Want your Opinion

[lv2cruisgrl]

Well we have missed out on cruising for 2019 and need to make up for it. What was your favorite cruise? We are trying to decide where to go next. We have done most of the caribbean, Hawaii, Panama canal. Not really interested in Alaska. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

[Miaminice]

We much enjoyed our Asia cruises... and fell in love with Japan!

 

[NMTraveller]

New Zealand and Australia.

Any Europea cruise.

[Hygge!]

Iceland, Greenland.  And of course New Zealand!

[C-Dragons]

Westbound Transatlantics, the most relaxing and enjoyable cruises, Imo.

LOVE the sea days. 

[cruiseb4udie]

We have been to all of the above places mention and they are fantastic!  Asia and AU/NZ are both VERY long flights.  Well worth the time but at the moment, we are staying away from Asia until 2023 at the earliest.  Also, we would not do anything less than a B to B to B for those locations due to the expensive / long flights.  Based on your previous cruise history above, it appears you like island life and warm.  If you considered Europe, you might like cruises that port at any of the following Malaga, Spain; Gibraltar, Santorini, Greece (actually any place in Greece), Malta (the walled city is beautiful), Tenerife, Canary Islands - just to name a few of the warm locations with (usually) good weather and are easy to get around in without extremely long drives to see the sites.  

[ClaudiaB]

We loved the 15 night Norway cruise on Azamara.   Went all the way to the top into the Arctic Circle.   We did 4 days pre-cruise in Scotland and hope to return for a land journey there.  

 We also loved the X cruise on Infinity to Hawaii - actually spent 7 nights around the islands.  That cruise is no longer done.  We did all independent tours own both of those cruises and they were wonderful.   Fell in love with Kauai and two years later rented a condo there and stayed a week.  

Both transatlantics we did were great.  One took us to northern France and one from Barcelona to several ports in Spain and the Canary Islands.    I would do those again.    Several days -pre-cruise is a lot of fun, we love doing that.  

Alaska is beautiful - we have gone twice and hope to go again and then rent a car and drive all over the interior ourselves.

Our next cruise(s) are a B2B going to Iceland and Ireland, and then the Baltic, on Apex.   

New Zealand, Australia is on our list to do.  

 

[George C]

We really enjoyed our last European cruise , 12 day cruise from Barcelona with 9 ports including 5 in Italy, also Kotor and Dubrovnik, this was on rccl brilliance, Barcelona a beautiful city and we spent a couple of days there before the cruise, had a aft grand suite which was great. We also love our music charters which is more about the entertainment, but they sellout really quick.

[Bruin Steve]

41 minutes ago, lovrccl said:

Well we have missed out on cruising for 2019 and need to make up for it. What was your favorite cruise? We are trying to decide where to go next. We have done most of the caribbean, Hawaii, Panama canal. Not really interested in Alaska. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

You seem to have stuck fairly close to home thus far...There are a whole lot of places you should really put on your list for the future.  Of course, a lot depends on your interests and background.  For me, I tend to find cruises like most Caribbean itineraries to be a bit boring.  I think a lot of folks do many of those so they can get a tan and hit the beach when it's cold back where they are from.  A lot of folks like Alaska or the Norwegian Fjords or some other itineraries because they really enjoy spectacular scenery.

 

For me, I really love cruising in Europe (I also enjoyed cruises to Asia for a lot of the same reasons, but for YOUR question, I'd prioritize Europe first).  The reason I love Europe is that I cruise for the culture, the history, the art, the architecture and the archaeology.  These may not be interests of yours, but, they are to me. 

 

Of course, most European cruises will be VERY DIFFERENT for you than your typical Caribbean cruise...In Europe, you will find yourself touring castles, museums, palaces, ancient archaeological sites, fascinating cities and more.

 

There are many different areas to cruise in Europe...there's a lot to see...Generally, you'll see Baltic cruises--that visit St. Petersburg Russia and several Scandinavian capitals...You will see Mediterranean cruises--and these are often split up into itineraries concentrating on smaller sections of the Med (Western Med, Adriatic Sea, Greek Isles, etc.... and you'll see some that cruise from the UK and head around into the Med...

