TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only
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I have been on about 20 cruises and to all of the places that you mentioned and more. I have done two cruises in the Mediterranean and one to Europe (the Baltic countries like Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Norway, etc) and those are nice cruises but not near as much fun as cruises in the Caribbean. If you go to Europe on a cruise you will for sure see some interesting and exciting places, like the Vatican in Rome, or Pompeii in Naples, or the beautiful Greek isles. If your idea of fun is touring museums and historic places then a European cruise would be fun for you.
Cruises to the Mexican Rivera including Cabo St Lucas, Mazlatan, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco are nice and fun and you generally don't have to worry at all about hurricanes because they rarely make it across Mexico to the Pacific. The Mexico cruises are definitely fun, mine was. But the one thing is the beaches on the Pacific side of Mexico are not as pretty as those on the Caribbean side. But they are nice and to me the nicest was in Cabo. On the other hand, the Caribbean has so many more places and beaches, and activities, as options. So I would rate Mexico as second to the Caribbean.
I have cruised all over the Caribbean and to the Bahamas. When cruises go to the Bahamas they are usually short cruises of 3 or 4 days and they go to one Bahama island and then maybe to a cruise line private island. When you go to the Bahamas you get off the ship, go to the straw market, maybe go to the Atlantis hotel, go to a beach or on a booze cruise or glass bottom boat ride. The you get back on the ship at the end of the day and head home. By the time the fun starts its over. So my recommendation based on my experience is a Caribbean cruise.
The cruises to the Caribbean are generally at least 7 days and definitely more fund diverse and exciting. Caribbean cruises can go Eastern (St Thomas, St Maarten and a private island) or Western Caribbean (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and/or Belize or some other Mexican port, plus a private island), or Southern Caribbean to places like Aruba, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, Puerto Rico, etc. There are more beaches that are beautiful and activities like swim with the dolphin or stingrays, Mayan ruins to visit, Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica, 7-Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, and beautiful scenery passing by as you cruise "at sea" days and enjoy all of the activities on ship.
There are actually two Southern Caribbean routes, both of which typically depart from San Juan Puerto Rico. One itinerary usually goes to Aruba, Caracao, and then maybe St Thomas (US Virgin Islands) and St Maarten or Tortola. The other itinerary usually departs from San Juan and goes far south to islands like Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia, or St Croix and Maybe St Thomas. The difference between these two Southern Caribbean routes is one typically has a couple "at sea" days with no port stops and the other has a stop at a different port each day. So with one you get time to enjoy and relax on the ship. The other difference is that the Southern itineraries typically never have a private island stop like the Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises do. The private island stops are fun because its just the people who are on your ship who get off at the island and enjoy beach time and the ships brings food ashore for a beach party.
Getting Started
The first thing you want to do is book very early and that means 9 to 12 months before you want to go. That is because all of the cruise lines do give early booking discounts. You will need to pay a deposit of between $250 and $350 per person, depending upon the cruise line and how many days, to reserve your cruise. The balance will be due about 60 days before your cruise date and you can cancel and get a full refund up to that date if you change your mind or find a better deal.
Second thing is to browse the cruise line web sites for specials. They all have specials listed but Carnival and Royal Caribbean I have found have the easiest to find.
Third, Royal Caribbean ships have the most on board activities of all other cruise lines. In addition to multiple pools and hot tubs and a gym which is pretty much standard on all cruise lines, RC ships have (depending upon the ship) the rock climbing wall, a mini-golf course, a full sized basketball/volleybal/tennis court, an in-line skating track, an ice skating rink, pool tables, and the new Freedom, Liberty and Independence of the Seas ships have the RC exclusive Flowrider where you can surf on a boogie board right on ship.
So give serious consideration to Royal Caribbean if you like to have a lot of fun activities on ship.
The cruise lines that most people who don't have a lot of money to spend go on are Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Norwegian, Carnival, and Disney. My recommendation si to go with the cruise lines listed above and pretty much in the order I have listed them interms of quality and service. |
Jillot
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I have been on a cruise in the Mediterranean and it is fun because each day (or 2) you arrive in a completely different country and new city with different food, language and culture. It is a good way to get a basic intro to Europe as you can ususally wander from the ship directly to the city on foot and enjoy the food/wine and city sights. Of course you can go on organised tours too but it is fun just to wander the streets of a new city. Ours went to Naples, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Malaga, Mallorca, Palermo.
Meant to also say, first check what time of year you want to go, if you are stuck with a particular time, go where the weather is best. If you are flexible, browse the web for your favourite cruise line then browse their schedules for one that takes your fancy. |
PJ
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Really depends on what you like. I'm a big fan of Caribbean, either Eastern or Western. Very relaxing (which is what I consider romantic!), lots of ships so it's easy to find something to fit your schedule, and it's not too expensive.
Europe's somewhat romantic, but there's so much focus on "seeing the sights" it can get a bit hectic. And if you don't go in the summer it can be pretty chilly. (I went in early November and there was definitely no sunbathing!)
Mexico's good if you live on the West Coast, but it's generally a little more expensive than the Caribbean and you don't get as broad a choice of ships.
Bermuda's good if you live in New York and don't want to fly. But there aren't that many options, it's generally more expensive than the Caribbean, and you have a days or two of open seas getting there and back. I don't think it's ideal for a first time cruise.
Since this is your first cruise, you might want to check out the Introduction to Cruises, which explains what life is like onboard, what costs are included/extra, how to avoid getting sea sick, etc.:
http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/introduction_to_cruises
Also, the guide to Choosing a Cruise explains how different cruises feel different -- based on destination, length, time of year, etc.:
http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/choosing_your_cruise
Hope that helps! |
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