25th anniversary cruise - which line to choose??
 

We have never cruised before and are planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary. We are 45-50, fairly active, interested in good food, activities if we choose to be active......any suggestions for the cruise line/ship to choose someone in our age category? I know it is all a matter of opinion, but some opinion is helpful. We are not looking to spend our 25th annversary with spring breakers.....no offense guys!

Jen,<BR> I am 40's too and I really like RCCL.The entertainment always seems perfect for our age group, plus the ships are beautiful and they have great activities- as well as giving you a good deal for the money, IMO. Try to narrow your search to where and when you'd like to go first.Then I suggest you plan a 7 day cruise on a newer ship, rather than the 3 or 4 day. They are disappointing. Before Paul jumps on here and tells you to get a travel agent, please go to cruisecritic.com and read reviews of different ships. I would not cruise during Spring Break- my husband has and it was not enjoyable for him. Summer there will be more children. Some adults think they should do a more upscale cruise line to avoid parties, etc then are disappointed because they couldn't let their hair down! It really depends on your lifestyle.

Jen - we are in our early fifties and I would strongly recommend a Mediteranean cruise for your anniversary. We did that last year and it definitely lends itself to a romantic cruise. I mean, Florence, Rome, Capri, Monte Carlo - great places for a silver celebration. I don't know when you are planning this but right now you can get some really inexpensive prices on either the Spledour or the Constellation for May and early June. The last I saw for the Splendour was $649 apiece for an inside. The airfare to Europe is a little pricier than usual but you should be able to get from the midwest to Barcelona for around $600 apiece. If you decide to do this, do yourself another favor and do your own excursions. The cruise line excursions are so very, very expensive and there is no reason you can't do them yourself and save a bunch of money. If you need help, email me - we did all our own. And I agree with Linda, when Paul jumps in and recommends a TA, and then the cruise line transfers and the cruise line excursions - ignore him and "do it yourself" - we all do and save enough for a second cruise! Bon voyage.

Hi Jen,<BR><BR>We will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary aboard RCCL's Radiance of the Sea. We sail from Vancouver to Hawaii October 20th. There will be five days at sea and then 6 ports. We are in our 40's and this will be our first cruise. No offense to anyone, but I hope there are not alot of children on board.<BR><BR>Cheryl

Great advice - I was afraid RCCL would be a younger crowd, from I read on this forum. I hadn't thought of a Mediterranean cruise, but I will certaily research it now. We are on the east coast - right now you can fly to Europe cheaper than is costs to fly domestically!! We are looking at 7-10 day cruise at this point. Thanks for the suggestions!

We celebrated our 25th on the Grand Princess in the Med and it was perfect! Two years ago we went on the Baltic/Scandinavia cruise, and this year we are doing the Golden Princess Med again. A cruise is a great combination of seeing the sights and being pampered, and the Med is such a romantic place to toast your marriage. We have been very happy with Princess -- suggest you look at all the different cruiselines available and make your choice based on the itinerary.<BR><BR>By the way - we used the ship's excursions and were pleased. We found 90% of them well run and an efficient use of time, with knowledgeable guides. This time around we will do more on our own, but for the first time it is a good way to go. <BR><BR>Have fun!!<BR><BR>

L

I'd suggest you consider HAL, Princess and Celebrity (not in any particular order). HAL will be sedate, elegant and definatly an older crowd, but active. Princess will be a mix, but they do a good job of making everyone happy (although their new Personal Choice dining policy seems to be putting off a lot of people). Celebrity has always been a good choice for cuisine and beautiful ships. Their shows may not be as good as some of the other lines.<BR><BR>RCCL and Carnival will cater to the family and twenty-something crowd. (Sorry, but rock climbing, in-line skating and beer buckets are not marketed to the 45-50 year olds. I enjoyed them before, but no more, thank you.)<BR><BR>Also, I think the itinerary you chose will make a huge difference in your experience. The Caribbean cruises will be a mixed crowd. The Med and Panama Canal will be older people, often will traveled. Alaska will be families and older couples. <BR><BR>Have a look at cruisecritic.com. I think you will get a better idea of the personality of each cruise line.<BR><BR>Enjoy.

