First time cruiser needs help
 

My husband and I want to try and go on a cruise. We are both 30, like great food (we are from NYC and like a great meal) and are looking to relax and unwind on this vacation. We are thiking of starting with a short cruise to see if we like it. Maybe 4-5 day leaving out of Florida at the end of March/early April. Can anyone help recommend a cruise line or a ship? Thank you so much!

For a short cruise with better food than the rest, book Century, a Celebrity ship. Dine at Murano at LEAST once, and try the Aqua Spa cafe.

No other ship sailing short cruises comes close.

junebride04,
Don't know if you have a Sam's Club by you in NYC -- but I always book through them. They are hundreds below anyone else's price, even last minute deals!

I have taken Century twice. The ship goes on 7-day trips East Caribbean and West Caribbean alternately each week.

Century's passangers were generally elder. The entertainment was ok. I wasn't very impressed with their food, either.

You might also want to check out http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Century does alternate 4 and 5 days cruises to the islands, not 7, then she is in the Med for the summer.

I was jsut aboard and the crowd is not typical Celebrity, lots of younger people. If you are looking for best food on a short cruise, this is it.

As far as activities go, it was less in your face than RCI and Carnival by a long shot.

Keep in mind that 4-5 night cruise is not just shorter than 7 night but usually of a lower quality. The ships assigned to short cruises are older, the crew is not the sharpest, and there is more not-too-well behaved youngsters.

Thank you everyone for your help. I am going to check out cruise critic and Celebrity cruises. I have a starting point. I am sure I will have more questions, but thank you for your prompt responses :)

I agree with ROSWALT that shorter cruises are usually of lesser quality. If you decide on a slightly longer cruise and want a more luxury cruise experience in your time frame, check out Regent's 8-night cruise departing from Ft. Lauderdale on April 9 at 2-for-1 pricing. We have a great TA that specializes in Regent; feel free to contact me.

Thank you. I will look into Regent. I found a Royal Caribbean one on Enchantment of the Seas. It goes to Key West and Cozumel. Sounds like a nice ship. I still need to research.

Thanks!

Regent is high end and high quality. It is also an adult experience.

RCI is not and you are looking at spring break. My last three cruises on RCI have been filled with kids and they were not a pleasure.