Please Rank the Cruise lines for this Novice!
 

Hi -<BR><BR>Well, I think I got my husband to the point of trying a cruise. Now, we have to decide which one to try!<BR><BR>He doesn't want to spend much money until we know if we like it or not. Translation; he wants to take a cheap weekend deal to see if we want to do a more expensive one. My only fear is taking too cheap of a trip and not liking it, not realizing it would have (possibly?) been better had we spent more money.<BR><BR>So, how do you rank Carnival, Viking, Royal Caribbean, Rennaisance, Celebrity, etc? <BR><BR>What are some of the things you like or dislike about them?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR><BR>Lynn<BR><BR>:-)

I wouldn't want to tease myself with a short cruise. You will find 7 days is not enough. I think if you shop and are flexible, you can get great deals. I look at mytravelco.com and travelocity to get a general idea of the prices and some 'hot deals'. I can't say anything but heresay about the cruise lines you mentioned, but I have used princess and can't see a good reason to mess with success. Convince him to spring for the full week and he won't reqret it.<BR>Good luck.

You don't say how old you are or what you like to do. We love Celebrity and like Royal Caribbean.

My first choice is Celebrity- 1st class food,service and ships-entertainment good but not great-good casino.<BR>RCL- felt food was too salty- but evening shows were terrific.<BR>Carnival- feels like springbreak 365 days of year-party hearty.<BR>Holland America-good food ,service.<BR>Princess-good food-service usually good-entertainment ok-<BR>Windstar-fabulous-small upscale yuppie cruise--once you take a smaller ship, you'll wonder why you ever chose a larger travelling hotel...<BR>However, for a first time cruise, try the large hotel of Celebrity--they are tops in my book for great large cruise!

I would put Princess at the top of my list (even though it wasn't on your list).<BR><BR>I found celebrity stuffy and wasn't as fun.<BR><BR>I have sailed Carnival and loved it and have booked RCCL in the near future.<BR><BR>My advice - pick a new ship (Grand, Voyager, Explorer, Ocean Princess, Radiance of the Seas).

Don't think it really matters what cruise line you go on, except Carnival which is a party line. When we finally decided to take a cruise 16 years ago we ended up on a ship that I didn't expect, NCL, and WOW...we discovered that cruising is many things..the food, the entertainment, the pampering and the meeting of people from other backgrounds. We've cruised a few other lines and have thororoughly enjoyed the experience.. Last year we sailed on the ill-fated SeaBreeze and although the food was at times just okay..the experience was a blast..a small ship that looked like a tugboat..the crew with heart of gold, the extremely friendly entertainment staff..and the passengers from all walks of life, and previous and non cruise experiences.. Do not agree you need more than a week for your first cruise..destinations are important..certainly a 3-4 day cruise is not enough.. We have now been on 13 cruises..

Lynn,<BR>Go to www.cruisecritic.com. They have already rated, very accurately, all the cruiselines. They even have a questionaire you can fill out which helps to figure which cruiseline would be best for you. Check out their forum too.

Joan - thanks for the info. I'm going to do that right now.<BR><BR>My husband and I are early 30's (me) and early 40's. We are not party hearty types. We love Vegas and love blackjack. Fine dining is a must. Not sunlovers but enjoy a sit in the jacuzzi. We love shopping but usually do that in Asia where it's cheap!<BR><BR>Thanks for everyone's input.<BR><BR>Lynn<BR><BR>:-)

Lynn, here's another vote for Celebrity. Absolutely a great value.

I'd rank celebrity as #1. I have been on RCCL and Princess and would suggest that RCCL may have the edge on Princess but perhaps they are about equal. I have not been on Renaissance but have heard great things about their ships and service and food, and they might be as good as Celebrity and now have more acceptable reservation and refund policies which they did not before. I have not been on Carnival either but from reading others' posts, if you want a really "fun" time, go with them, but if you're into a bit more class, go with Celebrity, Renaissance, RCCL and Princess in that order.

STAY AWAY FROM CARNIVAL!!! Trust me on this one and read other comments..Carnival has got to be one of the worst Cruise Lines in the industry.

One point of persuasion with hubby. Tell him to take a really nice cruise, for as long as possible. Then, if he doesn't like it, you'll both know not to try it again. I didn't like my first (and last) cruise, and I'm glad it was high quality so that I know the problem was one of compatibility with the whole concept.

Hi Lynn, <BR>My wife and I just returned from a RCCL cruise in Europe. The ship (Grandeur) was clean, the food was good (definetely not great), and the service was OK. We cruise for the ability to visit alot of places without having to pack/unpack. <BR> <BR>We had cruised on Carnival (Sensation) about three years ago and found about the same type of product. Major exceptions include: <BR>Our room on Carnival was much larger. <BR>The price was much cheaper. <BR>Our co-cruisers were much noisier. <BR> <BR>I hope this helps. <BR>Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions. <BR>BTW, the RCCL cruise was W. Mediterranean and the CCL was E. Caribbean. <BR>The best advice I think anyone can give you is to read, read, and read some more about the different cruise lines and the destinations. <BR> <BR>Davey

Just one small piece of advice. If you look at small boat (140 or less) cruising, which we do exclusively, avoid American Canadian Caribbean Line--the one substandard line we've been on among many. Just returned from our first, and last, on that line.

Lynn, <BR> Based on the description you gave of you and your husband, I would say go with Celebrity. Great food and service.More of a quiet atmosphere,yet plenty of fun.

<BR>Hi Lynn, <BR> <BR>Good idea to try a shorter cruise for the first time. <BR> <BR>You are limited to three mass-market cruise lines. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. <BR> <BR>Carnival is the most fun and the best value with good food and average service. Royal Caribbean is a tad dressier and a tad less in food quality. The service is again average. Norwegian will come up last but you should have an average cruise (hopefully) with them. These are all family cruise lines and you will find many children and quite a mix of passengers .... noisy, quiet, drinkers and teetotalers. Old and feeble, young and active. <BR> <BR>Renaissance and Celebrity does not sail short itineraries and Viking is a river-boat company. <BR> <BR>All my opinions entirely but if you check the cruise reviews you will see the consensus. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR> <BR>

Definitely do a 7 day cruise for your first cruise--3-4 day cruises don't give you enough time to unpack and enjoy the cruise experience before you're ready to end the cruise...ie.not enough time to even find you bearings around the ship and only will give you the Bahamas as your ports--there are so many more places to see than the Bahamas-ie.St.THomas,St.MArtin,Aruba,Antigua,Curacao,San Juan--don't limit yourself with attempting to decide if a cruise is for you by doing a 3-4day! If you've talked hubs into a cruise,do a 7 day , and get one where you only have 1 day at sea- most men don't like to be "stuck on a boat"- they want to get onto land daily---We personally love Celebrity due to it's superior food and service and good ports.

Hi Lynn: <BR>I did short cruises for my first 2. They were both NCL. I can say that my first cruise was the most fun I think I've ever had on a vacation. I didn't want it to end and wish it had been 7 days! I think the first cruise is going to be fun, no matter how long because you will be surprised at every turn. After all, not having experienced a cruise before it will all be new and exciting. If hubby will only go for a short/cheap one, do it!!! Don't miss the opportunity. I loved my short cheap cruise! <BR>Tannya