How do you choose a cruise line

I live about 20 minutes from the Norfolk pier, so we decided to cruise out of here. That left us with the choice of a 6 day Bahamas cruise on Carnival; 6, 7 or 8 day Bermuda cruise on Celebrity; 10 or 11 day Caribbean cruises on HAL and 6 day cruises to NYC on Radison Seven Seas.

I've been on Carnival before and their 6 day cruises were actually more money than HALs 10 day cruises. I didn't want to head across the Atlantic to Bermuda during hurricane season and Radison is WAY out of our price range. That left HAL with its higher end reputation and reasonable prices. Also, after being on Carnival last year I wanted to take a cruise where the pools weren't filled like sardine cans and you didn't have to get out at 6:00 AM to get a lounge chair.

I've never been on HAL, but I would expect them to have an older average age than Carnival and be less of a party atmosphere. (I'm sure this is a plus for some and a minus for others.)Maybe someone whose been on both will help you out here.

Cher

Thanks, but I didn't ask the question because I'm trying to decide. Just trying to get a thread going to see how people go about it, and if there are any interesting suggestions. I'm already booked and counting down the days.

I want a departure port within driving distance so I don't have the expense & hassle of flying. That limits me to Galveston, Mobile, or New Orleans.

I also prefer a newer ship that has balcony staterooms.

I don't want a lot of children underfoot, so I travel in the fall when school is in & the prices are cheaper.

I've been on NCL & RCCL, both new & old ships & have past passenger discounts when available, so I consider that, too. I would love to travel on HAM & feel they would be an excellent value with their extra services to passengers who book suites & tip included policy. If they ever put one of their newer ships out of my ports, I'd consider paying a little more to go. The Grand Princess will probably be the next ship I try because it is a newer ship departing out of Galveston.

Kat

We usually choose our itinerary first and then start looking at prices for various weeks. I look at Princess, HAL, Celebrity, and RCI. We don't want to do another Carnival or NCL cruise.

I've signed up to get last-minute specials from several sources. One of these days, they're going to hit our schedules right. For the most part, though, we tend to plan 6-9 months in advance. That's about as far in advance as we can with our employers.

On our first cruise, our TA picked out the cruiseline first. He asked us all sorts of questions about ourselves -our likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. - and after some thought, brought up a fairly new cruiseline (at that time) on a brand new ship. It was a very good match for us - we loved our cruise experience, the ship, and the line. Since then we have only sailed on Celebrity - hate to be disappointed by anything else. We love the laid back atmosphere - no announcements - and great food and outstanding service.
Now, it doesn't matter where we cruise. As long as we're aboard a Celebrity ship, we're happy. If we do want to cruise a particular itinerary, we are flexible about our vacations, so we can take advantage of when Celebrity does that itinerary (or when they offer a extremely special deal).

Zenith-Western Caribbean-6/92
Zenith-Eastern Caribbean-6/93
Century-Maiden Voyage-12/95
Galaxy-Southern Caribbean-11/99
Mercury-Northbound Alaska-6/00
Millennium-Westbound Transatlantic-9/01
Horizon-Western Caribbean - Adults only cruise-11/02
Millennium-Westbound Transatlantic 10/26/03
Century - Western Caribbean 1/31/04

I look at where I want to go. Then when. Then who has newer ships going. Then I see how long they are in port. How many Sea days (I like these). I also need to know if they can handle me as I'm in a chair 75% of the time. Then Price. The I go for it and start count down. As you can see I'm hoping to go to Hawaii next. Still doing research.

Hopfully a Hawiian Cruise

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2006;12;5;11;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Until we sail away on the ocean blue



Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03
Dawn Princess - Eastern Carb
Dawn Princess Panamal Canal