Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Any good cruise lines out there?

my family and I are pretty sure we want to go on a cruise trip for our next vacation. We have never been on one before but I want to know if there are NICE cruises that aren’t ridiculously expensive (like royal Caribbean) that are okay? We were thinking something like the disney cruise but the youngest person in our family is 14… we fear that it might be too kiddy for the family.

There are LOTS of good cruise lines! Each has people who think it is "the best", and each has people who say "Yick!" I suggest that you meet with a travel agent who books a lot of cruises. A travel agent costs you nothing, and can help you find the cruise that best meets your budget, your schedule, and your preferences.


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5 Responses to “Any good cruise lines out there?”

Bob B. Says:
March 25th, 2010 at 7:31 am

There are many cruise lines out there, each with a different target group. here is a rundown:

Carnival: Very family oriented, with a touch of party. While the parents are having a good time, Camp Carnival is there to watch after the children, and it is free until 9 pm.

Celebrity: Semi-formal. Of the big cruise lines, this is the most formal, but they still schedule plenty of fun activities to do while on your cruise.

Disney: Not as kid-oriented as you may think. The big mouse is subtly designed into the ship, although they have a massive kids program, there is always something to do for the adults.

Holland America: Geared towards the old folks. The entertainment is not a day under 65 years old, and they have shuffleboard contests every day (This is actually true) Also, they have the most formal nights of all the cruise lines

Norwegian Cruise Lines: this cruise line is all about saving money. They are the cheapest cruise lines around, and it shows in service and entertainment. this very informal staff gets annoying after awhile when they start wearing fake tuxes for monte carlo night. Also, the cruise director staff has difficulty speaking english, so listening to announcements and trying to get into the activities gets frustrating. They are the makers of free style cruising, but all other cruise lines have followed suit.

Princess: this cruise line is the same as carnival, seeing as how carnival bought them out about 5 years ago. the only thing would be the ships might be a little nicer.

Royal Caribbean: Very adventure-oriented. they could be a step or two above carnival, but they are not without their flaws. They are not known for exciting cuisine, and also trying to nickel and dime you (all cruise lines do) as they charge cover charges to get into clubs, and have PREMIUM products such as ben and Jerry’s which they charge enormously for.

This is a basic run down of the big cruise lines.
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Mary L Says:
March 25th, 2010 at 7:56 am

There are LOTS of good cruise lines! Each has people who think it is "the best", and each has people who say "Yick!" I suggest that you meet with a travel agent who books a lot of cruises. A travel agent costs you nothing, and can help you find the cruise that best meets your budget, your schedule, and your preferences.
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frequent travel

WB Says:
March 25th, 2010 at 8:01 am

If your looking to save money, you can forget Disney. Go with Carnival, you get good value for your money.
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Frequent cruiser

MomSezNo Says:
March 25th, 2010 at 8:20 am

You will need to do some research before you can choose the cruise that’s best for you. Go to your library or bookstore and get a book on cruising, as well as one that covers the ports of call you want to visit [Caribbean, Alaska, etc]. There are so many variables that you must decide on before you book a cruise that, even with the help of a travel agent, you will need to narrow things down ahead of time.

Royal Caribbean is not "ridiculously expensive", although they do tend to cost more than Norwegian or Carnival. There are lots of bargains out there. Cruises on mass-market lines will cost about $100 per person per day, more or less. Disney is actually one of the more expensive lines, as they have only two ships and high demand.

For a group like yours, you might want to consider Royal or Princess. If you want a bit more "class" and "calm", consider Celebrity.

You may want to check out CruiseCritic.com. Try "Cruise Styles" at the top of the page to see which lines appeal to which demographic. "Reviews" – especially "Member Reviews" – can be very helpful once you’ve narrowed down which ships you might be interested in. And "Boards" has tons of info on every aspect of cruising from experienced cruisers, though it may be a bit overwhelming if you don’t know anything at all about cruising.

Have fun doing your research – I hope you find just the right cruise for your family!!
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misslizzy Says:
March 25th, 2010 at 8:54 am

even though i suggest royal caribbean (which is not very expensive when you add up the costs) u can try carnival which is cheaper :)
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