Any cruisers out there?

soontobemrshamilton

We are thinking of taking a cruise for our honeymoon to either the Bahama's or Caribbean. I've been on 2 Mexico cruises and loved them both, but want to try a different place.

Do you prefer the Caribbean or Bahama's? and why?

Which cruise line do you like, besides Carnival? and why?

jenna8984

I have been on like 9 cruises and my mom is a travel agent so take mine with a grain of salt since I'm a little of a cruise snob. That being said, I would never be caught dead on Carnival. Celebrity is my favorite but I'd settle for Royal Caribbean. Celebity just has better, more upscale food and decor in my eyes. As for locations, I hate the Bahamas becuase I feel that it's too "Americanized". It's like being in Florida. I like more authentic places like St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia.

ETA- Most of the ones that go to the destinations I like depart out of San Juan, not Florida.

 

climbingsingle

jenna8984 said:

I have been on like 9 cruises and my mom is a travel agent so take mine with a grain of salt since I'm a little of a cruise snob. That being said, I would never be caught dead on Carnival. Celebrity is my favorite but I'd settle for Royal Caribbean. Celebity just has better, more upscale food and decor in my eyes. As for locations, I hate the Bahamas becuase I feel that it's too "Americanized". It's like being in Florida. I like more authentic places like St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia.

ETA- Most of the ones that go to the destinations I like depart out of San Juan, not Florida.

 

I agree with this completely. 

AprilH81

I like Royal Caribbean...

The Bahamas are okay, but the cruises that go there tend to be shorter, which is okay if that is all you have time for.

It is easier to find a 7-night cruise to the Caribbean and you will have a larger variety of cruise lines, ships and itineraries if you don't do the Bahamas. 

The southern Caribbean routes are my favorite...

CMGragain

I have been on 17 cruises, and have an 18th booked for January.  I am an old lady of 63.  Cruises work well for us because my husband is a nervous traveler.  He freaks out in airports, on road trips, and worries in strange hotels and local restaurants.  He feels secure on a cruise ship, and relaxes because he knows the cruise line will take care of things.

For younger people, I recommend Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess.  We are regular Princess passengers. 

There are many different itineraries in the Caribbean.  I like the eastern routes best because you get a sense of different islands and different cultures.  I liked Martinique, St. Martin, and St. Lucia best on the east, and Curacao and Puerto Rico in the south.  Western route is very commercialized, with little local culture left.  The private islands are nice for a day on the beach.

You might consider a Panama canal cruise.  We enjoyed Cartegena, Columbia,  Costa Rica.  My engineer DH liked the trip halfway in and then back out of the canal.
Jamaica was not my favorite island, though Ocho Rios falls is pretty.  St. Thomas is too commercial.

500days

My next cruise will be my honeymoon to Alaska in July on Celebrity. It will be my first time on a "nice" cruise line. My past cruises have been on Carnival (never again), RCL (best budget line) and NCL (okay, more relaxed- no hard dress code followed). When we went to the Bahamas we sailed on the NCL Sky (4 night cruise). I really enjoyed their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. If you want reviews for each ship and their itinerary I would definitely check out cruisecritic.com. There is so much info there, you'll be reading for days! They also have a helpful forum.

jenna8984

@cmgragain Can you not pass all the way through the canal anymore? I did that cruise the last year that the US owned the canal and we went straight through.

CMGragain

jenna8984 said:

@cmgragain Can you not pass all the way through the canal anymore? I did that cruise the last year that the US owned the canal and we went straight through.

Yes, of course, but it takes longer.  The OP was asking about Caribbean cruises, so I thought I would mention it.  The canal is still being renovated to accomodate larger ships, and the new construction won't be finished until next year.  Of course, DH, the engineer, wanted to see the construction in progress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_projecthttp://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=10601

I know that Princess has two ships that do this in the winter season.  Usually the through sailing goes from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles, or reverse.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=25048

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=27347

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=10601

JoanE2012

jenna8984 said:

I have been on like 9 cruises and my mom is a travel agent so take mine with a grain of salt since I'm a little of a cruise snob. That being said, I would never be caught dead on Carnival. Celebrity is my favorite but I'd settle for Royal Caribbean. Celebity just has better, more upscale food and decor in my eyes. As for locations, I hate the Bahamas becuase I feel that it's too "Americanized". It's like being in Florida. I like more authentic places like St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia.

ETA- Most of the ones that go to the destinations I like depart out of San Juan, not Florida.

 

I agree.  Though I can't comment on Celebrity.  I always thought it was geared towards "older" folks.  I'm intrigued and will definitely check them out!

jenna8984

CMGragain said:

jenna8984 said:

@cmgragain Can you not pass all the way through the canal anymore? I did that cruise the last year that the US owned the canal and we went straight through.

