VERY new to this!!!

[ortech]

hi im looking to go on a cruise in 2009 and i have so many ??? what is the difference with other crusie ships? i see some are on price.. but will they be fun? also the crowd on the ship what am im looking forward to.. age?? im in my 40's and looking for a romantic fun trip , like if i was going to go on an all inclusive like club med..and i want to go the south Caribbean side any suggestions on what cruise?? or have you crusied other boats and what are your thoughts??

 

 

thank you for your help :rolleyes:

[GoinCruisin]

Have you looked at all the cruise lines? As far as romantic and fun, that is what you make it... Carnival is known to be the "fun ships", but romance is really what you make it... all inclusive? No... they aren't all inclusive, you pay for most of your drinks (alcohol, soda, water), on some ships there are supper clubs ($30pp) which are very nice, somewhat romantic, very good food. I would look around the boards, read reviews, look at ships on Carnival's website. As far as age on the ships, that is going to vary... I have always found all ages. You may want to also look at some of the other cruise lines and see which one appeals most to you. Good luck!!

[fllady61]

I agree with what Lucy said. Romance is all in what you make of it. Moonlight walks on deck, going to the spa sauna and relaxing, the supper club. Have flowers sent to the cabin, roses preferably, a box of choclates. Order from the coffee shop a bunch of chocolate covered strawberries and champange for a special night on your balcony. take a flameless candle or two for the romance factor, since real candles are not allowed. Take your cd player, or mp3 player with externial speakers filled with romantic music.

 

Just some thoughts. YES, i am a romantic as you can tell.

[DarthGrady]

You're sure to find something fun to do on a cruise. They constantly schedule activities, games, meet and greets, and shows for guests to attend. You didn't mention if you are traveling alone, but they do have single's dances and meetings on most evenings. The ships themselves are destinations. There is a main showlounge in which they perform vegas style dancing shows. There is karaoke most nights, and many lounges, bars (the piano bar is great!) and discos to meet people. The majority of Carnival's passengers are in your age range. On port days you can purchase "excursions", which are tours or activities hosted in that area.

 

If you are just starting, maybe consider a shorter 3,4 or 5 day cruise so you can see how well you enjoy it. One of my personal favorites is the Carnival Inspiration, which leaves out of Tampa. She goes to Cozumel, Mexico on the four day cruise, and Cozumel, Mexico and Grand Cayman Island on the five day cruise. She is an older ship, but still in very good shape. The decor is a little dated, but I don't mind that. The food in the main dining rooms is very good. The food at the lido buffet is standard cafeteria fare, but not bad. Plus there is a 24 hour pizzeria. You really can't beat a cruise when it comes to value. The fare includes your room, food and port fees. The only things that cost extra are alcoholic beverages, sodas and gambling in the ship's casino. Most folks get addicted to cruising once they start, so be careful! Hope this helps a little. Good luck, and happy cruising!

[-ClevelandRocks-]

Just a suggestion, but I'd consider a 5-day before committing myself to a minimum 7-day southern cruise. Some people get seasick or claustrophobic on ships. You'll wanna know that before sailing the longer routes. Imagination to Grand Cayman/Ocho Rios or Inspiration to Grand Cayman/Cozumel are both great 5 days. Maybe even better, a 3-4 day to Bahamas. They are VERY inexpensive and would tell you if you've got sea legs. I'm just NOT a big fan of the Bahamas. As far as romance.......sorry I'm spoken for. :rolleyes:

[Beyondships]

There is a great deal of difference between what type of experience the various cruise lines provide. This in turn leads to differences in the clientele. Thus, as the previous poster suggested, it makes sense to look around at the different lines websites as well as the boards and reviews here.

 

Even within a line you will find differences in demographics depending upon the cruise. I recently did an article on Carnival, and according to the line, 30% of the line's passengers are under age 35, 40 percent are between 35-55, and 30 percent are over 55. However Captain Causla of Victory told me that the age mix of the passengers "depends upon the seaon [and] upon the type of cruise. If we go to Alaska, most of the guests are mature adults. On the cruise to Canada from New York, we have a lot of families. In the Caribbean, in the summer, we have a lot of students, not teenagers, young 19, 20, 25. During the Spring Break we have a lot of teenagers. In winter, we have a lot of adults."

 

Captain Cupisiti of Miracle pointed out that the length of the cruise affects the demographics. For a secen-day cruise, "you need only one week vacation. On an eight day cruise, if uou are leaving on Tuesday, and you are arriving the next Wednesday, you need two weeks of vacation to go. So, that changes the demographics of our ship. [As a result] our ship is more cosmolotitan."

[momofzeke]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, ortech!

 

If you know for sure that you want to do a southern Caribbean cruise, I would research several different cruise lines and find out which ships do that itinerary. Then, you can come here to CC and read reviews of those particular ships and ask questions that you may have about those ships.

 

We are a community of cruisers, so most of us who post here DO think cruises are FUN! I've been on 2 cruises, and there were people of all ages on both.

 

Please don't hesitate to ask questions, but if you get a little more specific, we may be able to help you a bit more.

 

Happy Cruising! :D

[VentureMan_2000]

I would suggest Carnival for a few reasons:

 

1) Their staterooms are 50% larger than most other cruiselines.

 

2) Price. It's very hard to beat Carnival's pricing.

 

3) Fun Atmosphere. The largest group of folks cruising Carnival are in your age group... 40%, with the agerage age being 45.

 

 

 

Here are some of the demographics:

 

The average age of Carnival's passengers is 45, five years younger than the industry average, and 65 percent have a household income over $75,000, which is $7,000 more than the industry average.

 

Half of Carnival's passengers have taken a cruise before, of which 85 percent have taken a Carnival cruise.

 

30 percent of its passengers are under 35, 40 percent are between 35 and 55, and 30 percent are over 55.

 

 

 

Best of luck. :)

[PrincessDreams4P&B]

As far as romance.......sorry I'm spoken for. :rolleyes:

 

:confused: Darn it... ;)

[ortech]

:D wow thanks for the great advice..first of all i am spoken for too :) second i did reserch and that is why i came here to wrap up my mind.. i compared with royal and carnival it seems the dates i want and what i want to see and visit carnival had more to offer for $$ and port stops.. i just wanted to know what else i could find out and as i am a trip advisor member and that site has helped me out in the pass i knew this would help me now! thanks again

hey a ??? can you bring on board 3 oz liquor bottels in your purse?

[DarthGrady]

The only alcohol that you are allowed to bring is wine, though I'm unsure if there is a limit on the ammount. Anything else is off limits.

 

There are some that say you can bring as much booze on board as you want,,,,,,,,,,,as long as they don't find it!

 

Whatever you decide, remember that your purse/carry-on is much more likely to be searched than your suitcase.

[choclitsnda]

Go to the Carnival website & at the very bottom of the page in small blue letters you'll see Brochure...click on that & order the FREE Brochure & DVD.

You can also do the same on the other cruiseline's websites.(www.princess.com www.ncl.com etc.)

So far www.carnival.com is the only cruiseline I've been on & I think it's the Greatest bang for my buck.

[ortech]

wow thanks for the web site i must of missed that small blue print.. but that really helped thank you