What is a great cruise line? We have traveled alot but have not done a cruise? Help! Kinda spooked!?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

You will not find a cruise line or ship with NO kids, but you can select a cruise that will have very few kids by remembering these points.

First, the cruise line that has the majority of its passengers as seniors, people about age 50 and above is Holland America Cruise line.

Other good cruise lines that do not have as many kids as others are Princess, Celebrity and Norwegian.

You will find fewer kids on cruises that have an itinerary other than the Caribbean or Mexico. Those are the fun places where people go and take their kids most often. If you do a cruise to Alaska, New England/Canada, the Mediterranean, the Baltic and other European itineraries there will be fewer kids.

You will find fewer kids on cruises that are longer than 7 days; for example those that are 12 to 14 days.

Even though there are kids on all cruise ships they are not a problem because all of the cruise lines do have kids' programs and special areas on the ships for kids to hang out and play AND professional staff persons who keep the kids busy all day. So even if there are kids its not at all like they are under foot and annoying.

The cruise line that you want to stay away from are Disney, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. However, some Royal Caribbean cruises do not have that many kids.

The above is based on my experience on 20 cruises or various lengths on 4 different cruise lines.

rachfig93

royal is really nice

Bonnie L

Royal Caribbean is one of the best!! There are kids but you will not see many if any at all.

Mitchell O

Royal Caribbean is amazing would suggest alaska, i went there it was awesome! Royal Caribbean by far, but princess is also great!

sbird

I don't know which are the best. But I advise you to stay away from Carnival cruises out of Galveston. The ship we went on was filthy and the meals were terrible. I have heard it said that if you are going on a cruise, you should splurge for a cabin with a balcony. That is the only thing to make it a more bearable experience. The cabins are tiny as can be, so it gets a little claustrophobic.
You are smart to do a lot of research beforehand.

Monica

i like royal carribbean the best out of norweigan carnival and royal

wrkn4life30

I went on a 3 star Royal Caribbean ship last year and it was wonderful. I am going on a 4 star this time in a few weeks I can't wait GO FOR ROYAL CARIBBEAN!!!!

MomSezNo

Look at Celebrity and Princess. Or, depending on your age, Holland - it's not just for the "old fogies", but it is pretty quiet and very traditional.

Since you've never cruised, I'd suggest you get a book on cruising from your library or bookstore and read up. There are so many variables in choosing a cruise.

A great source for lots of specific info is CruiseCritic.com. Click on "Cruise Styles" at the top of the page to get an overall picture of what the different lines/ships are like. Click on "Reviews" and read the professionals' opinions about the different ships, then read "Member Reviews". Click on "Boards" and go to whatever topic interests you there.

VacationsToGo.com is an easy site to navigate to get an idea of what cruises are available, whether or not you want to book with them. You might want to compare prices with Expedia, Travelocity, etc., although prices don't really vary all that much for the same cabin on the same trip.

A travel agent with experience in booking cruises can be of great help for a "newbie", too. But you'll need to have some idea of what you want: itinerary, size/age of ship, passenger demographics, type/location of cabin, time of year, etc, etc.

Good luck - hope you find just the right cruise for you.

Mary L

I suggest you meet with a travel agent who books a lot of cruises with a lot of cruise lines. There is no way to avoid all children, but you can travel with fewer of them if you travel during the school year and not during Thanksgiving, Christmas to New Year, and spring break times. I have seen absolute monsters and delightful children. You might particularly enjoy Holland America, Princess, and Cunard ships, which generally have couples and people over age 40. Most of the horror stories I have heard have come from people on Carnival cruises -- very long lines, lots of drunks, and very little sound-proofing between cabins. I have not personally been on Carnival, and am not the party-hardy type, and really enjoy Cunard most of all. I urge you to book a cabin with a veranda, which will give you a private balcony -- it's well worth the extra money! It's lovely to be able to be out on your own private veranda late at night watching the water and other ships in the distance, to have room service breakfast on your veranda, and to watch the ship come into port and leave port. As to price, I try to aim for $200 per person per day cost, not including air fare and shopping. By booking early you will have great chances for very reasonable fares and choice of cabin.

spunky96

I think it all depends on the time of year you go.. If you go while the kids are still in school you will get less children if any on board. Dont go around spring break and christmas time because the kids are home from school then. I prefer Royal Caribbean. I've been on 2 cruises and loved them both. Once with just my husband and last year with my kids. Cruising is the best way to see many ports. Once you take a cruise you will love it. Do some research online and look at different cruise lines and see which ones serves yrou needs best. Good luck

ggcj.new1

Look on P&O web site, they have some child free ships and good destinations.

OBAMA/BIDEN!!!(:

I once went on a royal carribean cruise, there were a few kids around my age (15-18)but we mostly stayed in the kids area and hung out with each other . My parents loved it they had really great food and a lot of fun adult things to do .

Um if you don't want to be around kids then go on a cruise for longer than a week . Kids usually only go on the 3 or 4 day ones . Good luck .

Penny B

personally, i will not do RCCL. but I hear, and this is the reason why I won't do one, the place gets like a ghost town after a certain hour. Most RCCL cruisers go with them because there are fewer KIDS on board.

I prefer Carnival, and will only sail them because it is cheaper for us, and we like them.

I actually got crappy service when I called RCCL about booking. But was treated like a dream when I called Carnival.

A lot of older couples prefer RCCL. But if you like to party, then you may want to go with Carnival, but then you got the kids to contend with, which you seldom see because of the fact that there are so many kids activities going on and the staff keeps them busy.

I am sure the QE2 would be good for you also. If you want no kids. But too rich for my taste.

RCCL, you are paying for a Rock wall, wave pool, ice skating rink, and things like that.

Jennifer N

My son & father went on several cruises via the carnival cruise lines. They spoke highly of them. I personally sailed upon the Galileo ship to the Bahamas, You will find this ship at the how2 vacation address below. Hope this helps you.

www.carnival.com www.how2vacation.com/Cruises

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