First Time Cruiser
 

For my 10th year at work, my boss is giving me a cruise. It will also be my 10th anniversary with my husband. We've never cruised before, and I'm a little overwhelmed with all of the options. I'd like something special, since we will be on the ship on our anniversary. We are mid 30's, enjoy sightseeing, good food and wine. We're sociable but are not "partiers". Does anyone have a suggestion on a cruise line that will offer good activities but also a quiet relaxing atmoshpere?

I would look at Princess or Celebrity.<BR><BR>I prefer Princess - I think it is more laid back, great service and great food. Some people will say Celebrity over Princess. Different tastes for different people.<BR><BR>I would go by a TA and pick up a bunch of brochures.

Congratulations Michelle--<BR><BR>And welcome to the wonderful world of cruising.<BR><BR>I, too, would recommend Princess or Century. But it is also a necessity to consider the specific ship many times. When you go to your travel agent, tell him/her the same requirements you mentioned in your posting. They will be able to make suggestions. I personally love the Century (Celebrity). Excellent food, great staff, etc. It also allows you to pick east OR west Caribbean. <BR><BR>Now since this is a very special occassion, you might wish to consider cruising the South Pacific, the Mediterranean, etc. Let us know the area of the world you are considering, and we may be able to help you further.<BR><BR>Happy cruising!!

I forgot - what an amazing boss you have!<BR><BR>Definitely list the month that you are going.

Thank you for your responses. We will be traveling in December, the week between Christmas &amp; New Year's. We'd like to go to the Caribbean so we aren't travelling too far from home. Do you still think Princess or Celebrity are the preferable lines?

Definitely!<BR><BR>That is a great time to cruise the Caribbean!

I suggest you get to planning your cruise quickly--especially if you have to FLY to the pier. (or is it being planned for 2003?)<BR>

Michele - take advantage of the internet and go to cruisecritic.com and look at the Princess and Celebrity boards. You'll get a much better perspective from those actually sailing these lines than you will from a travel agent who may or may not have ever cruised.<BR><BR>You could also check out both of their websites where you'll find all the same information you'd get in a brochure.

Michele<BR>Peter HATES travel agents.Just FYI.Dont you just love it?

That's right. It is not that Peter hates travel agents, they hate him. I imagine he drove one or two crazy.<BR><BR>Paul

Michele, you might want to look into the smaller cruise ships for a more quiet relaxed atmosphere ie. Radisson or Windstar. They definitely have a more intimate atmosphere but offer excellent food and service.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. We aren't going until this time next year, so I've got lots of time to research and plan.<BR><BR>I'll try the cruisecritic.com site, too.

We cruised the Eastern Caribbean four years ago on Celebrity and it was 100% wonderful. I'd recommend it as a surefire success.<BR><BR>Good that you have a whole year but start planning early; that way you will have time to hopefully catch a good air fare to south Florida.

Dixie:<BR><BR>What ship did you cruise on?

Hi Michele<BR><BR>We were on the Century. Had an inside cabin. Small -- sure, but very adequate. Neither my girlfriend nor I felt cramped. Enough (just barely) closet space. But loads and loads of drawers ... more than we needed. The food was fantastic.

Just came back on the Century - - Western Carribean. We had an outside cabin, plenty of room and plenty of closet space. Had a great time. You will love the Century. We've been on the sister ship, Galaxy also and it's a wonderful ship.

Just went on W. Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity's Horizon. Though we might try a larger ship next time, the service, food, entertainment and itinerary were outstanding. It isn't a party boat but there's plenty to do. We'd definitely recommend Celebrity.