What are the best cruise ships? Are they all the same? What are the best excursions? What should I pack for a cruise? How can I get the most out of a cruise? Thanks for all answers.
I’ve been on cruises with Princess, Celebrity and NCL, they were all great, for excursions it depends what you like to do, but you can ask at the service desk and they will help you out, do not book in advance.
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i would not go on the norwegian
References :
* There are many travel cruise lines to select from. They all have advantages and disadvantages. The one you choose is a personal choice. The port you will traveling out of will only have options to some of the cruise lines. You can find these out from travelocity.
* Whichever destinations your cruise goes to will have its own set of excursions. You will have to read up on them from the cruise line website.
* See the attached web page on what to pack.
To get the most out of a cruise:
* Study the material the cruise line sends you.
* Choose fun excursions you can afford
* Bring a great attitude!
Best,
Chuck
References :
http://www.inexpensive-vacation-ideas.com/Travel-Cruise-Lines.html
http://www.travelocity.com/Cruises
http://www.inexpensive-vacation-ideas.com/Cruise-Packing-List.html
Make sure you choose the right cruise that fits you budget, destinations and activities would be the top of the list to learn more tips check out the link below.
References :
http://www.online-travel-agent-opportunities.com/cruise_tips.html
I went on Princess, Carnival, and Holland America. I liked Princess the most because Carnival was good, but only if you have kids, they also don’t have the best food, they have food such as hotdogs and hamburgers, instead of food such as pasta, and other entrees in Princess and Holland America. I like Holland America, but the ships are a bit smaller and when I went, it was a bit unorganized. They were doing the lifejacket drill while people were still boarding the ship, so on the stairs, it was a mix of people going to their room with their stuff, and people with lifejackets going to their muster station, it was a mess. A lot of people missed the drill or were really late, because they did not plan it out throughly. And I liked Princess better because they have a bigger ship than Holland America. Not all cruises are the same, Carnival is (in my opinion) designed for children more than the adults, and Princess is designed more for the adults. Depending on where you go, the excursion differ. When i went to Alaska, the shore excursions on land were cheaper than on the boat, and you could bargain with them. When i went to the Caribbean, there were almost no shore excursions on land to sell, so you have to book them through the ship. The ship should send you a book telling you about the shore excursons and you should book them online on the ship’s website. They will give you your ticket when you are on the ship. The ticket should say when, where, what time, and what to bring on the shore excursion. Depending on where you are going, you should pack lightly. I went to the Caribbean, and the temperature was mostly humid and somewhere in the 80-90’s and wore mostly shorts and a tee shirt and sandals. For ALaska, it was freezing and rainy and wore mostly long pants, long sleeve shirt, and a jacket. (In fact it was so cold that i had to buy a jacket in Alaska to keep me warm, they were selling them right outside the ship for $20, and it was like they knew we did’t pack a jacket!) For formal nights, you would need to wear a tux, and if you don’t want to maybe you can wear black pants, with a white collar shirt and maybe a tie. If you just want to skip all of the formal, you can just eat at the buffet!!
some tips:
-if you want you can buy the picture that they take of you, (but really I don’t find it necessary, they are around $20 each, and that is a bit expensive, you can maybe take your own and it would be free!)
-buy things onboard the ship, it is tax free, and it would be cheaper than outside
-appreciate the crew on board-they serve tons a people every cruise and they still have a smile on their face and are happy to serve you ! especially the cleaning person-they would probably clean your room twice a day and give you chocolate!
-Enjoy all the shows they put on, they are actually quite good and entertaining
-read the newpaper they give you, it would tell you what is going on and you would be able to see what activites they are having
-go to the shopping seminars – they tell you how to shop smartly and save money at the ports (skip this if you want to save money 🙂
-the most important thing to remember when going on a cruise, you can’t forget this, is to…….. HAVE FUN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!!!! No matter what you do, even if you didn’t read what i wrote up there, enjoy yourself! A cruise is proablably the most relaxing thing ever, you don’t have to worry about food, about getting lost (well maybe a bit in the first couple of days!). By the end of the cruise i am sure you would not want to return back to reality, to where you have to cook, clean and work. If i had the money and the time, i would go on a world cruise for 3 months, but i can’t 🙁
Have fun 🙂
References :
Pack comfy clothes. Shoes for lots of walking as the ships are big. Make sure you pack a swimsuit. We went on a cruise last month and I forgot mine. (Was I mad!). Bring a set of workout clothes, if you plan on visiting the gym. Don’t forget the sunscreen! Enjoy!
