New to cruising-I need some advice? Where to go? Which cruise line?

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Allen H

we cruised with carnivial for 6 years in a row..then last summer we went on a royal caribbean, wow...what a difference. We will never cruise with Carnivial again...RC is the only way to go, bigger nicer ships, friendlier staff, much better food...we were on Freedom of the Seas..holds 4000 people and we never felt crowded.

David T

OK, you might start by going to cruisecritic.com and read some reviews of different ships and cruiselines. I personally like the Carribean over the Bahamas. Cruising in this area is usually done from Dec-May. They do have cruises in the fall but you run the risk of hurricanes and it gets too hot during the summer (the ships go to Europe of Alaska or South America).
Of the 3 lines you mentioned, I would pick either Princess or Norwegian. Of course I also like Celebrity. Norwegian & Princess will generally have a younger passenger profile than Celebrity, but Celebrity is generally younger than some of the really expensive lines.
Right now there are lots of great bargains so check the prices carefully

Bedford S

I live in the Mid Atlantic & I go cruising in Jan-Mar time frame to the Caribbean. I like leaving the cold weather. We have been to every carribean island including the bahamas and had fun each time. I haven't been on Norwegian or Princess, but compared to other cruises Royal Carri bean wasn't that good. The food was outstanding on Holland America, but they seemed to have a extremely older crowd couples married 65 years or longer. The cruise line I enjoyed th most was Celebrity, cost a little more well worth it... They had more middle aged crowd. But go to Cruisecritic.com to see what other people write about the ship you are considering going on.

Mary L

I suggest you meet with a travel agent who books lots of cruises. That way, you will get reliable advice, lots of good information, and help when you decide to book your trip. And a travel agent costs you nothing!

sally b

There are too many variables for it to be answered here. You really need a travel agent, and it would be best if you had a cruises specialist which is what I am. There is no charge for the service and cruise prices will be as low or lower than you can get online. If you would like to talk about it, you can contact me through my website below. I especially like to help first time cruisers because if you get the right cruise the first time, you will be back for more. I have personally been on over 30 cruises and 8 different lines and they have all been great for the most part.

Time travler

I have gone on two different cruises to the Caribbean, both with Princess. The first one started Oct 31, the last day of hurricane season. The other cruise to the caribbean was in January. The closer you go to the summer time, not only do you have to worry about hurricanes, but the humidity and heat can be pretty unbearable. Princess has wonderful food, service and is an all around classy ship. Princess does not have caribbean cruises during the summer except out of NYC, which I appreciate. After the hurricane season, Princess does the caribbean cruises mostly out of Florida. This is a great cruise for first timers. You would not go wrong with Princess.

Bill S

I have only been on Royal Caribbean and was pleased with the service and cruise. We went to the Bahamas and had a good time. The best time to travel depends on if you are taking kids or nor we went in May and there was hardly any kids on the boat. Also keep in mind Hurricane season. Enjoy!!!

BVG

A lot depends on what you want to do. Carnival owns every other line except Royal and Celebrity ( a division of Royal). So you will see similiarities on all Carnival lines. Carnival tends you lean toward younger passengers more looking to party so if this is what you want, target toward when colleges are out. Royal is more mellow and upscale - great family programs and excellent service. When I go on cruises, I go 7 days and Caribbean - because all the hassle in flying there and getting ready - it takes me 3 days to truly relax and the cost is not that much more on some cruises. Norweign leans toward the older crowd and Princess is probably the best comparison to Royal.

Sept and Oct is good for pricing but it is hurricane season..however it is when I usually cruise because if the ship is heading for a storm, they reroute to other islands. I have never had a problem.

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