Ideas for 1st Cruise - couple

[lizdonaway]

Hello! My husband of 17 years has finally given in and said he will go on a cruise. We live in Virginia, but love Miami, so cruising out of Miami would be a good option for us.

 

Looking for some ideas of good lines/ships we might like. We love beaches, fishing (if that is even an excursion option on any ships), and we are really looking to just get away and relax. We do not have children...we don't mind children but would probably enjoy a ship that is geared more towards adults than families (meaning a Disney Cruise probably wouldn't be our thing).

 

Also, I have cruised once before, but ages ago (in 1985 I went on a Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean's Sun Viking). It was a 10 day cruise, which I loved...that said...My DH has been hesitant to cruise so if he hates it I wouldn't want him to be stuck for 10 days....so I am thinking a 5 day cruise might be good to start.

 

Lastly, I don't think we are picky about the size of the ship. Just want to have fun!

 

Any suggestions? Or can you point me to some good posts on this message board.

 

Thanks!

[Clarea]

I would engage a good travel agent who can interview you and recommend some appropriate cruises.

[lizdonaway]

That is an excellent idea - thank you! Sadly, in this day and age of booking everything online, that didn't even occur to me. Thank you!

[cb at sea]

Plus, a travel agent will give you brochures from ALL the cruise lines...you can get a good "feel" for each with brochures! Lots of info about today's cruising in there, too!

[serene56]

THe 5 day cruises are on some really older ships.

 

Consider the 7 day. Even a 6 day on a new ship

Carnival vista has a day cruise out of Miami

[trish1c]

Pick something port intensive so he has the option to get off if you are afraid he'll be bored. 7 days will be your best bet.

 

Check out the dress codes for the various lines before you make your selection to see where you might fit the best. Some are very causal. Others are more dressy.

 

To avoid kids, avoid sailing during school breaks & holidays.

[terri-eddie]

For our first cruise, my husband and I didn't worry about which line, or which ship. We just picked a couple of ports we were interested in visiting, then consulted with a travel agent who found us some cruises of different lengths, on different lines, that included one or more of those ports. In the end we chose the least expensive option, which turned out to be Carnival.

 

Since then we've cruised six more times, and each time our primary focus has been the ports of call, with secondary requirement being a different ship each time if possible.

[Keith1010]

A couple of suggestions.

 

I would also avoid a five day cruise. Often they are party cruises and as mentioned on older ships.

 

Ask friends who you know who cruise a lot for a recommendation of a travel agent.

 

Finally. There is a book on cruising that I highly recommend. It provides valuable information on cruise lines, pretty much each ship and itineraries. It is updated annually. I used it for our second cruise and it proved to be very valuable. I get the update every few years. It's only $17.22 and to me worth a lot more.

 

This link will take you to the Amazon site:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Berlitz-Cruising-Cruise-Ships-Guide/dp/1780048319/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467438974&sr=1-1&keywords=douglas+ward

 

I would get a hard copy.

 

I have been recommending this to people for years.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

We are not allowed to recommend travel agencies. You should be able to find a large agency in your area that you can go to and talk to a professional agent.

Sit down and discuss what ports you both would be interested in seeing -- make a list. A good travel agent can guide you to the right cruise line/ship.

Definitely do a 7 day cruise. Anything shorter usually attracts the "booze" crowd.

[RSLeesburg]

You know - we faced similar dilemma when we took our first cruise. We wanted a shorter cruise to rest waters but did not want a booze cruise. So, we took 6 day to Bermuda from Baltimore on Grandeur. They stopped doing that cruise, but think they still have a 5 day Bermuda cruise. That would be an option as you can drive to port. Grandeur is older ship but will give you a great "cruise" experience. Also, we went at end of Sept and we had only 40 kids on board, so definitely more adult geared trip. If you want newer, Anthem also sails a 5 day to Bermuda out of NJ.