Does the itinerary not matter?

[Tak8]

Itinerary is very important to me. I have done/tried different lines because of where they stopped in the Caribbean. I want a good ship, but the first thing I check out is the islands and how long the ship docks at each.

[uglybutgoodbakery]

The less sea days the better here, and when booking, I avoid stops at cruise line-owned "islands" like the plague-- I'd rather go to work that day than back to Princess Cay!

 

We chose Celebrity this time based on the fact that Caribbean Princess no longer leaves out of San Juan. Looking forward to seeing the differences between ships/cruise lines :)

[aashleyjc]

We choose based on itinerary and number of sea days. Specifically, the lack of sea days. While we enjoy the ship, for us, the real allure of cruising is the ability to unpack once, sleep in the same bed for the duration, but be able to wake up somewhere new every day. The ship is just a floating, traveling hotel. Given the choice though, we will pick the Hilton over the motel 6, so cruise line and ship do matter, just not as much as the itinerary.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR

[cherylroslyn]

I have read post after post comparing ships, cabins, food, entertainment, etc. , but seldom see any reference to itinerary. We have been on 17 cruises and the itinerary is what determines our cruise line.

This is the Celebrity forum.....

 

Questions on various islands and destinations have their own distinct section of these boards. I wouldn't ask a question about my itinerary on this forum.

[miched]

It doesnt really matter but It depends on where it is going.:D The ports are a bonus. Don't care for the Western C or Bahamas. It is a cruise ship and that is the destination.

 

The departure port is more important, the closer to our home the better, don't like having to fly with all the restrictions and hassles.

 

 

 

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[travelberlin]

Itinerary is the most important criterium for us. We also take many transatlantic cruises because we do not like to take the airplane anymore. We have time, we travel often and we enjoy spending some time in Europe.

[A Sixth?]

Any itinerary other than Alaska or the Caribbean are totally itinerary and port times driven. The only caveat for the Caribbean is a must do stop in Barbados to replenish an after dinner drink that is only available there. We've actually taken a couple of southern Caribbean cruises cause the bar was dry!!!! I think that is a terribly reasonable thing to do.

 

Curious, what's the drink?

 

To the OP's question it depends. For the Caribbean not that important usually. Been there done that, got the T-Shirt.

 

For lesser traveled areas the itinerary becomes more important to us.

 

[OCruisers]

The itinerary is always a big consideration to us.

 

LuLu

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[orgutierrez]

The itinerary is for us the key of the cruise, I mean, we would never return to Costa even if the itinerary and the price were good, but we are open to try new cruise lines if the itinerary is interesting and innovative! Ship is quite important too, but itinerary is the biggest consideration for us always!

 

Oriol.

[Alsmez]

Smoking policy determines which cruise lines are even on our radar - any line that allows smoking on the balcony is out (so of the mass-market brands, only Celebrity and Princess qualify). Thus far we've only cruised the Caribbean, where itinerary is less important, so we care more about the ship and the price (which is why we've landed on S-Class ships on Celebrity). However, if and when we choose an European or Alaskan cruise, we'll be much more interested in itinerary.

[evandbob]

Even in the Caribbean, the itinerary is important for this cruiser. I am not the type to limit my exploration to the immediate port areas, which can appear to be quite similar. I like to get out into the countryside and explore . Some islands have mountains, others are barely above sea level. Some are volcanic, others have coral foundations. Beach and snorkel quality can vary from island to island, as well as food, language, safety and culture. I have often used a port stop to evaluate if I should return for a week long land vacation; one can hardly make that judgment from the dock or a Margaritaville. Yes, every island is surrounded by water, but nuances take over after that.

[Islandgirl4242]

Itinerary is important to us...I even compare amount of time the ships are in port. We're active and the fewer sea days the better for us...it's just mostly about the ports and length of time in each one. So far we've been fortunate and have had no big complaints on cabins, food, entertainment, etc. And right now we're trying to stay with one line (Celebrity) enough cruises to reap the benefits. ~~Judy

[iancal]

For us:

 

1. Itinerary

2. Ship

3. Cruise Line

4. Pricing

[Orator]

Sometimes it matters to me, sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes price is important, sometimes not.

