Looking for advice on how to choose my first cruise

Hey, so I have been traveling often but never cruised. I'm not a huge fan of boats but have heard cruises feel like nothing and am trying to do something new. I'm traveling with my girlfriend and want to do something fun, drinking(alcohol, included or package I'm fine with) clubs, dining. I just need advice on which line to cruise if anyone can help I would appreciate it. I'm 25 of age and would like to find something open late but has good dining and not kids everywhere.

That's ideal. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to cruising, and to Cruise Critic!

I've only sailed on Carnival, but on any cruise line, if you book at a time when most schools are in session, you'll have far fewer school-age children running around. Also, booking a Disney cruise might not be a good idea for you. ;)

Things to take into consideration are your cruising budget, places you would like to go, whether you want to fly or drive to a cruise port, the length of time you can be away from work, and the kind of accommodations you would like, such as inside with no windows (great for people who aren't in their cabin a lot, and fantastic for people who like it dark when they sleep, not so great for people with claustrophobia issues), ocean view with a window, a balcony if you think you'd like to sit outside a lot, or a suite, with the extra room and upgraded bathroom. Obviously, your budget plays a big part here as well.

Look around, read some of the thousands of cruise reviews here, and I hope you have a great cruise!

Welcome to cruising, and to Cruise Critic!

I've only sailed on Carnival, but on any cruise line, if you book at a time when most schools are in session, you'll have far fewer school-age children running around. Also, booking a Disney cruise might not be a good idea for you. ;)

Things to take into consideration are your cruising budget, places you would like to go, whether you want to fly or drive to a cruise port, the length of time you can be away from work, and the kind of accommodations you would like, such as inside with no windows (great for people who aren't in their cabin a lot, and fantastic for people who like it dark when they sleep, not so great for people with claustrophobia issues), ocean view with a window, a balcony if you think you'd like to sit outside a lot, or a suite, with the extra room and upgraded bathroom. Obviously, your budget plays a big part here as well.

Look around, read some of the thousands of cruise reviews here, and I hope you have a great cruise!

Prefer a week cruise, helps with work and budget. Carribean or Bahamas, is like to go January.

Any sites you recommend or times to purchase?

Thanks again

I've cruised on Disney, Carnival, RCL, and NCL. I would rule out Disney because there will be a lot of kids, even during the school year. Parents often take their kids out of school for Disney vacations.

Although I have my 2nd Norwegian cruise coming up soon, I would recommend either RCL or Carnival for someone your age. Also, I would recommend one of the larger ships rather than the smaller ones. You can google each cruise line to see which ships are in the larger categories. There is a lot more to do on a larger ship.

Differences for me:

Carnival: The atmosphere is very upbeat and they gear the outdoor entertainment toward the center of the ship. They have frequent comedy shows and often the same comedian will do several different shows, so if you like comedy you can watch a lot of shows during the week.

They have self-service laundry. They have a Faster to the Fun option. If you purchase it (only need to purchase one per cabin, not person) you get benefits such as boarding the ship earlier and being able to go directly to your cabin as soon as you board. The majority of the time on Carnival and other cruise lines, your room will be ready around 1:00 pm or so. Not a big deal, but if you have carry-on bags it is nice to drop it off at your room. Plus, you skip lots of long lines.

Their game shows are fun and comedy shows are very good, but the other entertainment (in my opinion) is not as good as RCL.

They usually have food options on the pool deck such as grilled burgers, burritos and/or made-to-order pizza.

RCL: The large ships have a promenade area going through the center of the ship. Their entertainment is very good. They don't have anywhere near the number of comedy shows as Carnival, but we were able to watch three very good shows during the cruise. The game shows are a lot of fun too. The ships I have been on didn't have any food available on the pool deck. Their buffet food was better than Carnival's though. The water slides were a lot better too. However, I have not been on Carnival's newest ships and have read that they have some amazing slides.

If you need to fly to the port, I highly recommend flying in the day before the cruise. Once you decide on a cruise line, ship, and port, you can come to CC for a lot of great advice about your particular cruise.

I really like Norwegian too, but on my first Norwegian cruise it seemed like the general age on the ship was a bit older than your age group. It may have been my particular cruise.

Prefer a week cruise, helps with work and budget. Carribean or Bahamas, is like to go January.

Any sites you recommend or times to purchase?

Thanks again

If you wish to avoid kids, the first week in January is not the best since many schools do not start up until later in January.

All good recommendations so far.

I think for what you're looking for, you might consider the Carnival Breeze or Vista or, even though it is more expensive, The Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas. I think the Breeze or Vista will give you Carnivals most bang for your bucks and the Allure is just something quite exceptional to experience. Regardless, have a good time planning and you can always ask for help from a travel agent, which will not cost you any more money. However, find one who takes a real interest in helping you and is always available to additionally help you, not just selling you a cruise and out the door.

For your first cruise I would look at Carnival, NCL and RCI.

Try to do some reading on each of those cruise line boards.

Read reviews.

Also visit their respective web sites.

Consider getting a TA who specializes in cruises to help guide you through this.

Keith