which cruise line?
 

Which cruise line do you like the best? We are looking to go on a cruise in May. We are new to this. We have heard some of our friends and families opinions but what do all of you think?
We are a couple in our early 40's.
We are thinking of NEw England /Canada but we are very open at this point. We would like a good deal but it is very important to us to go on a nice ship and have a good experience.
So what would any of you pick?
What have been your favorites?

I've cruised on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Costa, Norwegian, and Royal Cruise Lines. I would suggest you start with Princess. They have lovely ships and great service, not that the others don't have that. IMO they are a nice way to get into cruising and a cut above the others I just mentioned. The ships offer a myriad of activities to keep one as busy as one would like to be, and yet the atmosphere isn't "festive" like on a Carnival ship. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed Carnival ships very much, as well as all the other cruises I've been on. They each have their own plusses (and minuses, too). It's just my humble opinion.

The N.E./Canada cruises are very popular.. You might want to see if you want to leave from Boston or NYC.. Holland America may be a great cruise ship but caters to an older crowd and NCL is a mixed..both leave from Boston. I don't know if Princess does that itinerary...RCL does from NYC Avoid Costa..have been reading reviews on those ships and it's horrendous.

we are now re-thinking the Canada/ New England idea since we think it will be somewhat chilly in MAy and we are from Upstate NY so we want some warm weather.
We have heard some good things about Princess Cruise line so we are looking into that. What do people think of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity?
Like I said we are looking for a nice ship and a good experience. We are still open to where to go.

It really depends on what you like. All cruiselines have pluses and minuses depending upon your personal preference and perspective. Personally, I like great food, service and nice accommodations without paying an arm and a leg. I've cruised on just about all the cruiselines at least once but my favorite cruiseline is Radisson. I've been so spoiled that now when I cruise on other lines, I notice things that I may not have never noticed before (or was more forgiving of)....like waiting in lines,difficulty getting a good seat in the showroom or a chaise lounge by the pool, many many passengers, having to pay for things that should be free IMO like sodas and bottled water, espresso and capaccinos. Signing checks all week and feeling nickled and dimed is just one of my pet peeves but it may not bother others. I also like booking the least expensive cabin but having it comprable to a mini suite (or higher) category on other cruiselines. (example are ships like the Voyager where every cabin has a balcony and is over 300 sq.ft, seperate shower and tub, walk in closets, complimentary bar set up...why does anyone need any cabin better than the least expensive?)

I think Radisson is a great value for the $$ especially if you're one to always have a cocktail or wine with dinner (this can really add up if you're paying for it). You can literally cruise for a week on Radisson and owe next to nothing on your shipboard account at the end of the week. We are not able to cruise as often as some so we really need to make good choices and get the most bang for our buck.

Don't get me wrong, I still always have a great time on other cruiselines (especially when we travel with our kids) but your question was which is my favorite....Radisson hands down!

I might add that if you're travelling with children, Radisson might not be your first choice. Although many sailings have children's programs...they don't gear towards children and teens as well as other cruiselines. The typical Radisson passenger is between 35-60 (though there are always some younger and some older) and travelling without their children.

I think you will have a good time whichever cruiseline and ship you choose....!

IMO Princess first, Celebrity & HAL a close second, Royal Caribbean a distant 3rd. I have cruised on all these lines for a total of 13 times. My husband & I are 40 and we like good food, exceptional service, and a more sophisticated atmosphere.

For mid-range, I would vote for Celebrity (great food, entertainment, ships, amenities). I heard Princess is good but have not been on it.

I've been on Royal Caribbean but it's not in the same league as Celebrity.

I've been on Silversea but it's quite expensive and has an older demographic.

Do yourself a favor -- Go for Celebrity -- it's top shelf. You won't regret it. ((b))

May in New England and Canada will still be chilly but with beautiful Spring Blossm. I won't recommend you cruise that route especially you live in upstate NY. The Caribbean will be a much better choise if you like the islands, warm weather. There are so many choices out there and it's overwhelming. Here are some easy steps to narrow down your choices. I think you should start with the departure city. There are cruise to Caribbean depart from NY city. Also it's much cheaper to fly from NY to Florida than to San Juan where most of the Southern Caribbean cruises leaving from. Ft. Launderdale & Miami will be your best bet because the airport is only a few minutes away from the cruise port. After you decided on the cruise departure city, you want to find out where do cruise go from Ft. Launderdale or Miami go to? If you don't have a preference on any islands. Then you want to decide if you want to spend more time on the island or on the ship. If you want to see more of the islands, choose a cruise that have more ports and less sea days. A 7 day cruise usually have 4 ports and 2 sea days. But there are some cruise have only 3 ports and extra day on the ship. If you want to spend more time on the ship, then choose a cruise that have more sea days and less ports. Cruise depart from New York have more sea days. At these point, you will have a handful of cruise to choose from. Now you want to find out the age of each ship. The newer the ships, the nicer they are with uptodate techonolocy, and more amenities. Personally, I don't want a ship that's older than 5 years. You can read about the ships at cruisereviews.com Now you narrow down to only a few choices and then you decide which cruise line to choose from. I would go by the price since you probably have less than 5 to pick from after you apply the above selection criterias. At that point, it'll not be a difficult choice. Like all other said, Celebrity is a very good pick if the price is right. If you want to climb the rock wall or play pool or play miniture golf at sea, then pick Royal Caribbean's new ships that have these facilities, if you like the idea of free style cruising, then pick Norwegian, if you want a bigger room for the same price, pick Holland America. Before booking, make sure to compare the room size, some of them are really small. No matter what you decided on, you'll have a good time on the cruise.

I recommend avoiding Royal Caribbean.

The shows are about 45 minutes compared to 90 minutes on most other cruise lines.

The "nightly midnight buffet" is actually only on one night, and it is limited to salads and cold sandwiches and the like--nothing hot.

The room service menu listed "overstuffed ham and cheese deli-style sandwich on a kaiser roll." We ended up with a dinner roll about 3" in diameter with one slice of ham and one slice of cheese. Accompanying it was a packet of mayonnaise (no mustard). It was presented wrapped in plastic wrap in the middle of a paper plate.

In honesty: RCCL was the only cruise I was ever on (this was the Serenade) and I have nothing to compare it to directly, other than people who have been on other cruise lines appear to have far better experiences.

My vote is for the small ship experience. You will not believe the difference. Imagine 150 disembarking at every port vs 1500. Most of the passengers on these small vessels are over fifty, so you may want to delay booking such a cruise for a few years.... but keep it in mind for a trip 'someday'. Intrav (Clipper Cruise Line) has some great trips in New England and the Atlantic Provinces.

Decide on your budget first. Small ship experience is the best but they are very pricy. You can find a cruise from $100 per day in megaliners to $700 in the luxury such as Silversea, Seabourn and Raddisson. They are worth every penny but not everyone can afford it. When you decide on how much you are willing to spend, then look at readers reviews and so on. For my money I'd take smaller ships and pay, but some people are happy with Carnival. Take your pick.

Royal Caribbean is my favorite. Part of the reason is because I am in my mid 20s and don't like to be stuck with too many older and stuffed up people.
RCCL is still a classy cruise line but with some fun to it.

We've done Royal Caribbean & Celebrity. We liked both as far as the food & cabins go. As far as entertainment, the Voyager class ships of Royal Carib. can't be beat...from the mini golf to the rock climbing & ice skating it is superior. Johnny Rockets is a lot of un as well. You can't go wrong with either line.