I agree with the other cruise lines previously mentioned. And will add Windstar cruises to the mix. My husband and I sailed RCI, Princess and Windstar - will soon sail HAL/Alaksa.<BR>If you live on the east coast, you may want to take a look at Celebrity/Galaxy. The ship sails from Baltimore!

I appreciate the input from everyone. I still have research to do, but this helps me to narow it down some. I don't mind poeple watching on some of the crazier stuff, but I don't want that to be my entire cruise experience. Thanks again for your thoughts!

My husband and I are trying the Radisson Paul Gaughin to Tahiti for our 15th anniversary. Many people have told me this is the most romantic, wonderful cruise they've ever taken. Check it out!

Jen,<BR><BR>If you can afford it, check out Silversea cruises. Someday I would like to be treated to the luxuries that they provide! They are all-inclusive - tips, drinks, etc. <BR><BR>My husband and I went on Windstar for our honeymoon (2 years ago) and loved it (we were some of the younger folks there. we are in our late 30s). Expensive also - but little lower key. We agree with the folks who said to go to the mediterranean are GENIUSES! We went from Rome to Elba, Corsica, San Tropez, Monaco, Portofino and ended in Nice. It was a dream come true!

the mediteranean sounds better and better....is there a particular carribeanroute that anyone out there truly enjoyed??

Jen, we've done 5 cruises and the Caribbean one is the only one I wouldn't repeat and wouldn't recommend. After several days at sea, it seemed like they were just "driving" to another side of the same island. Personlly, if I were to take a warm weather vacation, I'd pick a spot and just enjoy it.<BR><BR>I really enjoyed the European cruises. Lots of different countries with enough time to get a flavor to know whether it'd be a good place to return someday. The Baltic itineraries are excellent, some of the Med. itineraries are excellent and Greece/Turkey was excellent (Turkey has been withdrawn from most cruises though).<BR><BR>I don't think you will find a lot of younger people on cruises in Europe, no matter which line you sail. We've sailed with Orient Lines twice because we liked their itineraries the best and with RCCL once, again because of the itinerary. Orient is a little more casual, only one semi formal night which was great for us (more room in the suitcase for souvenirs!) and has a smaller capacity, the Marco Polo only holds about 800 people.

Jen - I'm going to email you a summary of our Western Med cruise that explains where we went and what we did. We fashioned our excursions to what we like to do and you could do the same. Like I mentioned above in my first posting - you can get excellent deals for late May and early June cruises on the RCCL Splendour or Celebrity's new ship the Constellation. They both do almost the same itinerary - Barcelona round trip thru Villefranche, Livorno (Corsica for Celebrity), Civitaveechia, Naples and Malta. I trust the email address you're showing is a real one - many on this board don't use a real one.

Jen - it appears your email address isn't a real one - AOL couldn't deliver and the message says its not a good member address. If you want some good info on the Western Med Cruise, email me (mines good).

I'll go with those people who suggested the Med - fantastic holiday and on Crown Odyssey (Orient Lines) we had no children and lots of wonderful adults! Itinerary from Barcelona to Istanbul was the stuff dreams are made of!

Go with Celebrity! See comments I made above for selection of a cruiseline.

One more thought. If you go with a smaller boat cruise line you can get into ports that the bigger cruise ships cannot.<BR><BR>I said we went on Windstar for our cruise - and most of the ports were either walk off and right into the town or a short boat ride (5 min) to the pier.<BR><BR>That made it really special.

Try this email address - [email protected]<BR> <BR>I've had probelms with the aol one off and on.....but since it doen't contain my full name, I prefer to use it online...<BR><BR>Thanks so much for your help - I really want this trip to be memorable - as I said before, I know it is all relative -opinions vary - but opinions are helpful!! I look dforward to seeing the itinerary!

Jen:<BR><BR>Are you a smoker?<BR><BR>European cruises and the pubs, restaurants, etc. have heavy smoking.

Jen--- I would definitely go with WINDSTAR CRUISE LINE__specifically the WINDSURF--it is the largest of their ships and holds 330 people--5 masted sailing yacht!<BR>People are mid 30-to late 50's--all upscale CASUAL--NO TUXEDO needed-<BR>Has marina that drops down from back of ship for kayaking,water skiing and winddsurfing--FOOD is fabulous! Nice small casino and small cocktail lounge with 3 pc combo that can play ANYTHING!<BR>2 restaurants--VERY VERY ROMANTIC--<BR>we did Rome to Nice--it goes into smaller ports and I would do it again in a heartbeat! Once you try the smaller ship thru Europe, you will never want to go on a HUMONGO ship--<BR>this was IDEAL!!!!

