Wanted all cruisers!!

[eliza61]

So I've been on one short cruise in my life, many many moons ago. My family is trying to decide on a vacation for next year. We were bouncing around London for a minutes but that looks like it's not going to play out.

Any tips on picking a cruise.

3 adults and 5 young adults from 19-23. Young adults are in college so we're looking at going mid to late June. they want to be back in time to work over the summer.

We're taking a trip later on to Disney so probably don't want to do a Disney cruise.
What other lines do you like?
I think we're pretty easy going folks. Just from what I've read, we would do excursions.

any tips on what to avoid, what makes life easier?

 

[mommasita]

We LOVE cruising.. We have done 12, and after Disney (our kids were younger), our favorite line is Royal Caribbean.. LOVE IT..

With the ages in your group, some of the newer ships with the Rock climbing wall, flow rider, would be a blast in my opinion.. I couldn't get my older teens away from it.. There is SOO much to do...

If you take a look on cruise critic there are great tips.. From the top of my head, is bring a cheap plastic shoe holder for the bathroom (regardless of category of room you have), it stores all your little items.. We take the booze package, and the kids take the soda package.. I hate sweating the small stuff on vacation, to me it isn't what that that it is for, but to each his own.. ORDER room service, so bring a few ones.. We don't get much more than an inside room, we spend little time other than sleeping in it.. Bring a highlighter, there is SOOO much to do.... Post it sheets are good for the cabin... Don't try and do everything, impossible! Rebook instead

 

[jenny105]

Bring a power strip! The rooms never have enough outlets. And please ignore anyone who says 'That's hurricane season...'

I really like NCL. I've sailed with them numerous times because they sail out of a port so close to home (NY). Their ships are beautiful and they're very flexible in terms of dining. No assigned dinner times. Royal Carib is really good too. Carnival is ok. They're more of a budget line and it shows. Take a look around cruisecritic.com Tons of information there!

 

[minnie mum]

First, where do you want to cruise? The Caribbean? The Med? Somewhere else?

What is your budget? IMO, you get what you pay for with cruise lines. We've cruised for the last 10 years or so, and can honestly say that we're pretty much done with the mass market lines. But others really enjoy them.

I'd spend some time on Cruise Critic. They have pretty good overviews of the various lines as well as conditions of their ships.

Figure out where you want to go and which lines go there. Find a local travel agent who has experience with cruises and talk to them. They can steer you to lines that might suit you best.

 

[msjprincess]

I like Royal Caribbean

 

[HeatherC]

We love cruising! I have three teens and that is their favorite vacation. We have cruised on Celebrity, Princess, Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

Hands down Royal Caribbean is our favorite! Their ships are amazing and there is something for all ages. Impossible to be bored...and if you want to be bored, there are places on this ship for that too!

They are definitely pricier than Carnival, but for the ages you mention, it will be well worth the money.

If you decide to do Royal, I would suggest a Voyager, Freedom or Oasis class.

I know you are in Philly, and wanted to let you know they have ships sailing out of Bayonne. We have sailed the Explorer a couple times from NJ, amd while it is older, it is still a great ship. And with the Quantum, it should be even better.

Have fun planning and head over to cruisecritic.com. It is the Disboards for cruising.

 

[Darcy03231]

We've cruised just about all of the lines out there and with your age group I would do either Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

For the most part the lines are pretty similar. Carnival has a more Las Vegasy vibe, where RCCL is more elegant. We've found food and service to be about the same. Carnival's rooms tend to be a bit larger, but not so much that it's a deciding factor.

I echo a PP who said to bring a power strip. I also bring a tap light for the balcony and night light for the bathroom.

Make sure you read the cruise rules ahead of time. I believe that both Carnival and RCCL require that all the occupants of the room be 21 or older and if under 21 one of the room occupants has to be 26 or older. The only exception would be family members traveling together. For example, if DH and I and our four children were cruising we'd book 2 rooms. One for us and one for the kids. The kids room would be either next door or across the hall. In that case because they were with us, they could be in a separate room and no one over the age of 26 had to stay with them.

Here's Carnival's policy:

How old do you have to be to travel alone?


