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I have been on many cruises and have several booked right now. We cruised the Mediterranian a couple years ago on a Royal Caribbean ship, departing from Barcelona,Spain. Our cruise was 12 days and stopped in 3 ports for Italy, 3 for Greece (the Greek Isles of Mykonos and Santorini) 1 in Turkey, and 1 in France. The ship had a mixture of passengers of various ages, country, and ethnicity. There were a few families with kids.
If you want to be with a primarily young (21 to 35) crowd then Carnival is probably the best for you. it is a budget line that caters to the young and first time cruisers. But in my opinion you will get a better cruise on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Norwegian Cruise lines. Also, if you want a younger crowd cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico tend to have a younger crowd than do those going to historic places like the Med.
Here's what a cruise is like.
Cruises are one of THE best vacations you can take. Once you are on ship the staff caters to you, its whatever you want. There is something to do all day every day. When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) will have an on board charge account set up and receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir, tours, photos, etc) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will have you insert your key card into a scanner and then will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card. Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship.
Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. Some ships may offer a galley (kitchen) tour or a tour of the bridge. There will be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.
All ships, except Disney, have a casino with slots and table games. Ships have movie theaters, generally small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room. They have ATM’s and a purser’s desk where you can cash a check or exchange currency if you need to. There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.
Ships have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.
There are always pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course. The newer Royal Caribbean ships have a rock climbing wall and the newest one has a pool for water surfing.
There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf. Ships have internet cafes and some offer WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent). There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music. Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave. On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party |
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The demographics of cruising in general have changed over the years. The average age of cruisers is 35-59 and they have usually a middle to upper middle class income. However, the cruise you take may have different mix of people depending on the cruise line and the timing. Older cruiser have a tendency to be upper middle income and cruise on Seaborn, Radisson or Reagent Seven Seas. The companies like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess have a younger clientele. If you want a good price on a Mediterranean cruise with a young cruising demographic, Carnival has a Large ship which has a nice cruise out of Civitacchia (the port for Rome). There are many other choices also. The best idea is to see a Travel Agent, especially one specializing in cruises, they often have the best deals and can tell you about the individual ships and the types of cruisers and entertainment you can expect from each. Each ship and cruise line is different. If price is a major concern get a price from your cruise consultant and then check it against prices on-line. You will see that the travel agents usually have good deals because they often book blocks of space early.
Another source of cruises is Sky Auction and occasionally Ebay (but check out the Ebay prices you may end up paying more) |
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