Yes, of course, but it takes longer.  The OP was asking about Caribbean cruises, so I thought I would mention it.  The canal is still being renovated to accomodate larger ships, and the new construction won't be finished until next year.  Of course, DH, the engineer, wanted to see the construction in progress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_projecthttp://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=10601

I know that Princess has two ships that do this in the winter season.  Usually the through sailing goes from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles, or reverse.

Oh I didn't realize they go all the way from LA to FL. Mine started in Acapulco and ended in San Juan but that was over 10 years ago. 

Starfish622

I LOVE Celebrity. I got married on a Celebrity bahamas/key west cruise (it was four nights so easier for friends and family since we are from Florida) and honeymooned on a southern caribbean cruise with Celebrity as well. If you book during their 1,2,3 deal you can choose you perk one of which is a classic beverage package that includes alcohol.

KnightsNurse

We are doing a cruise for our HM! It will be my 4th. I've only done Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I really wanted to do a Celebrity or even Disney for our honeymoon but the only line that works with our timing/destinations is Carnival (not my favorite choice at all but coming to terms with it). I feel Carnival is hit or miss; the food is worse (sometimes) and the onboard stuff isn't as upscale. You definitely get what you pay for. I've done the Bahamas all of my 3 last cruises and I am done with it! Living in Florida, it's a great weekend getaway but a multi-stop Caribbean is sounds better IMO!! We love scuba diving, so we are going to hit up Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Honduras (whale shark sighting capital of the world--My DREAM to swim with a whale shark)

Starfish622

KnightsNurse said:

We are doing a cruise for our HM! It will be my 4th. I've only done Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I really wanted to do a Celebrity or even Disney for our honeymoon but the only line that works with our timing/destinations is Carnival (not my favorite choice at all but coming to terms with it). I feel Carnival is hit or miss; the food is worse (sometimes) and the onboard stuff isn't as upscale. You definitely get what you pay for. I've done the Bahamas all of my 3 last cruises and I am done with it! Living in Florida, it's a great weekend getaway but a multi-stop Caribbean is sounds better IMO!! We love scuba diving, so we are going to hit up Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Honduras (whale shark sighting capital of the world--My DREAM to swim with a whale shark)

My SIL just did this cruise on Carnival out of Tampa for her honeymoon and she had a lot of fun! Congratulations and I hope you have a blast.

soontobemrshamilton

@500DAYS, thank you, I did check out cruise critic. I think we have narrowed it down to Royal. I have cruised before with them and really enjoyed it. My friend, who is a cruise whore, said Celebrity isn't has fun as Royal or NCL, if you want a lot to do.

I'm doing a lot of research of course, but where are the best prices typically? I'm thinking of going straight through the Royal website. I've compared some prices and they all seem pretty comparable. ANY ADVICE ON THAT?

AprilH81

soontobemrshamilton said:

@500DAYS, thank you, I did check out cruise critic. I think we have narrowed it down to Royal. I have cruised before with them and really enjoyed it. My friend, who is a cruise whore, said Celebrity isn't has fun as Royal or NCL, if you want a lot to do.

I'm doing a lot of research of course, but where are the best prices typically? I'm thinking of going straight through the Royal website. I've compared some prices and they all seem pretty comparable. ANY ADVICE ON THAT?

Royal does not allow agents to "undercut" their pricing.  The agents can book as part of a group (and therefore lower prices) or they can provide incentives like bottles of wine or complimentary gratuities.

CMGragain

soontobemrshamilton said:

@500DAYS, thank you, I did check out cruise critic. I think we have narrowed it down to Royal. I have cruised before with them and really enjoyed it. My friend, who is a cruise whore, said Celebrity isn't has fun as Royal or NCL, if you want a lot to do.

I'm doing a lot of research of course, but where are the best prices typically? I'm thinking of going straight through the Royal website. I've compared some prices and they all seem pretty comparable. ANY ADVICE ON THAT?

Prices vary more by season than by agency.  Discounts are usually comparable.  I do not recommend booking directly through the cruise line, without a travel agent to advocate for you if there is a problem.  Often, big sites like VTG throw in perks like cruise credits for paying your ship board charges, or a bottle of wine.  Most small travel agents belong to consortiums that allow them to closely match the big on-line travel agents, and sometimes their personal service is worth it, especially to first time cruisers.
Now that we are retired, we never sail during high season.  We choose the bargain cruises that are on the shoulder season after school starts and save lots of money.  Our next cruise will be expensive, though, because it is an unusual itinerary that isn't repeated.

soontobemrshamilton

What's VTG? It's been a long time, but I believed I booked both my last cruises directly on the cruise line website and had no issues. I would figure the opposite would happen. If I booked the cruise on another site, I could see more issues that way, but I don't know.

