1st cruise for my wife and I, which cruise going to the caribbean would you recommend

[jaw62901]

Hi,

 

My wife and I got married on Sept 07 and other than the honeymoon really haven't been about to travel much. She likes the idea on doing a carribean cruise, but I am not sure which one. We like the freestyle idea on NCL, but I have heard some of the others are nice as well. I don't know if this helps or not, but we are both in our mid 30's and I have a budget of $3000-$4000 to work with. Here is what we are looking for:

 

1) Something sailing in January 09

2) Has a balcony

3) A suite would be nice

[CC Help Michell]

Hi,

 

My wife and I got married on Sept 07 and other than the honeymoon really haven't been about to travel much. She likes the idea on doing a carribean cruise, but I am not sure which one. We like the freestyle idea on NCL, but I have heard some of the others are nice as well. I don't know if this helps or not, but we are both in our mid 30's and I have a budget of $3000-$4000 to work with. Here is what we are looking for:

 

1) Something sailing in January 09

2) Has a balcony

3) A suite would be nice

 

With that budget and the great deals being offered for January sailings, you have lots of options, even including a suite (with a butler and concierge service) on some of Norwegian's ships/sailings. But there are many great ships and many great itineraries out there, on lots of cruiselines.

 

Have you thought about using a travel agent? An experienced TA can help match your interests and expectations with a cruiseline, ship, and itinerary that they feel will be a good fit for you. Departure port is another question -- do you want to sail from a particular port?

 

Trying to select on your own from so many choices is pretty overwhelming. A couple of Cruise Critic features might help you, too. The one on Romance Cruising -- http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/area.cfm?area=27 -- is great for planning a honeymoon (congratulations!), and the First Time Cruisers section may also be of help -- http://www.cruisecritic.com/ftc/

[Akheila]

other things will depend do you want lots of nighttime activities? or quiet alone time? do you want to visit many ports? or have many sea days? how long do you waqnt to go for? 7? 10? 14 days? Out TA recommended that for our first cruise we do a 7 day trip that way if it was not to our liking, we weren't stuck.

 

do either of you get motion sick...that may play a factor in your cabin selection area. Are you guys foodies?

 

Here's the criteria we use

we check for lots of ports...we look at cruising as a way to be spoiled and check out new ports to see if we would like to visit that area for longer time. We don't care about the balcony we don't spend a lot of time in the cabin. We love food though so some lines wouldn't be for us. we don't like the party scene so that line won't work either.

[paul929207]

I would think about what you and your wife are looking for in a cruise. Then talk to a TA that specializes in cruising to get ideas on cruises that fit your needs and desires.

[fann1sh]

How long a Caribbean cruise are you looking for? A week? Planning on leaving from a Florida port?

 

With the budget you have, I'd consider a longer cruise, which might take you to ports farther south than 1 week cruises can reach.

 

One comment in your post really stood out:

 

"We like the freestyle idea on NCL, but I have heard some of the others are nice as well."

 

I find NCL advertisements, especially the TV ones, a lot like the "Beware of my Opponent!" political attack ads. In other words, obnoxious and misleading. There are not only "nice", but great cruise lines out there besides NCL! Many of them feature the same sort of dining and other options NCL touts.

 

I'd browse these boards to get a flavor for the different cruise line personalities before talking to a travel agent. But, do it quickly! The best deals for January will be 90 to 60 days before sailing, in general.

[98Charlie]

Both NCL and Carnival will have Suites available within the budget.

 

A good TA will certainly help. If you have friends that have cruised and are happy with their TA you may want to start there.

 

However, the key is a good TA. We had friends whose TA put them on a HAL cruise for thier first and it just wasn't a good match. They didn't like the cruise but still went back to the same TA because she had sent a bottle of wine to the cabin. They have since changed TAs.

 

Charlie

[Whimsy]

When we were new to cruising I started researching prices on various cruiselines. I then started reading LOTS of reviews on the ships I was looking at. When I say LOTS, I mean LOTS. The reason I really did a lot of reading is that there are always those who find lots of things wrong. What I looked for was reviews on things we would like to do, such as the dining, comedians, rooms, ports and excursions, etc. Then I started researching how difficult it was to fly in to a port and get around.

