Have been wanting to take a cruise for awhile. What cruise is the best and what cruise line is the best? Thanks
Best cruise to take and best cruise line
- Thread starter BigBlueGuru
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We've been on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Personally, I think Carnival is fine. Tons of food and, IMO, it was good. Plenty to do. Good shows. The more expensive lines had little things that were maybe a little better, but for the money, I really like Carnival.
Carnival, the cruise line that sinks ships in Italy, drifts aimlessly in the Gulf of Mexico and poisons cruisers. Great choice.
Have you considered taking a vacation where people didn't tell you what to do?
Been on Carnival and Norwegian. Both had their good points. Both were very nice and a heckuva lot of fun. Not sure what the guy above meant by a cruiseline 'telling you what to do' - completely opposite of my experience. You CAN do a bunch of stuff on the ship and/or excursions or you can do absolutely nothing at all except lay out by the pool and eat/drink all day. And everything in between.
Norwegian had more choices for dinner (although most you had to pay a bit extra for). Norwegian's cabins were just a little bit nicer and the mid-ship entertainment was a bit better. Carnival's big nightly shows were better, comedy club on Carnival, same waiter/same time eating every night is nice. On the whole, I'd probably go with Carnival.
Will be trying Royal Caribbean soon - hear it's nice but it's more expensive. Same for Celebrity and Princess. Unless you're going for a suite, I think most of the cruise lines are pretty equal with each having something you may like slightly better. Hard to beat the value of a cruise for my money.
Norwegian had more choices for dinner (although most you had to pay a bit extra for). Norwegian's cabins were just a little bit nicer and the mid-ship entertainment was a bit better. Carnival's big nightly shows were better, comedy club on Carnival, same waiter/same time eating every night is nice. On the whole, I'd probably go with Carnival.
Will be trying Royal Caribbean soon - hear it's nice but it's more expensive. Same for Celebrity and Princess. Unless you're going for a suite, I think most of the cruise lines are pretty equal with each having something you may like slightly better. Hard to beat the value of a cruise for my money.
Have only done 1 cruise and it was awesome. Did Royal Caribbean. Started out of San Juan PR. The next 5 days we made stops at Tortolla BVI, St Marten, St Kitts, Dominica, and Barbados. Then a full day at sea back to San Jaun. Had a blast on the ship and with full days of excursions at each island.
I'd consider a Mediterranean cruise...possibly Alaska, but that's about it. Something like Anth did in South France would be cool.
I can't fathom why anyone would want to be herded like cattle around the Caribbean though. Different strokes, I suppose.
I can't fathom why anyone would want to be herded like cattle around the Caribbean though. Different strokes, I suppose.
Where around here is the best. I haven't looked into it much but have been seriously deciding on taking one. It is just me and the wife now. (Kids can go if they pay....)(We are talking about taking them later.) Thanks for any info.
Cruise Critic is a good site to help find the right cruise for you. I personally hate the mega ships (+2,000 passengers) that usually ply the Caribbean and Europe. I prefer ships that have between 700 to 400 passengers. My favorite cruise lines are Silver Sea and Regent (have also tried Royal Caribbean and Oceana). The former are higher end lines where everything is pre-paid including booze/tips and the focus is on touring the ports. Cruises are a great way to get an overview of Southern Europe and the Baltic Sea area (St. Petersburg/Baltic States/Scandinavia). River cruising is also a great way to travel but cabin sizes are much smaller than on ocean going vessels.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/
http://www.cruisecritic.com/
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I have been on 10 cruises and if you have children, Carnival is the best. If you want a nice adult cruise with drinks included, I like Silver Sea. You even have your own butler.
Couple years ago, some poster mentioned we should avoid a certain cruise line because the customers were like the "Golden Corral crowd combined with the WalMart crowd".
Except for my 80s-90s Euro adventures, last cruise I went on in the US was in 1983 before I PCS'd to Germany. We hit golf balls off the deck and we were a bunch of totally intoxicated belligerents. Surprised I have not yet been incarcerated before now. The Bahamas seemed blurry back then. Seriously crappy beer.
This is a really good, informative thread, now that I'm in my so-called adult years. Gonna take the old lady someday.
Except for my 80s-90s Euro adventures, last cruise I went on in the US was in 1983 before I PCS'd to Germany. We hit golf balls off the deck and we were a bunch of totally intoxicated belligerents. Surprised I have not yet been incarcerated before now. The Bahamas seemed blurry back then. Seriously crappy beer.
This is a really good, informative thread, now that I'm in my so-called adult years. Gonna take the old lady someday.
I am not a fan of cruises as you are too contained and don't have freedom of movement and your shore time is restricted to a few hours on a controlled tour of some sort. However having gone on 3 with my wife by far the most enjoyable was the Alaskan cruise we took on Royal Caribbean. The sites and the scenery was out of this world. It was far superior to the two Caribbean cruises we took on Carnival.
Pick up a Walmart, dump it into a Golden Corral, set the Golden corral on floats and put it out to sea => Carnival
Pick up a Walmart, dump it into a Golden Corral, set the Golden corral on floats and put it out to sea => Carnival
Ah one of those weirdos. We've ran into a couple of these solo vacation guys before. Pretty sure they were gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Actually, going solo should guarantee him having a good time....gay or not.
