First time cruise planning, help?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on about 20 cruises on several different cruise lines and can give you some advice/help based on my experiences. I have also cruised to Bermuda twice and it is a great destination because its a very clean and safe island to visit. The majority of the activities there are beach activities and 3 or 4 days there on a cruise is plenty enough time to see and enjoy it.

The cruise lines I went on 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; they call it "dress up if you want to" night. Norwegian will also have the most variety in restaurants, called "specialty" restaurants.

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 blade skating, 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.

Its always better to book early and you will usually always get the best price for early bookings a year or more in advance. In addition, most cruise line web sites have specials listed that will save you money. Also, to get the best deal go when the price is lowest. Most cruise prices change for each week of the itinerary and you can sometimes save a couple hundred per person by going when the price is lowest.

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. 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.

Bermuda has some of the best beaches anywhere; pink sand beaches that you can easily find a deserted spot on. In my two visit it seemed to me that the majority of the people visiting the island were those on the two or three cruise ships which docked there during my stay. There are a few hotels in the town of Hamilton and about a dozen other properties/beach hotels, but they are nice. There are NO slums and ghettos in Bermuda like you may see in the Caribbean islands. All of the houses are well maintained and painted in pastel colors. All of the public beaches are great. If you go there you want to be sure to go to Elbow Beach and Long Bay Beach.

There is not a lot to do in Bermuda other than water sports and golf. There are two main towns Hamilton, the largest and St George which is like a small town and has just a few shops. The third place ships may dock while there is The Kings Dockyard.. The Dockyard is on the far end of the 22 mile long island and has a small mall with shops and a museum. The Crystal Cave and Fantasy Caves are worth visiting as a tour, or on your own. There a new attraction near the Dockyard called Snorkel Park. I also visited one of the lighthouses and you can visit one of the many forts on the island like Fort St Catherine if you like that type activity.

In the town of Hamilton we took a walking tour which took us to the Cathedral of the Most Holy, a maritime museum and a nice garden/park a few blocks from the port. There is shopping in Hamilton and restaurants, but not much else. The best way to get around in Bermuda is to buy a transportation pass (may be able to get it on ship) which will let you take the buses, and the ferry, all over the island. There is a big bus depot just a couple blocks from where ships dock in the town of Hamilton. You can take the buses to the beach, they are not very far away and easy to get to from the bus stop. You want to go to Elbow Beach and Long Bay Beach, both open to the public.

bluedreams1810

You can check out: www.cruisecritic.com. This is a great website. It talks about different cruise lines, ports of calls, and ships. It even has reviews from other members. It really is a good resource. I've gone on 3 carnival cruises and love carnival, but I do want to try a Royal Caribbean one in the future. You just need to figure out what kind of ports you are interested in and then go from there.

Good luck!

J.J.

Yes. Bermuda is a nice isolated place for a cruise ----if you are in your 50's or 60's!

marek

Try Bahamas (http://cs.cruisebase.com/cs/forms/cruiseresultspage.aspx?CD=12&DF=1/1/1980&CL=&CV=&CP=&CSP=-1&SN=false&MT=false&phone=&home=http://www.ytbtravel.com/&EO=false&AG=256&REF=BS&PIN=YTB418748&LID=) or Caribbean (http://cs.cruisebase.com/cs/forms/cruiseresultsPage.aspx?CD=5&DF=4/1/2009&DT=12/31/2009&CL=0|0&CV=-1&ships=-1&ports=-1&sort=10&SN=false&MT=false&ZP1=-1&ZP2=&PC=&Phone=&Home=http%3A//www.ytbtravel.com/&EO=false&Ref=BS&PIN=YTB418748&LID=&look=&template=&AG=256&ADV=&PSL=Y&logo=&branch=&GroupOnly=false, http://cs.cruisebase.com/cs/forms/cruiseresultsPage.aspx?CD=5&DF=4/1/2009&DT=12/31/2009&CL=0|0&CV=-1&ships=-1&ports=-1&sort=10&SN=false&MT=false&ZP1=-1&ZP2=&PC=&Phone=&Home=http%3A//www.ytbtravel.com/&EO=false&Ref=BS&PIN=YTB418748&LID=&look=&template=&AG=256&ADV=&PSL=Y&logo=&branch=&GroupOnly=false)

