Need some help getting started (Euro cruises)

[canuckcruiser00]

(First off, I'd just like to say how amazingly helpful this message board is...I've spent 3-4 days reading pages after pages of threads before I finally took the plunge & registered today!)

 

Anyways, my question(s):

 

I'm planning to do my first Euro cruise this September (solo - and yes, I read the solo board too! :p)

 

I searched through all of the available cruises on Expedia and the respective cruise websites, and narrowed it down to these 3 choices:

 

1) RC - "Vision of the Seas" 13 Night Northern Europe & Med Cruise

2) Holland - 12 Day Baltic Adventure "ms Rotterdam"

3) Star Princess - 14 Day European Cruise (starting in Copenhagen, ending in Rome) "Star Princess"

 

Now my questions begin....how in the world do I actually pick one? The ports actually don't matter to me AT ALL, because each port on each schedule seems good, and they're all places I wouldn't mind seeing. So because of that, I'm trying to find which cruise package will best suit my personality and overall goals.

 

I've done some prelim research on this website, and it seems that EACH of these cruises have their upsides and downsides (for example, no one is particularly positive about RC's "Vision of the Seas" ship itself).

 

Just a tiny bit about me: I'm 24, try my best to be open-minded, and it's my first time traveling outside of North America.

 

So I'm really not opposed to cruising with a lot of "older people", nor do I particularly care if the cruise is not full of party people. I'm really just genuinely interested in visiting each port, while enjoying a reasonable & comfortable time on my cruise.

 

Can anyone provide some hints/suggestions/tips, particularly if you've been on any of these cruises or cruise companies?

Thanks in advance.

[boulders]

For your age group, I would lean towards Royal Caribbean first, then Princess. However, I'm not sure about the Vision of the Seas. It's an older ship. I'm about twice your age and I think Rotterdam would be too sedate for me. :p I would expect to see mostly retirees on all three sailings that you have chosen.

 

One thing that is important, and new cruisers tend not to think of this, is cabin size. The interior cabin size on Vision is 135 sq. ft. which is really really small. It's amazing how big a difference a few square feet make. The Rotterdam's interiors are 180 sq. ft and the Star Princess' are 160 sq. ft. Now, you may of course, choose a different category, but cabin size would be one of my determining factors.

[cruzin.cat]

I could only find the Baltic cruise on Eurodam (not Rotterdam) but this cruise is all in the same region. I'd opt for either of the other 2 as there is such an excellent mix of ports of call in several different regions of Europe. I haven't been to them all but many of them. Bear in mind also that the ship docks a long way from Paris and Rome for instance (about an hour by coach) so you'd need to take an onshore excursion to these places. Also Dover is an hour or so from London. Do your homework on how far each port is from the centre of town if you intend to explore on your own, as opposed to an organised trip. Can't help you on the ships though as I've only been on the larger newer RCI vessels. Good Luck!!

[Moeve]

On the European cruises ports a very important part of the cruise - you won't find as many people staying onboard for the day as in the Caribbean. We often find ourselves completely on our own with the crew (we use the shorter European onces to shut down and relax so we sometimes don't bother with the ports.)

 

Someone has already mentioned that the RCCL ships might suit you better age wise but being the older ship it is a tougher question.

 

Also repeaters programme (any benefits you might be able to take advantage of)

 

How about a newer ship and perhaps doing back to back instead of just one longer cruise and then as a single cruiser there is the ever present BUDGET question.

[canuckcruiser00]

Well thanks everyone for the great start!

 

Boulders - I definitely didn't consider the room size...of course on the internet the rooms look the same, but you're right about considering the square footage

(and nice to see someone from my hometown here too!)

 

Cruzin.cat - Thanks for pointing out the differences between port & downtown...I'll probably be doing a mix of both self-guided and organized trips, but still good to know

(since I assumed that the towns would be closer by, as they are on many Caribbean cruises)

[canuckcruiser00]

On the European cruises ports a very important part of the cruise - you won't find as many people staying onboard for the day as in the Caribbean. We often find ourselves completely on our own with the crew (we use the shorter European onces to shut down and relax so we sometimes don't bother with the ports.)

 

Someone has already mentioned that the RCCL ships might suit you better age wise but being the older ship it is a tougher question.

 

Also repeaters programme (any benefits you might be able to take advantage of)

 

How about a newer ship and perhaps doing back to back instead of just one longer cruise and then as a single cruiser there is the ever present BUDGET question.

 

Yeah, I was definitely leaning towards RC at first...but going on that older ship is really a turn-off for me, so it's definitely at the bottom of my list now.

 

In terms of doing a back-to-back cruise, I should definitely look into that...I saw a bunch of 6-7 day ones at RC's website...thanks for the suggestion

[C U Onboard]

 

One thing that is important, and new cruisers tend not to think of this, is cabin size. The interior cabin size on Vision is 135 sq. ft. which is really really small. It's amazing how big a difference a few square feet make.

FYI - Vision also has large (categories K&L) and superior (category J) inside staterooms at 151 and 172 sq.ft respectively.

I would agree that RCI could be a way to go considering the OP's age but not on Vision for a 12, 13 or 14 night cruise. Brilliance of the Seas does good 12 night Med itineraries out of Barcelona in September and Jewel of the Seas does popular 12 night Baltic itineraries out of Harwich but only until end August. On 4 September she sets off on a 14 night westbound transatlantic crossing calling at Le Havre, Cherbourg, Cork, Akureyri, Rejkyavik, St. John's and Sydney before disembarking in Boston. Since the OP says he/she is not averse to being with "older people" :eek: (his/her words not mine) it may be worth looking at.

