Best Honeymoon Cruise??

[Wazzo]

I'm fairly new to cruising and this board. I was hoping someone with more experience could share their opinion:

 

What cruiseline is the best for a honeymoon??

 

Thanks!! :)

[kenandlaura06]

We are active people, so we decided to go with Royal Caribbean because of the variety of activities on the ship. We also considered Celebrity, but they didn't have any trips to W. Caribbean during the time of our honeymoon. I have cruised Carnival before and wouldn't choose that for my honeymoon, but, I think you could have a wonderful honeymoon on any cruiseline---it is all in what you want and what you make of it.

[portia1780]

I have cruised Carnival before and wouldn't choose that for my honeymoon, but, I think you could have a wonderful honeymoon on any cruiseline---it is all in what you want and what you make of it.

 

I cruised with the Carnival Miracle for my honeymoon last year. We picked our cruise based on (1) date of departure, (2) itinerary, (3) age/size of ship, and (4) price. Heck, we got a suite with Carnival for the price of a balcony on RCCL - and since we spent a lot of time in the room... :D

 

To reiterate the previous poster, it IS what you want and make of it, so perhaps make a list of the things that matter most and go from there. No one person on this board will be able to tell you what cruise is right for you!

 

PS - And make sure you're comparing apples to apples. A trip on the Holiday (CCL - ancient, small) is going to be terrible next to the Freedom of the Seas (RCCL - brand-spankin' new, ginormous), for example. Each line is going to have some ships that are newer, nicer, better decorated, etc. That is where doing the research comes in!

 

Good luck, and happy honeymoon!

[Irishgirl318]

Husband and I are doing the RCL Mariner for our Honeymoon Cruise. We decided on that ship after looking at many other crusies. It seemd to be the best ship, and wouldn't break our bank to enjoy it! HTH

[emliz24]

I'm getting married next year and we've picked a cruise out of San Juan. Since the wedding is on a saterday night we don't want to have to rush to the airport Sunday morning. The ships out of San Juan don't leave until 10pm, which leaves us a little more wiggle room with the flights.

[MandyGirl]

(1) date of departure, (2) itinerary, (3) age/size of ship, and (4) price.

 

I like what this poster says, and it is similar to our deciding process as well. You can cruise on 2 different ships within the same cruiseline and have two completely different experiences, so I don't believe there is an overall "best cruiseline for honeymoons." Look at when your wedding is, what places you would like to visit on the cruise (itinerary), do you want a newer/larger ship or slightly older/smaller ship, and what is still within your budget. Don't forget onboard expenditures and shore excursions that will be added later. It all adds up! Each cruise to us is like a honeymoon. ;)

Of our cruises (6 Caribbean - east, west, and south... 1 Alaska) here are things that really pop out in our minds of each, and each was unique. (In order we took them)

NCL Sky (now renamed - only does Hawaii) - freestyle - set the standard of cruising for us - great being so laid back and not dressing for dinner everyday - enjoyed always getting a table for two. Did Western Caribbean. A former student of mine later took this ship for her honeymoon on a cruise out of San Juan.

Celebrity Galaxy - loved the southern Caribbean, had a great AquaSpa with a rasul estrucan chamber (great couples treatment), had several onboard spa treatments (both of us); impeccable service from staff

NCL S/S Norway - our wedding cruise and a very historic ship; no longer in service (we loved learning about her history as the S/S France, seeing the two-class system onboard that had previously existed, carrying her own tenders); staff took AWESOME care of us; did eastern Caribbean with about 20 family/friends onboard

HAL Maasdam - smaller ship, loved afternoon tea, fewer kids, perfect layout, lots of fresh flowers everywhere everyday; still probably our favorite ship due to size and layout; did western Caribbean again

HAL Zuiderdam - loved the itinerary we had (eastern Caribbean again - included a LONG day at St Thomas - St John and also visited British Virgin Islands), had a huge inside cabin (over 200 sq ft), but ship's decor was too "Carnival like" - bright and bold and loud

NCL Sky - loved our aft balcony suite overlooking the wake, great selection in eating (like the tapas and sangria a few decks above our cabin), and as always love Le Bistro, particularly for the chocolate fondue which can be taken back for room service if you are too full to indulge after dinner, this was our Alaska cruise and we WILL be returning to Alaska