Guests are required to be 21 years old (on embarkation day) to travel. Guests under the age of 21 must be accompanied in the same stateroom by a parent or guardian 25 or older. The exceptions Carnival will make to this policy are:

Married minor couple - The booking must be documented that the couple is married. The couple must have proof of marriage at embarkation or they will be denied boarding without the benefit of a refund.

Domestic Partners/Same-Sex Union minor couple - The booking must be documented that the couple are legal Domestic Partners/Same-Sex Union. The couple must have legal proof of partnership/union at embarkation or they will be denied boarding without the benefit of a refund.

and RCCL's

For voyages originating in North America:
No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing.

This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military.

Certain other restrictions and conditions will apply; such as compliance with the age twenty-one (21) alcohol policy, and proof of marriage for underage couples or proof of active duty military status required.


Guest ages will be verified at embarkation. Guests not conforming to this policy will be denied boarding and assessed a 100% cancellation penalty. NO exceptions will be made at embarkation.

The Group policy is slightly different because of stricter group terms and conditions including mandatory chaperones, damage deposits and other considerations.

Have fun!

 

[eliza61]

First, where do you want to cruise? The Caribbean? The Med? Somewhere else?

What is your budget? IMO, you get what you pay for with cruise lines. We've cruised for the last 10 years or so, and can honestly say that we're pretty much done with the mass market lines. But others really enjoy them.

I'd spend some time on Cruise Critic. They have pretty good overviews of the various lines as well as conditions of their ships.

Figure out where you want to go and which lines go there. Find a local travel agent who has experience with cruises and talk to them. They can steer you to lines that might suit you best.

Thanks Minnie, I just signed up for cruise critic.

We want to do the Caribbean. My budget is pretty flexible. We originally were doing London but that kinda fell through so I'm budgeting 1700 per person which is what a trip to the UK would have cost me. That includes airfare from Philly.

I am going to get a TA but I also like hearing tips (like the powerstrip one) from you guys. stuff like that I find some times you don't get from the ta

 

[clambert1273]

We are Carnival cruisers ... 7 times so far.. I like the relaxed atmosphere, always a party on deck somewhere lol

We had an offer for free cruise but they restricted the dates so much that we couldn't go this year My kids love it and it is so far our favorite vacation...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Is a med cruise on the table?

We love Disney--but I also enjoyed RCL.

I would choose an itinerary just isn't the Bahamas.

 

[usd2bmd]

We are Carnival cruisers ... 7 times so far.. I like the relaxed atmosphere, always a party on deck somewhere lol

We had an offer for free cruise but they restricted the dates so much that we couldn't go this year My kids love it and it is so far our favorite vacation...

I am another fan of Carnival. The food, atmosphere and excursions were all great. My daughter made good use of the clubs on board.

When we booked, we booked the early saver rate so that whenever rates went down we got a credit on the price and after the cruise was paid we got an onboard credit.

 

[LynnTH]

I have been on 9 cruises and kids have been on 4. RCCL and Carnival. I think for the ages of your kids I would look at RCCL Allure or Oasis. ( We did the Allure a few years back and had a great price of $3200 for all 4 of us in an inside cabin - this was in March).

What I do when looking for a cruise is go to cruisesonly.com. That is a great site. You can put in the month you are looking to cruise, how many days, what area etc. It will then pull up all the cruises that fit that criteria. Look at the different ports and find some you are interested in. Then you can look at the pricing per each kind of cabin. ( you can do a mock booking and it will show you cabin #'s available plus total costs including taxes and port fees). Of course 4 in a cabin is going to be cheaper than 2 in a cabin. So, just depends on what you want to do.

Once you find a few options then go to that Cruiselines website and see those ships and what is available on each one. I think you should be just fine at $1700 per person including airfare.

Once you find some - come back and ask any questions you might have about those ships/ports.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

We love cruising. Have done Bahamas, Caribbean, Norwegian Fjords and will do the Western Mediterranean next year. We like cruising the Caribbean so much I highly doubt we will even do an all-inclusive again.

We have only sailed on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. We liked both. But for your age of people you might like Royal Caribbean a bit better. Rock climbing wall, flow rider (surf simulator).