[canuckcruiser00]

FYI - Vision also has large (categories K&L) and superior (category J) inside staterooms at 151 and 172 sq.ft respectively.

I would agree that RCI could be a way to go considering the OP's age but not on Vision for a 12, 13 or 14 night cruise. Brilliance of the Seas does good 12 night Med itineraries out of Barcelona in September and Jewel of the Seas does popular 12 night Baltic itineraries out of Harwich but only until end August. On 4 September she sets off on a 14 night westbound transatlantic crossing calling at Le Havre, Cherbourg, Cork, Akureyri, Rejkyavik, St. John's and Sydney before disembarking in Boston. Since the OP says he/she is not averse to being with "older people" :eek: (his/her words not mine) it may be worth looking at.

 

LOL hope the "older people" comment wasn't offensive - but I was just keeping in mind the demographics around here (which seem to put me in the minority :p)

 

Oh and thanks for the "Brillance of the Seas" suggestion - I looked at that one actually, but I was slightly turned-off by the fact that 3 of the 7 ports were in Italy...I was hoping for a bit more geographic variety.

[boulders]

Oh and thanks for the "Brillance of the Seas" suggestion - I looked at that one actually, but I was slightly turned-off by the fact that 3 of the 7 ports were in Italy...I was hoping for a bit more geographic variety.

 

Certainly a valid point, but those 3 Italian ports would be on my must see. Oh wait, I am going to see them. :D;)

 

That Jewel of the Seas transatlantic crossing is very unique. I'd love to take that one.

[agabbymama]

I like to start a graph chart. List the ships/cruiselines across the top.

Down the side list the things that are important to you (cabin, age of ship, price, ports, time in ports, sites, etc). Then start researching, as you find one that you like, put an "x" in the conjoining box. As you near the end of your research, one should have a lot more x's than the others.

 

You must have some idea of what you want to see and do, or you wouldn't be looking at a European cruise. When we went, we knew we wanted to do Italy and Greece. Grand Princess was the only one I found that went where we wanted to go, with Monte Carlo and Kusadasi thrown in. You have to be careful though and not have your heart set on a port, as the cruiseline can/does change itineraries. We missed Mykonos due to high winds. I was so disappointed.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your trip!

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

You really can't go wrong with the cruise lines or ships you are looking at. If I were doing this my selection would be Princess. I believe that the Star Princess was recently refurbished and this is important because a freshing up gives a ship almost a new ship ambiance.

 

Also, Princess does have something for everyone. HAL is an excellent cruiseline but it is in my opinion for older travelers (today is my 67th birthday so this is from someone ,well, who knows but I have a 25 year old son).

 

Most likely (but there is no guarantee) you will meet people your age or close to it. There are many young people working on cruise ships such as the musicians, waiters/stewards, younger officers, photographers, casino staff, and others. Some cruise lines have rules against fraternization and I cannot tell you about Princess but I am almost certain you will not be bored or without someone to talk to.

 

A very important key is to do your research and Rick Steve's books are terrific sources of information.

 

Do not hesitate to use public transit in ports. You need to have a map showing the location of the ship. In some ports though such as Rome it is best to have a tour as the port is an hour or so away from Rome. This is where the research is very important...where is the port and can I walk into town? Please remember that English is spoken just about everywhere and do not hesitate to ask for directions. Inmany years of foreign travel and not always but if someone is well dressed or younger, there is a greater likelihood that they will speak English. If you use a taxi get a firm price before you enter the taxi.

 

Stay with your plans to see Europe. You can always go to the Caribbean but not always on an adventure.

[djmutters]

Holland - 12 Day Baltic Adventure "ms Rotterdam"

 

Holland - 12 Day Baltic Adventure "ms Rotterdam"

 

Holland - 12 Day Baltic Adventure "ms Rotterdam"

 

 

Been on a few cruises and for us the Baltics was one of the best :) good luck with whatever you decide and have fun.

[bostoncruisegal]

IMO, when you are in Europe, it's more the ports than the ship. When we were deciding for this summer, we were debating between a few options. We actually sat down with all the options that fit into our schedule and rated each port individually on how much we wanted to go there.

 

I would take the advice of a PP regarding how far from port a stop is as well as how long in port. Berlin is way far from the port, so while I would love to go to Berlin that was a bit of a turn-off.

 

As you can see from my sig line, Vision of the Seas won. I'll be honest, her age was a concern of mine as well, but I also knew we would be in port way more than on the ship. I also sailed the Enchantment, her sister ship, in the fall and was impressed by how kept us she was. As for only having the MDR and Windjammer, we prefer to stick to the main dining room most nights anyway, so we wouldn't have used the specialty restaurants. We keep our special meals to lunch time when we eat in port.

 

And I am not sure if it matters, but I am in my 20s as well.

[Aunty Pat]

Are you looking for September 2010 or 2011? Holland America’s ships are in the Mediteranian in September 2010. The Rotterdam is cruising the Baltic in September 2011.

Of the 3 cruises you are looking at, I choose Holland America a few years ago when I cruised the Baltic. They have the most favorable “single supplement” of only 150% vs, 200% on RCCL & Princess. With this in mind you pay less for a premium cruise on Holland America than you will for Princes or a mass market cruise on RCCL. Because HAL has a more single friendly pricing structure they also have more solo travelers and plan meet & mingle activities for them. They also make an effort to set solo travelers together at dinner.

Aunty Pat

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ’07, Westerdam ‘09

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

Crystal – Serenity ‘09

Pending Cruises:

Oceania – Insignia, June 17, 2010