First time cruise....need help/advice please?

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. I was wondering if I could please have some help?

I would like to go on my first cruise with my mum hopefully this year. My mum has been on a few mediterranean cruises but this will be my first ever.

I have heard that Royal Caribbean cruises are the best, would you agree?

We live in Northern Ireland so we would need advice on:-

(1) Were to fly into?

(2) Best ship?

(3) Recommended destination (probably mediterranean)?

(4) Type of room abroad ship?

Also, are you as well booking in advance or waiting for a last minute deal?

Any advice would be deeply appreciated please. Thank you so much.

Royal is only best to Royal fans. You won't get a straight answer on that.

If you have limited days you can travel, book in advance.

Royal Caribbean cruises are the best...IF they are going where you want to go, leaving from a port that is handy, and the price is right. There is no best. Best is different for everyone.

1. You need to decide where you want to go, and when, then research cruises going there.

2. You need to decide what type of room you want, based on your needs and expectations , not on someone elses. Not everyone needs a balcony.

3. Sometimes your cruise can be determined by what airfare is affordable from your nearest airport.

4. Ask your mum where she wants to go, since she has been there already. Maybe there are new ports she would like to visit. It will all be new to you.

Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose some destinations you would like to visit from the second list of ports, and see who is calling there, and their itineraries. EM

Welcome to Cruise Critic! If you wait to book a last minute deal, yes, the price is likely to be less, BUT the choice of staterooms will be very restricted and you might be left with a cabin that is not the best. Like the others have said, "best" is totally based on one's opinion and very few are the same! Book the cruise that you want to go on and don't worry quite so much about which cruise line it is!

Hi, & welcome to Cruise Critic.

As other posts, the choice of cruise line is subjective. You'll find classier ships, more sedate & refined ships, more homely ships, more "fun" ships, cheaper ships, more expensive ships. But there's nothing wrong with RCI & without knowing your tastes it's probably a good compromise.

A Brit ship will be more like home than a US ship, but I doubt that'll be a significant factor. But Costa and MSC are Italian cruise lines & not a good choice for an Irish first-timer because they're an acquired taste.

You don't say what time of year. That's important weather-wise & price-wise.

For instance the Mediterranean is best in spring (like fly out there tomorrow!!) or early autumn, the Baltic in summer, the Caribbean in winter.

You're going to have to fly or ferry anyway, so if you want to cruise the Mediterranean mebbe fly to a Med port rather than Southampton, to avoid extra days at sea - and if you're unlucky with the weather the English Channel & Bay of Biscay can be bad-tempered, not a good introduction to cruising.

North Americans especially like Mediterranean cruises, because it's a way of visiting lots of places & countries. But a cruise only gives you brief visits to those places, and you & I can easily & cheaply fly to places like Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Istanbul for the long weekend that those places warrant.

So consider a Baltic cruise - the Baltic is made for cruising because you get a great variety of places that are mebbe not worth a special trip, and can't be combined in a road trip. Baltic cruises from UK ports, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Oslo, possibly other places.

Or for November thro to March (when the weather in Northern Ireland isn't at its best ;)), the Caribbean. Another place made for cruising - lots of different islands with different geography & colonial cultures but all English-speaking & all accepting US dollars, all worth a day in port but few worth a full week. Late November / early December is cheapest, same as for many holidays - too few folk prepared to go on holiday in the run-up to Christmas. Some fly-cruises are available from Belfast.

Last-minute can save a small fortune. Mebbe as much as £1000 per couple!!!! But comes with disadvantages

- you need to be flexible on date. Left it too late for this cruise & its now all-booked-up? No worries, what about a fortnight later?

- the later you book the cruise generally the cruise price goes down - but air tickets shoot up, possibly wiping out the cruise savings. That's important for you since you're marooned off the coast of Britain ;)

- minor disadvantages, like limited choice of cabins.

Best to phone one or two cruise-specialist travel agents. Recommending specific travel agents isn't permitted on Cruise Critic, but a cruise specialist is so very much more knowledgeable than an all-sorts TA so dial "cruise specialist travel agent" into your search engine. They can help with advice on cruise line differences & all the little details like cabin choice, dining choices, etc.

JB :)

The best is very subjective.

However, keep a few things in mind:

Med cruises are mostly about the ports and what you enjoy seeing and doing off the ship. Your ship is mostly your floating hotel accomodation, with very few sea days, usually only one on a 7 night cruise.

The better fly in embarkation ports, would definitely be Rome, Venice and Barcelona.

Contact a travel agent specializing in cruises, and they should be able to help you book a holiday you will love.

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. I was wondering if I could please have some help?

 

I would like to go on my first cruise with my mum hopefully this year. My mum has been on a few mediterranean cruises but this will be my first ever.

 

I have heard that Royal Caribbean cruises are the best, would you agree?

 

Welcome to CC, everyone will have a different opinion on which is best, personally prefer Princess and Celebrity [of the "mainstream lines"].

We have friends who won't set foot on any of the mainline ships, but then they pay for that, I had a friend who wouldn't cruise on a passenger ship he always cruised [well up to his last few years] on cargo ships.

We live in Northern Ireland so we would need advice on:-

(1) Were to fly into?

It will depend on what itinerary you decide on, you can go from London even.

(2) Best ship?

See above, we love smaller older ships, others love big new ships.

(3) Recommended destination (probably mediterranean)?

Horses for course, personally don't really care as long as I'm on a cruise.

(4) Type of room abroad ship?

We love a balcony, others prefer an inside yet others a suite a balcony is to me a nice compromise.

Also, are you as well booking in advance or waiting for a last minute deal?

Gee I book when I see a cruise that fits our requirements at a price I am happy with, then because here in Australia we don't , as a rule, get refunds when prce changes try to stop looking at prices.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated please. Thank you so much.

Good luck and enjoy

I have heard that Royal Caribbean cruises are the best, would you agree?

No

We live in Northern Ireland so we would need advice on:-

(1) Were to fly into?

(2) Best ship?

(3) Recommended destination (probably mediterranean)?

(4) Type of room abroad ship?

Answers depend on what cruise you decide to take

Also, are you as well booking in advance or waiting for a last minute deal?

Whichever

It's hard to give advice on such a vague post. Asking which cruise is best is like asking which toothpaste to use. Everyone has their own likes/dislikes wants and needs.

I'd suggest you do some of the legwork yourself and then come back with specific questions.

Asking "recommended destination" is much too broad. No one here knows you and your passions. You suggest the Med, but there are a hundred other places that may or may not be better.

What are you wanting in a vacation? Beach, culture, relaxation, fun, parties, art, food, ship with 60 passengers or 3000, River, transatlantic, your ages and hobbies...?

I would suggest you start with your destination and then figure out a date and cruise line. From that you will be able to ask the rest of your questions here.

One's budget usually defines the available options.

If your mom has been on a few cruises her returning guest status may affect the options. She may also have preferences based on her prior experience.

What kind of people are you? Do you like to party or do you prefer to relax in a quiet corner with a good book? Do you want to visit lots of ports or do "sea days" appeal to you? Are you "foodies" or just happy with good, plain food? Do you like to dress up or do you prefer being casual? There is no way of knowing which cruise is best for you, until you answer those questions. The "best" is subjective. Maybe if you gave us a little more information...