Need Some Advice

[SoulCruise]

My wife and I never realy had much of a honeymoon, so we are planning to go on a cruise for our 5 year wedding anniversary.

We are stuck on what cruiseLine to go with. Were looking for a romantic and laid back time but also want to have some "fun" options. The main cruise lines we have looked at are RCI, Celebrity, and a little at the PRincess.

Celebrity seems a bit more refined and RCI seems like it has the "Fun" options but is not as refined.

Were looking for a 5 night Western Carribean itinerary, with Cozumel somewhere in there.

Any comments and suggestions would be greatly apprectiated.

My wife and i are a young couple in our late 20's and this woudl be our first cruies.


-Nathanial M. W.-

[Tom Sodemann]

What is your budget just for the cruise?

[ricks]

My wife and I didn't start crusing until our 10th anniversary, so you guys are starting off 5 years better. I've only done Carnival and NCL and for all the talk about which line caters to what type of people, in my humble opinion, varies widely. Our first was with Carnival and it fit the "fun-ship" description. Our second was with Carnival and there were tons of nasty old people. Our last with NCL was somewhere in between. We are going back with Carnival in July. I fully believe that a cruise is what you make it. Choose a boat that you think you will like on a itinerary that you find interesting and let everything else fall into place. I find in going thru cruise reviews that two people on the same cruise will have vastly different experiences and should be taken with a grain of salt (unless there are only bad reviews). One note since you are young. If you take a cruise line that says it caters to the older demographic you will have no problem getting in on the really cool excursions and you won't have to wait in line for the waterslide. And hopefully I haven't offended anyone.

[MiketheKid]

you won't have to wait in line for the waterslide.

Old people don't like waterslides??

[drlivingston]

Soulcruise, you are too young to be worried about being refined. (just kidding) I have often found the Eastern Caribbean cruisers to be more refined than the Western cruisers. There is something about Cozumel that brings out the inner beach bum in all of us. You can be a refined beach bum. Even I drink Heineken on the beach while wearing my Ralph Lauren swim trunks. Humor aside, you can find moments of refinement on any cruise ship. Even the oft-maligned Carnival Holiday offers a true english tea time with cloth napkins and scones. Some people often confuse refinement with as we southerners say "puttin' on airs." All of the cruise lines that you mentioned are great carriers. Every ship (even ones in the same line) has a different personality and charm. I have found that it is more the itinerary that dictates the atmosphere of the ship. It's a fairly simple proportion. The longer and, consequently, more expensive the cruise, the less college age and younger people that you are going to see. A 3-5 day cruise on any line is going to have plenty of kids in the pools and a general party-like feel. Now, if I had to make a personal choice of the ones that you mentioned, I would pick RCCL. If you are capable of taking the time off, I would consider a 7-day cruise instead of the 5-day.

[Tom Sodemann]

I agree with trying to go on a 7 day rather than a 5 day cruise. 1. You usually get larger ships. 2.You have time to reach better ports.
3. There are fewer kids.

Sodey

[PA Steve Rocky Mount]

Just my thoughts now...been on 11 cruises...1 with Royal Caribbean, one with NCL, one with Costa, and 8 with Carnival. Does that tell you how I feel about it?

Carnival has...in my opinion...better food, more things to do, and their entertainment is beyond compare.

4 day cruises are, in my mind, way too short. By the time you get unpacked it's time to leave. Shop around for a good cruise that's a week long. If you look right after labor day or right after the first of the year, prices go down considerably. You can get alot of cruise for not alot of money.

And again this is my opinion. Don't spend money on your room...all you do is sleep and shower there. There's a whole lot of other ways to spend your money on a cruise.

Have a great time!