Went with Royal Carribean recently. We had a great time. One regret I have is not buying the Unlimited drink package. My girlfriend was happy I didn't though. Food was above average.
I travel a lot and a cruise is really a good way to go. I went on a 12 night Carnival Mediterranean Cruise a few years ago and went to a different port almost daily. It started in Venice, went all the way around the "boot" of Italy and ended up in Barcelona. It was a great way to see a lot of Italy without having to worry about transportation, where to stay and where to eat.
Did a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. It was nice and we had a good time. Of course it's not as good as flying down to an all-inclusive, but if you're on a tight budget like we were at the time then it's a good way to see the Caribbean.
Been on two cruises, Titanic and Poseidon. Never again, food was terrible.
You don't have to eat off the buffet. They serve three meals a day in the dining room, which is very good.
Glad you avoided that nonsense. Buffet on a boat, ftw!
^If the wife and I ever do a cruise, Alaska would probably be it. We'd love to do that and spend a couple of weeks trekking through the NW and up to Vancouver also. Hear it's beautiful up that way.
I've done the Alaskan cruise and it was nice, my best cruise was the Mediterranean.
Anyone ever tried the viking river cruises? I've seen the advertisements and it looks interesting.
Less people, more mellow atmoshpere. Seems like a good option if you want to relax more than party, gamble, and drink.
Disney Cruises are the best. Cleaner. Better food. Areas for the kids to be off doing their thing. Adults off doing theirs. The rooms are bigger.
Why take a cruise when you can buy a $10 million yacht and fill it with drugs, drank, and tits?
Doesn't everyone else do this?
Doesn't everyone else do this?
Does a jon boat with cigarettes, coors light, and the occasional sight of cow utters on a nearby farm count?
Did an Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbean and awesome all around. Need to go late June to mid July to get the best combo of price and weather. Because of a short season due to Alaskan weather they fill up quickly and prices are typically double for Alaska versus say Europe/Mediterranean. Did the 3 day land tour and 7 day cruise plus we spent a night in Vancouver before flying back.
Would advise flying to Anchorage and doing 3 day land tour then cruise and leave out of Vancouver. If you do the cruise out of Vancouver and then 3 day land tour it is more of a grind. Flying to Anchorage first gets you 5 time zones away which you can adapt to and closer flight back after the cruise - Vancouver is like flying back from Seattle/Portland.
Definitely do excursions - whale watching, plane tours of glaciers, sled dog camp... Scenery is unreal, and first few nights watched the sun set at 11:52pm - pretty cool deal. Also, pretty neat to see passing ships in the night lot up passing while having a beverage on deck. Just don't try to sleep in - captain does an on call around 8am so staying out until 3am has consequences.
Would advise flying to Anchorage and doing 3 day land tour then cruise and leave out of Vancouver. If you do the cruise out of Vancouver and then 3 day land tour it is more of a grind. Flying to Anchorage first gets you 5 time zones away which you can adapt to and closer flight back after the cruise - Vancouver is like flying back from Seattle/Portland.
Definitely do excursions - whale watching, plane tours of glaciers, sled dog camp... Scenery is unreal, and first few nights watched the sun set at 11:52pm - pretty cool deal. Also, pretty neat to see passing ships in the night lot up passing while having a beverage on deck. Just don't try to sleep in - captain does an on call around 8am so staying out until 3am has consequences.
I have been on a cruise each of the last 11 years of my life. We tried carnival and Royal Caribbean. Royal is a tad more expensive, but worth every penny. Boat wise they by far have the best ships to choose from. Allure of the sea was awesome. Some boats have Broadway shows on them I thin k the newest ones are Quantum and Anthem of the sea. Royal Caribbean is best by far IMO.
Here are some tips:
1) use the catalog on the boat to look at excursions, don't buy through RC. Most you can just go without booking it through RC and it's much cheaper.
2) pick 1 place you stop and stay on the boat. You can get a day with personal service because the boat is much less crowded.
3) get 1 drink package and split it with everyone. Just go to a different bar or use it to get however many drinks you need. Most of the bartenders don't even care.
4) destination is all about your budget. You really can't go wrong with anything. I like the Caribbean and Alaskan one I went on but the Mediterranean was by far the best.
5] also the length is important. Best length is 3-7days....anything over is too long...anything less isn't long enough.
Here are some tips:
1) use the catalog on the boat to look at excursions, don't buy through RC. Most you can just go without booking it through RC and it's much cheaper.
2) pick 1 place you stop and stay on the boat. You can get a day with personal service because the boat is much less crowded.
3) get 1 drink package and split it with everyone. Just go to a different bar or use it to get however many drinks you need. Most of the bartenders don't even care.
4) destination is all about your budget. You really can't go wrong with anything. I like the Caribbean and Alaskan one I went on but the Mediterranean was by far the best.
5] also the length is important. Best length is 3-7days....anything over is too long...anything less isn't long enough.