruise, just in case cruising doesn't agree with you. If you love the ship & don't want to get off at any ports, well, I see it as a waste but a lot of folks stay aboard to take advantage of a quiet ship.

But all first cruises are great, so don't spend too much money on your cabin, save a chunk of cash for the next cruise.

A european cruise is a very different animal, a tendancy to multi-national passengers, more complications such as currency, language, passports, cultures, and its all about the ports rather than the ships. It'll be good to have the basics of a simple Caribbean (or Bahamas) cruise under your belt before cruising the Med.

Diff'rent folks like diff'rent cruiselines, hence Kitty's list of questions.

JB :)

It's personal preference. Read reviews and shop around a little. Our TA sold us on Royal Caribbean 12 years ago so we took her advice. We loved it but tried Carnival the next time testing the waters. We liked it but felt RC was more well rounded.

Since returning to RC we have been happy and haven't felt the desire to "jump ship". Like I said, I think Royal Caribbean is the most well rounded, but everybody has preferences and that's why there's so many choices!

Ask questions and read up on the boards and if you aren't 100% happy with your choice, try a different line next year!

I'd give Carnival a try for the first time. My 20 year old daughters love them. The dance clubs are usually good, and 18 and older can get in. (Bring driver's licenses for club id).

Look at Western Caribbean - the ports are fun. Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan are all great. You can read up on the various ports on the Port of Call sections here.

The single most important choice you can make is to match the cruise line to your personalities. Some ships are formal and traditional, some ultra casual, and some in between. Put a Cunard and a Carnival passenger on each other's vacation and both will be miserable.

You're doing the right thing by researching this before you sign on. Given that your children are young adults, a connecting balcony would work. It is also common for parents with adult children to take a balcony stateroom themselves and put their issue into an inside cabin across the hall. It is cheaper than two balconies. At ages 19 and 21 they are likely just to use it to sleep and change clothes.

I assume you mean for 2012, and you want Christmas day on the ship, right? Being from MN, you will have to fly. Since presumably the airfare is the same whether you take a 5-day or 7-day cruise, you might consider a 7-day. This usually gives you more options. Perhaps the Dec. 23 Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral, Florida. Or the Carnival Conquest from New Orleans.

Cheapest 5-day looks like the Dec. 22 Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville, Florida. But that departs on Saturday. Since you really should fly in the day before, this means flying in on Friday, which might not be an option for you.

So -- Can you fly out on Friday Dec. 21? If not, this limits your options even more -- to a Dec. 23 or Dec. 24 sailing. I see the Carnival Elation from New Orleans on Monday, Dec. 24. This might work for you. You could fly in on Saturday, Dec. 22, and spend a full day in New Orleans. This 5-day cruise returns on Saturday, and perhaps you could stay in New Orleans after the cruise also and return home on Sunday, Dec. 30. The cruise goes to Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico.

If you can afford it, consider the 7-night Allure of the Seas. The Allure departs on Sunday, while the Oasis (same size ship) departs on Saturday, both from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I have not been on either of these ships, but I hear they are AMAZING.

So, back to your question: How do you choose? Well, you start with when you can actually fly out -- and this should be at least a day before the cruise departs. Then determine whey you have to fly home (presumably at least a day before you have to return to work). Usually it is OK to book the flight home the same day the ship returns, but don't make it too early. Usually after 1pm is safe -- some have made it with 11am or earlier flights but this can be a nail-biter trying to make it. I have read flying home from Ft. Lauderdale is pretty quick. Others -- like Galveston or Port Canaveral -- take a quite a while just to get from the ship to the airport.

OK, once you know when you can fly out and fly back, you can see what ships are available. There are several web sites (usually travel agent sites) where you can search for all cruises withing certain departure dates and number of days. We are not allowed to give you those sites here on CruiseCritic, sorry. Then, you might want to read reviews of the available ships. CruiseCritic is a great place for ship reviews, both in the review section and in the boards.

Airfare might make a difference. Some places might be cheaper than others for flying. For example, you might be able to fly Southwest Airlines (no bag fees) to New Orleans, but not to Orlando (the Port Canaveral airport) or to Ft. Lauderdale -- I don't know, I have not checked Southwest. I'm just giving an example.

Let us know when you can actually fly out and fly home, and then we can talk more specifics.

A 5 day cruise is very short - the first day is spent at the embarcation port, so plan to board as early as possible to get the full use of the ship that day. I'd also do the Caribbean and not the Bahamas. Balcony for adults and inside for kids is also a good suggestion.

What are the specific cruises you are looking at? I'd be as concerned about the ship as the cabins. I'd also try to get cabins close to the elevators and stairs, probably in the aft depending on the ship.

A 5 day cruise is very short - the first day is spent at the embarcation port, so plan to board as early as possible to get the full use of the ship that day. I'd also do the Caribbean and not the Bahamas.

Agreed. Too many first timers take the boarding time listed on the documents seriously and don't get to the ship until 1:30 or 2 PM. We have been on by 11:30 on our last 7 or 8 cruises!

oops

This may help. ;)

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=129

Thank you ALL for replying.

Your suggestions have been invaluable, and I have especially enjoyed the Cruise Critic summary article.

I'm going to speak further with my travel agent, and having this background information will make the discussion much more productive.

Regards,

Boris