How to choose a cruise

[Sharratt]

Hi,

We are new to cruising and are starting to look for a cruise around Asia but dont know what to lok for in a cruise....can anyone help with any tips on what to lok for in a cruise

[OCruisers]

Finding a good travel agent who specializes in cruises who be so very helpful to you. :)

[Essiesmom]

Decide just where you want to go. How much you want to spend. What kind of cabin you want. Then look for cruise line. Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose your desired ports from the Ports of Call list. then coose the time you can go. It will tell you who is calling there and their itineraries. After you have narrowed it down, it is up to you whether you contact a travel agent or book yourself with the cruise line. EM

[calliopecruiser]

Hi,

We are new to cruising and are starting to look for a cruise around Asia but dont know what to lok for in a cruise....can anyone help with any tips on what to lok for in a cruise

It depends on what you want in a cruise -- what kind of atmosphere, what type of amenities, etc. If you're not sure, talking with a travel agent might help.

[GUT2407]

I'd need to know a lot more about you and your tastes before I'd even take a guess.

[frenchcanrican]

Hi,

 

We are new to cruising and are starting to look for a cruise around Asia but dont know what to lok for in a cruise....can anyone help with any tips on what to lok for in a cruise

 

 

We took a 14 day cruise to Asia this past November. It was our first time to Asia and we wanted as many ports as possible. We did not care about the ship as much since we would be off all the time. We did care about cost. Time of year was also important.

 

I put all those requirements together and started looking. We ended up with X Millie during Thanksgiving departing from Singapore. 14 days inclusive of gratuities, alcoholic beverages, and a balcony. We also stayed in Singapore 2 extra nights @ The Marina Bay. The total cost of the trip including flights from USA was $189 per person per day for 17 days.

 

 

 

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[Cruisin' Chick]

I suggest asking friends, family, co-workers if they've been on a cruise (you'll be surprised to find many who have) and ask if they had a travel agent they could recommend. Then go in with your budget, time of year you want to go, what ports you'll like to visit. A good travel agent will help you with figuring out which cruise and can even book it for you with no fees to do so.

[SuiteTraveler]

Asia is a port intensive cruise where you will get of the ship in the early morning and then not get back until around 5:30pm or later. For that reason, the ports are the most important thing. So I would start with what ports you want to see especially and what experiences you want to have and look for a ship that does those ports. For a port intensive cruise, the ship really becomes a floating hotel, so it doesn't matter what ship all that much as long as it has comfortable beds and can provide a competent breakfast and dinner. If you are looking for more of a luxury experience then we need to know that. There are also river cruises in Asia which are all-inclusive and on boutique river ships such as this: https://www.uniworld.com/en/ships/mekong-navigator/staterooms/

[bbwex]

Taking the previous comments together, you are getting a good picture of what to do to find the answers to your questions. You want to look at which ports you want to see, what sort of cruise line you want to use, how long of a cruise you are interested in doing, etc., etc., etc. While DW and I have not been on any of the real luxury lines, we have enjoyed Oceania more than the other lines that we have tried, so we try to find one of their cruises that fits our needs. At the same time, Oceania concentrates on good port lists and good food and service aboard. Other lines might offer better evening entertainment, and a different demographic. You ought to talk to friends who have taken an Asian cruise, find a good cruise agent who can advise you, and look around on the different cruise line boards to get a feel for what each line is like.

 

There are the basic, mass market lines: Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and then they each have more upscale lines which get more expensive as you go up, tend to get an older crowd as you move up the chain, etc.

 

You can also look at the Ports of Call section to get some ideas about the different ports, and that might help you determine where exactly you want to go. There are tons of books, but you don't want to lose a couple of years to reading and miss out on a cruise. This is where friends and acquaintances might be able to help you pick out an itinerary more easily too.

 

For some, the ship is unimportant, for others a nice ship is important. These trips, as mentioned, are port intensive, but each of us has our own priorities.

[griffy116]

We are very fortunate to have found a travel agent that specialized in cruising. I agree that talking to friends and co-workers who have cruised is a great place to get recommendations on a travel agent. They can help you narrow down your search by asking you a few questions about your likes and what you want to see, when you can travel,etc. The cost of a cruise varies greatly by the date and even the week you choose to travel. Navigating through all this can be a bit overwhelming without the help of a travel agent...and there's no cost for using a travel agent. Also, travel agents will sometimes also give you a "perk" for booking with them, which is an added bonus.

[ExpatBride]

We have a few cruiselines that we're loyal to, so first I see what they're offering, then I look at itinerary, then dates (prefer to travel when kids are few and far between). We like scenery cruises, so Norway is one of our first choices. The ship is our destination and we don't enjoy long port days or industrial ports, so itineraries like the Baltics and Western Med. aren't interesting to us.

 

It depends on what you like. Cruising for us was a lot like dating, we had to try different things (some good, some not so good) before we learned what we like in an onboard experience, itinerary, length of cruise, etc.

[sunsoaked218]

Finding a good travel agent who specializes in cruises who be so very helpful to you. :)

 

I agree a good travel agent that specializes in cruises is the way to go there is a lot that goes into picking the right cruise and or cruise line to best match your likes and dislikes and they know all the cruise lines, ships and styles of cruising . Don't just go online to the big online sellers were you are just a number. a good travel agent never charges for their services and can match prices you find online. plus you get the personalized attention to your needs and it does not cost you more they get paid by the cruise line good luck

[lenquixote66]

Hi,

We are new to cruising and are starting to look for a cruise around Asia but dont know what to lok for in a cruise....can anyone help with any tips on what to lok for in a cruise

 

 

Finding a good Travel Agent is very important but in addition I would research on Frommers.com .It is a very informative site.

[GUT2407]

Hi,

We are new to cruising and are starting to look for a cruise around Asia but dont know what to lok for in a cruise....can anyone help with any tips on what to lok for in a cruise

 

 

You want Asia (good start)

 

How long?

What budget?

What age group? (Not just physical age b in terms of taste, ie my daughter is 30s but prefers the type of things those in their 50s might be thought to like)

What are your interests as that may impact on itinerary.