Looking for a great 5-7 night cruise for first time cruiser

[Dani4Hedgies]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Dani and my husband and I are looking at taking a 5-7 night cruise in March 2012 for our 12th wedding anniversary. We have never taken a cruise before and are looking for pointers expectantly since we have elected NOT to take our 11 yr old son with us. We enjoy plays, comedy clubs, casinos and are looking at the Caribbean due both to location (we are in KS) and we both scuba dive and have never been anywhere outside of the main states . We are also looking for some romance as this is our anniversary.

 

Where do you suggest we look? What kind of prices should we expect? Are the "bonus" upgraded really worth it and how do you know you have found a good one? We really would love a cruise aimed at our age group early 30s kid free is there such a cruise?

 

Thank you

[cb at sea]

You aren't going to find a "child free" cruise on ANY of the mainstream lines. You'd have to go to one of the true luxury lines...and even then, you may have a few kids onboard!

 

Don't worry about the kids....unless YOU are the one having to take care of them, they're no bother!

 

All of the mainstream lines will give you entertainment. Only RCI's Oasis/Allure offer "theatrical" productions.....but all other lines will have production shows, comedians, singers/dancers/bands....

 

Since this is a "romantic" vacation, do try to get a cabin with a balcony...very nice place to be a couple!

 

Can't help with prices...they can vary from week to week! I'd advise going to a local travel agency, tell them what you want and they'll give you your options, along with vital brochures! Lots of info in the brochures! Then, once you decide on the ship and destinations, get a guidebook, so you'll know something about where you're going!

 

Cruising is a great vacation! Enjoy!

[Dani4Hedgies]

CB at Sea thank you so much that helps a lot. I don't mind kids at all but was reading all these reviews were kids were causing tons of problems and with it being our anniversary we weren't sure if there were cruise line we should just ignore or if it is just the luck of the draw. Will talk to a local travel agent and see what info they can give us. Please feel free to share any other points that you think we should know we can't ever have too much info :)

[tracyanns]

CB at Sea thank you so much that helps a lot. I don't mind kids at all but was reading all these reviews were kids were causing tons of problems and with it being our anniversary we weren't sure if there were cruise line we should just ignore or if it is just the luck of the draw. Will talk to a local travel agent and see what info they can give us. Please feel free to share any other points that you think we should know we can't ever have too much info :)

 

If you want more romance and less kids I would suggest Celebrity...this tends to be a little more elegant and higher end food than the entry level lines, plus on any Celebrity cruise we have been on I have hardly seen any kids...

 

I would also go VERY early March or even Late February to avoid any spring break crowds...

[gerryl12]

KIDS .... You avoid most children if you are on a cruise longer than seven days and NOT during SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. In general the longer the cruise the less children. But that said we have been on cruises that had a lot children and never had any problems.

I would try to avoid spring break though.

[Dani4Hedgies]

We are hoping to avoid most of the "elementary" school spring breaks going during the week of our anniversary which is March 25th. Here in KS all the kids are on Spring break 9-15 so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Have actually been looking at the Celebrity & Princess ones and thought they looked like a good call. Keep all the great info coming I am making our pro and cons list to go over with hubby when I get home.

 

Also I was noticing that all of the inter cabins had twin beds can these beds be put together to make a double bed or are they stationary?

[tracyanns]

We are hoping to avoid most of the "elementary" school spring breaks going during the week of our anniversary which is March 25th. Here in KS all the kids are on Spring break 9-15 so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Have actually been looking at the Celebrity & Princess ones and thought they looked like a good call. Keep all the great info coming I am making our pro and cons list to go over with hubby when I get home.

 

Well, Celebrity has some of the best food on any line I have sailed...the service is second to none and it was by far the most romantic cruise we have ever taken...

 

Princess is good, but I don't consider them as good as Celebrity, but I am sure others feel the exact opposite.

 

I think for me I first find the itinerary that works for me and then see which ships fit that bill the best, if none work than I revise the itinerary but if there is more than one ship that works for you than you take if from there...

[boulders]

There will still be plenty of kids on a sailing the week of March 25. We used to sail that week and the ships (RCCL and Carnival) would have about 700 kids.