My one tip is don't feel suckered into buying excursions through the cruise line. A lot of reputable companies will offer the guarantee that if something happens and you don't port you don't pay for the excursion. Or, if for some unforeseen circumstance you don't get back to port they will put you up and fly you to the next port. If you book on your own not only will you have a much more enjoyable excursion as it's on your schedule but you will also save quite a bit (usually).

The only time I book through the cruise line is if I'm venturing far off. For example on a recent cruise we ported in Cozumel. We wanted to visit Xplor part on mainland Mexico. It was a ferry ride to mainland then about an hour bus ride out to Xplor. We didn't want to risk trying to figure out how to get there with that much travel time. I think the total travel time to Xplor was close to 4 hours roundtrip.

 

[mikehn]

most of the cruise itineraries to the caribbean in June will be on Carnival, with a few selections on RCCL and NCL. Nothing wrong with Carnival in my opinion.

 

[stevea20]

We have done several cruises, In fact we are 15 days away from our next one. 10 days in the Caribbean on the Regal Princess.

The one thing about going in June is there are only a few ships doing those itineraries. The summer is European and Alaska season. (Alaska is wonderful) Your best bet may be Royal Caribbean and the Oasis or Allure of the Seas. They do the Caribbean almost exclusively.

Glad to see you signed up for Cruise Critic. When you choose a trip, find the Roll Call for it and post. Great way to meet others that will be there.

Enjoy.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

We have done several cruises, In fact we are 15 days away from our next one. 10 days in the Caribbean on the Regal Princess.

The one thing about going in June is there are only a few ships doing those itineraries. The summer is European and Alaska season. (Alaska is wonderful) Your best bet may be Royal Caribbean and the Oasis or Allure of the Seas. They do the Caribbean almost exclusively.

Glad to see you signed up for Cruise Critic. When you choose a trip, find the Roll Call for it and post. Great way to meet others that will be there.

Enjoy.

Allure is heading to Europe next summer. We were debating between her and the NCL Epic for our Med Cruise.

 

[stevea20]

Allure is heading to Europe next summer. We were debating between her and the NCL Epic for our Med Cruise.

Saw the Epic on Smithsonian Channel show "Mighty Ships", looks incredible.

In my own defense on Allure, I did say "almost exclusively".

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

In my own defense on Allure, I did say "almost exclusively".

Very true. When we were looking at cruises I was shocked to see RC put that ship over in Europe. I figured they would have kept year round caribbean and cater to the families all summer.

 

[avgeek81]

I just wanted to say that since you are in Philly, you can look for cruises out on NY. When I lived in CT, I took 2 cruises out on NY. One to Canada and one to the Caribbean. I don't know how long the drive from Philly to NY is but I know i drove there from CT and it wasn't too bad. That way you don't have to worry about airfare. And I know I like getting off the cruise and being home in a couple hours.

 

[tinatark]

We're avid cruisers. Love Princess - have done the Oasis of the Seas - not a fan - it's just too big for everything to be done well... going on the Liberty of the Seas in a month or so, so will get a better feel for RC ... went on a Carnival ship a few years ago and wasn't a huge fan, but last November did a 7 day in a big group on the Carnival Dream and really loved it!

Since your group doesn't seem to be avid cruisers, and can't compare to other lines, I would go with a longer (8-10) day on a newer Carnival ship. You can do the Caribbean, or even Panama Canal.

As far as the age difference a pp told you about - we have this because of our (older) teens - we just book one of us in each of their cabins and rearrange when we get onboard. Have never had a problem.

Cruisecompete.com is a great source - once you decide which ship/date you are interested in - agencies compete for your business.

Basic fares will be the same with an agent or directly with the cruise line. Some agents can offer on board credit. The downside to booking with an agency is that if you need to make changes to your itinerary, you have to go back through them.

We book our insurance through travelguard.com. Cheaper and everything is covered - hotels, excursions, etc.

If you have a choice of Florida ports - the Fort Lauderdale airport is SO close to the cruise port! Great hotel choices very close, and boarding is handled very well there.