Help making a decision please

[WandaKruze]

I'm totally new to cruising and am trying to decide which cruise line to book our cruise with. I don't want the TA BS ... I want the straight info from someone who's been there. We may never take another cruise, so I don't mind paying. I don't like a lot of the fru fru formal stuff. Is this the best line for me?

[glrounds]

You've come to the right place. :D

[signman]

Well that was certainly helpful for you. Once again, see my comments on the Cunard board.

[silentbob007]

If you want "fun" more than elegant, Carnival might be the right line for you.

[KruznKel]

Well that was certainly helpful for you. Once again, see my comments on the Cunard board.

 

REad the boards and find out what you like most.. Stalkers suck!!!:(

[pastorscott3]

Like you, I enjoy a laid back, non-formal cruise environment. I booked a cruise on Carnival Fascination last November and had a great time. In fact, I loved it so much I am going again next month. Even the formal "dress up" night is not too formal. Many dressed in formal clothing, but most just came to dinner in casual cruise-wear. Hope you have a great time!

[zydecocruiser]

REad the boards and find out what you like most.. Stalkers suck!!!:(

 

Ain't that the truth. I found some other helpful posts :D:

 

Wanda, see my reply to you on the Celebrity and Cunard boards.

 

Wanda, see my comments on the Cunard and Celebrity boards where you asked this same question. Also on RCCL, Carnival, and HAL.

 

Wanda, see my comments on the Cunard board.

 

etc. etc. etc.

[big_duck]

Wanda seems to have a fan.

 

Speaking of which, Wanda I am sure you will be a fan of Carnival in no time.

[OCruisers]

NCL actually has two "formal" dining rooms (equally nice with exactly the same menu) -- one where folks "dress" for formal nights and one where a coat & tie is NOT required.

[MERVYN BREMMER]

I'm totally new to cruising and am trying to decide which cruise line to book our cruise with. I don't want the TA BS ... I want the straight info from someone who's been there. We may never take another cruise, so I don't mind paying. I don't like a lot of the fru fru formal stuff. Is this the best line for me?

Wanda we had the same thoughts on our first cruise and kind of picked Carnival because of the laid back atmosphere that is evident on this board. We enjoyed our cruise so much that we are waiting to do our third on Carnival. By the way we are late 50's if that helps you any.

[HockeyMom44]

Wanda ,on our last cruise my DD and I kept saying Carnival doesnt do it like that. Carnival has this and that. We're back on Carnival after sailing RCI. We're here to stay!

[duckman715]

Wanda -

 

Picking a cruise the first time is like any blind date, some better than others & what's right for one isn't for the next person.

 

Start by determining how much you want to pay, how long a trip you would like & where you want to go. Individual ships vary as much as the different cruise lines do. We are in our fifties & find Carnival to be the most consistent (good) in terms of food, entertainment, friendliness of staff & ease of embarkation & debarkation. Our best & worst cruise was on Royal Caribbean. I also have had great trips on Norwegian. We are NOT party animals & have yet to make even one Midnight Buffet so don't let the party reputation of Carnival throw you off.

Once you know your budget, length of voyage & preferred destinations, go to some of the cruise web sites like Cruise.com, Icruise etc & see what trips/ships match your wishes. Next read the passenger reviews available on Cruise Critic, Cruisemates, Icruise, Cruise.com etc. You will notice that on the same trip one passenger had the time of his/her life while another reviewer swears it was the trip from Hell. Unless money is no object & plan on a luxury cruise such as Seabourn, (never a bad trip) you will find the time well invested.

There's much more to having an enjoyable time than just the ship though; such as cabin location (avoid being directly above/below the disco & kitchen for instance), time of year you go (more kids during Summer & vacation periods), type of stateroom etc that there are a number of books & web sites that detail all that goes into making a cruise a pleasant experience.

In any event planning the trip & learning about what's out there can be a lot of fun.

I hope you have a WONDERFUL time wherever you go & on whatever ship you choose.

Bill

[yogimax]

Totally subjective - but if you want something in Carnival's price range, you might want to consider Royal Caribbean. If you can book a Voyager class ship, you'll have the benefit of the ice rink and rock climbing wall. IMHO, RCCL is just a cut above Carnival.

[Beach4me]

Wanda,

 

I've cruised all the cruise lines and I prefer Carnival because I'm not into the "fru fru" stuff either. The first thing I do, though, is decide where I want to go and then look at the ships doing that itinerary. If there is a Carnival ship doing the run, I will choose that one. Having said that, I prefer the newer ships. You will have a totally different experience on the Glory than you would on the Celebration, etc.

 

The food I've had on Carnival has always been of the highest quality...and, it's served in a 'normal' manner. I don't go for the fancy arrangements - I just want clean plates and good food. The newer Carnival ships have some of the best lunch buffet selections you could find on any ship or in any resort. (Ex - Glory - traditional buffet, Chinese buffet, NY style deli, fish & chips buffet, pizzeria with the best goat cheese pizza I've eaten anywhere, and a grill for hot dogs, burgers, chicken breasts and steak sandwiches.)

 

A lot of folks refer to Carnival as 'party ships' and they can be that if you want them too. They can just as easily provide the most relaxing, laid-back cruise you will ever experience. I used to stay up all night in my younger days but now I prefer to make the trip a relaxing event. In any event, I think the line has the appropriate name - 'the fun ships'.

 

I'll tell you that I don't cruise Celebrity because of their 'evening attitude'. They get really bent if you change into casual clothes after dinner. They actually handed out papers to the passengers reminding them that it is improper to change after dinner on the last Celeb. cruise I did. The flip side of that is that I wear comfortable clothes to dinner on Carnival and there is no need to change.

 

I've also had some really poor experiences on NCL. They have a very relaxed dress code, etc but in my opinion, their food wasn't as good, the ships weren't as clean, the staff wasn't as concerned with me as a guest, and it was a struggle to get a darned deck chair anywhere on the ship. Again, it is extremely important to go on a new ship if you choose NCL. The older ships weren't built for their 'Freestyle Cruising' and eating is more of a hassle than it's worth.

 

I'm sure that whichever line/ship you choose, you will enjoy yourself as long as you go in with the attitude that you are going to have a good time and expect little things to not go exactly as you planned. Let us know which line/ship you choose...even if it's not Carnival. HAVE FUN!!!

[Bran8778]

Yep!!! You have come to the right cruise line!!!!:) I felt the same way when I booked now Im hooked:)

[springbokke]

My husband and I were first time cruisers as well and I too went through the same deliberations as you are.

 

We too didn't want to have to dress up for dinner every night and I did quite a lot of research regarding this. I ended up with the choice of either Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

 

We ended up booking the Carnival Miracle for a 7 day cruise. The deciding factor was the fact that we got a great free upgrade to a good balcony stateroom at an inside cabin price.

 

The cruise will be what you make of it. Go with an open mind and ready to enjoy yourself. Dress in whatever makes you happy and whatever you feel comfortable wearing. I ended up driving myself crazy and totally overpacking after reading hundreds of reviews. Also remember that all the major cruise lines offer an informal dining option for those who prefer to keep their attire extremely casual.

Go with your gut feel and an open, untainted mind and you will definitely enjoy yourself no matter which ship you choose.