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First time, completely overwhelmed cruiser - needing major help


wndytyme
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Hello all! Being a trip advisor junkie Im finding myself completely lost in the realm of cruising, since they don't cover that over there. I tried perusing around the this site, but there is loads and loads of information and I'm feeling quite overwhelmed. Looking for some help here, please....

 

I'm looking to take a cruise with my husband and 12 year old daughter. Something in Italy/Greece perhaps. Things that are important to me is great food, great ports...cleanliness...I dont want to boat to be the focus, I want the travel to be, but while on it I want it to be great. While thrifty is good, I prefer something that makes me feel special and taken care of, not a herd mentality if we can help it. We dont need a TON of activities on board, we just want an all inclusive feeling of a resort but the ability to see more than one place. 7 days maybe? Im not sure! I feel super lost.....suggestions? Thank you in advance!

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A lot of choices on cruise line, ships, itineraries and available perks. Suggest you start spelling out to a reputable travel agent all your interests and preferences. I am sure that after your first cruise, you will be eager to do another.

 

 

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this is what I'm looking for! just a bit shorter, have you been on it? hows the experience?

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A lot of choices on cruise line, ships, itineraries and available perks. Suggest you start spelling out to a reputable travel agent all your interests and preferences. I am sure that after your first cruise, you will be eager to do another.

 

 

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but how do you know where to start?? there are so many cruise lines.....

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but how do you know where to start?? there are so many cruise lines.....

 

 

You can start with which region to go, say Caribbean, or Mediterranean, Norther Europe, Australia/NZ, Baltic Sea, Hawaii, Alaska etc.

 

Then you can check the Departure Ports on this link that lists the cruise lines, places to be visited and dates sailing in that region, like Greece.

 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/#destports

 

 

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When cruising in Europe, the itinerary is the most important part. Once you have decided exactly where you want to go, use the site referenced in the above post to see who is calling there, and their itineraries. You seldom get exactly the ports you want, but that's just a reason to go back again. As far as feeling pampered and not needing lots of amenities I would suggest Celebrity, Princess or Holland America. Most Med cruises are very port intensive and you don't have time to make use of the amenities anyway. You don't say where you are coming from but if you are flying to Europe from the US/Canada, the airfare can be mind boggling, and it is a shame to go that far for a cruise of only 7 days. EM

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I have to agree with EM .... I have only cruised the Western Med. once and it was:

SO HOT105 degrees! We traveled last week of July & first week of August, 2013;

SO MANY KIDS - summer time is kid intensive;

Port INTENSIVE is an UNDERSTATEMENT. Up at 6am and barely made it in time for dinner in dining room;

The time, effort and expense to do such a cruise, it would be a horrible waste to only look for a 7 night cruise;

While I thoroughly enjoyed seeing ... with my own eyes ... things I was taught in geography/history class, I truly missed not being able to go to the evening shows or relax in a bar with a couple of drinks, or just enjoy what the ship offers.

Our cruise was on NCL ONLY because we had put a future deposit down when we went on our first NCL cruise to Alaska in 2012. It was the Spirit and it was a good ship, although we didn't go into the pool/hot tub, we didn't see any shows in the theater, we didn't see any of the audience participation shows, etc.

I found the food on the Spirit VERY good. I have since been to Cuba, May 2017, on NCL Sky (ONLY went NCL due to itinerary .... 1 1/2 days in Cuba). The food on the Sky was HORRIBLE ...

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Definitely go to a "brick and mortar" travel agency...they can give you brochures on different cruise lines...you can get a "feel" for each...and they can make suggestions, based on your criteria.....

I agree that the ship will simply be a place to sleep on the itinerary you wish...so the ship is secondary for you. All will be clean, and give you plenty of food.

Bear in mind that unless you book a large suite, ship cabins are NOTHING like hotel rooms, so don't expect major luxury in a standard cabin. Most are well designed, with storage, but they are not big by any stretch!

