Need advice please help?

Show all answers

TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on more than 20 cruises on Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships and can vouch that they are good cruise lines. I do recommend all of these but you need to know that there are some differences that you need to be aware of in making your selection.

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 (65 and up) 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 does have the most alternative eating places, but you will have to pay a fee of $10 to $20 per person per visit to eat at some of them. All other cruise lines also have these alternatives but usually only two such places.

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, like ice skating, roller skating, mini-golf course, a 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.

There are a lot of factors that affect what cruise you should select. All cruises are priced based on double occupancy (2 people per cabin). The cruise lines give the best price for early bookings that are a year or more in advance. Cruise lines also list specials on their web sites so do look for those. The specials can many times save you a couple hundred per person over the price for the exact same cruise on a different date.

The price you pay will depend mostly 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. You can reserve a cruise by booking on line; by calling the cruise line, or through a travel agent. You will pay at booking the minimum deposit which will be between $250 and $350 per person for a 7 day cruise, depending upon the cruise line. The balance will be due approximately 65 days before the cruise departure date.

You can get a great 7 day cruise on any of the cruise lines I have mentioned for well within your budget. Its best to look at all of the alternatives dates and pick the lowest priced date rather than first picking a date and trying to find a cheap cruise on that date. Cruise prices change by the week; here's an example: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000d8VCBs9AOfL0k1iWj0Bejhb:12hdhu6tq?packageCode=AD07D028&date=ANY&selectedCurrencyCode=&promoType=&hasSenior=&hasMilitary=&hasFireandPolice=&state=

Here's another: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itineraryAndPricing.do;jsessionid=0000d8VCBs9AOfL0k1iWj0Bejhb:12hdhu6tq?packageCode=LB07E019&date=ANY&selectedCurrencyCode=USD&promoType=&hasSenior=&hasMilitary=&hasFireandPolice=&state=

Note looking at these sites how a cruise that is $1400 per person in June is only $998 per person in October. You'll also find the best price options on cruises leaving from Florida. And Port Canaveral, Ft Lauderdale and Miami have all of the best and newest ships.

My suggestion would be a cruise to the Western Caribbean cruise because they leave from several ports and offer great beaches as well as the opportunity to visit Mayan ruins.

Western Caribbean cruises typically go to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and a private cruise line island. If you go to Cozumel there is the opportunity to buy a tour to see Mayan ruins. Its considered the best place to go for scuba and snorkeling. If you go to Jamaica the two main attractions are a river raft float trip (not rapids) and the Dunn's River Falls climb. If you go to Grand Cayman you will likely want to go to 7-Mile Beach ( a short taxi/mini-van ride ($4-$5 per person each way), or do a swim with the dolphins/stingrays tour.

marek

Speaking of prices check out this website: http://cs.cruisebase.com/cs/forms/cruiseresultsPage.aspx?CD=-1&DF=4/1/2009&DT=12/31/2009&CL=6|9&CV=-1&ships=-1&ports=-1&sort=2&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

theman

I have sailed both Royal Caribbean and Carnival and I personally prefer Carnival of the two. I also just returned from a cruise on the new Carnival Splendor, Mexican Riviera. It was not that expensive at all, and forget about it being the "budget" cruise line. Lots of people that havent sailed Carnival before hear from others its a "party" ship for only college kids...Im here to say thats not true. Yeah they had a few college kids on board, but honestly, not many at all! Look into that cruise, it was the best cruise we have been on :)

CopaSis

Depends on where you want to go and what you want to do....and your age. Some cruise lines are geared towards over 50, some younger, some families. Some boats are very large, and some are smaller. Time of year is important too, Jul-Oct is hurricane season in the caribbean and while they still may sail, you may miss ports of call due to storms at sea.

I've personally cruised on RCL and my parents on Princess. We can attest that they are great lines, check them out!

sally b

A cruise for 7 or 8 nights is definitely in your price range. Part of what will determine the cost is where you live and thus, what it will cost to get to the ship. The other factor will be the cabin you want. I am an agent with Cruises Inc and would be glad to help you with this. You should always go to a cruise specialist as there is no charge for our services and we have access to all the specials and we know all the cruise lines and can help pick the one that is right for you.

Tori

You can get some great deals right now on trips for this year. I hate to disagree with another poster, but the trips a year out are currently priced more expensively than the the ones in the next few months. There are some empty cabins that the cruise lines really want to fill, but are apparently hoping the economy will improve so are holding out for higher prices for bookings for next year.

TheDiva

I'll answer that!

I happen to have an on-line travel agency and right now is a great time to book your Fall cruise! Prices are great and I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.

If you send an e-mail to me I will be happy to point you to my web site. You really want to get a glance at the beautiful destinations and prices first, and then we can talk once you have a handle on where you might like to go.

My e-mail address is: thelioness51@yahoo.com.

Isabelle

Hi,

I have my personal experiences on the cruises I made (2x Carnival and 1x Royal Caribbean) described on my website: http://www.isabellestravelguide.com/Caribbean-travel-guide.html
as well as some cruise tips.

Also a nice website for reviews on cruises is cruisediva.com and cruisecritic.com

It depends on where you're coming from to where you're going... I mean, I'm from Europe and I did all 3 cruises in the Caribbean, my main expenses were the flight tickets! But if you're closer to the Caribbean, you can probably find a good deal on a cruise-only.

Hope this helps! Good luck with choosing a nice cruise.

Happy Travels,
Isabelle from www.isabellestravelguide.com

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: