How doI choose the best cruise?:?

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travel guy

#1 - talk to a travel agent that is a cruise specialist.

The first question is where and when do you want to cruise. The choices are constantly growing: the Caribbean has three options: Eastern, (my wife's favorite for shopping in St. Thomas) or Western ports (generally more adventurious shore excursions). For a Southern Caribbean cruise (my favorite), you'll need to fly to San Juan; then there's Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riveria, Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Pacific, Hawaii, South Pacific, the Orient, Europe (too many options to list here), and a growing popularity for European River Cruising and Barging.

The next question is how structured you want your cruise to be. Most ocean cruise lines have "assigned" dining times and various dress codes for dinner (formal nights, casual nights, etc.). Others have "Freestyle" or "Personal Choice" Dining. In other words, they have 6-10 restrauants for you to choose from, and you eat when, where, and with whom you want - and dress as casual as you please.

Your budget does come in to play in both departure city and cabin selection. A quick scale, from least expenseive to most expensive cabin types is: Inside; Oceanview; Balcony; Suite. The best location for least motion is as close to mid-ship as possible - another factor that not too many people realize is that the higher decks have more motion than the lower decks.

Some final thoughts; 1) make sure you use a good travel agent; 2) ask your travel agent to price out "Celebrity Cruise Line" for you - absolutely the best (our personal favorite!); and 3) remember that August - October is hurricane season in the Caribbean.

Have fun - planning is a big part of the enjoyment!

Lex

First of all, think about places that would interest you. You might want to consider climate, culture, and what you hope to see while on your cruise. For me, I have always loved Alaska because I like the colder weather. When I knew where I wanted to go, I went to a travel agent and he asked me which cities/ports I wanted to go to. So pretty much, find out what you want to see and then make final arrangements with your travel agent. If you don't go through a travel agent, visit the different cruise line's web sites and pick out which cruise fits your wants the best.

cruise junkie

always talk to a travel agent...be honest with them with what you want and they will help you find what you want. most have been where ever you want to go , or someone in there office has.

missanglgrl

depends on where you want to go

nokhada5

http://www2.cruisesonly.com/reviews/masterships.asp?home=1&cid=cYAH200610012080

I checked the above site before I picked which cruise line to go with. We ended up with Carnival, and loved it.

grudgrime

talk to a travel agent. They will tell you all about each one. Tell them your needs and wants and they will help you choose the best one for you.

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