Your First Cruise

[mareka]

1. First cruise was on the Grand Princess about 14 years ago and guess who the CD was? Graham Seymour ! He certainly made the cruise memorable.

How wonderful it was to see him again when we cruised the Freedom of the Seas for the first time.

2. I love cruising. there's something for everyone whether you like night life or just sitting on the deck with your needlework.

3. I love RCI - Great prices and friendly crew

[alonzo14]

Our first cruise was in 1983 on the Song of America. She was Royal Carribean's first brand new cruiseship then. I was struck by the size of the ship! She was only 27,000 tons...lol. Meals were special and we loved the service. We didn't cruise again until 1999 and have been regular cruisers ever since.

 

Cruising is the ultimate getaway vacation. There is nothin like being at sea. You don't have to worry about making separate reservations for things. You don't have to drive anywhere. You get a chance to explore both inside and outside the vessel. Plenty of decks to roam!

 

We don't cruise Royal Carribean exclusively but they are probably our favorite for their gorgeous ships and better entertainment and service.

[RVfromAZ]

Our 1st cruise was in 2000. We and 4 other couples sailed on Viking Seranade out of LA on a 3 night cruise. Absolutly loved it, instantly hooked! Loved dancing the night away, the service and crew, the entertainment. We have been cruising ever since, think it's a great vacation, great value. So much fun meeting new people :)

[JoeRum]

First cruise: The Disney Magic. It was "Disney Perfect". Unless you've been on a Disney ship it's hard to explain. There is so much more to it. But it does come at a price. We will sail Disney again someday.

 

First RCCL cruise: Majesty of the Seas. It was our first cruise without our kids. It was a lot of fun. Love & Marriage, The Quest.

 

Why do we keep cruising? We're from Minnesota, we need to thaw out once in a while. Nothing could be better than waking up at sea or in a new port with the beautiful waters all around you. We have met some amazing people on the cruise boards here. We have started life long friendships and look forward to cruising together with all these friends from all over the country again and again.

 

We came to RCCL after Disney because of the vast array of different Itinerary's. We have enjoyed every trip we have been on RCCL.

 

JoeRum

[Paulette3028]

1. First cruise was on the Grand Princess about 14 years ago and guess who the CD was? Graham Seymour ! He certainly made the cruise memorable.

How wonderful it was to see him again when we cruised the Freedom of the Seas for the first time.

2. I love cruising. there's something for everyone whether you like night life or just sitting on the deck with your needlework.

3. I love RCI - Great prices and friendly crew

 

Lots of people will disagree with you feeling that RCI has great prices. We also book a cruise for a price that we believe is reasonable. I do wish pricing was a little simplier, but in the end, the bottom line is what matters not how you get to it.

[Sitzmark]

Lots of people will disagree with you feeling that RCI has great prices. We also book a cruise for a price that we believe is reasonable. I do wish pricing was a little simplier, but in the end, the bottom line is what matters not how you get to it.

 

I would be one to dispute the great price notion. We vacation in condos, beach houses, at amusement parks etc. and cruising is by a long shot the most expensive vacation I've encountered. It amazes me when I see people say what a great deal it is. You can stay in a room the size of a walk in closet on a boat, or you can get a rental house for a third of the price. Overpriced excursions that herd people through a scene so quickly that the only local flavor you get is a local accent only add to the pricing equation. A "private" beach destination where a single ride on a slide costs as much as an entire day in a water park elsewhere? A one minute zipline that costs twice as much as a daily admission to a amusement park?

 

There might be reasons to cruise, but price is certainly not one of them.

[davy jones]

We've been on one cruise, it was the Disney Fantasy. I remember tough steaks, frozen reheated pizza on deck and a pretty simple light buffet. The server in the main dining room was a creepy clingy freak, getting away from her was like escaping from a crazed ex. The ship wide detective agency was fun, the shows were decent, but there was a lot of time spent waiting for something to happen, especially on sea days.

 

I am cruising again because I'm married and marriage involves compromise.

 

RCI is about half the cost of Disney, so that is part of our compromise.

 

I don't think that you're going to like Royal either.

[ryano]

 

There might be reasons to cruise, but price is certainly not one of them.

 

Can you kindly point out to me where I can go for +/- 1300.00 for two people for 7 nights that includes all my food, entertainment and lodging? I have yet to find such a place.

 

Seriously man, you sound miserable about this upcoming cruise and are really setting yourself up for a bad time. Compromise or not, I would cancel if I were you. You have already made up your mind you are going to hate it. No sense in wasting money on a bad time.

[ryano]

I don't think that you're going to like Royal either.

 

I agree.

[davy jones]

With so many repeat cruisers on this thread I'm curious about your first cruise.

 

1. What do you remember most about your first cruise? What made it special?

 

2. What makes you keep cruising?

 

3 What is it about RCI that makes you return to their ships time and again?

 

1. First cruise - 1982 on the HAL Veendam, NYC to Bermuda. The experiences of high levels of service, the sea, dining, Bermuda, and a NYC sailaway were unparralled experiences for a young couple.

 

2. Many things keep us cruising. The relative simplicity of cruising because of simple planning, the sea itself, access to NE homeports so we don't have to fly, formal and informal cruising options that we can choose depending on our desires for a certain trip, and it is still a good value, but not as good as the 5 to 10 years ago. I fear that the current trend of cutbacks and fees across mainstream lines will diminish the product to the point that we will reduce or stop cruising.

 

3. We sail multiple lines to get variety of ports, services, and experiences and would return to any line that we have cruised in the past until the product and service no longer meets our wishes.

