Suggestions please?

[markmdavis]

My wife and I are starting to plan a cruise and I would love to hear your suggestions on which Cruise line we should consider including which ship and itinerary.

 

First a bit of info about us.

We are both thirty and will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in June.

My wife has been on two cruises before (both 3 nighters, L.A. – Baja kinda of cruises)

This will be my first Cruise.

We have really enjoyed our all inclusive vacations to Mexico and Jamaica in the past.

 

We are looking for a ship that will not be too overcrowded with kids, or at least has some kind of quite adults only place / places.

 

We are also looking for a ship that has good food (lobster!) does that exist on ships? Do any cruise lines serve lobster in their main dinning room?

 

We would also like a good room service menu .

 

And an itinerary that is between 5-8 nights that goes to somewhere other then JUST Mexico, but we are not apposed to a stop there.

 

Thanks

Mark

[Cuizer2]

My wife and I are starting to plan a cruise and I would love to hear your suggestions on which Cruise line we should consider including which ship and itinerary.

 

First a bit of info about us.

We are both thirty and will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in June.

My wife has been on two cruises before (both 3 nighters, L.A. – Baja kinda of cruises)

This will be my first Cruise.

We have really enjoyed our all inclusive vacations to Mexico and Jamaica in the past.

 

We are looking for a ship that will not be too overcrowded with kids, or at least has some kind of quite adults only place / places.

 

We are also looking for a ship that has good food (lobster!) does that exist on ships? Do any cruise lines serve lobster in their main dinning room?

 

We would also like a good room service menu .

 

And an itinerary that is between 5-8 nights that goes to somewhere other then JUST Mexico, but we are not apposed to a stop there.

 

Thanks

Mark

 

Sounds like you should be looking at a HAL or Celebrity cruise in the Caribbean during school time.

[printingchick]

I would recommend Serenade of the Seas out of San Juan. You'll be surprised to learn that flights to Puerto Rico are really not much longer than flying to Miami, where the majority of ships depart. The southern Caribbean itineraries are very port intensive and visit more exotic places than Mexico and Jamaica. I find southern itineraries to have much more interest and variety than western itineraries, which visit the same three or four places. (Primarily Mexico, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.)

 

If you avoid Puerto Rico and school holidays, you won't get a lot of children on these cruises. Serenade is one of RCL's smaller ships and is reportedly more high-class with superior service. The adult-only solarium pool area is gorgeous. The ship also has an abundance of glass, including glass elevators that face the ocean. You have views of the sea from nearly everywhere.

 

While air fare to San Juan will likely be $100-$150 more per person than air fare to Miami, you'll notice that the cruises out of San Juan run $100-$150 less than those out of Miami, making it a wash. San Juan cruises depart in the evening, at 8:00-10:00PM, making it more possible to risk flying the DAY OF the cruise, avoiding that over-night stay pre-cruise. (Depending on weather conditions, of course. I notice you are in Colorado!)

 

There is lobster on pretty much all the main-stream cruise lines. Food quality is subjective, so I won't comment. I'm not a fan of lobster, so I normally order the shrimp instead.

[texkan]

My wife and I are starting to plan a cruise and I would love to hear your suggestions on which Cruise line we should consider including which ship and itinerary.

 

First a bit of info about us.

We are both thirty and will be celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in June.

My wife has been on two cruises before (both 3 nighters, L.A. – Baja kinda of cruises)

This will be my first Cruise.

We have really enjoyed our all inclusive vacations to Mexico and Jamaica in the past.

 

We are looking for a ship that will not be too overcrowded with kids, or at least has some kind of quite adults only place / places.

 

We are also looking for a ship that has good food (lobster!) does that exist on ships? Do any cruise lines serve lobster in their main dinning room?

 

We would also like a good room service menu .

 

And an itinerary that is between 5-8 nights that goes to somewhere other then JUST Mexico, but we are not apposed to a stop there.

 

Thanks

Mark

 

Look at Celebrity Solstice Eastern Caribbean 7 day. This is a new Celebrity ship and has GREAT reviews. Celebrity has some good prices on the Solstice at this time.

[mizLORInj]

if you have somewhere specific where you want to sail, try looking for itinerary first and then cruise line. I have sailed Carnival, Princess, NCL, and RC (# of cruises each line in that order, highest to lowest), and all are good in my opinion. Carnival serves lobster in the mdr for dinner one night, and Princess does too (or they did a year ago). Not sure about the other two lines. I don't recall any of my cruises being overcrowded with kids, but we don't sail at holiday time or spring break.

So, I usually start on a site that offers various cruise lines, put in the month I'd like to sail, and see what is available and choose from there.

ENJOY!

[Gonzo70]

I also think Celebrity Solstice would be good for what you describe. It is a fairly new ship with lots to do; while Celebrity caters to an older crowd than Royal Caribbean and Carnival, it still offers a lot for people in their thirties and is a more sophisticated environment, so fewer children. It has a nice casino, the martini bar is a lot of fun, has a nightclub, and offers activities such as Wii tournaments on a big screen tv and has an outdoor area with real grass for golf putting bocce ball, baggo etc. There are ten restaurants, so lots of food options, some you have to pay a cover charge but the food quality is outstanding in these venues.

 

As for lobster, lobster on cruise ships is more gimmick than good cuisine. It is warm water lobster (not Maine lobsters) and they are previously frozen. Nothing like a fresh Maine lobster. Most mass market cruise lines serve these second rate lobster tails once per cruise (aside form on real short cruises), but they are nothing to write home about - though many still enjoy them. If you want real good food, the specialty restaurants on Celebrity are amazing and IMHO well worth the cover charge.

[Cuizer2]

If you avoid Puerto Rico and school holidays, you won't get a lot of children on these cruises.

 

How do you avoid Puerto Rico on a cruise leaving from San Juan?

[printingchick]

How do you avoid Puerto Rico on a cruise leaving from San Juan?

 

I meant holidays specific to Puerto Rico. Sorry! We cruised one during a festival and traffic around the city was absolutely horrific!