Recommended cruises and cruise lines? All inclusive?

Question

I want to take a cruise sometime later this year but I have never been on one before. What cruise lines are recommended? reasonably priced? and possibly all inclusive?

Best destinations??

Answer 1

The first question is where and when do you want to cruise.

The choices are constantly growing: the Caribbean has three options:
- Eastern, (generally; San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Nassau - this is my wife's favorite for shopping)
- Western ports (generally; Jamiaca, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel - usually more adventurious shore excursions).
- Southern (generally some combination of: St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Aruba, and Curacao - this is my favorite), you'll need to fly to San Juan;

then there's Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riveria, Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Pacific, Hawaii, South Pacific, the Orient, Europe (too many options to list here), and a growing popularity for European River Cruising and Barging.

The next question is how structured you want your cruise to be. Most ocean cruise lines have "assigned" dining times and various dress codes for dinner (formal nights, casual nights, etc.). Others have "Freestyle" or "Personal Choice" Dining. In other words, they have 6-10 restrauants for you to choose from, and you eat when, where, and with whom you want - and dress as casual as you please.

Your budget does come in to play in both departure city and cabin selection. A quick scale, from least expenseive to most expensive cabin types is: Inside; Oceanview; Balcony; Suite. The best location for least motion is as close to mid-ship as possible - another factor that not too many people realize is that the higher decks have more motion than the lower decks.

As far as what's included and what's not included in your cruise price, here's a little guide:

- Included - Ship accommodations, ocean transportation, most meals, coffee/tea/juices, most entertainment, and port taxes.

- Not Included - Any item of a personal nature including but not limited to: alcoholic beverages, spa and salon treatments, speciality coffees, shore excursions, gratuties, air transportation, transfers, photographs, medical services,

Some final thoughts; 1) make sure you use a good travel agent; 2) ask your travel agent to price out "Celebrity Cruise Line" for you - absolutely the best (our personal favorite!); and 3) remember that August - October is hurricane season in the Caribbean.

Have fun - planning is a big part of the enjoyment!

Answer 2

September (after Labor Day) is a great time to go price-wise, but be sure to buy travel insurance in case there's a hurricane. Most lines will re-reoute around the storms, but it's well worth it just in case. As for the cruise line, that depends on your age, temperament, and type of activities you like. Some of the ships are great for people wanting to party and others are better for older folks. I said temperament because my husband and I, while not that old, are curmudgeons on a cruise, ha ha! We don't want a lot of kids around, so we tend to go at times when school is in. Mexican Riviera is supposed to be nice, Antigua was beautiful and so was St. Thomas. I didn't personally care for Nassau, but that's because I don't really like wearing a bathing suit. If you like parties and after-hours, try Carnival or something like that. Royal Caribbean is a nice in-between. Celebrity was a little more mature. They still had all the parties, but that wasn't the main focus and the dining room was a lot nicer and a little more formal than Royal Caribbean. Those are the only two we've been on, so I don't know about the others. ENJOY it! Cruising is the best way to go!

Answer 3

The best all inclusives tend to be the most expensive, particularly Crystal. However, most non-all-inclusives only miss alcoholic beverages and sodas in their price. If you can live without those, or are willing to shell out a bit more, I'd definitely recommend Celebrity Cruises if you're travelling without young kids (older ones are fine) or Princess if you're travelling with kids.

Best destinations: Alaska and Bermuda.

Answer 4

Only the high end cruise lines are all inclusive. Our favorite after 22 cruises is Celebrity Cruise Line. Its a great way to travel!!!

Answer 5

Cruises are great their like a traveling city they have everything you will ever need on them and they are so much fun, depending on what you want and everything will depend more on what happens as for price and everything that depends on when and where you want to go, I would recommend the bahamas or the caribbean, or even the Mexican Rivera, and as for Cruise lines I would recommend Celebrity, or Royal Caribbean, as they are great cruise lines and then depending on age Carnival is more of a younger crowd but its really fun. Their is tons more Carnival is usually cheaper and I would recommend an oceanview stateroom which would be reasonably priced. Have fun.

Answer 6

The cruise line really depends on your budget and lifestyle. What kind of cabin category you want:inside, ocean view, balcony,or suite.

The destinations depend on what time of year you want to travel. Winter and Spring are mainly warm weather destinations like the Caribbean or Mexico. Summer and Fall are mainly Alaska and Europe.

Every cruise line includes all meals, room service, room, and entertainment. Unless you choose luxury class you will have to pay for most beverages.

Try www.insidercruising.com

Answer 7

I took a Carnival cruise, and while it wasn't all inclusive, a lot is included - all of the food, entertainment, etc. The only thing I paid for except for my souvenirs was my alcohol, and I pretty much stopped drinking after the second day.

Answer 8

I recommend you listen to Travel Guy. He recommends a good travel agency. The best choice for frequent travelers is through a the Gulliver's World Travel Data Bank Service. They have won many awards for outstanding excellence in service. They also feature a meet or beat policy on price.The link reference is listed below: Have a great trip!

Answer 9

go on a princess cruise they make you feel like royalty. the people who work onboard are the friendliest people you will ever meet. believe me if you want the best vaction in the world go on a princess cruise

Answer 10

I recently had a criuse experience.I went to Cancun in December end last year.Try this site that I had booked thru.All information is there that you may be looking for.
www.sptravel4u.biz
Good luck.