Debating a few things

[Gryphon]

Greetings all,

First wanted to say that I've only been on this site for a few days.. but I've found it quite helpful. so thanks in advance for your help. These are two questions that I have been wondering.

 

Ok, my husband and I are planning our first cruise. We are planning to leave in Nov/December of this year (2005). This will be our first cruise on our own (Parents took him and myself on a short cruise for my college graduation). We've decided that we want to leave out of New Orleans.. since neither of us has been there and spend a few days in the city pre or post cruise. The travel agent helped us narrow it down to the Carnival Conquest or one of the Norwegian Cruises for 7 days out of NO.

 

1)I'm 32 (33 at the time of the cruise) and my DH is 34. This will be a cruise for our wedding anniverssary so we're thinking of splurging a little bit.

2)We don't party much.. so probably wouldn't like a ship where that is the primary entertainment.

 

So, if you had a choice between those two cruise lines and different ships which one would you choose?

 

 

 

Part 2.

Which I suppose in some ways affects the first question.. I've been wondering about clothing for the cruise.. especially for the formal nights.. I have several tattoos. Nice ones, but they're fairly obvious.. On the cruise we were on I saw large differences in how people either hid their tattoos or showed them off. What are people's opinions/ experiences?

 

 

Thank you for your time

[98Charlie]

Welcome to the boards Gryphon. So happy to hear you have been reading the boards and now ready to plan your first cruise together - alone, together.

 

Answering your second part first: Have sailed on four cruise lines in the past two years, five times on NCL. DH& I have never noticed pax to be concerned about tatoos - on females or males. Now, if you're going to tell me that you have a glow-in-the-dark tatooed spider on your forehead and you've dyed your hair to match, my answer about formal night might be different. Otherwise, wear a formal attire you feel great in and you will fit in with the rest of the passengers who are wearing theirs to feel great as well.

 

A far as your question concerning Carnival vs NCL, can't speak on Carnival's behalf - never cruised that line before. We enjoy NCL's free style cruising because it gives us options on dining venues and dining attire.

 

We are in our mid 50s but are only thirty something when we are on a cruise ship. We enjoy being together, meeting other people (that's another reason we like NCL free style dining where we're seated with other people each night). We're not party animals (by 10 p.m we're rolling up our own sidewalks to head for the cabin).

 

Take the feed back you get from this thread, plan your cruise with info you receive that fits your lifestyle and expectations - then go out there and enjoy the cruise and your time in New Orleans.

Dianne

[mirage2u]

i have cruised carnival and ncl and i will never do ncl again. it was so boring, the food wasn't that good, and there was nothing special about it. i am in my mid 20s and do like to enjoy the night life but i am not much of a partier either. on ncl there was nothing going on at night and most of the time we went to bed early (for us anyway). i just had a lot more fun on carnival.

[springtxbill]

If you are not a partier, I would suggest you look at the RCCL ship that goes out of NO on 7 days. I think it is the grandeur of the Seas. Carnival ships are more partiers. :)

[Gryphon]

Thanks for the quick replies..

 

98Charlie:

Thanks for the info about how passengers react to tattoos.. *giggles* no no glow in the dark spiders or funky hair color, just a large willow tree with two figures standing beneath it on my back, and portrait pieces on both arms.

 

Mirage:

Thanks

 

 

springtxbill: We'd considered Royal Carribean, but we're booking through a travel club right now and were offered the other two .. will look into it and discuss it with booking agent again.. debating checking with a local travel agent and see what I can get.

[waterbound]

We are headed on our 5th cruise in March and all have been with Carnival.. Personally Im not a partier either.. I like a drink now and then though... I dont feel that Carnival is the party ship.. You have to realize that these ships are huge and there are many activities to choose from.. Yes you can party in one of the many bars and dance areas.. Yes they sell alcohol but who doesnt.. If there is something going on in one part of the ship there is always something else going on somewhere else on the ship.. They have activities late at night.. Like myself I like to stay up at night and do as much as I can for as long as I can.. but I dont feel its a party atmosphere.. Its a fun atmosphere.. If you were older and mentioned you dont like this then I would say perhaps you might look into RCCL but at your age I would say look into carnival a little more.. By the way Im 34 and my boyfriend is 39.. He has cruised RCCL before and he said its very reserved and not that its no fun.. but he said "its very different"..

