New Cruisers
 

Husband and I would like to take a short cruise, our first. wE are thinking 4-5 days on the Caribbean our of Bayonne, NJ. can anyone suggest a company to try to book through. Is there anything better out there than YMT? Also, which destination would be nice for a short cruise and nice weather in June? Thanks

Are you referring to YMT vacations? If so, their website
touts Alaska, Europe but not the Caribbean.

Any idea of what cruise line you would prefer because that
would help an agent?

You might peruse cruisecritic.com to get a feel for the lines.
Personally, I have used cruisecompete.com wherein quotes are
e-mailed from participating on-line companies & found them
to be good. However, you must know the line you wish to
cruise on.

I have some general ideas that Carnival is a party line and Celebrity is know for excellent food. I have little other knowledge or, therefore, preferences. Thanks.

Your general ideas are correct. Also, Royal Caribbbean
appeals to those w/a love of outdoor activities & their
ships carry a larger amt. of pax so there can be longer lines. Some like Princess & NCL altho they don't seem to have a 'rep' for anything particular. HAL is referred to as an 'older folks' line & carry less younger ones altho they
have a strong fan base.

So you have to make a decision of what appeals to you which
is why cruisecritic.com might give you some insight.

If you really want to cruise from Bayonne, then you don't have a lot of choices. The only cruise line that offers cruises from there is Royal Caribbean. I believe there is only one ship based there, Explorer of the Seas. If you want to do a short cruise, then you will have exactly one choice: Bermuda. If you want to do a longer cruise (a week or more), then you will have a couple of other itinerary choices.

If you are willing to extend your sights to New York City, then you'll have the choice of several other cruise lines, including Carnival, Norwegian, and others (depending on the time of the year). Still other lines cruise from Brooklyn. Again, however, cruises on really short itineraries are few and far between.

I think you are probably wise to want to cruise from close to home, but the short cruise itineraries are simply not offered from this area since there's nowhere to cruise to that's close to NYC. Only Bermuda fits the bill.

The short itineraries are from Gulf ports and from Florida. In some cases (particularly now, I would guess), it's not any more expensive to buy a flight to Fort Lauderdale in June and do a short 3- or 4-day cruise than to do it from Bayonne. Just some things to think about.

I'd also say that you should not simply dismiss Carnival as the "party line". They do parties well, but you will also find a lot of families and non-partiers. One thing to consider is that so-called "party" cruisers are much much more likely to go on short 3-, 4- and 5-day cruises.

Actually, I should have been clearer. I think other ships sail from Bayonne, but I can't think of any others that are there in June. A quick search on a Cruise.com will tell you if I'm right or if I'm just forgetting something. A good travel agent will help you trendously. It's not always a good idea to book online to save $20 and not get good advice.