Where to start when planning a 1st cruise?

[MinnieForMe]

Can anyone suggest a good forum for cruises? I'm not thinking about a Disney cruise for our 1st cruise because I'm afraid it will make every other cruise less desirable for us once we try it. Any suggestions?

 

[sharlon]

go to cruisecritic.com . It's basically the Dis for cruising. They are a friendly bunch and more than willing to answer questions. The only problem you will have is remembering everyone is biased towards their favorites, then narrowing the choices down. Have fun and Bon Voyage!

 

[PattiPB]

www.cruisecritic.com for sure! I've gotten awesome help over there.

I use www.vacationstogo.com 90-day ticker to watch prices for cruises, too.

 

[skip323]

Yes! Cruise Critic is the site. The only thing I wanted to add is to really explore the site!!! We did our first cruise last year and utilized the various boards on different lines. Then used the board for ports in planning how to navigate both the departure port and the port where we were going in the bahamas. I felt more than prepared for everything! We even got directions via cruisecritic on how to get to a hotel with a nice beach in the Bahamas. Everything! We used the first timers site and the cruise dress site and learned so much. Really explore it!

 

[Darcy03231]

www.cruisemates.com is also another good site with a lot of information.

 

[lisaross]

I just booked my first cruise for next summer. We are going w/ a few families and are going on Royal Carribean! I also started going on CruiseCritic.com - lots of good information.

 

[bumblebeeRN]

As a kid we went to royal caribbean, and another one I can't remember it now, but they were just awesome. They had tons of things for children. They are way cheaper than the disney cruises.

It's been over 10 years since I've been on a cruise, and this year I want to try the disney cruise as our first family cruise.

I found a deal that was only $499/per adult for a room with a verdanah for a weekend cruise.

so I think that is how we will be cruisin' when things go on sale

 

[MandM-Mom]

Another lover of cruisecritics here, we are booked on NCL sky out of Miami in november for our 10 year anniversary and those boards have really helped me find some great deals on pre cruise hotels and ideas for excursions in the bahamas. I booked on cruise.com and they beat NCL price by 300.00 same catagory same room number everything, we have booked 2 other cruises with them in the last few years and been happy every time.

 

[tazdeb]

When planning/pricing a cruise make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Ships vary greatly in size and amenities across lines. Royal Carribean for example has 5 different classes of ships. The more cool stuff on the ship ( waterparks, ice rinks, flow riders, zip lines, rock walls, bowling alleys etc...( the more the trip will cost. Also Disney, RC and Carnival are more geared to families. They all have great kid clubs. Disney doesn't have a casino if that matters. I would suggest doing your research (almost as much is needed as for a trip to Disney) on Cruise critic then using a travel agent to book your first cruise. Dont forget to buy insurance....have a great cruise, theyr'e adicting.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Cruisecritic is a great site! We have cruised celebrity and disney and probably won't be doing disney again, even as huge disney fans we didn't see what all the hype was about

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

We went on our first cruise late last year to Greece. I used cruise critic for everything. Oh, and we cruised on Royal Caribbean and loved it. Very family friendly. We took advantage of the kids club and dh and I had a lot of alone time. Have fun!

 

[HeatherC]

Love cruisecritic!

We just booked a 9 night Thanksgiving cruise out of New Jersey on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. Can't wait!

Wanted to mention that when you are trying to pick a cruise, really check out the reviews for the individual ship you will be sailing on. Even among the lines, ships vary a great deal.

As a general rule...not always though, most of the lines will have their older ships sail the shorter 3/4 night cruises and have their newer ships with more amenities do the 7 night or longer ones.

Once you have narrowed down the cruise you want, I'd also suggest cruisecompete.com. You will be able to get quotes from several agencies competing against each other. They will offer you anything from shipboard credit, to reduced prices on excursions to prepaid gratuities.

Hope this helps!

 

[MinnieForMe]

Thank you all so much! Cruisecritic is great! I'm overwhelmed with info which is a good thing.

I've already found out things I didn't consider thanks to cruisecritic. I'm handicap (use a scooter) and never considered that some lines will be easier for me than others. It'll take a lot of research (I think much more than a Disney vacation) but hopefully I'll find the right match for our family.

Thanks again. I'm off to read!

 

[lisaross]

I'm taking the ship as u but July 2011!!

Love cruisecritic!

We just booked a 9 night Thanksgiving cruise out of New Jersey on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. Can't wait!

Wanted to mention that when you are trying to pick a cruise, really check out the reviews for the individual ship you will be sailing on. Even among the lines, ships vary a great deal.

As a general rule...not always though, most of the lines will have their older ships sail the shorter 3/4 night cruises and have their newer ships with more amenities do the 7 night or longer ones.

Once you have narrowed down the cruise you want, I'd also suggest cruisecompete.com. You will be able to get quotes from several agencies competing against each other. They will offer you anything from shipboard credit, to reduced prices on excursions to prepaid gratuities.

Hope this helps!

 

[HeatherC]

Lisa: You will love the ship! Just got off it two weeks ago! I did a 5 night cruise with my sister and may parents. We left the dh's and kids home. Had a great time.

Royal Caribbean ships are awesome. So much to do for all ages.

I came home from Bermuda and friends of ours started convincing us to go on it with them for the 9 night cruise over Thanksgiving. So we are!!! Now I'm scrambling trying to pay for it so quickly! But it will be totally worth it.

Love cruising!

 

[Pooh-sized]

Cruisecritic is good for researching actual ships, ports of call, etc. But to begin with, I usually go to priceline.com to see what ships are going where and from what port and for how much. Then I narrow the playing field. I usually end up booking straight through the cruiseline after much research on the ship. The last RC ship I was on was the bottom of the line running back and forth to the Bahamas and I would not go on it again...so listen to what the people on cruisecritic say for the most part and spend the little extra for a nice, newer ship.