newbie

[panicbuy]

Hi everyone i hope iam posting in the right place

Me and my mrs have been looking into a cruise for 2017 but as we have never done this we are a bit nervous.

We was interested in a caribbean cruise for 2 weeks but i think it might be a little bit out of our price budget as we would need to fly from uk.

So we then thought what about a med cruise for 2 weeks but iam so unsure where to start.

We usually holiday in sept time and our budget is around £4000

I have no idea on tour operators who deal with cruises so iam hoping someone might give me some advise please.

[GUT2407]

Hi everyone i hope iam posting in the right place

Me and my mrs have been looking into a cruise for 2017 but as we have never done this we are a bit nervous.

We was interested in a caribbean cruise for 2 weeks but i think it might be a little bit out of our price budget as we would need to fly from uk.

So we then thought what about a med cruise for 2 weeks but iam so unsure where to start.

We usually holiday in sept time and our budget is around £4000

I have no idea on tour operators who deal with cruises so iam hoping someone might give me some advise please.

 

My suggestion fir a first would be keep it short, till you know how you feel about cruising, how you handle sea sickness, how you like being on a ship etc.

 

Also pick Ports you might like. Then if cruising isn't your go at least you'll have something to enjoy.

[champagne123]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Since this is your first cruise, I would strongly suggest you speak with a REPUTABLE travel agency and get some professional advice. You are under no obligation to book a cruise with them, but they will be able to address your concerns and wishes. For example...which cruise line would be a good fit for you....etc. Once you decide what it is you truly want, we are all here to answer all of you questions you have pertaining to what you are interested in. :):):)

[paul929207]

I would second the Travel Agent recommendation. Do you have any family or friends who have cruised? Ask them for a suggestion.

[kerryincork]

Hi I use a well know cruise agency that has it's own cruise channel on Sky. We are not allowed to give names here.

One tip is unless you book a suit. You are just paying for extra space.

 

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[preschool teacher]

Hi there! I would do a 7 day to start, anything less is just over too fast....We love the Caribbean . Good luck to you.. Good advice so far. This is a great website to gain knowledge.

[kerryincork]

For a budget of £4000 you can get a very nice cruise. Do go to a specialist cruise agents. I've done quite a few cruises now and I always do a lot of research and I have found that a general high street TA don't always know what they are talking about and have been given terrible advice on occasion.

I once had one try and tell me that Carnival was the upscale version of Celebrity 😯

When you make your booking they might ask if you want insurance, this is almost always better to buy this separate.

Also on every mass market cruise line there is a daily service charge of $13.50 per person per night, which you need to factor in to your costs, you can pre-pay this at time of booking your cruise.

Next you need to think what type of cruiser you are. If you like a less hectic holiday then Princess and Celebrity might suit.

If you like a cruise packed with entertainment NCL & RCL might be for you.

P&O is very British and will be in £. While MSC is very European and will be in €.

Just some things to think about.

 

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[jocap]

Google cruise travel agants UK and see what comes up.

Check out Thomson and P&O fly/cruise to the Caribbean- you may well find something for your money which includes the flights.

Look at your nearest port- is it Southampton? Liverpool? Greenock? Check which ships are sailing out of there, so no flying expenses... for instance, I look at "Timetable /cruises/Newcastle" for an easy journey, but sometimes check what's going from Southampton at a good price.

Hope you find something!

[1josh777]

Create a spreadsheet for easy comparison. Even when a travel agent provides you with expert opinion about different cruise lines and itinerary it can still be overwhelming.

[SPacificbound]

If you haven't already done so, browse through some cruise line websites. Here is one for starters...

 

https://www.msccruises.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/MSC_SearchCruiseManagerRedirectCmd?storeId=12261&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&monthsResult=08_2017%2C09_2017%2C10_2017&areaFilter=MED%40&priceRangeFilter=false&embarkFilter=&lengthFilter=&departureFrom=01%2F09%2F2017&departureTo=30%2F09%2F2017&ships=&category=&onlyAvailableCruises=true&packageTrf=false&packageTpt=false&packageCrol=false&packageCrfl=false&dealsInput=false&tripSpecificationPanel=true&shipPreferencesPanel=false&dealsPanel=false

 

Also do some reading in CC area for Europe/Mediterranean cruises......

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

Edited October 5, 2016 by SPacificbound

[bazbov]

Hi everyone i hope iam posting in the right place

Me and my mrs have been looking into a cruise for 2017 but as we have never done this we are a bit nervous.

We was interested in a caribbean cruise for 2 weeks but i think it might be a little bit out of our price budget as we would need to fly from uk.

So we then thought what about a med cruise for 2 weeks but iam so unsure where to start.

We usually holiday in sept time and our budget is around £4000

I have no idea on tour operators who deal with cruises so iam hoping someone might give me some advise please.

 

Hello Panicbuy and welcome. I'm from the UK too but now live in Spain. Pop into your local travel agencys and get some brochures to give you some idea of what's available. There are quite a few British cruise companys as well as American ones. Then once you see something that appeals to you, do a search on the internet for that companys website, then feel free to ask questions on here.

There will be some taster cruises, those are the ones that do 3 day to 5 day cruises, and this gives you the opportunity to see if cruising is for you.

We did this and now we're hooked. Hope this helps and we wish you many happy cruises. :)