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Things that are important to me is great food, great ports...cleanliness...I dont want to boat to be the focus, I want the travel to be, but while on it I want it to be great. While thrifty is good, I prefer something that makes me feel special and taken care of, not a herd mentality if we can help it. We dont need a TON of activities on board, we just want an all inclusive feeling of a resort but the ability to see more than one place. 7 days maybe? Im not sure! I feel super lost.....suggestions?

 

Based on this criteria, NCL is the last line I would recommend for you. I also whole-heartedly disagree with the notion that the ship is just a place to sleep. You're still going to have sea days, eat dinners every night, attend shows, go to the lounges, bars, etc. Choosing the wrong cruise line is an easy way to ruin your whole vacation.

 

I recommend Celebrity or HAL. Princess also isn't bad, but I find their ships to be a little crowded.

 

If you're willing to pay a little more, maybe consider Oceania or Viking.

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this is what I'm looking for! just a bit shorter, have you been on it? hows the experience?

 

 

 

We were just on this this month, it was awesome! The spirit is one of ncl’s smaller ships so easier at embarkation and disembarkation. Great ports too, great staff and clean! We loved it so much we booked this one on the spirit next fall.

 

 

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruises/11-Day-Mediterranean-&-Adriatic-from-Rome-(Civitavecchia)?itineraryCode=SPIRIT11CIVDBVVCEKOPSPUCFUKAKMLACIV

 

 

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I agree with the recommendation to talk with a brick and mortar TA.

 

If you definitely want to do the Med, go as soon as your daughter is out of school. Later in the summer, it will be HOT. When we do the Med, we have the flexibility to go in October.

 

And IMO, one week is too short. I'd suggest trying for 10 days at least if that is in your budget. Also, consider that you may want to spend extra days in your port of embarkation and disembarkation.

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I agree with a travel agent.

 

However, looking at, and having traveled the area, I am not interested in many of the Med cruises, due to being SO port intensive. They take on the feel of If it is Tuesday, it must be Greece type of trips.

 

And so many of the destinations really need more than part of a day. Some people think they have seen Mykonos because they came for a day on a cruise ship. We spent a week there, and could have stayed longer, and still had not explored much of what there is to do.

 

I cruise because I want to be relaxed. Sea days with no set plans are great. No, I don't particularly want all sea days, but a nice mix. Ports where if I miss something, I don't really care. I won't want to feel I HAVE to do something. Or if it rains, I missed that port entirely.

 

As to line, part of your your process will be budget. Similar itineraries can span a large range of prices. But also realize that lower cost cruises, have more extras you will have to pay for (excursions, soda, alcohol, specialty dining, etc). Higher priced lines may include some or all of these. Another consideration is size of the ship. The mega ships are almost amusement parks afloat, but so many people, you have to schedule everything. Smaller ships have less amusements, but you don't have to go to the early show on Wed, because that is what you booked. You can change your mind and eat early and go to the late show.

 

Time of year is a big deal. School holiday periods are much busier, both on the ship and in port. And Eastern Med is a very popular European tourist destination. Spring break and US based cruises can lead to a very party heavy atmosphere, which may or may not be to your liking.

 

I approached my first cruise as, I really did not care where I went. Within reason. But I wanted to try the CRUISE.

 

And I found I liked the cruise. If I want to visit a particular destination, I will go to that destination and spend some time there, and really see it.

 

Just my take.

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Based on this criteria, NCL is the last line I would recommend for you. I also whole-heartedly disagree with the notion that the ship is just a place to sleep. You're still going to have sea days, eat dinners every night, attend shows, go to the lounges, bars, etc. Choosing the wrong cruise line is an easy way to ruin your whole vacation.

 

 

 

I recommend Celebrity or HAL. Princess also isn't bad, but I find their ships to be a little crowded.

 

 

 

If you're willing to pay a little more, maybe consider Oceania or Viking.

 

 

 

Plus 1.

Folks who don't consider the ship (where you eat, sleep and spend sea days), generally have not experienced anything outside of the "mass market" segments.

If excellent food, first class bedding and cabin amenities, highly restrictive smoking policy, no thundering herds of humanity, no nickel-diming and no "prom nights" suits your preferences BUT you also don't want to spend all your inheritance on a single trip, Oceania will better than meet your needs.

