First cruise???!!! easy 10pts?

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Allen H

Royal Caribbean without a doubt.
Adventure of the seas, 5 islands in 7 days...best crusie on the market.

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

This will be long because there is a lot to explain to you. I have been on about 20 cruises on several different cruise lines and can give you some advice/help based on my experiences.

First, there are several great crusie lines to choose from but they are not all the same in terms of what you get and what type passengers you will be with. I have been on Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships and can vouch that they are good cruise lines. However, there are some differences.

- Princess, Celebrity and Holland America have great ships are more classy and reserved. They are just a little more upscale and luxurious than the other cruise lines. Passengers tend to be middle aged and up and have cruised multiple times. Holland America has mostly senior citizens cruising on its ships.

-Norwegian cruise line is good, they cater to families and have mostly passengers in the range of age 35-40 and up. Its the line that you want to go on if you want to be informal for pretty much your whole cruise. They have formal nights like other cruise lines but they do not stress dressing up.

Carnival is the budget cruise line that generally has the lowest prices. They cater to young people, first time cruiser and families. The best of their ships are their newer ships so do pay attention to when the ship was launched is you find a good and really cheap cruise.

Royal Caribbean is also a cruise line that caters to young cruiser and families. It has the advantage of having the most on-board activities. Things like ice skating, roller blading, mini-golf course, a full sized basketball/tennis court, the rock climbing wall, and on the new Freedom Class ships the surfing simulator, the Flowrider. The RC ships that you should look for cruises on are the RC's Freedom Class and Voyager Class ships.

All cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy and the prices listed will be per person and based on at least two people going on the cruise. The price you pay will depend also on the type cabin/accommodations that you choose.

There are 4 basic types of cabins on ships;
- inside (no window),................................... least expensive
- outside (a window or porthole),
- balcony/veranda, and
- suites and penthouses.......................... most expensive.

The "FROM" prices you see will always be for an inside cabin. There are also some subcategories within each category with cabins on a higher deck, and/or a better location on ship (like midship), and/or that are slightly larger costing more.

My advice is to get the best cabin that you can afford. Some people will say just get an inside cabin because you will not be in it much. What's true is that if you do get an inside cabin you will not want to be in it much; its like sitting in a closet with no windows. But if you get a balcony cabin you WILL be in it more and you will enjoy your cruise more by for example, being able to go/sit outside at night, or first thing in the morning as you approach a new port stop. Cabins mid ship are considered premium/better because there is less motion there and its also easier to go to activities on ship from there, i.e. pools are generally always mid ship, dining rooms generally aft or midship; the show room and gym and always on the front of the ship. Pools, hot tubs, gyms, and buffets are always on the upper decks so a cabin up higher puts you closer to them. On the other hand, cabins mid-ship and on lower levels have less motion than higher levels.

Regardless of which cruise line you select the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service), free admissions to all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship except spa services.

I have cruised to Mexico and also to the Bahamas and all over the Caribbean. I think a Caribbean cruise provides the most fun. My suggestion to you is a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise. Its difficult to recommend a specific cruise without know where you live to determine which cruise ports are closest to you. But my suggestion is to go on one of Royal Caribbean's Freedom Class ships ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/home.do;jsessionid=0000xxobdOkQ1xGjP2bzbif3gkv:12hdhu93n?shipClassCode=FR&br=R ) or its Voyager class ships ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/home.do;jsessionid=0000xxobdOkQ1xGjP2bzbif3gkv:12hdhu93n?shipClassCode=VY&br=R )

The Freedom Class ships depart from Miami and Ft Lauderdale but the Voyager class depart from NY, Florida ports, Galveston, Tx and Los Angeles.

Niasky

Since this is your first time going on a cruise no matter what you do you are going to have a great time. Every Cruise is a different experience. So you be the judge and if prices is a concern go to http://www.beyond360travel.com they always have great deals on Cruises and you can also get a cheap rate by clicking on Groups and find a group that is leaving the date you are planning to go. you don't have to be part of the group to get the rate... Good Luck and Bon Voyage!

emmett's girl :)

Omg go with Princess!! It's a very nice cruise line with fun activites and accomdations on-ship, and great shore excursions. plus the staff are seriously the most friendly and helpful people you will ever meet. they are from all over the world, so it's an interesting cultural mix. they really are dedicated to making sure you have a great time--our "housekeeper" (the nice man who cleaned our room) was super friendly, giving me and my younger sister extra chocolates on our pillows at night (we love sweets :) ) and creating a monkey out of towels and hanging it on our wall, which was really cool and creative. he also complimented my mom when she got all dressed up for the formal dinners, saying she looked like she was really young and could be our sister, which my mom loved, of course :)
and here are some cool things they have:
a giant movie screen having above the ship where you can watch movies "under the stars"
lots of pools and hottubs
a quiet, meditation-like spa where adults can spend the day relaxing
fun, orginized activites like family game competitions (each day they have new games, such as scattergories, where you compete for prizes)
a library
shopping center
amazing food in their resturants and dining rooms
24/7 buffet, which is nice
(everything like the buffet, dining rooms, pizza shops, you don't have to pay for~i think it might be included in the price you pay before hand for your cruise, which is really nice. for the few things you do have to pay for, you just charge to your room by using your roomkeycard, which is really nice also)

a cruise i went on that you might enjoy visited the carribean,mexico, and the bahamas.it had a fun, jamacian party vibe that was laid back but fun. i forget the name of the ship though (it might be the crown princess or grand princess, but i'm not totally sure.) anyway, it's a very nice, enjoyable cruise line!