 

For a first timer, I generally recommend a longer itinerary (actually recommend EVERYONE do a longer itinerary) that visits several different countries--like one that goes one-way from Barcelona to Venice...or Barcelona to Athens or Barcelona to Istanbul...and visits several countries with different types of ports en route...Some will be big cities with a lot to see in the region--like Rome or Athens, some will be smaller ports or smaller islands--like Dubrovnik or Santorini...Nice to get a taste of the different cultures in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece and elsewhere...

 

If you want a specific area that I really like, look for an Adriatic cruise--something that does Rome to Venice or vice versa--Lots of Italian and Croatian ports...and some intriguing places like Malta--that's one of my favorites...There is an incredible amount of ancient archaeology and ancient, medieval and modern culture...and the local food is outstanding...

 

Also, try to fly in to your starting point a few days early to get a real taste of that port prior to the cruise...same with your disembarkation port if it's different.

 

Oh...and in the Med, you can still get that tan...

 

Have fun!

[TeaBag]

We were on celebrity's first downunder cruise (Mercury) and it still remains as one of our all time favourites.  Loved Bora Bora and Moorea.

I agree with Miaminice too.  We love Japan and our next cruise will be Tokyo to Athens Apr 26,2022 covering some of the places on our bucket list.

[Ken the cruiser]

If you enjoy looking at animals, going to Antarctica and the Galapagos were 2 of our favorites along with going on an Australia circumnavigation cruise in 2019.

[TeaBag]

19 minutes ago, ClaudiaB said:

We loved the 15 night Norway cruise on Azamara.   Went all the way to the top into the Arctic Circle.   We did 4 days pre-cruise in Scotland and hope to return for a land journey there.  

 We also loved the X cruise on Infinity to Hawaii - actually spent 7 nights around the islands.  That cruise is no longer done.  We did all independent tours own both of those cruises and they were wonderful.   Fell in love with Kauai and two years later rented a condo there and stayed a week.  

Both transatlantics we did were great.  One took us to northern France and one from Barcelona to several ports in Spain and the Canary Islands.    I would do those again.    Several days -pre-cruise is a lot of fun, we love doing that.  

Alaska is beautiful - we have gone twice and hope to go again and then rent a car and drive all over the interior ourselves.

Our next cruise(s) are a B2B going to Iceland and Ireland, and then the Baltic, on Apex.   

New Zealand, Australia is on our list to do.  

 

So many things in your post that we identify with.  I am still sad that our Norwegian Fjords cruise Aug 26 was cancelled by Celebrity.  Is it worth going all the way to the Arctic Circle?  I note you are doing Iceland/Ireland also.  We had that booked B2B with the Norwegian one and we think we are now going to cancel it if Celebrity doesn't do it first.  So sad as we had really looked forward to those 2 cruises.

We love Kauai too and we have a timeshare there.  We love to stay there and then sail home and we will be doing that Apr 2023.Celebrity used to include Kauai on their Hawaii cruises.  I wish they would include it again.

[deliver42]

In the Caribbean, the ABC islands were my favorite.

[ATXBecky]

Our fave so far has been the Baltic. Loved Warnemunde Germany, Estonia( did a free hike by locals) and the 2 days in St. Petersburg Russia on a private tour(Group of 16). Our group was the first in Hermitage and Catherine's palace. We also liked the Mediterranean from years ago. Left from Genoa Italy, did several ports, then transatlantic crossing. We spent 5 days in Italy before boarding.

[jelayne]

Baltic, 
Asia,

Singapore to Dubai or 
Singapore to Athens

[gerelmx]

New England and Canada

[Host Jazzbeau]

I wouldn't put down a deposit to any country that is currently locked down and low on vaccine administrations, which means that as much as I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand it's beginning to look like I won't live that long...  Norway cruises are terrific, but I'm not sure when they will reopen to non-EU passengers.  So my recommendation at the moment would be Iceland – amazing scenery, perfect for cruising (most sites are near the coast), and – most importantly – already open for US tourists to cruise.