[Essiesmom]

All of the ships have twin beds that can be put together to make a queen/king. If they cannot be put together, it will state it specifically. EM

[cruiseaholic777]

Celebrity is great, but i found the average age to be over 60. The food was the best and they treat you great. I prefer Princess over everyone else. They treat you great,the food is very good and they do not have very many kids on board. RCCL also could be an option for you. They tend to have a few more children though. Let a travel agent help you with your first cruise. ;)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I would do a princess ship ot if FL

[I_heart_vaca]

There are schools and colleges on "Spring Break" starting in early March thru April, so you will have some kids, especially in the warm Caribbean. My BF and I spent months looking for our first cruise and selected Princess for lots of reasons, but mostly because while there will be kids - they don't cater and market specifically to kids and young families. Nothing against kids, just that I don't have any and was hoping for a more or less kid-free vacation.

 

We also choose Western Caribbean because there were only 2 full sea days and 4 port days. This had two benefits for us: (1) 4 countries in 4 days is an awesome deal and (2) since we have never cruised before we didn't want a trip that was sea day heavy. Of we find we love sea days we will be sure to book more trips with more of them. We know we love the Caribbean as we have been a few times before.

 

Good luck!

[Gig103]

To avoid kids, definitely avoid the 'spring break' time of year. Of course, they are often more expensive so you may be avoiding them anyway!

 

I just got off a Carnival ship and think that they wrangled the kids pretty well. They have programs for kids from 2-17 that keep them in their areas. Carnival has adult only areas (an adult-only pool/spa area, and a lounge area called Serenity) which helps too. I only really felt like kids were 'in the way' around the Lido buffet (especially the ice cream machines).

 

Oh, and later dinner service helps avoid kids too!

[Jimnbigd]

You might look at the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas from New Orleans March 24. I think most Spring Breaks have ended by then. Also, late dining has fewer kids than the early dining.

[Dani4Hedgies]

Thank you for all the great ideas I will talk with a travel agent but I wanted to have some hands on back up info first. Was actually thinking about the cruises departing from NO or from TX rather then from Florida. Definitely want late dinning we aren't early birds at all LOL so that not a problem. So my best bets are RCCL, Celebrity and Princess? Those were actually the ones we were thinking too so thanks for that. Am so glad I found this disboard.

[bus man]

I can't speak to the other lines mentioned in this thread, but I think you would be pleased with Royal Caribbean. Are you going to be traveling on the anniversary date itself, or are you willing to delay the trip a bit? Rates are typically lower from about mid-April through mid-May, because Spring Break is over and summer vacation hasn't begun. Also, there will be very few kids during those times.

 

If you do travel in late March, I would go for at least a 7-night cruise, to avoid most of the college spring-break crowd.

 

You will certainly be able to find scuba diving on a Caribbean cruise. I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard that Cozumel and Grand Cayman are particularly good spots for that. These stops are both on the Western Caribbean itinerary, and some cruises will include stops at both places. If you want to try out the Oasis of the Seas or the Allure of the Seas (the two biggest cruise ships in the world), be advised that neither of them stop in Grand Cayman. (They both do, however, stop in Cozumel.) If Grand Cayman is on your must-see list, find another ship.

 

Good luck, and happy planning!

[Jimnbigd]

It is much easier to get from the airport to the ship in New Orleans that in Houston/Galveston. However, Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas from New Orleans departs on Saturday, and it is not advisable to fly in the same day as the cruise. Kansas to New Orleans on Southwest might be OK the same day, especially if there are several flights. And you could stay over in New Orleans for a day after the cruise.

[techsearch]

OK, this is just MY humble opinion. As you've read, we cruisers ALL have our own opinions. Something to consider - the ship itself. Someone mentioned the RCCL Voyager, you couldn't pay ME to go on that nasty ship. I was on the sister ship/Navigator (a few years newer) in March, blech. Couldn't get off it fast enough. Some hints:

1. the newer the ship, the nicer it will likely be - nicer on ALL fronts. Cleaner, more modern, better shows and casinos, better layouts, etc...

2. I live in Texas and there has yet to be a ship that sails out of Texas that I would go on. Now that will change in 2012. As the Crown Princess will sail out of Galveston for a test run of about 4 months I think. I would go on the Crown in a minute. Loved the Emerald.

