I'm thinking of taking a cruise (my 1st one)...?

Question

any I should be looking at first?

Answer 1

I went on a Meditteranean cruise last year for 14 days.
Some of the stops included Venice, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Athens and Santorini (Greece), Rome, Florence, Monaco and Barcelona.

I had been to a few of those cities before but there's so much to see and do that i'd take the same trip back in a heartbeat.

I booked it through my AMEXcard for double the points but cruisesonly.com and travelocity.com have pretty decent rates. You can also do it directly with the cruise company, sometimes they have the lowest prices.

Answer 2

Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are the "lower-end" mass market cruises.

Princess is thought of by many as being a step up from those three.

Celebrity and Holland America are another step up but still mass market.

There are several "high end" cruise lines - Seaborn, Crystal, etc.

The first thing you should do is go to the library or bookstore and get some books about cruising [there's even a "Dummies", if you like that format]. Also, check out CruiseCritic.com, "Boards" to get lots of info from past guests.

There are so many things to consider that you really need to at least do some basic research. It's like asking, "What car should I buy?" Different people are looking for different things. A travel agent who specializes in cruises can help a lot, but you will still need to do some research, as the agent will have lots of questions about preferences. The research is, or can be, a lot of fun.

Cruising is a great vacation, but not for everyone.

Have fun with your research!!

Answer 3

First you need to decide what you want out of a cruise as to beaches or scenery or something alot overlook is how many days of your cruise are you at sea. Also if you want to be on deck meeting new people and to see what is going on then I would suggest book an inside cabin and save yourself some money. Also the price listed for a cruise is based per person with at least 2 people per cabin. There are many different cruise lines as is there are places to go. Check out all the different cruise line sites and get the best price.
Also look at the different choices you have when it comes to dining. Norwegian, Princess and Holland offer a buffet where you can eat when you want & sit where you want. Buffets are great because they give you a chance to try new foods. These are included in you cruise price.
Enjoy.

Answer 4

There is a cruise line to meet everyone's expectations...

Carnival is very economical and offers some great itineraries. The atmosphere is party and casual.

Royal Caribbean is a bit more upscale but I have found their service to be lacking.

Disney...definately for families

Holland America and Princess have more seniors as guests.

Check out www.vacationstogo.com

The search engine allows you to search by cruise line, destination port and other search keys.

Something to consider is the size of the ship. I recommend 110 ton and above to reduce the amount of motion that you feel.

Also, be aware of fees not included in the teaser rates you see on the web...the fees you see on the web are usually for the smallest interior cabin and the fees don't include the port fees, taxes and new fuel surcharge. This can add $100-200 per person to your fare. Be sure to ask your travel/booking agent to include these fees in any quote up front.

We prefer cruising over land vacations.

Answer 5

Last year when planning my honeymoon someone mentioned Cruisecheap.com to me and I went there and I looked no further. They have access to all cruise ships, you can browse prices, availability, and other amenities. You can search by location and date, you can even narrow it down to what kind of things you are looking for on your cruise. I had so much fun on my cruise and I was so pleased with CruiseCheap!

Answer 6

Well cruises are great I been already twice on a cruise this year. I been to mexico and bahamas and boht are great. what i check first it's price no its a good time to go because its lower season so prices are very cheap
check this web-site
www.vacationstogo.com
excellet prices

Answer 7

Royal caribbean is first class, second to none, superb, has formal nights if you wish, but smart casual allways available. Superb food and ammeniteis, voyager of the seas is huge & everything is fantastic.