Celebrity Infinity - loved the indoor pool and layout, I was starting my second tri of pregnancy on that cruise so I spent a lot of time relaxing and we didn't do the shows, games, hot tubs, etc; staff really took care of us, particularly when I didn't feel well one day and couldn't take meds for seasickness due to pregnancy; did eastern Caribbean again so we could return to our wedding beach on St John

Each cruise has had something that really stood out to us (bolded). If we could have a cruise with each of those aspects from previous cruises rolled together, it would be one amazing cruise!! My advice is to just don't narrow yourself down to one cruiseline. Each ship and itinerary is unique, and itineraries change each season so see what's going where when you are marrying. :)

 

We definitely look at WHERE we want to cruise, then choose among the ships sailing around our tentative date. We enjoy sun and beaches. We prefer eastern Caribbean over western because we enjoy the beaches at those ports better - we're not big Mexican or Jamaican port fans. Southern is great - some of the same ports as eastern, but you may be in a port every single day with no "at sea days". Sea days force me to relax and kickback. Three of our cruises have been chosen specifically so we could visit St John, USVI (port is St Thomas). Beautiful island, lots of beaches to choose from, all are beautiful. Knew where we wanted to go, when we wanted to go, then chose from available ships after researching reviews on those specific ships. We're not glued to one cruiseline at all.

Good luck, and have fun planning!

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

The best honeymoon cruise is the one I'm gonna be on with my hubby......

Tahitian Princess to the Tahitian Islands!!!!!!!!!!!!! Romance, magical, warm tropical weather, did I say romance????

[MandyGirl]

The best honeymoon cruise is the one I'm gonna be on with my hubby......

Tahitian Princess to the Tahitian Islands!!!!!!!!!!!!! Romance, magical, warm tropical weather, did I say romance????http://heathersanimations.com/Romance/mens26.gif

Very cool!! A teacher I teach with is also getting married that day as well. When she got engaged last summer, being a math teacher, she wanted a cool date. 07-07-07 :) Enjoy your honeymoon!!

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

Thanks! It's gonna be our lucky day!!!:D

[bound4somewhere]

I'm fairly new to cruising and this board. I was hoping someone with more experience could share their opinion:

 

What cruiseline is the best for a honeymoon??

 

Thanks!! :)

 

Hey there Wazzo,

I don't know which line would be the "best". I guess that would have to be a personal opinion, but I have booked my weddingmoon cruise with NCL on the Jewel. It'll be my 2nd cruise w/ NCL and 1st experience on the Jewel. Have been reading pretty positive posts here about her. IMO whichever line you choose, if you're with the one you just married then the romance will be flowing no matter what!!;)

Good Luck...

[Laurie12820]

Wazzo,

 

Unfortunately, none of us will be able to tell you what cruise would be best for your honeymoon. We chose RCCL because I have cruised with them before and I enjoyed it. Here are a few things you should base your decision on. 1. Check and see which cruise lines offer the itinerary you want. You're on a cruise for a reason...you want to go somewhere in specific. So sit down with your Fiance and decide where it is you'd like to go (Europe, Hawaii, Caribbean, Bermuda, Tahiti, etc.). 2. Once you find a few cruise lines that will take you there, you can then look at the specific ships that sail there. Look at the sizes of the boats, do you want to be on a mega-ship or a regular cruise liner (trust me, bigger isn't always better). Seeing as this is probably your first cruise you may want to steer away from the mega liners as it might be too much. I cruised on RCCLs smallest ship 4 years ago and it took me a day or two to get acclimated as to where everything is, I can only imagine how long it would take on one of those big ones! 3. Look at when they cruises leave. The cruise we really wanted left on a Saturday...so, we aren't leaving for our honeymoon until the week after the wedding. I was kind of bummed about this at first, but as I am now 12 days away from my wedding I realize that the extra week allows me time to pack my honeymoon things after the wedding instead of the before which would have probably caused me more stress.

 

I think once you go through those 3 steps you will have narrowed it down to a few ships. No matter what cruise ship you go on, you will make the best of it. I know Carnival has a "repuation" as a party boat, but hey, maybe some of us Newlyweds like to party and that might be the right boat for us. Find the cruise that will suit your likes and your personalities. Good Luck!