I don't want to go through a travel agent. So you are saying other sites like Expedia etc are better?

AprilH81

soontobemrshamilton said:

What's VTG? It's been a long time, but I believed I booked both my last cruises directly on the cruise line website and had no issues. I would figure the opposite would happen. If I booked the cruise on another site, I could see more issues that way, but I don't know.

I don't want to go through a travel agent. So you are saying other sites like Expedia etc are better?

VTG is Vacations to Go I think...

Expedia, Travelocity, etc are online travel agents...

I always book directly with the cruise line and it is fine.  You don't get some perks, but at least YOU control the reservation and can call and make changes.

If you use a travel agent (including online travel agents) if you need to make a change they won't talk to you, you have to call the agent and then have the agent do the work with the cruise line.

Either way will work, it is just what you are comfortable with.

soontobemrshamilton

thank you everyone! I have some homework to do!!

CMGragain

Until a few years ago, it was impossible to book a cruise without a travel agent..Cruise lines did not take bookings directly.  Then, about 14 years ago, the cruise lines realized that they could cut out the travel agent, book their own cruises, and keep the profit.  Do they pass on their profit to the consumer - no.  Their prices are usually higher than a good travel agent.
Booking a cruise without a travel agent is like selling your house without a real estate agent, except you won't save a dime!  If shit happens, you are on your own.
A travel agent can negotiate for you if something goes wrong.  The cruise lines want to keep their agents happy so they will sell more cruises.  I know one good agent who refuses to book a certain cruise line (BIG one!) because they cancelled her client's cruise at the last minute, bumping them for a larger group.
Travel agents are free to you.  They are paid by the cruise line after you take your cruise.  Good ones have lots of tips and information to help you, and will be glad to share their knowledge. 
ALL ON LINE TRAVEL SITES ARE TRAVEL AGENCIES!  Expedia, Travelocity, Costco, Sam's Cub, Orbitz, Vacations to Go, etc.  If you book with one of them, you ARE booking with a travel agent.
I have used the same travel agent at Vacations to Go for the past five years.  I really like him.  He has saved me a lot of money and given great advice.  If you PM me, I will share his contact information.  (Nothing in it for me.  I just want him to stay in business.  Several Knotties have been happy with him after my recommendation.)  Vacations to Go is one of the largest on line cruise travel agencies with a brick and mortar office in Houston, TX.
Generally, when you book a cruise, your money is 100% refundable until the last 90 days or so.  Airfare is not included.  You should ALWAYS buy trip insurance.
Feel free to PM me.  I'm going to post about how to cruise.

majesty318

I have been on around 15 cruises. My favorite is Royal Caribbean and my 2nd favorite is Celebrity. I thought Princess was OK. I would never cruise again on NCL or Carnival. We always book through a travel agent. We are actually leaving on our honeymoon TONIGHT (OMG OMG) and the 2nd week of it will be spent on a Celebrity cruise in the Mediterranean. I had received a Travelzoo email with a crazy deal but I booked with my normal travel agent. We got the 1,2,3 deal that @Starfish622 mentioned. Love cruises.

JoanE2012

majesty318 said:

I have been on around 15 cruises. My favorite is Royal Caribbean and my 2nd favorite is Celebrity. I thought Princess was OK. I would never cruise again on NCL or Carnival. We always book through a travel agent. We are actually leaving on our honeymoon TONIGHT (OMG OMG) and the 2nd week of it will be spent on a Celebrity cruise in the Mediterranean. I had received a Travelzoo email with a crazy deal but I booked with my normal travel agent. We got the 1,2,3 deal that @Starfish622 mentioned. Love cruises.

Sounds amazing!  Have fun!!

CMGragain

One of the ways we save money on a cruise is to book a guarantee cabin instead of choosing a specific one.  You decide which type of cabin you want (inside, ocean view, balcony or mini-suite), but you let the cruise line choose which one you get.  Location on the ship determines price.  The higher up, the more expensive.  The cabins are pretty much the same within a category.  You pay the lowest price, but chances are good they will give you a sweeter deal.  That doesn't mean you will get a balcony cabin when you are paying for an inside one, but you will probably be upgraded to a better location than you are actually paying for.  You are guaranteed a cabin - you just won't find out which one until about two weeks before sailing, and you can save hundreds of dollars over the people who think they need to choose their exact cabin location.

als1982

We love cruising!! We've done a Caribbean, Mediterranean (Italy, France and Spain), New Zealand/Australian and Canary Islands/Morocco/Spain/Portugal. And we're booked for Norway next May. Best way to see the most places in a single trip, IMO.