<BR>I have no idea why Linda hates travel agents but they can be extremely helpful and most will save you quite a bit of money. Also, contrary to what Linda may believe, they do not make a commission on shore tours. <BR><BR>There is nothing wrong with booking shore tours independently. What I am attempting to say without being bashed is that one would have to do quite a bit of research before booking with an unknown tour operator. You must make sure you will not miss your ship. You should take into consideration that you would want to return to the ship alive. Simply, it is buyer beware.<BR><BR>Happy cruisin'<BR><BR>Paul

Good God Paul, even I'm surprised at your choice of words. We all know that you always recommend the cruise lines excursions (because you work for them and they make more off their excursions than they make from the cruise itself) and we all know you always recommend a travel agent (because you are or were one), but Good Lord - "You should take into consideration that you would want to return to the ship alive."<BR><BR>What advice are you trying to give this poor woman - she says she has never cruised before, probably hasn't been to Europe before and here you are, PLAYING THE EXPERT AGAIN, telling her she should take into consideration she might lose her life if she isn't carefull and doesn't go with the ship's excursions!!!!!! A new low for you. I need to cut and paste this post everywhere on the travel internet. I consider myself your biggest critic and I can't believe what you said. Its one thing to constantly bring up the threat that the ship would leave without you if you don't use their excursions (which rarely happens-see past threads), but to use the ULTIMATE threat. Whoa - I must bookmark this post lets see what happens today - you might have to change your user name. If you do, however, I have a suspicion we'll be able to tell its you.

Paul,Why would you say I hate travel agents? Three of my best friends are EX travel agents, cause business was so lousy. Reason being, that any idiot with a computer can research and book his or her own trip. I did not say anything about commissions- reread my post,Paul.I have traveled to more places and more frequently than many travel agents. Never once has a travel agent found me a better deal than I've found on my own. I research very thoroughly before I book, and before I arrive anywhere. This includes ports as well. I still use AAA when I need tripticks or road reports, but for everything else I use my PC.

Jen - I emailed you my trip summary - I hope it helps. <BR><BR>Peter - I like to read what you say about Paul's comments because you tend to balance him out even though you are a little rude sometimes - but in this case you are absolutely correct. I did my own excursions on my Med trip and never feared for anything, much less my life. I don't know where Paul is coming from - maybe he'll post what he meant, but Jen - please don't let Paul's comments scare you into either not going to Europe or doing your own excursions.

John - thanks for your summary - man, you were a busy camper!! But the places you saw were wonderful, I am sure! <BR><BR>Windstars website is not the easiest to navigate, a little tough to find what you are looking for if you don't have a specific destination in mind....they definitely sound interesting- recently saw an ad in Conde Nast...<BR><BR>I think travel agents have their function in many people's lives - I have used them on occasion and probably will again. But where I am in the planning stages, I don't really feel this is the time to involve one. We have travelled extensively in the Carribean - I've been to London, Denmark and Russia - when it used to be Russia. My husband was not huge fan of travelling until recently, so I really trying to find something appropriate for this event. I lke the sound of hte upscale casual of Windstar....but I am openminded.<BR><BR>And when all is said and done, I will take all your advice and finally make my own choice - so feel free to keep your suggestions coming - I find them interesting and helpful.

Paul, I am going to Paris for three days precruise and will be by myself. My husband is joining me for the cruise so I'm not worried about that part of my trip. Friends of ours put me in touch with a tour guide in Paris who is going to spend two days with me. Are you saying that Europe is not a very safe place to be right now because of the 9/11 incident? Are you just warning cruise people that ship excursions are safe and others are dangerous? Do you know how to check tour guides out for their credentials? You have me a little worried. Thanks.

Meagan go to the Europe thread and post this question there. You will get an informed and intelligent answer there. All Paul know's about is Carnival cruise lines.

Meagan, also try www.cruisecritic.com. There are a lot of people out there that do independent excursions, on their own or with guides. Somehow we've mangaged to not only come back alive from three European cruises done mostly with independent excursions but we've also managed to never miss the boat.<BR><BR>And if you do a search over on the Europe board, the topic of European safety has been hashed and rehashed.

