Just another newcomer begging for help...........

[Jules]

Hi

A friend and I just decided to take a Caribbean cruise this year and are totally bewildered by the number of cruises and cruise line available.

I have trawled the internet looking for a site to help me narrow down the choices but so far I have had no luck. So here I am begging for help.

We are two single females (thirty something & just friends) looking to go on a cruise where there is a good mix of people (although neither of us are particularly childminded). Ideally we would like to be on a cruise with people of our own age but are not looking for the singles scene. We are requiring good entertainment, good fun, good service, good food and good quality.(But are not at all fussy!!)

Any help you could give to narrow down the choices and identify suitable cruise lines would be much appreciated.

[Jules]

Hi

A friend and I just decided to take a Caribbean cruise this year and are totally bewildered by the number of cruises and cruise line available.

I have trawled the internet looking for a site to help me narrow down the choices but so far I have had no luck. So here I am begging for help.

We are two single females (thirty something & just friends) looking to go on a cruise where there is a good mix of people (although neither of us are particularly childminded). Ideally we would like to be on a cruise with people of our own age but are not looking for the singles scene. We are requiring good entertainment, good fun, good service, good food and good quality.(But are not at all fussy!!)

Any help you could give to narrow down the choices and identify suitable cruise lines would be much appreciated.

[Happy Cruiser]

Hi There,
The best thing to do is to get some cruise brochures. Probably your best bets will be with Carnival, Royal Caribbean (RCI) or Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL). Some others may have further suggestions or different views on this.

If you have never taken a Caribbean cruise, your best bets are either Eastern or Western Caribbean. Southern Caribbean cruises normally go from San Juan, and I have found the airfare to be more expensive than going to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, etc.

Next, pick the time you want to go on your trip and see what ships are sailing where. List all the ships that are sailing during that timeframe for these 3 cruise lines. Then, look over the itineraries for each one. Do you have a particular port in mind that you wish to visit?

Next, go to www.mytravel.com and look at the different pics of the ships that you want to go on. What kinds of things do you want to do on board? You'll be able to look at the different amenities on the different ships and narrow your choices.

After you've done all of this, next, read reviews of all the ships that you've selected and list the pros and cons of each one. Price, as well, may be a factor in choosing your cruise, based on your circumstances.

Then, try to narrow down the choices to a few. Call your travel agent or the cruise line directly to get some pricing on inside cabins (no windows) or outside cabins (with windows). Sometimes, they have "deals" through the cruise line.

Anyway, good luck with your choices and have a fun cruise!

[Joe I]

Happy Cruiser gave you good advice.My Travel has a excellent website(maybe I think so because I work for them.Look at www.cruisesinc.com/jipock for more info).From reading your post ,you sound like a Royal Caribbean cruiser to me.Good food,good quality,good service,fun, but not into the singles scene.You should find plenty of 30 something singles on one of their Voyager class ships.Carnival is alot of fun but much more party oriented.Ncl is a good choice if you prefer not to dress up and eat at different times(Freestyle)Any of the three would be a good pick.One cruise and I guarantee you will be hooked.Let me know if I can help.
joe

[Jules]

Thank you both for the advice, I will look further at what RC and NCL have to offer. I do like the look of the Southern Caribbean cruises.

I think Carnival might be a little to much fun for me as they seem to advertise as being party cruises.

Thanks again.

[Happy Cruiser]

Hi Jules,
Just to let you know that although Carnival does say it is the "fun ship", there are a lot of older people on board, too. But, Carnival does seem to attract a younger crowd.

You didn't say what your interests were, or what appealed to you about the Southern Caribbean cruises. Anyway, whatever you do, have fun!

[Traveler]

When I was on RCCL it was ... shall I say .. more mature group.. and after day 3 you looked twice when a child went past.. , there were so few on the cruise .. Carnival has been pushing FUN ship.. but as family fun.. not party till dead fun ( though you can do that )
Look at Carnival...
figure out where you would like to go and look for cruises that go there but remember most cruises are only in port for 1/2 a day ( 8-4 ) . I decided I prefer the ships food and entertainment and do one shore excursion at each port and some walk around town sight seeing.
I will say travelocity has a good search engine to narrow things down a bit ( use the advanced search ) and I always check out the home page for that line for more info..
Good luck

[Karen Knowlton]

If you really are not sure which cruise line will be best for you, please consider seeing a travel agent who specializes in cruises. They can help narrow down the choices to the one that you will best fit, especially if you let them know your interests, lifestyle, etc. Cruise specialists often have cruised on many different ships and cruise lines and know what each has to offer.

[daytonohio]

I think the RCCL, is 1st, CCL 2nd and NCL 3rd but not the NORWAY, unless you really like older ships. I like the ship but I took it on my 5th cruise. I'll through in my 2 cents worth on web sites as well: icruise.com---cruise.com---cheaptickets.com--- good ship stats and reviews)
expedia.com---travelocity.com---
If you can cruise in early September you might like it better without the small children...I have taken kids on cruises, so I only say that because of your comment in your post. Hope this helps.

[Tom & Mary-Contributing Editors]

Read as many reviews as you can and try to discern if you have similiar interests as the writer. Here is the URL of our page which has a Bio that explains our likes and dislikes and has comprehensive reviews of our last 20 cruises, all made in the last six years. If you have any questions, we would be glad to answer them. Our page address is:

http://www.TomandMarysCruiseReviews.com/

Warm regards,
Tom & Mary

Tom & Mary
(The Honeymooners)