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Cruises are a great way to experience a destination without being stuck there for your whole vacation. You may find you love one port, but don't really enjoy the next. But, no worries, you will only be there a few hours. The best part is for the ones you really enjoy you can always make a return visit. . What better place to spend time with your loved ones, it's romantic, there is nothing but you and your wife on a beautiful cruise with ocean just passing by.
Your situation is a little difficult since you are wanting to avoid a lot of kids, but still have a nicer cruise for young adults. Also, most of the lines that cater to a younger crowd don't offer food that is as good as some of the lines that cater to an older crowd. For example, Royal Caribbean and Carnival are very popular for families, kids and young adults. But, you will usually see a lot of kids onboard (in many cases they aren't well behaved) and the food isn't always the best quality. But, they offer more entertainment for young adults, night life, etc. Some of the nicer lines like Princess, Celebrity, Cunard, etc. which offer great food, don't offer as much to the younger crowd. You will see a lot less families onboard which means fewer kids, but sometimes they can be a little boring for couples looking for night life and entertainment for a slightly younger crowd. Then there are lines like Disney that kind of fall in between. Disney is great for kids, and their kids activities are so great that you don't see kids as often as you do on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, of course there will be some cases where you will see them. The food is pretty good, the service is great, they offer activities for adults only as well, but not always what everyone is looking at.
The best thing to do is look into some different lines, find a few that interest you and then look more into some of their ships. Then, look into what activities they offer onboard and see which one will interest you the most.
If you have done quite a bit of traveling I would suggest doing something a little out of the ordinary, the Caribbean cruises, etc are all quite common. I would suggest something that goes to the Mediterranean, or through the Panama Canal, Alaska, the Mexican Riviera, etc. These are all wonderful cruises to take, but they tend to run a little more than cruises that go to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, etc. but are well worth the extra money. These are also destinations that are a little more special, perfect for a special ocassion. But really, just about any destination you choose will be awesome.
As for lines, there are many out there. The two biggest things to consider are your age and how much you want to spend. Carnival is the lowest cost cruise, but being lower in cost means that it is also more appealing to younger travelers. You will see more college aged kids, young families, young couples, etc. then you will see on other lines. Because of the younger age range you will notice that partying, drinking, gambling, etc. are also more popular. The biggest thing to remember though that just because Carnival is the least expensive initially, once you factor in the things that Carnival doesn't include, it can end up being more than some of the other, nicer, lines. Carnival tends to be an Ala carte cruise meaning the very basics are included in your price and most everything else is extra. Personally, Carnival is my least favorite line, not quite as clean as the others, not quite the service, food, etc. but some people really like it, so it very much depends on the traveler. In my experience, Carnival has really declined in the past 10 years or so with their service and many other areas.
Royal Caribbean is a little more expensive and the average age will be closer to 30s or 40s (also remember the average age depends a lot of the cruise in general, for example older couples tend to travel to Alaska than do young couples and families) Here you are getting a slightly nicer line, with still many onboard activities, good ports, etc. This is still not one of my favorite lines, but I feel the extra money is worth it over Carnival. But, the food (on most of the ships, especially the ones without the signature restaurants) doesn't compare to some of the nicer lines, service could use some improvement, not quite as clean as some of the lines, etc.
Princess is a really wonderful line as well. This line is a little more popular with a slightly older crowd, I believe the average age tends to be 40s, 50s and 60s and up. The food is always great, the atmosphere is elegant, service is almost unbeatable. A few other lines I would put at this category, or possibly a little higher would be something like Cunard or Celebrity, both great lines, but a little more expensive. Just remember, that when you get into some of the more expensive/elegent lines, you are also looking at a slightly older onboard age, which means that the ship may not be as "party" oriented as some of the lines that appeal more to families and younger travelers. Be sure to look at some of the past activities that the ship has offered to see if it will be of interest to you. A lot of people go on Princess and don't like it because it is a quite, more laid back ship, if you want to really have fun, go dancing, party all night, etc. this may not be the best line. For example, you will find that on a lot of Princess cruises, the majority of passengers are in bed by 11 at night, so that means the ship is quite and you can have the whole ship, virtually, to yourself. Some people like to have the quite time to relax and enjoy the ship, others would prefer to be out and about.
Believe it or not, Disney is also a wonderful line. Even though most people think they are more for families and children, it is still a great line. You don't pay quite as much as some of the more expensive lines, but you still get really great service and some of the perks of the other lines. Disney is great because they have a kids friendly atmosphere, i.e. no smoking, gambling, etc. if you aren't into that type of thing. I remember going on my first Disney cruise after having been on some of the other lines for families, it just blows them away. The only problem is going on Disney as your first cruise, it can really spoil you for future cruises. Disney just goes over the top for everything they do, the shows are amazing, food is great, service is unbeatable, etc. After you have gone on Disney, if you go to some of the other lines, it can be dissapointing. You will be paying more, but the money is well spent, in my opinion.
So age is something to really consider. However, if you enjoy a more energetic atmosphere, go with the younger crowds, or vice versa, you like a more laid back relaxing atmosphere, go with the lines like Princess.
Also, keep in mind that the itinerary has a lot to do with which line. For example, Princess offers some of the best cruises to Alaska, while NCl offers some of the best for Hawaii.
Cruising really is a great vacation, one of the most relaxing you will ever have. So my suggestion, if you are just looking to get a taste of cruising, go with the lower cost cruises, just to see if you like it. Shorter cruises are less expensive, but the longer the cruise, the more the average per day cost is, so that is also something to keep in mind. Finally, if you are flexible, check with your travel agent for specials. Many companies will offer agents exclusive deals for last minute trips, and/or group rates for really great rates.
Also, remember, this is just a very basic beginning for the best lines. There are so many lines and cruise options, it is really hard to go into all the details in a semi-short answer. The lines I listed are just the more common cruises that are more for the every day traveler than someone wanting something different or unique from ordinary cruising.
Hopefully this answers your question and doesn't just all run together and make no sense. If you have any questions or I need to clarify something, please e-mail me, I'm glad to help!
I've also included a link to Cruise Critic, this is one of the most informative sites for each cruise line. |
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