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If you want to cruise from Florida you have 4 cruise ports to consider; Tampa, Port Canaveral, Ft Lauderdale and/or Miami. Here are links to those cruise ports and each has a calender of cruises leaving from each and the cruise lines available.
Tampa: http://www.tampaport.com/subpage.asp?navid=&id=3
Port Canaveral:
http://www.portcanaveral.org/index2.php
Port Eveglades/Ft Lauderdale: http://www.porteverglades.org/index.php
Miami: http://www.miamidade.gov/portofmiami/cruise_schedule.asp
There are a lot of factors that affect what cruise you should select. Cruises generally cost about $125.00 per day per person AND all cruises are priced based on double occupancy (2 people per cabin).
Since cruises can be 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, or 14 days or more the price will depend mostly on how many days your cruise is. Then 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.
All cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy and the prices listed will be per person and based on at least two people going on the cruise. If you have a 3rd and/or 4th person in your cabin their fare is generally about 50% of the first two persons. The price you pay will depend also 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. There are also some subcategories within each category with cabins on a higher deck, and/or a better location on ship (like midship), and/or that are slightly larger costing more. So as you browse, pay attention to the square footage of the cabins. You may not want to pay more for the same sized cabin on a higher floor; or vice versa do pay less for the same cabin on a lower deck.
You can reserve a cruise on line, by calling the cruise line, or through a travel agent by paying the minimum deposit which will be between $250 and $350 per person for a 7 day cruise, depending upon the cruise line. The minimum will be more for a longer cruise, for example $450 per person for a 14 day cruise. The balance will be due approximately 60 days before the cruise departure date. But you can make periodic payment on line or with the cruise line. I have reserved on line and made payments many times.
MY ADVICE is to do a cruise of 5 to 7 days. You really need
that amount of time to get a good feel for all of the types of activities that cruises offer. In addition, the prices for 7 day cruises are great; many cruise lines have specials. You will likely find that Carnival and Royal Caribbean and maybe Norwegian are available at all of the Florida ports.
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 really cheap cruise. A seven day cruise on a Carnival ship can be as low as $750. per person. :http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/cms/f...
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. Things like ice skating, roller blading, mini-golf course, a full sized 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:
You can look at the features of these ships on these two web links:
Freedom Class:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...
Voyager Class:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...
For the most part all cruises are all inclusive. Let me explain.
Regardless of which cruise line you select, Carnival, RC, NCL or any other, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:
GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice. So everything on ship except the casino is cashless; everything you buy goes on your account.
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.
PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.
TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive.
SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.
CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.
OTHER: most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.
SPA SERVICES: If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.
INTERNET SVCS: Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).
You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7). |
Kristina L
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Honestly, the beginner part doesn't matter so much. It's more like what type of cruise is best for you! If you have kids I would suggest Disney or Carnival. If you want a cruise with limited kids, I would suggest Holland America. The destinations will again depend on your taste. Do you like to shop? St Thomas is a great place for you to go. Do you like Mayan Ruins? Try the Western Caribbean - multiple stops will offer different sites. Once you figure out which cruise line you like, poke around in their 'shore excursions' to find out what kind of things they offer. Even if you aren't interested in doing shore excursions it's an easy way to determine what each port will be like: nature oriented, beach oriented, heavily commercialized, etc
If all else fails, throw a dart at your options and just go with it. Chances are you'll have fun either way! |
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