What is the best cruise ship (name) to take on a western carribean cruise ?

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tech_fanatic

As far as best cruise, it really depends on what you are looking for and what your budget is. One of my favorite lines is Disney. Reasoning: The cruise ship is always spotless and they do a wonderful job of keeping it clean. The rooms are slightly larger than other lines, and trust me , on a cruise it makes a big difference. The shows are wonderful. If you have kids they will absolutely love the boat, it is probably the best line for families. The food has always been good. Finally, the staff. I have never experienced service while travelling like I have on Disney, they go out of their way to make you comfortable and it is great. I think that Disney is a great option even if you aren't taking kids, it is just an all around great line. I feel, as do many others, that once you get off of a Disney cruise you will be spoiled. The price is very modest and affordable, but you feel more like you are on a luxury line.

Carnival is probably my least favorite line. Their prices are usually the lowest, but the quality of the cruise is a lot lower than other lines. In my experience the food hasn't been very good, the ships have needed cleaned up and renovated really bad and the service didn't compare to other lines. If you read reviews of Carnival ships, you will see a lot of people have had the same experience. They advertise as being the fun ship. This is true if you are in to partying, gambling, drinking, etc. But I really don't like this type of thing, so the atmosphere wasn't very appealing to me. Plus, the age range on board is pretty young. You will find lots of young families and also college aged kids. So if you are wanting to stay away from kids this may not be a good line. This also tend to be a line for families, but I really am not sure that this is the most appropriate line to take kids.

Royal Caribbean is a pretty good line, probably the best mid-range line. It kind of runs in the middle as far as price goes. They have lots of on-board activities and it is a lot of fun. I think this is a better option to take kids on than Carnival, but that is just my opinion. The average age tends to be a little bit older, but still a lot of fun and less partying. I think it is a great line. If you have kids it might be a better option than Disney, simply because they offer more choices for destinations. But if I had to choose between Disney and Royal Caribbean and destination really wasn't an option, I think I would go Disney hands down.

If you are wanting a little more sophisticated feel and a more luxurious line, than I would look into lines like Princess, Oceania, Crystal, Celebrity, etc. These are all really great lines. They cost more than some other lines, but the service and food and overall cruise is well worth it. But again, this is a little more sophisticated group of cruises. So the average age is going to be older.

I think this covers a good range of lines to give you a better idea. The main thing is to do research into what destinations you are looking to go to. Some lines are known for being better at one destination over another line. For instance Princess is known for having some of the best cruises to Alaska. So that is always something to look into. The lines that go to the Western Caribbean are all very good. Finally, I think it is very important to find a travel agent to help you with your booking, especially one that specializes in cruises. Cruising is great, but there are lots of little facts and details that you should know when booking. It is a very risky thing booking a cruise on your own, if you don't have the proper documents and stuff the ship may not let you board. That would not be a good thing. My agent is always able to get the same, or lower rates as the online discounters, but the service she provides has proven priceless countless times. I would never book a cruise on my own and I know cruising like the back of my hand. My agent doesn't charge me a thing to do the booking, so I see no reason why not to go with her.

Once you start cruising you may become addicted, so be careful ;-) But it is a lot of fun and you really can't go wrong as long as you do some research and find a great agent.

I've included a link that you may find helpful as well.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

ckm44

I traveled on Royal Caribbean last year to the western caribbean and it was fantastic! I loved every port we went to which were: Labadee, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. I would definetly recommend Royal Caribbean, the ships are gorgeous and there's tons of things to do! I hope this helped!

ptr14

Ive traveled several times on royal caribbean and i have enjoyed the western caribbean itinerary on the Voyager of the Seas i thought it was better than the Carnival trips i took to Mexico. The Voyager class ships are good and fun. and i enjoyed them very much.

Dave

I went on Carnival cruise lines. I had fun!!

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean has been around since 1969 and currently operates 16 ships. The line is perhaps best known for having some of the largest passenger ships in the world (142,000 tons); these are the ships with rock-climbing, ice-skating, and in-line skating facilities; Johnny Rockets diners; promenade shopping malls; and more. In fact, the rock-climbing walls have proven to be so popular that RCI has added them to the entire fleet. All in all, itâ€™s a moderately priced cruise line, with rates varying by itinerary.

