What are your Cruise priorities

[Lottycruiser]

With so many great things about cruising what are your priorities , is it the actual ship , the cabin ,the itenary , the food ,what is it that would upset you most if it wasnt to your liking ?

[twoputt.plusone]

For me the ship is secondary to the ports. I cruise to see new places and meet people from different cultures. Don't get me wrong, I still want a nice cabin and decent surroundings. But I'd much rather come back to the ship totally worn out from new adventures on land. I look at the ship as a means to get me there.

[bigasufan]

Forgetting the fact that I even have a job.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Top priorities before boarding.

 

1. Stateroom with Balcony (no balcony, no cruise)

2. Ease of getting to port (Northeast ports NJ or NY!, unless it is an amazing deal or a have to like our Oasis 6/2011 cruise)

3. Ship

4. Itinerary

[UandMe4Ever]

Top priorities before boarding.

 

1. Stateroom with Balcony (no balcony, no cruise)

2. Ease of getting to port (Northeast ports NJ or NY!, unless it is an amazing deal or a have to like our Oasis 6/2011 cruise)

3. Ship

4. Itinerary

Exactly! We did a Repo this past Oct/Nov from NY back to Mia....14 nights on the NCL Jewel to ports we had never been to! It was worth our $100+ p/p air back to NJ to do those ports, etc. Loved the Jewel. Hated that the flight was delayed 4 hours in Miami due to bad weather in NJ...Didn't get back home till after midnight....So, as posted, unless its something super special, We're OK w/ NYC, Brooklyn, NY or Cape Liberty, NJ.

Just wish they'd change some ships and itineraries for something 'new".....But, it doesn't stop us...Don't care if we've "been there, done that". It's always great to do it again and again and again!!!

 

Safe sails always :-)

[livylotte]

Port of departure, aft balcony, itinerary, price .... probably in that order!

 

Ship doesn't matter although I'm not keen on the big ones.

 

And what would upset me most? .... well, upset would be an understatement if I got onboard and they'd moved me from my aft to another cabin.

[Adri204]

I was thinking about this and its still Itenary. As I am from Alaska I have to fly pretty much everywhere to get to a cruise port. I could take an Alaskan cruise that leaves out of Whitter or Seward but besides that I have to fly out and im fine with that as im used to flying to go anywhere I need to go anywhere in the lower 48 as we Alaskans call it.

 

I look for the Itenary and then look at the cruise ship. As I am a new cruiser im still open to everything.

 

My first cruise I looked at a variety of things. Its a 7 night Mexican rivera cruise and the ports are very interesting to me. Also its a mystery cruise and thats also very cool. I will be helping to solve a mystery on board and I think thats awesome. Also the Mariner seems like a cool ship and I cant wait to be on board.

 

Adri :)

[ryano]

Looking at my very short cruise history and seeing that all I have sailed on is both Carnival and Royals oldest ships, one wouldnt think the ship is a priority for me.

 

With that said, I am seeing myself becoming much more about the ship than the itenerary and cant wait to sail a ship that has a certain WOW factor........I feel like Radiance will offer that from the pics I have seen :)

 

I really dont care much about the ports and if I did I would just fly there..........I have a ball on the ship though, even in port day. If I get off the ship, i am not off of it for very long.\

 

I have often said I would not care if the ship just went out of sight of land and done big circles for 5 or 7 days :)

 

Food is another thing that is tops on my list. I know its subjective but I have been pleased with both Carnival and Royal in that category.

 

Yep i know im in a minority lol.

[cb at sea]

The ports are secondary on a cruise...you're not in any place long enough to truly get a "feel' for the place...I mean, climbing a waterfall or ziplining isn't really "experiencing" those countries!

Since it's the ship I'm paying for, that's really my priority....I want a large, comfortable cabin, good food and drinks, and decent entertainment. I cruise more for the ship/floating resort than for the ports!

[Aldeya]

Looking at my very short cruise history and seeing that all I have sailed on is both Carnival and Royals oldest ships, one wouldnt think the ship is a priority for me.

 

With that said, I am seeing myself becoming much more about the ship than the itenerary and cant wait to sail a ship that has a certain WOW factor........I feel like Radiance will offer that from the pics I have seen :)

 

I really dont care much about the ports and if I did I would just fly there..........I have a ball on the ship though, even in port day. If I get off the ship, i am not off of it for very long.\

 

I have often said I would not care if the ship just went out of sight of land and done big circles for 5 or 7 days :)

 

Food is another thing that is tops on my list. I know its subjective but I have been pleased with both Carnival and Royal in that category.

 

Yep i know im in a minority lol.

 

You are not:) We feel exactly the same.

[BroncosFan2010]

For us, the top priority is the itinerary, then the ship. We like going to smaller, more exotic places and I am not a big fan of sea-days, so that usually means a smaller ship. We pick what we want to do, and then budget for it, so price is not usually a concern. We always book some form of balcony, so we make sure that fits into the budget. While I love to cook, and consider myself a "foodie" I am not picky, and would be happy that I don't have to clean up the mess! I have never found cruise food to be bad, and if I don't like something, I just get something else.