lricecake

I've been on one Royal Caribbean and one Carnival, and they were both incredible. They both had casinos, and a huge selection of food. I've never been to Bermuda, but we went to the Bahamas, which was really cool, along with St. Thomas, St. Martin, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel (not all on one cruise), and every place was worth seeing. When you pick your cruise, make sure you like the ports that you're stopping at, because they add a lot to your experience. If you're looking for something big and fancy, I would recomend Royal Caribbean. But if you're looking for something on the cheap side, I'd go with Carnival.

Barkley Hound

I would go to the Cruise Critic forum. It is the largest cruise forum and you will get great advice there.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php

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SWC

here are a few sites that could help you out but if you need more help just email me.
: http://www.ytbtravel.com/Cruises.aspx?wa=18KTravel
Princess cruise lines: http://cs.cruisebase.com/sites_cruise/princess/?skin=256&HOME=http://www.ytbtravel.com&PIN=YTB277795
Crystal cruises: http://cs.cruisebase.com/sites_cruise/crystal/?skin=256&HOME=http://www.ytbtravel.com&PIN=YTB277795
Carnival: http://cs.cruisebase.com/sites_cruise/carnival/?skin=256&HOME=http://www.ytbtravel.com&PIN=YTB277795
Costa cruise lines: http://cs.cruisebase.com/sites_cruise/costa/?skin=256&HOME=http://www.ytbtravel.com&PIN=YTB277795
Disney: http://cs.cruisebase.com/sites_cruise/disney/?skin=256&HOME=http://www.ytbtravel.com&PIN=YTB277795
Holland American line: http://cs.cruisebase.com/sites_cruise/holland/?skin=256&HOME=http://www.ytbtravel.com&PIN=YTB277795
Cruise packagae: http://cs.cruisebase.com/cs/forms/cruiseresultspage.aspx?CD=-1&DF=3/1/2008&CL=6|9&CV=-1&CP=-1&CSP=-1&SN=false&MT=false&Phone=&Home=&EO=false&AG=256&Ref=BS&PIN=YTB277795&LID

Stan

I think you will have to determine which cruise line is for you by trial and error. It seems that the more expensive the cruise, the more formal/traditional it is. Some people like Norwegian because it is very casual (and therefore cheaper). I believe that more people like Royal Caribbean. It's more formal, but some people like the elegance and dressing up for dinner.

Bermuda is nice, but to me the ultimate cruise destination is the Mediterranean and the Greek Islands.

My advice is to first choose the itinerary you like (Caribbean, Mexico, Mediterranean, etc.) then compare the cruise lines that have those offerings.

All the cruise lines have gambling on board roulette, blackjack, slots, Caribbean stud, etc. If you really like to gamble a cruise to Monte Carlo may be an option.

The food on the cruise is varied and plentiful. You will find just about anything you are looking for.

Time travler

I agree that cruise critic is a great place to get info. I go there all the time, but now I will give you my opinion. I have been on 9 cruises, all with Princess. Princess has outstanding food, plus they have a very special meal called the Chefs dinner. It does cost $75 extra per person, but that includes a behind the scenes tour, wine and good champagne, a autographed cookbook and a 4 hours beautiful dinner that is up to the standards of some of the finest restaurants in the USA if not the world. Princess also has fewer children on their ships, but they do have great kids programs. They also have asian, Japanese, and Italian as well as food from many other places. For your first cruise, a cruise to Bermuda, or the Caribbean is a perfect choice. Just do not choose a cruise to one of these places during hurricane season(June through October). Also, do consider a cruise to Alaska. That is a spectacular cruise.

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