First where do I start?
Do I need a passport?
Is one ship better than another?
Is there a better time of the year to take a cruise?
How many times have you been on a cruise? Just wonder this to see how you are getting your facts.
Where should I go?
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Comments: 76
I have heard by many that Alaskan cruises are the best one.
I would start by going to several travel agents; they will all have different ideas/suggestions, so use them for ideas (the rates should be about the same between them all).
Check online sites to see other people's ideas. Don't just take my word, because even for islands I've been to, I haven't seen it all...
You will need a passport, if you leave US waters.
Carnival is good, especially for families, but there can be a lot of kids running. We LOVE Royal Caribbean.
If you go to the Caribbean, there is no bad time to go, but for us, it's always nice to go when it's cold up north.
We love the Caribbean, but it's hard to say which islands are best:
- St Thomas: if you like shopping, but touristy, crowded. Cable car is fun.
- St John: beautiful, not touristy, expensive, not much to do.
- Virgin Gorda: go to the "Baths", huge rock formations.
- Dominica: not touristy, rural, beautiful.
- Martinique: French, pretty,
- Jamaica: hard to describe; can be fun, but you may be pestered by hawkers; large island so hard to generalize, some rural, some touristy.
- Antigua: very nice, not too touristy.
- Cozumel: swim with dolphins is excellent.
- Aruba: good snorkeling.
- Puerto Rico: not overly impressed, especially with San Juan, but haven't been out of town...
- Dominican Republic: not overly impressed, but only saw the town, not the rest of the island; have heard good things from others about the island.
It costs more, but we definitely recommend getting a room with a (small) balcony, because if you feel like being alone, you can just sit there with your drink or coffee, and watch the water or islands go by :-)
Take the excursions! They cost extra, but definitely worth it. Ask the cruise staff what to do on each island; not just the excursion staff (who may get compensated for referrals), but waiters, bartenders, etc., who have been there thousands of times.
We've never done the Alaskan cruises, but heard they're great, Hawaii too...
Enjoy...
Please post your results when you get back, so others can learn from your experiences...
You will definitely need a passport as every ship that leaves from the U.S. makes some kind of international stop (in order to avoid having to be registered in the U.S.) and so you have to have it.
What ship you take depends on what you want from your cruise. Some are small, which means less crowding and it's easier to get around, but it can also mean a bumpier ride and less to do on board. Big ships mean more stability and stuff to do, but it can get quite hectic getting on and of the ship in port and you can't always get in certain ports. We choose Princess the first time (Mexican Riviera) and loved the food and locations, but not the hard sell approach they take to everything on board. Took Celebrity to Alaska last year and the food was marginal (quite the surprise given what I'd heard) but the service superb. One consistent is that the coffee on board a cruise ship is nasty. :-)
You might consider picking where you want to go first, as in a port you definitely want to go to, then find out what cruise lines/ships actually go there. When you go will depend on where you want to go.
I figure out where I want to go, do my homework on the different lines/ships that make the route, then start pricing. Both times, I got a quote from an agent I met via CruiseCritics and booked with her rather than online. That way she's there to fight for me if things go wrong. I'm normally a DIY kind of gal. But she can get me in the cabin I want and that's a big plus - aft balcony for me. I love going to sleep listening to the water off the back of the boat.
(At this rate, I should have just written my own article. :-) Best of luck planning your trip.
The best way to start is a short cruise maybe to the Bahamas--a weekender lets you know what cruising is about. From there you can go for a 5 day cruise say to Cozumel and Cancun. After that you'll be more than ready for a seven day Caribbean Cruise which is so much fun.
Prices vary. With all the competition ships have many low cost cabins available. I never worried about where I was sleeping since I spent very little time in the room. Midship cabin is best if you have a tendency for seasickness--but with the stabilizers on ships there's very little of that.
Go for a cruise that you know is affordable. I always made sure I put groups on ships where they would be comfortable and not feel out of place. You want to be with like minded cruisers.
For me cruising is the best way to vacation. Someone else cleans up after you, someone cooks for you and someone entertains you. It's great.
I've written an ebook about how to take FREE cruises and tours as a group organizer. You get a gang of friends and relatives together and you go FREE.
Whatever you do, have fun.