In 1997, Royal Caribbean purchased Celebrity Cruisesâ€”a premium line to appeal to an upscale audienceâ€”for a total fleet of 25 ships and a capacity of more than 40,000 berths.

Life Onboard

A little of everything can be found on Royal Caribbean ships. Across the board, food is amazingly consistent and well-preparedâ€”from the dining room to the buffet to the 24-hour room serviceâ€”especially considering the capacity of the ships. Larger ships have alternative restaurants that carry a cover charge and require reservations. And, just recently, Royal Caribbean began addressing special dietary needs, including food allergies, vegetarian, kosher, and more. With prior notice, RCI ships can provide passengers with flavorful mealsâ€”presented with flair and styleâ€”that accommodate their very specific dietary requirements.

Entertainment falls into two categories: traditional cruise productions and goofy passenger-inspired acts, such as take-offs of The Newlywed Game. Bar venues offer a variety of musical options, including classical guitar, country/western, and jazz. All ships have Internet cafÃ©s, and some have cabins wired for Internet use.

One nice touch with Royal Caribbean: They donâ€™t layer on the extra fees for equipment rental. Use of everything from ice skates to roller blades to climbing equipmentâ€”even the shoes!â€”is free of charge.

â€œAdventure Oceanâ€ is the childrenâ€™s program, with daytime activities while at sea and in port, as well as evening events and in-cabin baby-sitting. RCI also has an â€œAccessible Seasâ€ program: An extensive list of amenities includes automatic doors, hydraulic pool lifts, beach wheelchairs, pull-down closet rods, and stair handrails with Braille deck numbers.

Fellow Passengers

Royal Caribbean typically attracts singles and couples in their 30s to 50s, as well as families of all ages; its cruises are especially appealing to passengers looking for an affordable, active vacation. The median age on any given cruise is usually a reflection of the itineraryâ€™s length: the shorter the cruise, the younger the clientele.

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You also have the option of taking the Norwegian, Carnival, Holland America, Princess or Disney. Check out this link: http://www.expedia.com/daily/cruise/lines/default.asp?rfrr=-26909 for cruise line reviews. :)

jjnsavannah

or carnival

Mandy

I like Carnival. We sailed on the Miracle for the Western Carribean and loved it. Southern Carribean was Carnival Destiny. I would not say this was the best ship. Ship was not laid out right. Service and food on both ships were great and the value was great. My next cruise is in September to Hawaii and we will going on Carnival Spirit. That is the same class of ship as the Miracle so I know I will love the ship. Miracle started sailing in 2004 Spirit is older. What ever cruise line you chose know you are getting the most vacation for your money. Have a great cruise.

hush hush

im planning to aboard the best western carribean cruise ship.

tfrileypd

Loved my cruise on "Celebrity" cruiseline.

jade_jag

I took my 7th cruise this past December on a variety of cruise lines. I have visited the western Carribean each time, although a variety of islands. The cruise line I can say is the best would be Norwegian. Being a younger traveller, I don't enjoy the whole "dressing up" thing as required on the other lines. Norwegian offers casual cruising (they call it freestyles) where you don't have to dress up for anything. The line does offer a formal night but its optional and only in one of the several dining rooms.

I also enjoyed the variety of pay resturants offered on the ship. THey were very reasonably priced and the food was delicious. For a meal I spent $10 on on the ship would have easily been $50 or $60 on land.

Another feature I really liked was the art auctions. Being a casual art buyer, I found their auctions to be the best. They were very reasonably priced and all pieces come to you framed. I also found this company offered more original pieces of art than any other sea auction I attended.

Norwegian also offered a lot of activites not found anywhere else, such as a murder mystery dinner. I also found the entertainment of the Jean Ann Ryan dance company out of this world.

The food wasn't the best on the ship but I feel the freestyle atmosphere of the ship accompanied by all of the other things mentioned make this the best choice for your Carribean cruise. Good luck!

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