[miched]

Was on the Bob Lo Boat  56 years ago cruising on one of our first dates together with the love of my life.🥰

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited April 20, 2021 by miched

[jelayne]

8 minutes ago, miched said:

Was on the Bob Lo Boat  56 years ago cruising on one of ours first dates together with the love of my life.🥰

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Many happy memories of cruising on the Bob Lo  Boat

[miched]

9 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Many happy memories of cruising on the Bob Lo  Boa 

At that time It was more about who I was with instead of the cruise.  And I guess it is still the same today.  It doesn’t  matter where we go,  it is still about the person I am with 

Did you move to Texas during the oil crunch?   The joke at that time was for the last person leaving MI to turn out the lights.  Many from MI moved to Texas at that time and then many moved back because things  went bust in Texas.   My cousin was one of them.     What goes around comes around. 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by miched

[jelayne]

8 minutes ago, miched said:

At that time It was more about who I was with instead of the cruise.  And I guess it is still the same today.  It doesn’t  matter where we go,  it is still about the person I am with 

Did you move to Texas during the oil crunch?   The joke at that time was for the last person leaving MI to turn out the lights.  Many from MI moved to Texas at that time and then many moved back because things  went bust in Texas.   My cousin was one of them.     What goes around comes around. 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

I got transferred here in 76 stayed until 86 then transferred to Northern CA the to upstate NY and then managed to get back to TX.    MI is in my heart but TX  is my home.

[cachouonacruise]

It really depends on your your interests:

 

If it’s history and architecture, food and wineries : we had a very lovely trip in May 2019, which included pre-cruise stops, in Rome, the beautiful Amalfi Coast followed by a 10 nights cruise on the Constellation from Venice, to Venice, via Croatia and Greece. We really had a good time.

 

If you’re just looking for a more quiet type of cruise, with beautiful sceneries, nice shopping areas, nice people, nice restaurants; a Canada, New-England cruise could interest you. Typically, most cruise lines offer these cruises in the fall for the leaves colors.  

Personnally, I know that cities like Montreal, Quebec, Charlottetown, Sydney are much more lively in the summer and it’s warmer. So, we did this cruise in the summer and really had a good time too. (I am a Greater Montreal Area resident, so, I may be a bit biased.)

 

If quiet sceneries like montains, fjords, Unesco protected sites with a different perspective, a cruise in the Norway Fjords could be nice as well. We were impressed to discover near Flam, the tiny village of Undredal where we were able to taste locally made delicious brown goat cheese. The boat tour to Undredal on the fjords and the return through the tunnels in the mountains were impressive. We also enjoyed the art and history in Oslo including the Thor Heyerdahl Museum. Pulpit Rock near Stavanger (we only observed it from the water), but it is a unique rock formation.

 

Of note, having done Alaska and Norway cruises, they have similarities but also significant differences: We saw much more species of fauna in Alaska ranging from bears, whales, eagles etc in Alaska and exposure to First Nations culture. Norway, offers clean cities, cultural gardens, Unesco protected sites, lower mountains, but beautiful fjords, as well as a unique history and folklore.

 

In any event, you have already received a lot of wonderful suggestions from fellow members. Thank you for asking the question, I really enjoyed reading the suggestions that you received, since we’re also trying to discover a new world at every cruise. Keeping my fingers crossed for 2022!

[Torfamm]

Our three favorites were the Cook Islands from Tahiti, a 14 day Baltic with 3 days in St. Petersburg, and a 14 day Norwegian fjords and Iceland. Each of them had “pinch me” moments

[Larwos]

11 hours ago, lovrccl said:

Well we have missed out on cruising for 2019 and need to make up for it. What was your favorite cruise? We are trying to decide where to go next. We have done most of the caribbean, Hawaii, Panama canal. Not really interested in Alaska. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

In 2019, we did three back to back cruises, from Santiago, Chile, to San Diego, to Vancouver, then across the Pacific to Hawaii. I lived every minute!

[mtnesterz]

Agree with C-Dragons. Living in Florida and not averse to flying, Westbound Trans-Atlantic is worth considering. Well, after this Covid stuff settles down. Avoid Eastbound unless you are really good at sleeping on a ship. (Time changes.)