The best ships are run by Silverseas. They are not cheap, but worth every penny. You will never forget the voyage.

Jen: If you are considering Silverseas, look too at Seabourn. No Las Vegas shows but excellent food and outstanding service--and the shore excursions are well thought-out and are not on 50-person tour buses. Try it, you'll like it; it will make your anniversary very special.

<BR>Things have a tendency to get blown out of proportion .... what I was attempting to say is that people who are not travel savy should think twice before they go off on their own in foreign ports. One is warned in every guidebook, why don't you negative Forodorites write to the guidebooks and complain. There is no reason not to book an offshore trip with companies that are recommended by travel agents or are recommended by people on travel sites. I am in the industry and I know what happens to unsuspecting tourists. I do not mean to frighten people and I just telling them to be on guard. I write what I read. If someone comes up to you in a city that you never visited before and says "hey buddy get in and I'll show you around" you should not go but if you get off a ship and there is a person there that is calling cabs or vans for you then you would more than likely be safe. There are people on this tread that take apart everything that I say. These are the ones that frighten others. I was just responding to the original poster that was taking his first cruise and I said it is best to go with the ship's tours to be safe.<BR><BR>Paul

Back to the original question: we cruised Windjammer (the Wind Song) last October from Istanbul to Athens. It was a delightful trip that we'd do again in a heartbeat. Not many passengers (50 instead of 150) because it was so close to the 9/11 tragedies.<BR><BR>The ship is beautiful, and the crew outstanding. We loved our time in Istanbul and Athens; on the other stops we sometimes travelled independently and somtimes took a ship excursion. We did a ship excursion in Bodrum -- a tour of the castle then sailing, lunch and swimming from a fabulous gulet. In Santorini we knew what we wanted to see, and took a bus out to Oia. In Mykonos, we took a taxi to the "Shirley Valentine" beach, swam, had a wonderful lunch. <BR><BR>Wind Song crew very helpful with information about their trips _and_ independent shore travel. If you learn about your desinations, you can plan better for what interests you. <BR><BR>Best memory (from a long list!) was dancing on the deck as we sailed out of <BR>Santorini, the full moon rising above the caldera rim. I don't think you could replicate an experience like that on a bigger ship...<BR>

Windjammer is "Barefoot Cruising"; the Wind Song is part of Windstar Cruises, MUCH more upscale than Windjammer, which, I believe, does mostly Caribbean.

Jen...Seabourn costs a 'lit more....but<BR>a cruise on a Seabourn "Mega Yacht" is life changing!! I've cruised with them 5 times in 15 months! Just returned from the Pride Atlantic crossing! We had 90 guests and 160 Crew and Staff!<BR>The guests are down to earth, very warm and most interesting....from all over the world! Seabourn would be a fabulous<BR>25th Ann. gift to both of you!! My favorite toast is :"The best Islands in the world....float and move....their names are The Pride, The Legend, and the Spirit!!" Seabourn is "top of the line!" Congratulations!

Then maybe Paul you should stop presenting your ideas until you can get them right. Misinformation is a dangerous tool in todays's world.<BR><BR>As far as people hailing cabs. You couldn't be wrong. More people visiting New york City get riped off just that way. Every one knows that because it is common sense. <BR><BR>People out there. Here is some real advice. Ask for credentials (yes some can be faked) get a name, a nember, a license plate. That! is a good start.<BR><BR>

<BR>Hey Frank,<BR><BR>Do you realize you tend to disagree and agree with your identical statements?<BR><BR>I do not give misinformation .... I'm driving to Jamaica tomorrow I heard it is a wonderful trip.<BR><BR>Happy cruisin'<BR><BR>Paul

Meagan, Paul has said on another thread that he was just exaggerating! Typical for Paul. Please do other research on other sites as someone else recommended. I know Paul sounds credible but some of us have been watching him for awhile and know him for who he is. Don't let his comments intimidate you or change you plans. Simply take the same precautions in Paris as you would in any large city in the US and you'll be ok.

<BR>Yes Scotland Yard has been watching me for some time also. They also have nothing better to do.<BR><BR>Woe is me.<BR><BR>Paul<BR>