[bkrickles1]

I agree with you although it's not easy for some of us to take advantage of the cruises that are less than $100 pp per day.

I'm going 7/2 on the Liberty and it's costing me approx. $140 pp per day and I do think the value is terrific for all the reasons you stated.

Cruising also helps with the decision making of what to do or where to eat, especially when travelling with a group like I ordinarily do. I'm travelling with 28 this time around and there will be days that many of us do very little together because of our different ages and interests, but on most nights we'll all sit down together (3 tables side by side) and talk/laugh about our days and plan our evenings.

It's definitely my favorite way to vacation!

 

 

Can you kindly point out to me where I can go for +/- 1300.00 for two people for 7 nights that includes all my food, entertainment and lodging? I have yet to find such a place.

 

Seriously man, you sound miserable about this upcoming cruise and are really setting yourself up for a bad time. Compromise or not, I would cancel if I were you. You have already made up your mind you are going to hate it. No sense in wasting money on a bad time.

[Sitzmark]

Can you kindly point out to me where I can go for +/- 1300.00 for two people for 7 nights that includes all my food, entertainment and lodging? I have yet to find such a place.

 

Seriously man, you sound miserable about this upcoming cruise and are really setting yourself up for a bad time. Compromise or not, I would cancel if I were you. You have already made up your mind you are going to hate it. No sense in wasting money on a bad time.

 

I never said hate, just not the awesome deal people make it out to be. i find my deals online. Kayak is a good resource.

[Sitzmark]

Can you kindly point out to me where I can go for +/- 1300.00 for two people for 7 nights that includes all my food, entertainment and lodging? I have yet to find such a place.

 

Seriously man, you sound miserable about this upcoming cruise and are really setting yourself up for a bad time. Compromise or not, I would cancel if I were you. You have already made up your mind you are going to hate it. No sense in wasting money on a bad time.

 

Our inside stateroom on our cruise next year is around $3200 without beverages or extras. I spent around $1500 last spring, about 700 was for our condo.

[calypso73]

I really want to thank all the people who shared their memories. This thread was designed to be a positive sharing space and I thank the vast majority of posters who kept it that way. I love that sometimes it's the little things you remembered like how a waiter treated you or how your SO looked standing on a balcony looking out to sea. You're all making me very excited about my first cruise where I hope I will have equally special memories :-)

[Newby58]

With so many repeat cruisers on this thread I'm curious about your first cruise.

 

1. What do you remember most about your first cruise? What made it special?

 

2. What makes you keep cruising?

 

3 What is it about RCI that makes you return to their ships time and again?

 

1. Everything!

2. Everything!

3. Everything

It is what you make of it. You either love it or hate it. I'm not sure another cruise line would be better, however, we are happy with RCI. Can I please have an upgrade on my Feb 16 2015 cruise? LOL

[Newby58]

1. Everything!

2. Everything!

3. Everything

It is what you make of it. You either love it or hate it. I'm not sure another cruise line would be better, however, we are happy with RCI. Can I please have an upgrade on my Feb 16 2015 cruise? LOL

 

Make that 2016!

[Paulette3028]

I really want to thank all the people who shared their memories. This thread was designed to be a positive sharing space and I thank the vast majority of posters who kept it that way. I love that sometimes it's the little things you remembered like how a waiter treated you or how your SO looked standing on a balcony looking out to sea. You're all making me very excited about my first cruise where I hope I will have equally special memories :-)

 

The most important thing I remember (and it really isn't a specific thing) was the WOW factor. Not any specific thing to do on the cruise (it had plenty) or any dinner or any one item...just the fun experience of it.

 

I think afterwards many of the details got lost in the memory of the fun -- then we just kept cruising.

[trev71]

With so many repeat cruisers on this thread I'm curious about your first cruise.

 

1. What do you remember most about your first cruise? What made it special?

 

2. What makes you keep cruising?

 

3 What is it about RCI that makes you return to their ships time and again?

 

1. Spending time with my family

 

2. Love getting away and waking up at a new place almost every day

 

3. Not sure I always leave happy until that time comes I will probably always stay with RCI, unless I find a sailing that royal doesn't have or do

[barreloflafs]

Jan 1994.

 

It seems like a looooong time ago BUT the Ecstasy is still in service so I guess I ain't as old as I think.

 

Here is page one of the embarkation day planner. It looks kinda dated I admit.

[HeartCruzs]

With so many repeat cruisers on this thread I'm curious about your first cruise.

 

1. What do you remember most about your first cruise? What made it special?

 

2. What makes you keep cruising?

 

3 What is it about RCI that makes you return to their ships time and again?

 

I remember how amazing the service was on Grandeur of the Seas (March 2005).

 

I keep cruising because you can see so many different places in such a short amount of time. I can keep a tally of where I would like to go, outside of a cruise vacation. (Or keep going back time and time again each cruise I take).

 

On my first cruise, during a shore excursion, I saw how poorly passengers were being treated on a competitor cruise line as they got back onto the ship. (I was shocked since we had received such wonderful service on our cruise). I made a note that I would not want to sail on that particular cruise line just based on first impressions.

 

I also met my husband, a fellow passenger, onboard Radiance of the Seas in October 2010. Royal Caribbean will always hold a special meaning in our hearts because of this.

[George C]

1st 7 day cruise was Hal Rotterdam, great ship, 1977 from NYC to Bermuda and Nassau, it was a very elegant ship and a 7 day party

1st RCCL was 1988 on Sovereign of the seas, another very elegant ship

I have cruised every year since 1977, love packing once and visiting different places, also the most bang for the buck, just returned from 5 days in NYC which I loved but cost was way more that a large suite on a cruise ship