Sometimes those who will be on the cruise is a factor, sometimes not.

Sometimes the ship matters, sometimes not.

Sometimes who's Captain matters, usually not.

 

IMHO ports of call become less important the more you have cruised. B

"Been there, done that" type of thing. Many frequent cruisers seldomly or never leave the ship.

[MommaBear55]

Smoking policy determines which cruise lines are even on our radar - any line that allows smoking on the balcony is out (so of the mass-market brands, only Celebrity and Princess qualify). Thus far we've only cruised the Caribbean, where itinerary is less important, so we care more about the ship and the price (which is why we've landed on S-Class ships on Celebrity). However, if and when we choose an European or Alaskan cruise, we'll be much more interested in itinerary.

 

After January 1st, you can add Royal Caribbean

[Tatka]

It depends.

 

If we sail in Caribbeans/Bahamas itin is not really that important anymore. Although I like some islands better than others.

 

Now, if we sail in Med, North Europe and other places hard to get to, we pick itin that better represents that region. Also it is important where this cruise starts from as we usually add a couple of days to spend there.

[Jade13]

I have read post after post comparing ships, cabins, food, entertainment, etc. , but seldom see any reference to itinerary. We have been on 17 cruises and the itinerary is what determines our cruise line.

 

#1 priority for us.

[boogs]

For us it's itinerary first, cruise line second, and ship third. We don't cruise to cruise, but to see new places in a luxurious way. There are way too many other vacation options for us to choose from than to just go on cruises without the destinations being the deciding factor.

[phoenix_dream]

For us, if it's a 1-week winter getaway to Carribbean, itinerary is a low priority. For a longer cruise, itinerary is important, along with price, airfare costs, etc.

Basically the same here. Primarily cruise Caribbean and have done it so many times I couldn't care less which islands the cruise goes to. That said, some islands are nicer than others so if two X ships are sailing the same week with comparable pricing on rooms, I will then look at itinerary. For longer or more exotic cruises I definitely look at everything.

[Lastdance]

Without a doubt, it's the itinerary first. We have previously cruised the Caribbean, and most of all our sun days are behind us. Europe is our favorite place nowadays, and we always get off at the ports, even if it is just for a small amount of time. There is always so much to see and do. I constantly read about the TA's, but I'm just not there yet. Is there a specific age limit? The ship is a tie for first, and everything else falls way behind. However, I love to get in at least one nap and message!:cool:

[Lastdance]

Without a doubt, it's the itinerary first. We have previously cruised the Caribbean, and most of all our sun days are behind us. Europe is our favorite place nowadays, and we always get off at the ports, even if it is just for a small amount of time. There is always so much to see and do. I constantly read about the TA's, but I'm just not there yet. Is there a specific age limit? The ship is a tie for first, and everything else falls way behind. However, I love to get in at least one nap and message!:cool:

[shipshape sam]

Itinerary is important to us, especially on what they used to call Exotic sailings. On Caribbean, it is less important, but we had a blast on our last Southern caribbean sailing going to a couple of ports of call we had never been to. Barbados for example where we had one of my top 10 ever excursions. We did segways out in the country through cows and goats and right up to a rocky cliff that overlooked the Atlantic. It was a blast, so we do try to still enjoy ports of call. Otherwise, it has to be the onboard ship experience.

 

On another thread, a long standing one, people I presume look to book cruises based on what crew is onboard. So..........we all sail for a variety of reasons and at times things bubble up to the top. I would sail on a "micro/craft beer" cruise to almost anywhere!!! I do have to convince my DW to go/value proposition. :rolleyes:

[SusieV]

Right now, we sail the Caribbean because we want a warm getaway in winter. So no, we don't really care what the itinerary is- we care more about the ship we choose.

 

Although, we definitely give bonus points to itineraries that include Labadee, St Maarten, and Tortola, which are our favourite ports.

[Junebug1]

We like to have atleast one new port in an itinerary & we try to sail from different departure cities as well. We like to arrive a day or two early so we can relax. Our favorite cruise line is Celebrity, but we will cruise on another line for variety.

[Alsmez]

After January 1st, you can add Royal Caribbean

 

Good to know - I'm not sure Royal Caribbean appeals to us in other ways, but it would be nice to have more options.