References :
Previous Carnival cruiser
The bigger and newer the ship the better. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_world's_largest_cruise_ships
Above link is a list. Food is all the same for the most part. The cruise lines vary. Carnival is cheaper and has genearlly a younger crowd…. good for partying…. princess tends to have an older crowd better for relaxing… ports of call matter…. places like cozumel, new orleans, barcelona are FUN.
Go to cruisecritic and learn
Best excursions depend where you go. Grand Cayman the best is stingray city wihtout a doubt. Roatan hondurus the best is zip lining. Belize the best is scuba or cave tubing. It all depends where you go. Excursions are cheaper if you buy them off the ship on the shore. I usually can talk the people down. The ship might charge $120. I can get the same excursion for $25-40 off the ship. Order multiple meals. Meals in the dinning room are better quality. During formal night, order 8 lobster tails and 4 prime ribs… yes you can do that
References :
I’ve been on cruises with Princess, Celebrity and NCL, they were all great, for excursions it depends what you like to do, but you can ask at the service desk and they will help you out, do not book in advance.
References :
The answer to that question is really your decision based on what is the best cruise for you, considering your age and the ages and types of people you would want to be on a cruise ship with; how formal vs casual you want to be; whether you are an active person who wants lots of activities on the ship or would prefer to just relax and not be bothered with doing "stuff"; and how much money you want to spend. NO, all cruise ships and cruise lines are NOT the same.
The very high end cruise lines, which some call the "best" are cruise lines like Crystal, Silver Seas, Regent Seven Seas, and Oceania. All of these are top notch on service and amenities on their ships and also are very formal. In addition, a cruise on any of these cruise lines will cost about double what you may pay on the next tier of cruise lines. But, you get what you pay for if one of these is "best" for you.
I have been on more than 25 cruises on Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean ships. These are the next tier of cruise lines that most people cruise on. You need to know that there are some differences that you need to be aware of in making your selection of which is "best".
Princess, Celebrity and Holland America have great ships are more classy and reserved. They are just a little more upscale and luxurious than the other cruise lines. Passengers tend to be middle aged and up and have cruised multiple times. Holland America has mostly senior citizens (65 and up) cruising on its ships and very few kids and young people.
Norwegian cruise line is good, they cater to families and have mostly passengers in the range of age 35-40 and up. Its the line that you want to go on if you want to be informal for pretty much your whole cruise. They have formal nights like other cruise lines but they do not stress dressing up; they call it "dress up if you want to" night. Norwegian has the most alternative eating places on their ships, but you will have to pay a fee of $10 to $20 per person per visit to eat at some of them. All other cruise lines also have these alternatives but usually only two such places.
Carnival is the budget cruise line that generally has the lowest prices. They cater to young people, first time cruiser and families. Most of their cruiser will be in the 20 to 45 age group and there will be lots of kids on board. Their ships have some good on-board activities like water slides and basketball court. The best of their ships are their newer ships so do pay attention to when the ship was launched is you find a good and really cheap cruise.
Royal Caribbean is also a cruise line that caters to young cruiser and families; ages about 25/30 to 60. It has the advantage of having the most on-board activities, like ice skating, roller skating, mini-golf course, a basketball/tennis court, the rock climbing wall, and on the new Oasis and Freedom Class ships the surfing simulator, the Flowrider. The RC ships that you should look for cruises on are the RC’s Oasis Class, Freedom Class, and Voyager Class ships.
Cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean of 3 to 7 days generally have more young people and kids. Cruises longer than 7 days and to places like New England/Canada, the Mediterranean and South America have fewer kids and more older cruisers.
You must pay for excursions from the ship but you don’t have to book excursions and can get off and back on the ship as much as you want in port stops. The excursions available will depend on the port so is pretty impossible to just list the best ones, they vary by port.
You pack casual clothes like shorts and swim wear, evening clothes like slacks, shirt with a collar, and regular shoes, and then formal wear for the one or two formal nights on the cruise. Formal can be anything from a tux or gown for women, to a suit and tie for men and a party dress of women; or just wear your Sunday best.
When you cruise the activities will be there for you to enjoy, just pay attention to what is happening and do what you like. The ship will provide you a newsletter each day with a listing to the time and place for all activities on the ship; read it and go.
References :
Experienced cruiser
PRINCESS:
http://www.princess.com/index.html
CARNIVAL:
http://www.carnivalcruiselines.com/
AZAMARA:
http://www.azamaracruises.com/07/azama..…
CELEBRITY:
http://www.celebritycruises.com/home .
ROYAL CARIBBEAN:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.d..…
NORWEGIAN:
http://www.ncl.com/