New to cruising - any tips?

[kbkids]

DH and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary next October. We are thinking about taking a cruise. I know this board is going to be very biased on which cruise line to use - - but I love these boards and have learned so much from them. Those of you who have experienced other cruise lines, which would you recommend? We do plan to take a Disney Cruise at some point, but I really want to take the kids with us on that cruise - this one will just be DH and I. Is there any particular cruise line we should avoid? Any good experiences? Thanks for your tips!

 

[lbgraves]

If I had the chance to go on a cruise without the kids I would definantly take a Disney cruise. I wont get the chance to do alot of activities until they get older & I depend on them to stay in the clubs. Also, there is no chance of going to the clubs at night since they are tired by 10...and so are we getting up with them at 6.

 

[tvguy]

I've cruised DCL, HAL, RCCL, NCL and Paquet. Other than Paquet, I would cruise any of the above without hesitation.

TVGUY'S CRUISE TIPS
----------------------

1) Pick the destinations you would to see.


2) Pick the time you would like to go.
Keep #1 in mind, because some lines go to different ports different weeks. Disney alternates Western and Eastern ports from week to week. We ended up on Disney after booking on HAL, only to discovery the week we were going HAL went to Mexican ports, no Caribbean ports. It was the only week of the year that ship went to those Mexican ports. We canceled within 24 hours so no penalty.

3) Set a price range in your head.
Keep # 2 in mind, because moving a cruise up or back a week can move you out of peak times and save you hundreds of dollars.

4) Decide what type of cabin you want.
Inside.....outside with small porthole, outside with a big porthole, outside with a verandah, or suite. The price difference can be thousands of dollars per person. Keep #2 and # 3 in mind, because moving your vacation to an off peak week can get you a better cabin for the same price as a less nice cabin during a peak week.

5) Decide what type of vacation atmosphere you want.
Disney? Go Disney. Top flight service, food and ships? Go HAL, Disney, NCL, RCCL. Binge drinking and 24 hour parties? Go Carnival.
Gourmet French food and free wine with lunch and dinner? Go Paguet.

6) Ask your friends, ask a travel agent.
Travel agents, both online and traditional will be happy to send you brochures for lines they have had good experiences with.

7) Decide how you want to eat:
Traditional cruise dining room, with a choise or early of late seating? Freestyle like NCL offers? Traditional cruise dining, but rotating between restaurants like Disney does? The option of eating at a buffet instead? The option of an extra cost premium restaurant?

8) Now you should have a few ships in mind. Go to Google. Type the ships name in, read all the reviews....see what people like, see what they don't like.
For example, a search of NCL's Pride Of America reveals that this ship is completely different from any other NCL ship. It is American flagged, and has an American staff, and that has been a DISASTER. NCL has had to refund parts of passengers fare, and even part of the automatic tips they collect because the the service on this ONE ship is among the worst in the industry. It is a beautiful new ship, but passengers have complained that their cabins don't get cleaned, their wait staff is rude and incompetent, and the food is bad.

Having issued that warning, I'd say any cruise is better than not cruising. Hope that helps.

 

[kbkids]

lbgraves: I hadn't thought about that. We're going to Disney this weekend, just DH and I, purposely to do just what you described - Pleasure Island, never been to because we always have the kids, Candlelight Processional - kids would never sit still long enough, etc.
However, as I was thinking, "Wow, that makes sense," I saw your picture with the kids in the window. Man, that is so cute!! And then I instantly thought, I bet I'd spend the whole cruise thinking how much the kids would enjoy this, and I'd feel guilty the whole time for leaving them behind! Maybe if they had already been and experienced it, it wouldn't bother me - but not for our first trip. I'm already having moments now second-guessing myself about this weekend, and the kids have been to Disney 5 times this year alone.

tvguy: Wow! Thanks!! You've given me a lot to start with. We've flown to Mexico and Jamaica before, so I'm thinking probably more Eastern Caribbean. I do like the idea of freestyle dining - not so much into the major party cruise - thanks for all the tips on where to start. I appreciate it!

 

[TheWog]

We crusied DCL in January with our DS6 and loved it. We are doing a no-kids cruise with some friends and we chose RCI's Enchantment. Similar ship in size and capacity to Disney, but different. Also, a slightly shorter itinerary, which works for us. We are very much looking forward to it. Other lines will cost you less than Disney for the same ports and similar ships. DS7 wants to go Disney again in January 2006, but if we were to book the Mariner of the Seas, same port, similar itinerary we could save over $1,000 for the same category room. Just a thought for you. Disney is an incredible experience, but I would take the kids.