3. Having said that, THE NICEST SHIPS at sea right now are the Celebrity Solstice class ships (luxury lines aside). All of these sail out of Florida and it is worth the trip. Princess ships do not compare. Food was actually a bit better on Princess in some areas. But you can not beat the elegance of the Solstice Class Celebrity ships.

4. I will be trying the Carnival Magic out of Galveston this Christmas. Never been on Carnival but it's a brand new ship and no airfare for us to Galveston. Will be out first time (8 cruises so far) to sail out of Texas/Galveston. None of the nice ships go to NO or Galveston. Until of course the Crown arrives that is. Even Disney is about to bring one of their old ships to Galveston.

5. HAL - (holland america) is by far the nicest, most affordable, best value for your money line. THE BEST FOOD I HAVE EVER HAD ON A SHIP. LOVED the seating in the theaters and overall size of the ships and the shows were entertaining and quite decent. Other poster is right about quality/Vegas-like shows - that's Oasis and Allure. Although shows on the RCCL Freedom of the Seas were pretty darn good, we were impressed. But will never sail that shopping mall ship again. Blech. The Voyager Class and Freedom Class on RCCL are NOT to my taste at all. Radiance Class - very nice. But still - one of the newer HAL ships or any of the Celebrity Solstice Class would be my first pick. Princess next.

6. Kids - March 25th will be FULL of kids on ALL the lines. Carnival will be the most, then RCCL, then Celebrity, then HAL. If you are committed to March, pick Celebrity or HAL and go to Florida. Galveston is a BIG draw for Texans, you'll have lots of kids on the Crown. But really - everyone who said this already is right, most cruises have kids and it's not usually a problem. But that time of year, you WILL have kids on your ship. No matter where you are. Unless you take an adult only or non kid-friendly line.

 

GOOD LUCK! Hope this little bit of info helped!

[mfisher59]

Go Carnival, it's very "user-friendly", and to get an idea of different offerings of the Caribbean, take the 7-day that visits Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. You'll be able to then decide which "side" of the Caribbean you would like to see more of. It worked for me that way.

[kitty9]

Stay away from the shorter cruises on line's like Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Those cruises tend to be on their oldest ships and more than their fare share of hard party passengers, trying to shove 7 nights of fun into 4 or 5 days of cruising.

 

The only exception to the no short cruise thing would be Celebrity Constellation. They do a very nice 5 night itinerary that includes a stop in Grand Cayman, known for some of the best scuba diving in the Caribbean. Celebrity does tend to attract fewer families, but because you're going during spring break time, there will be more kids than usual.

[mudscraper]

Traveling from KS to the port is quite a distance. Whatever cruise you choose, lean towards taking the seven day. Get more bang for your travel expense dollar.

[TinaT]

I recommed RCL Allure ... but its out of Florida.. its there newest ship and its amazing!

[broberts]

As others have suggested, look for a longer rather than shorter cruise. The longer the cruise the older the population tends to be.

 

Since you've indicated that you both scuba, you may want to look for cruises that will give you at least one good dive. Grand Turk, for example, is reputed to have excellent diving. I only snorkel, so I can't really give you any advice on specific ports. I would suggest that you talk to other divers, check some web sites and get a list of 3 - 4 ports that offer good dives. Then go shopping for cruises that include one or more of these ports.

 

You might also want to consider ports like San Juan, Puerto Rico and Cartagena, Columbia. Both have centuries of wonderfully preserved history. Old San Juan in particular is a very nice place to simply walk around. If beach walks are more your thing then St Thomas, St Maarten, Grand Cayman and a good number of other islands will suit.

 

Princess has "Movies Under the Stars", a huge outdoor TV screen that shows current titles.

 

I'm not aware of any cruise line that offers plays. Most of the shows are of the Broadway musical type. Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure offer the best and most varied on-board entertainment. As far as I know all cruise ships in the Caribbean have casinos. I've found comedy shows to be really hit and miss, but most cruises include at least one such show.

[Cruisin' Chick]

There will still be some kids out on spring break in April. My daughter goes to a school in the Los Angeles school district (second biggest in the country) and they will be out the first week of April as spring break is always the week leading up to Easter. Colleges do try to stagger their breaks now. But as others have said, many cruiselines have a great kids' program that keeps them busy. Unfortunately, there's not really any activities that are aimed at the college crowd, except for drinking at the pool.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You should look at Royal Caribbean -- lots of 7 day cruises in the Caribbean.