oh, and here are some tours and islands i partically liked:
princess cays~its actully owned by the cruise line, and is very pretty. it has a nice, beachy "bahama-y" vibe with lots of ufn activites
snorkling with stingrays~fun! you got to feed them, and i even got a massage from one :)
snorkling on this "pirate" boat in aruba~not the title of the tour, obviouisly, but it was something like that, and very fun also! you visited a ship wreck, got served a delicious tropical meal, and swung from a rope swing.

and, make time just to sit on the beaches and relax! have fun on your cruise!!!

SGT. Dillers Wifey

Me and my hubby enjoy carnival cruises. I say the carribean, go check out the bahamas, some cruises go there as well as mexico on the same trip so check the itineraries.

www.carnival.com

NiTSiRK_81

I went my first cruise on the Carnival Imagination last summer to the Bahamas. It was awesome!!! Carnival really is the "fun" ship, so much to do all day and all night. We had 3 stops and booked excursions for 2 of them. Did clear bottom kayaking, I wasn't so thrilled about it but it turned out to be really fun. We also did a dolphin swim which was amazing, and would highly recommend that.

While on the ship we would go to the comedy shows, that was a big favorite. They would have "adult" bingo before the show and sometimes karaoke. More fun than you would think they'd be. The club they had was good, played different music each night. I really enjoyed just laying out tanning while the guy I was with went to the casino or checked out what ever else interested him. A lot of great participation games like newlywed type game show game.

Check out the photos from my cruise to give you a better idea of what it was like. Also have some video from the cruise. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54619901@N00/sets/72157605765798815/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWMDEuwXl2w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrUjz9WEIkQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa-BDSdt4k8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4JoAxqKpOc

steamedup

The western Caribbean route with a stop in Ocho Rios is fun. That's one of the first we did when newly married. Check out Dunn's River Falls. Walking up the falls is a blast. Plus this route usually includes a stop at Cozumel Mexico - a very fun place!

I wouldn't go to the Bahamas the first run. The only place in the Bahamas that is worth a stop is Nassau - my opinion only.

I always love St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Magen's Bay is a beautiful beach in St. Thomas. And when on St. Maarten we love to book an excursion on the Golden Eagle catamarans to a little island called Tintamar. Good snorkeling, nice beach and "interesting" scenery. Since it's off the French side of the island, there is clothing optional and some love to do that -- including some that shouldn't according to my husband. LOL.

Further south, Aruba is always good for a fun time. Curacao is different than most islands. Virgin Gorda is neat - take the excursion to the Baths. These huge round boulders seem to be just dropped along the beach - it's fun to get to, crawling through some tight spaces, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Leslie A

my hubby and i have gone to the bahamas on ncl. cruise line a few yrs. back and we loved it .the things you may want to know is they charge you $12 a day per person per cabin/ stateroom for the week that goes on your charge card right away that takes cars of who waited on you for the week and cleaned your room. when you see your bill it will broken down into days . another wise things keep all your receipts till you leave the ship . have the drink of the day and they give you free ice tea and punch but the water they put in your room is not free you have to pay for it if you open it.. if you use the pool you have to sign for the towels you use when finish bring back and sign your name again or the charge you. when you take pictures from the staff look at them and than if you want have them hold them till the end you don't have to pay for them just cause they took them. the staff will answer all questions for you so ask.

LadyBug

My husband and I were on Carnival Inspiration in Oct. 2008. We had two newlywed couples at our table and three other couples nearby and met a few other couples throughout the ship.

If you go to Cozumel and get to choose the Mayan Ruins of Tulum, GO! We did and it was great. After the tour, you'll get the opportunity to go down to the beach on the Mayan Riviera. Also, go snorkeling in the reefs.

Spend some time on a beach...careful with the skinny dipping though.

Have fun!

Mdavies

Been on 4 cruises all on Norwegian Cruise Lines. All have been great, great food, good price, great service. Try your best, if it is in your style to stay away from the crowd of just doing the same old boring stuff. Excursions from the ship are extremely pricy compared to "doing it yourself" ex. being a tour of a Cuban rum and cigar factory was around 60$ a person. We got off the boat and got in a Mercedes Benz cab and did the tours before everyone else for 8$ each with cab fair.

Michael

Go to the beach and go skinny dipping or have it rough on the beach, have fun and save ur money, live life your young.

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