 

For instance, after our first cruise for 3 days we new we liked cruising and wanted to do a 7 day cruise. I started doing research and found that Carnival Conquest sailed out of New Orleans. That was a port we could drive to in one long day from our home. I read lots of reviews and was all set to book it when Katrina happened. They then moved the Conquest to Galveston. Then I had to start looking at flying. After reading LOTS of reviews and such I found out that it was quite a hassle it seemed to get from Houston to Galveston. We were not experienced with flying and renting cars. So, back to reading LOTS of reviews and I zeroed in on Fort Lauderdale due to the ease of flying and getting around. You can actually see the cruise ships from the airport, it's so close. Taxi cost are reasonable as well as good hotel reviews. So, next step was picking a cruiseline. After reading LOTS of reviews, Princess seemed like a good choice. Lots of room choices, mostly positve reviews, food satisfaction seemed on the plus side, alternative dining, reasonable pricing, etc. Next we had to decide eastern or western. We ended up choosing western after reading LOTS of reviews about all the different ports and excursions.

 

We made a wonderful choice and the process gets easier as you get more familiar with cruising.

 

BTW, Princess offers anytime dining as an option as well. We started with traditional but after giving anytime dining a try we find it works well for us. We get the same menu as traditional dining but can eat around what our plans are for that evening.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Take a look at the Island Princess January 2009 10 day Panama Canal cruise from Acapulco to Fort Lauderdale....very good cruise line, nice ship, interesting ports and within your budget.

 

Hope that this helps,

 

Fred

[happy cruzer]

Prices for early Jan look very good. Sounds like you are focusing on the cabin. So I'm thinking you may be looking for a pretty nice ship overall. Princess and RCI have some of the prettiest ships. If specialty dining is important, then NCL might be a good choice because they have so many restaurants on their new ships. Also if you are a wine drinker and like to carry on wine be sure to check the wine policy on the cruise line you pick. RCI and Celebrity are very strict no carry on wine or alcohol. All others allow some amount of wine to bring onboard. All lines have their good points, just need to find a good match for you.

 

Tell us a little more and folks will throw out lots of suggestion.

[Jan_In_Maine]

Is your 3000-4000 budget for the cruise cabin only ... or is this a budget for everything. Other expenses will be airfare (perhaps) or travel costs, hotel room before cruise(perhaps) and after. Are you planning on drinking, gambling, buying artwork, drinks, excursions at ports, etc.

 

All the extras can really eat into a budget. I am partial to RCCL, and think a Jr. Suite is a lovely size .... balconys are wonderful!

 

Whatever you decide for a cruise have a wonderful time. Jan

[jaw62901]

Thanks everyone. We decided to book an AE suite on the Norwegian Star sailing 1/10/09 going to the Mexican Riviera.

[happy cruzer]

Not the Caribbean, but still a great cruise to good weather.

 

You might visit the NCL board for more details. I bet you might get a price drop before you sail and end up with an OBC.

 

Also there is a ports of call board area where you can check out details about the ports you are visiting.

 

Hope you have great first cruise.

[CC Help Michell]

Thanks everyone. We decided to book an AE suite on the Norwegian Star sailing 1/10/09 going to the Mexican Riviera.

 

I hope you have a really wonderful time, and enjoy the butler and concierge services! :) Let me recommend the "Romance Package" (bookable under Bon Voyage gifts at NCL's website) -- for $79 you get a lot of great things, including dinner for two with a bottle of wine at Le Bistro, a bottle of bubbly and chocolate strawberries in your cabin at sailaway, a photo credit, a special cake and champagne reception, and canapes delivered one night to your cabin -- it's an exceptional value, and we always book it).

 

We are booked into our first AE on the Dawn (the Star's sister ship) in April, so I will be looking for any reviews or feedback you post!

[98Charlie]

Thanks everyone. We decided to book an AE suite on the Norwegian Star sailing 1/10/09 going to the Mexican Riviera.

Congratulations! The Star is one of our favorites. And only 90 days to your cruise.

 

Charlie

[Treven]

Thanks everyone. We decided to book an AE suite on the Norwegian Star sailing 1/10/09 going to the Mexican Riviera.

I think you'll enjoy the Mexican Riviera. I did that cruise last year, Acapulco, Zihuatenajo (sp), Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, then back to San Diego; though your cruise may be out of San Pedro.

 

To me that's a nice "starter" cruise.

 

Actually the Norweigen Star was my first cruise as well, though I did the Hawaiian Islands/Fanning Island cruise.