help!!!!

Old Oct 14th, 2007, 12:41 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
help!!!!

I have found all these forums quite helpful in the past in making vacation decisions....
Thinking of a cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary...We have never been on a cruise and like other members who post, the options are overwhelming,,,thinking of late May, would prefer sailing out of New Yowrk for a 7-9 day Caribeen trip,
Would definitely want a more upscale feeling and with a balcony.
I am concerned I will be overwhelmed witht the large crowds...would love a smaller ship but our total budget is about 4,000.00
any ideas woudl be much appreciated..
francine is offline  
Old Oct 15th, 2007, 10:19 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 738
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Why don't you flip to cruisecritic.com - and take a look at all the different options there. You need to decide where you want to go and I recommend you not limit yourself to flying out of New York (or for that matter, limit yourself to the Caribbean).... With the budget you have, you should have lots of options. Go to cruisecritic - and do searches by destinations, read the many trip reports, and then all the different comments on the different cruise lines.... Also, I'm with you - I have to have a balcony. It truly adds to the cruise experience... Think about Alaska - getting to the Caribbean is easy from the East Coast, and certainly you can do a nice trip down to Grand Cayman (or whereever - that just happens to be one of my favorite) any time. But - Alaska, on a cruise ship - is really unbelieveable.... We went in August on Celebrity - LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT..... I hear late May might be the best time to go.... and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Debi is offline  
Old Oct 15th, 2007, 10:29 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,899
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
How about the QM2? Or the new Queen Victoria who is doing some R/T NY sailings.

Otherwise, you are not going to find "upscale" out of NY.

HAL and Celebrity are the most upscale mass market lines IMO and IME. Cunard is quite elegant from all accounts and I am going to check t out for myself in June.
kfusto is offline  
Old Oct 15th, 2007, 12:10 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,087
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I searched cruise.com and found one cruise on May 26 (only sailing) that is 9 days and departs and returns to NY City going to the Caribbean. It is on the Caribbean Princess. there were They showed mini suites available in your price range. Here is the catch - she is one of the largest ships. The only time that becomes a problem is in the ports with desembarkation etc. If you do your own thing and use your balcony a lot you wouldn't really notice as the ship is huge and passengers and really spread out over the ship.
traveller69 is offline  
Old Oct 15th, 2007, 02:45 PM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
thanks for all your information, it really helps to have all of you with all of your wisdoma and travel experience
wouldn't the Qm2 be out of our price range?
francine is offline  
Old Oct 15th, 2007, 02:48 PM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
DEbei
regarding your cruise to Alaska,what was your total amount of days for that trip??where did you sail out of?
thanks , francine
francine is offline  
Old Oct 15th, 2007, 04:11 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,899
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
francine, not necessarily. Check for specials and you may be surprised.


I have not sailed on Caribbean Princess but have been aboard and she is a pretty ship. However, she carries a lot of people and you should carefully read the many reviews on cruisecritic.com. Some folks found her to be very crowded, which is a concern, and others did not.

I am not a fan of these very large ships personally and would be even more concerned on a school holiday. I do not like to travel with a lot of kids/teens and that is a given at holiday times.

kfusto is offline  
Old Oct 18th, 2007, 10:33 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Since it's your first cruise I would recommend you use a knowledgeable TA. Could save you money and headaches.
Jimingso is offline  
Old Oct 18th, 2007, 01:56 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Great idea to celebrate your anniversary!! While sailing out of New York is beautiul, I agree about not limiting yourself. Try to get what's called a repositioning cruise, they are much cheaper and occur twice a year. For example, when a ship is done its Alaska run, it will "reposition" itself to the Panama Canal for its next season. The trip between Vancouver and the Panama port is a repositioning cruise. Balconies are, in my opinion, the best way to go. If you truly want an upsclae experience, try Crystal Cruises, they have beautiful ships. They are pricey though. For more mainstream lines try Holland America or NCL, they seem to be what you would be looking for.
laneyb is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
clifbob
Cruises
14
Aug 22nd, 2016 04:43 PM
ChicagoDallasGirl
Cruises
15
Nov 15th, 2010 03:19 PM
TravelinSteph
Cruises
12
Oct 13th, 2007 03:45 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -