Help! B-Day Trip - Need Small Boat & Young(er) crowd

[NewToCruise30]

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

 

I'm planning an all-girls trip (there will be 4-5 of us) for my birthday at the end of September and have decided to plan my first cruise. There are a ton of options and reviews for cruise ships and it's difficult to compile this information into 2-3 options.

 

I'm looking for the following

 

- Small(er) ship (looking for a major cruise line that doesn't feel crowded, maybe 2K and under passengers?)

- Young(er) crowd

- (All) Caribbean destination (I'm open to any Caribbean island or Central American country)

- Few to no children

- Great boat and off shore activities

- Port from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Texas

- Minimal additional fees (I've read that Norweigan has an excessive fee structure? Not sure if that applies everywhere)

 

I plan to get a suite or balcony for this trip.

 

Please help me find a cruise line and specific boat! Any and all suggestions are welcomed!

 

Thank you!!:)

 

Thank you so much!!

Edited May 13, 2015 by NewToCruise30
Clarification

[cruisead]

In order to help, we need to know a bit more. What is your budget? How long do you want to cruise? Budget is the BIG consideration, because for the most part, the small ships are considered luxury lines and are a whole lot more money than mass market ships (ships, not boats). Do you want a casual line or would you be willing to dress up at night for dinner? Do you need a lot of activities on the ship when at sea or at night? Smaller ships tend to have less in the way of activities and entertainment because of their size. What do YOU consider to be a small ship? Most experienced cruisers would tell you that a small ship is less than 650 passengers. A medium size ship is 650 to about 1200, a large ship is upwards of 3100 and behemoth ships are 4000+.

 

The small ships tend to have older passengers while the younger crowd tend to like the really big ships because of the amenities they like. At the end of September, there will be less kids, but unless you cruise lines like Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Oceania or Azamara, there will be kids on board. But with those kidless ships, you're going to pay a whole lot more for the cruise.

[NewToCruise30]

Thank you so much for your response! My budget is about $1000-$1200 for my cruise (this total is separate from flights etc). I'm looking for 4-7 nights and I'm open to either a casual line or one that would allow us to get dressed up for dinner. It would be nice to have a medium sized ship, or under 2K passengers. I don't need a lot of activities, just something fun to keep us entertained and busy.

 

@cruisead

 

In order to help, we need to know a bit more. What is your budget? How long do you want to cruise? Budget is the BIG consideration, because for the most part, the small ships are considered luxury lines and are a whole lot more money than mass market ships (ships, not boats). Do you want a casual line or would you be willing to dress up at night for dinner? Do you need a lot of activities on the ship when at sea or at night? Smaller ships tend to have less in the way of activities and entertainment because of their size. What do YOU consider to be a small ship? Most experienced cruisers would tell you that a small ship is less than 650 passengers. A medium size ship is 650 to about 1200, a large ship is upwards of 3100 and behemoth ships are 4000+.

 

The small ships tend to have older passengers while the younger crowd tend to like the really big ships because of the amenities they like. At the end of September, there will be less kids, but unless you cruise lines like Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Oceania or Azamara, there will be kids on board. But with those kidless ships, you're going to pay a whole lot more for the cruise.

[Essiesmom]

In the time frame you have specified, you are going to get only two of the criteria you have asked for: A ship from Miami, FLL or Galveston, going to the Caribbean. All ships will be large, at least (roughly) 2500 passengers, and belong to either Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian. At that time, there will be fewer children than in mid summer, because most will be back in school. So, pick an itinerary and then find a ship going there.

Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose your departure port from the top list, and the time you want to sail. It will give you the ships and their itineraries. Or choose some destinations you would like to visit from the second list, and choose time, and it will show you who is calling there and their itineraries. EM

[Cruisin' Chick]

At the end of September most kids will be back in school, aside from homeschooled kids and kids from families without schooled-aged kids.

 

But you should check with a cruise specialist (a travel agent who specializes in cruises) who can do further research for you. You might get a couple of items on your list, but probably not close to all. The premium cruise lines (that tend to have smaller ships) will be more inclusive, but the fare will be higher. The cruise lines that may be more in your price range (considering the cabin category you want) do not include free alcoholic drinks, the gratuities (which is a must, don't stiff the crew), excursions in port -- unless you're doing it yourself or you found independent excursions to do (some of the premium ones will include excursions, I believe, and maybe even air fare).

 

Another thing to consider is that September is during hurricane season. Ship captains will often change the itinerary if it looks like there will be bad weather so if there's ports that a must for you, you need to be aware of this.

[cruisead]

Another problem you'll have with your timeframe is most ships that could fill your wish list aren't back from their summer sailings in Europe or Alaska. There are very few ships sailing the Caribbean in summer and fall---most don't come back until November or December. The ships that are here are generally the older ships of the fleet. And, September can be the busiest time for tropical storms and hurricanes.

[cb at sea]

Ship size really has nothing to do with how "crowded" it feels...each ship is designed for the maximum number of passengers.

[Lerin]

Can't believe I'm about to suggest this as it is not something I would do, but you seem to be a prime candidate for a travel agent. Your list of wants above is quite broad and covers virtually all cruises except HAL(younger crowd). A good travel agent can help you look more closely at options.

[Roz]

The younger crowd tends to gravitate towards the larger, newer ships, so right there is a dilemma if you want to stay at 2K or under passengers.

 

Roz

[George C]

Ship size really has nothing to do with how "crowded" it feels...each ship is designed for the maximum number of passengers.

 

Totally agree on the ships size, for Texas I would pick RCCL, if you cruise during summer or holidays you will have a lot of children. But most lines have adults pools, good luck. RCCL out of Texas has some nice ships with great features and entertainment.

[notentirelynormal]

Thank you so much for your response! My budget is about $1000-$1200 for my cruise (this total is separate from flights etc). I'm looking for 4-7 nights and I'm open to either a casual line or one that would allow us to get dressed up for dinner. It would be nice to have a medium sized ship, or under 2K passengers. I don't need a lot of activities, just something fun to keep us entertained and busy.

 

@cruisead

 

Is that amount for you alone or is it for the 4 of you?

[navybankerteacher]

Under 2,000 passengers sounds like HAL or one or two Princess ships - forget Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival or even Celebtity; and the budget surely rules out the higher end lines with smaller ships.

[George C]

Hal does fit the ship size , but you will not likely find a younger crowd, I am in my 60's and one of the young people when cruising Hal

[MCC retired]

Carnival has 9 Fantasy Class ships (not Boats) sailing short cruises from

several ports . These are CCL's smallest ships and their short itineraries attract younger guests .

[cruiserking]

Welcome to Cruise Critic NewToCruise30,

 

As others have stated sailing at the end of September when schools are in session you won't find a lot of kids on board if any.

 

Modern cruise ships are designed to hold a large capacity in a comfortable fashion. The only time you really see a huge crowd is during embarkation and debarkation.

 

The prices are very reasonable during the end of September. Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas sails a 7-day voyage September 20 to Cozumel, Bahamas and Jamaica from Galveston, Texas with a price tag of $870 for a balcony cabin.

 

I didn't see any Miami departures for Royal but, a lot of Fort Lauderdale for reasonable prices too.

 

You will love Royal Caribbean, terrific cruise line with energetic, youthful and fun vibe.

 

Happy Birthday and Happy Cruising.

 

Jonathan

[NewToCruise30]

Is that amount for you alone or is it for the 4 of you?

 

@notentirelynormal

 

This amount is for myself.

[NewToCruise30]

To All Commenters

 

THANK YOU so much for your responses and feedback! You've been extremely helpful!

 

Much appreciated!:)

[Winnigirl]

Don't rule out a mega-ship because of the "crowds". We were on the Oasis a while back and I can honestly say I've never felt less crowded on a ship. It was so huge that people tend to spread out. Very often I'd walk through the "neighbourhoods" and there wouldn't be a soul around. Plus, there are so many more activities and entertainment on a large ship.

[VagabondMom]

I recommend looking into music cruises. Carnival has a variety of music cruises, and you're likely to encounter a younger crowd. My first cruise was a music cruise and most of the passengers were under 45.

[rjgdjg]

We've taken Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity and Holland America and of the four lines, found that Royal Caribbean (RCI) draws the youngest crowd, probably because it has the most active amenities (e.g., rock climbing walls, zip lining, surfing on some of its ships).

 

A RCI Oasis class ship, which has the most amenities, is probably over your budget, but you might try something in the Freedom class. - Musing About Cruising

[BensonFan711]

I live in Boston, so I can't comment on specific ships for you, BUT I went on my first cruise last October with 3 of my (also single) girlfriends. We chose Norwegian, and we were able to do our entire trip (with shore excursions, alcohol, souvenirs, service charges, EVERYTHING) for less that $5000 TOTAL. Sounds like that's right around your budget.

 

We really, really liked Norwegian. We liked the younger vibe of the line, the affordability, the night life, the crew....it was wonderful. We've taken to calling it the "party boat" because we were docked next to a Disney ship one day, they looked....well, bored. Not saying Disney is bad; Disney is Disney.

 

For the time you're talking about, NCL will have very few kids, as they should be in school. There were only a handful on our trip in October. None of us are really "kid people," and we didn't notice....which we most definitely would have. Most of the activities (at least the ones after about noon) seemed to cater to a younger adult crowd. Fantastic experience....so good, 2 of us are booked on another NCL cruise next month for MY birthday!

[BensonFan711]

One other tip I forgot to mention....in order to save money, we splurged on one balcony room and also got the interior room across the hall. We all got to use the balcony, and that room became "mission control" for the trip. Saved us a ton of money, and we all got to experience both classes of stateroom. When you book, if you chat with your booking agent about what you'd like to do, they can usually arrange for you to be in rooms close by, even if they are different categories. (This move saved us $1000!)