my gf and I have heard great things about cruises so we decided we'd like to go on one by the end of July. we're interested in either a 7-day cruise of the Caribbean, or a shorter one down the Mexican Riviera leaving out of San Diego or LA. I've done a bit of research online and I'm really leaning towards a 7-day cruise on the Holland America Zuiderdam, but it's rather pricey. we've heard that Carnival Cruises "aren't that bad" but I'm definitely *not* looking for a 24-hr party ship that feelings like non-stop Spring Break, and neither is she, it's just that we'd prefer to save some money if possible.

we're looking for a fun cruise that's not crazy and overrun with a bunch of singles looking to hook up... or filled with a bunch of unsupervised kids with their piss-drunk parents not keeping an eye on them... but we'd also like to be on a ship that isn't dedicated to just seniors and retirees playing bingo and gambling. it'd be nice to be able to have romantic evenings under the stars on the pool deck, then go in and see a good show and eat some good food (she's vegetarian btw, and I like quality food... so a good variety and well-prepared meals are a must). we've heard that having a room with a balcony is worth the extra money too.

anyway, the Holland America Zuiderdam cruises look nice to me, but I'd be curious to hear other peoples' opinions. thanks!

 

Have done several cruises on Celebrity. They are a mid point between Carnival and Holland America. Generally an older crowd, 30

 

I worked for a travel agency a while back. Carnival today is considered a party ship but they are working to change that and make it more of a family ship. If I remember correctly. This is the order from high party to least party but again it varies by ship.

Carnival
Disney
Costa
NCL
Celebrity
Princess
RCCL
Holland
Silver Seas
Radisson
Cunard
Oceania
Crystal

The best place to get recent opinions about the different cruise ship is with this website. http://www.cruisecritic.com

 

Went on a Royal Carribean cruise last year. I must say there is ALWAYS something to do, but there is plenty of opprotunity to do nothing in quiet/private environments as well. Mixed crowd and definately not a spring break (WOOOOO) atmosphere.

We went on the carriebean cruise and I would STRONGLY recommend visiting the Virgin Islands (St Thomas, St Martin), which are the epitome of paradise islands. The water is sooo blue, sooo clear, and so somooth, it's worth every penny.

 

Been on 2 cruises here, an NCL Eastern carribean cruise, and a Celebrity Western Carribean Cruise.

Both cruises were on their newest boats in their fleet, and they really were amazing looking and both boats were set up very nicely. Celebrity excelled with their service, everyone was helpful and there to cater to you no matter what... NCL wasnt bad by any means, just not as good. I must say that i did enjoy the NCL cruise better tho because it had a younger crowd...

 

Another vote for Celebrity.

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7 cruises for me - one on Norweigen (first) 1 on Carnival and the rest on Royal Carribbean. RCCL is by far the best. Carnival is a party ship, lots of drunk people and kids runnning around.

We went on RCCL's brand new Mariner of the Seas back in December. HUGE and top notch quality. Always something to do but tons of space to go where no one is around. We meet alot of cool people through the Cruise Critic boards and got to have special parties on the boat. I only recommend Royal Carribbean! Good luck anyone you go on you will have fun.

And Celebrity is now owned by RCCL so they are also a great choice for service and quality.

Grand Cayman and Virgin Islands have been my favorite stops.

 

The wife and I have done 4. All on Celebrity. We did the Eastern and Western Carribean on the Century, Bermuda on the Horizon, and Southern Carribean on the Summit. We just did the Southern Carribean at the end of March this year. That was the best of all of them (though the Easter Carribean on the Century was great too). We left out of San Juan and went to the Domincan Republic, Barbados, Grenada (actually very nice...we didn't have high expectations), Antigua, and St. Thomas (though we took the ferry to St. John, which was unbelievable...our favorite spot in the Carribean so far). The Summit is incredible. It's their newest ship and also their flagship. The boat was beautiful, the service outstanding, and the food excellent. So, I would highly recommend either the Eastern on the Century or Southern on the Summit. A great vacation for the price.

 

I did a Carribbean cruise on NCL during spring break of my senior year in college. It was just about as spring break-y as you could get- I think 99% of the cruise's population were college spring breakers. Fortunately for you, you aren't really in any danger of hitting a spring break cruise at the end of July. Since it's ummer, I imagine there will be more honeymooners and families on cruises at that time.

In terms of cruise length, I feel like 7 days would be way too long for me to be on a ship, even with getting off every day for sightseeing. If depends on how comfortable you are in that kind of environment. The nice thing is you don't have to worry about ANYTHING once you are on the ship. It's very very relaxing.

 

It's also very Fattening. I gained ~12 pounds in one week after getting off of the cruise....