[98Charlie]

While the atmosphere of any ship can generally be categorized, each sailing of a ship IMHO is identified by the passengers more than the ship itself. Two of the "liveliest" ships that we have been on were Celebrity Century and Dawn Princess, generally reagarded as "conservative" ships.

 

In the first case there was a contingent of young ladies from a school in Venezuela all celebrating their 15th or 16th birthday. No alcohol involved but those girls had a great time everywhere they went. It made for an interesting cruise.

 

The Dawn Princess went out of San Juan right after Thanksgiving 2003. The ship was over ½ Puerto Ricans. Talk about a fun bunch. Anytime two notes of music were put together there was someone dancing.

 

The bottom line is that there will be plenty to do on either ship and the fun is what you and your fellow passengers make of it.

 

Some other things to consider:

 

• Both of the ships that you are considering are relatively new and approximately the same size.
  
• The current prices are about the same in all categories.
  
• The Conquest has 3 sea days and 3 ports, the Sun has 2 sea days and 4 ports. We enjoy sea days and don't care for a cruise that is too port intensive.
  
• Which itinerary is more interesting to you? We really enjoy Roatan (pretty primative compared to many Caribbean ports) and don't care for Jamaica.
  
• Check out cabin size if it is important to you. Carnival generally has larger cabins.
  
• Do you want set dining times with the same tablemates (Carnival) or open seating with different tablemates for dinner (NCL)?
  

 

We have sailed NCL, Princess, Celebrity and RCCL. Never been on Carnival for the simple fact that it just hasn't matched our schedules and itinerary/budget preferences yet.

 

I don't think that you will make a bad decision between the two cruises.

 

Charlie (who has yet to be on a "bad" cruise)

[serene56]

Carnival ships are more partiers. :)

 

 

What an odd thing for you to say since I dont see one Carnival cruise listed on your page.

 

But I agree that Royal has more of a subdued night life compared to Carnival. We are not partiers...but on carnival we are given more choices of what to do at night time then on Royal,

[springtxbill]

There is one, but it was a very long time ago. I have heard they have changed somewhat but seeing the people boarding back up in some of the ports you can tell they are a little more party hardy.

[Gryphon]

looks like we'll be dividing up our vacation.. so maybe a carnival or other cruise line and then the vacation in N.O.

so now the process starts all over again

:mad:

[KazinSD]

I've cruised 11 times and am booked on the Victory in June and I can honestly say I have had a variety of experiences even while traveling on the same cruise line - heck, same cruise boat. We've been on the Paradise before with another family and we all got a little more involved, then cruised the Paradise again 3 years later with just my family and relaxed the whole week. I have been on Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, and the now defunct Western Star Lines and enjoyed every cruise. On some we were all over meeting couples and getting involved with everything and others we have bummed around the ship all week just chillin'.

 

I can't vouch for NCL, but you will like any of the lines I have mentioned and I have heard great things about RCCL as well. Take your cruise out of New Orleans and take those days before or after (or both) and I promise you there will be no regrets.

 

Kaz in SD

[Gryphon]

Hubby and I are booked on the Carnival Sensation, for a five day cruise out of N.O. ... leaving out Oct. 31, 2005.. we got a great deal.. gods I hope we get an upgrade.. but either way it'll be kool.. we'll get to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in Tulum.. *happy Gryphon dance*

[Princess Chatterer]

Part 1 Answer:

 

Princess has some of the livelyness of Carnival but not the senior citizen perception of . . . . OK I'll say it...... Holland America. Princess, IMHO is your best 32 year old bang for the buck for anyone who has grown past those stay out all night and get drunk until you puke days. OK since I'm being non-politically correct let me say that Norwegian is my T.A.'s absolute last choice in cruise lines. R.C. from everything I know can be very good OR very bad.

 

Part 2 Answer:

 

Formal nights are for the ladies to have their pictures taken. Coat and tie for guys and party dresses for the gals. If that's not your taste then the buffet is always open for any kind of dress. As far as tatoos go. It's no big deal. Nobody is going to be offended. Nobody except me who you'll never see again after the cruise. <G>