Personally, we like Disney (LOVE, even as DINKs!!) Celebrity and Royal Caribbean best. We have also cruised Norwegian and very much enjoyed the free style aspect but they are probably our least favorite. And while we also liked Celebrity for their ship, rooms, service and amenities, we found the other (mostly older) passengers to be somewhat rude and unfriendly.

We like to book through United (Airlines) Cruises for the airline miles. Our most recent cruise was least expensive on that site, plus it netted us nearly 30,000 miles (more than enough for a domestic round trip ticket for one person, or a one way to Europe). If we didn't use that site, we would book directly through the cruise line.

Have fun!!

CMGragain

I second the United Mileage VISA card.  You don't have to pay luggage charges when you book United or affiliated flights through them.  That can save you $100 per round trip!

JoanE2012

I third the United Mileage credit card. We've gotten many flights for free, including our flight to Hawaii in a few months! We charge everything we can and pay it right off.

mlg78

I'm loyal to Royal Caribbean and I currently have 3 cruises booked.  I think the Southern Caribbean out of San Juan is the best itinerary.  For our honeymoon we spent two nights in San Juan before boarding the cruise and then we had ports in St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados.  A friend just did RCI out of San Juan and went to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba and Curacao and loved it!

CMGragain

I'm not an Aruba fan.  No local culture at all.  Beautiful beaches - probably the best in the Caribbean, and lots of night life, but that isn't me.
Loved San Juan!  So much history!
Martinique was very French and very interesting.  Volcano!
St. Maarten/St. Martin is half French and half Dutch.  Pretty buildings and beaches.  Good shopping, if you get away from the docks.
St. Thomas is pretty, but it is also a huge tourist trap.  Very commercialized!
Jamaica has beautiful scenery, but the local con-artists are annoying, persistent,  and sometimes scary.  I wouldn't go back.
The nice thing about a cruise is that it is cheap, safe, and you get to see so many different things.

michellef2014

Go with Royal Caribbean...I wouldn't recommend their Haiti-Jamaica-Cozumel itinerary though...look for other islands, at Haiti they won't let you leave the Royal Caribbean "safe zone" which is boring and has nothing to do. Jamaica is nice but meh, Cozumel is the only place really worth it because the beach is just stunning. Best sand and water I've seen.

AprilH81

michellef2014 said:

Go with Royal Caribbean...I wouldn't recommend their Haiti-Jamaica-Cozumel itinerary though...look for other islands, at Haiti they won't let you leave the Royal Caribbean "safe zone" which is boring and has nothing to do. Jamaica is nice but meh, Cozumel is the only place really worth it because the beach is just stunning. Best sand and water I've seen.

Nothing to do in Labadee?!?!  There are beaches, nature trails, a little shopping.  Then more active things like snorkeling, jet skis, zip lining, roller coaster, parasailing and goodness knows what else...  There are plenty of options...

princessleia22

KnightsNurse said:

We are doing a cruise for our HM! It will be my 4th. I've only done Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I really wanted to do a Celebrity or even Disney for our honeymoon but the only line that works with our timing/destinations is Carnival (not my favorite choice at all but coming to terms with it). I feel Carnival is hit or miss; the food is worse (sometimes) and the onboard stuff isn't as upscale. You definitely get what you pay for. I've done the Bahamas all of my 3 last cruises and I am done with it! Living in Florida, it's a great weekend getaway but a multi-stop Caribbean is sounds better IMO!! We love scuba diving, so we are going to hit up Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Honduras (whale shark sighting capital of the world--My DREAM to swim with a whale shark)

I had my wedding on Carnival Dream about 6 weeks ago, and did 7-day cruise to Cozumel, Belize, and Honduras. We originally had said we wanted any cruise line, except Carnival, but it was the only one that had the itinerary we wanted, out of the port we wanted, and in price range that worked for our guests.

We had 12 people join us on the cruise and all had an amazing time. I've been on Carnival cruises before that were just okay, but I honestly don't have many complaints about this one. I think doing the longer cruises helps, because it is their newer/bigger/better ships and it didn't seem to be as overrun with kids and partiers, even though it was summer. Plus, the longer cruises feel more relaxing and less rushed. But we absolutely loved that itinerary. In Cozumel, we swam with dolphins; in Belize we went cave tubing, and we just hit the beach in Honduras... we booked all excursions independently, not through Carnival.  But, each stop was just beautiful.  Husband and I actually want to do the cruise again (not sure if we would do same ship or not) to be able to see more at each port... or we are considering a trip just to Belize.

I didn't really have many complaints about food either on this trip. And we had some pretty picky eaters in our group.  But, I did learn that you should definitely go to the specialty steak house at least once... the steak we ate there was probably the best I've had in my life, and I've eaten at some pretty high end steak houses before.