 

 

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Think about timing... a cruise I was on this year was quite full, but because in the UK we can't take children out of school, there were only about 12 pre-schoolers on board. The chef was telling us that the following week, a school holiday, there would be 700 children on board, and many of those would be on the pull down bunks or on the double settees, so that could be hundreds of extra passengers on the ship.

In Europe, most children will be on holiday from the middle of July to the end of August, so ports will be full of folk having their summer break, which can cause delays and overcrowding at sites- and it will be hot!

Look at the smaller ships, without all the fun of the fair on board, and read the reviews.

Enjoy searching! :)

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If you are really thinking of just seven days, I would suggest you give up the idea of a cruise, fly to Rome, spend two days, then train to Venice for two days, then back to Rome to fly home -stopping for two days in Florence.

 

A lot of Med ports are far from the city served - giving you lots of time on busses/trains and too little time to get anything more than the ability to say "I was in Rome".

 

Save your Med cruise (and the fare and flights) until you can take enough time to spend a few days in ports at beginning and end of actual cruise.

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A lot of choices on cruise line, ships, itineraries and available perks. Suggest you start spelling out to a reputable travel agent all your interests and preferences. I am sure that after your first cruise, you will be eager to do another.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hello all! Being a trip advisor junkie Im finding myself completely lost in the realm of cruising, since they don't cover that over there. I tried perusing around the this site, but there is loads and loads of information and I'm feeling quite overwhelmed. Looking for some help here, please....

 

I'm looking to take a cruise with my husband and 12 year old daughter. Something in Italy/Greece perhaps. Things that are important to me is great food, great ports...cleanliness...I dont want to boat to be the focus, I want the travel to be, but while on it I want it to be great. While thrifty is good, I prefer something that makes me feel special and taken care of, not a herd mentality if we can help it. We dont need a TON of activities on board, we just want an all inclusive feeling of a resort but the ability to see more than one place. 7 days maybe? Im not sure! I feel super lost.....suggestions? Thank you in advance!

I started cruising again 4 years ago. Because my wife wanted to try it. To my surprise I found that I really like cruising and we will probably keep on with it as long as we are able. For a destination like Europe it provides the advantage of no need to pack your luggage day to day - the hotel just floats along to the next city. Along the way it can provide a sybaritic experience.

However.

We recently did a wonderful trip on Celebrity's Constellation: Venice down to a few Greek Isles via Athens. We have zero complaints about Celebrity or the ship or the ports of call.

 

And this is where the "however" comes in. Wait for it...

 

This cruise was so port-intensive that we hardly had an opportunity to enjoy the ship! I had scheduled 3 days prior and 7 days after the cruise in Venice, and so we did get our down time, but the cruise itself was intense! If that had been our first cruise, I would have experienced few if any of the delights of cruising and might never go back.

 

In short, I recommend you think carefully about what you want to do. Do you want to cruise? Or do you want to see/explore fascinating ancient history through ancient ruins on Mykonos, the acropolis, etc? You can do both at once, sortta. But you may well walk away somewhat disappointed.

 

Best option in my mind is not to treat this as a one-time decision. Find a cruise that starts and ends in interesting places, and that goes to interesting places. Go, experience, learn, explore. You may be dissatisfied with some aspects of your trip. That is ok, perfection is not necessarily the goal. Decide what you would like to do differently "next time", and then go back and do it again...

 

Enjoy!

 

Stan

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I would get help on this with a travel agent who specializes in cruising.

 

Ask friends who cruise if they have a recommendation.

 

Keith

 

I agree with everyone recommending you see a TA, one who specializes in cruising. Go in with an idea of budget, itinerary, month(s), etc. A good TA will listen to you and try to help you come up with a good choice, and if you are unrealistic about your variables (eg. if you want an Alaskan cruise in October), help guide you to a better choice.

 

Be aware that if you want your 12-year-old not to be the only kid on board, that certain times of year (school holidays) will become important. I would definitely include your child in the decision making (our daughter started wanting to have more of a say, especially with port activities when she got to be a certain age).

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