[bonnie&clydecruzers]

For me the ship and destination(itinerary) are about equal, 50-50. I want a ship that I will never get bored on. When we went on Carnival Splendor, there were not many activities and things to do. Didn't like that. At the same time, we like to go on a itinerary that is appealing and new to us. We have only cruised Mexican riviera, so that will not be hard to do. I am not picky about my room, but do want good food and good ship entertainment.

[Mydnite]

Balcony cabin, nice ship, then itinary and port of departure :)

[debates2]

1. Suite with balcony.

2. Food.

3. Music & shows.

4. Ports of call.

[printingchick]

With so many great things about cruising what are your priorities , is it the actual ship , the cabin ,the itenary , the food ,what is it that would upset you most if it wasnt to your liking ?

• ITINERARY IS #1.
  
• SHIP or at least CRUISE LINE is #2.
  

Service is very important to me. A big part of why I cruise is for the service. Poor service would likely present the biggest disappointment.

 

I book the least expensive OV cabins I can get. I like having a window; I don't like spending so much on a cabin that I have to cut back in other, more important areas.

 

Food is important - it is a cruise. But I'm not that picky. I've never been disappointed by the food. Sometimes it's better than others, but I don't recall every having food so disappointing it negatively impacted my vacation. I don't have to cook it or clean up after I eat. It's all good!!!

[msubobcats]

Forgetting the fact that I even have a job.

 

Ditto

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

The ship is important for us. Don't care of Voyager class and larger ships don't care for smaller ships either, we like to have specialty restaurants as an option.

 

Cabin location is very important, we like to be close to an elevator and pay close attention to whats above, below and sides of cabin location.

 

Then cost and itinerary are factored in.

 

Theres always a compromise somewhere. :)

 

***

[Jolimont]

First I look for a port I can drive to, then ports of call, then ship (amenities, entertainment, food, don't care about the cabin), then price. When I find the right cocktail, I book.

[oceanal]

1. Must be RCCL ship with aft balcony. We are hooked on aft.

2. Itinerary is next.

3. FOOOOODDDDDDDDD!!!! I love Chops and Portofino so I think Oasis or Allure with all it's restaurants may be next.

4. The weather. I do not want to do Alaska or anywhere it might be chilly and we try to avoid hurricane season.

[bionicman97]

1) ship

2) itenerary

3) food

4) cabin

 

Note: Cabin can be anywhere, but it must be clean and quiet.

[vistapat]

For us, it's the ports, then the ports, and after that the ports. Ship is relatively unimportant, except that I don't feel much urge to do the super-large ones. Food is less important; it seems that much of the food is equal on virtually every line. Like the poster from Alaska, we have to fly to get virtually everywhere from Southern California, so departure port doesn't matter too much. I know there are some lines I will be happier on than others, but since I use the non-port days to veg out, activities are wasted on me. The last big factor for me is tiime of year; I don't want to go to Europe (or most anywhere else) in mid-summer. We're doing a B2B out of Oslo in June, 2011, only because that's the only time this itinerary is offered.

 

Patricia

[fwacruiser]

1. For me and my wife, the ship is the destination. This is particularly important because our kids are 8 and soon-to-be 6, so things like the H2O zone (water park) on the Freedom class ships are key to keeping the high-energy kids happy and entertained.

 

2. Second is the port of departure. With four of us on a 7 - 9 day cruise, I'm usually in for at least $4000 just to book the sailing. I need to find a port that's drivable. If I have to add airfare from a non-hub location like Ft. Wayne, I'm usually looking at another $350 - $400 per person to get us to the port and back. Add in excursions and other on-board expenses and I'm easily in for a $6500 vacation. Pretty expensive, so saving the airfare is key. An 8 hour drive to Baltimore this July is looking great. Last year, we made the 17 hour drive to Port Canaveral. :(

 

3. Don't care too much about the itinerary, frankly. In how many different places do I need to go snorkeling, rent a jet ski, or take an ATV tour? After a while, it all starts to look the same.

[ryano]

Even though I failed to mention it, being able to drive to the port is also a MAJOR priority so good point there.

 

It is such a hassle to fly if you are in a wheelchair. Not to mention the $$$ it adds on to the cost. Gas is coming down right now and we always drive the vehicle that gets the best mpg. I find that I can drive down a day before and get a hotel with a park and cruise special and still come out ahead instead of flying.

 

Right now, I have either the Monarch or Freedom to choose from in Port Canaveral or which ever ship is in Tampa even though not year around. Both are about an 8.5 hour drive for me.

 

I sure wish Royal Carribean sailed out of Jacksonville.

[RetireeWannabee]

For me the ship is secondary to the ports. I cruise to see new places and meet people from different cultures. Don't get me wrong, I still want a nice cabin and decent surroundings. But I'd much rather come back to the ship totally worn out from new adventures on land. I look at the ship as a means to get me there.

+1

babble to make minimum