I'm wondering if anyone here in the forum do ocean or river cruises. What are some points to consider (cruise ship lines, size of ship, activities. food, destinations, length of cruise, best time to go, costs, etc.)?

 

We do ocean cruises at least once a year. I am guessing you have not been on a ship before????? With that being said I would opt for a 3 day. This is inexpensive and gives you a good feel of what cruising is all about. We prefer Celebrity as a line. Average age is in the 50's and very few kids. Princess caters to a much younger crowd.
I would recommend that you upgrade to an outside cabin at amidships. This has the least amount of motion feel. I would also spend a few extra bucks and get a patio room. Nothing like looking at the sea, good glass of wine, cheese, crackers and fruit.....life is good!

Do some shore excursions

Once again just my two cents.

 

I am happy to share the only two cruise experiences that we have had. The first was in 2003 on the Celebrity Line (seven days from NYC to Bermuda and back). The second was in November of 2005 on Norwegian Cruise Lines (nine days from Miami to the southern Caribbean).

Everything about the Celebrity cruise was great. The food and service were incredible. We had a problem with the lock on our cabin door. The attendant was there within three minutes of our call. When he could not fix it, the engineer was there within minutes.

NCL advertises their "Free Style" Dining as a plus. Our NCL cruise was a disappointment in several ways: The food in the dining room could NOT compare to that on Celebrity and the service was not even close.

I will share the following last evening conversation with you for what it is worth: On our last night on the NCL cruise we where out on our balcony watching the sunset, and got talking with the couple (in their early forties) in next cabin (first time we saw them on their balcony). It was their twenty-eight cruise. They were "kicking them selves" for not going back on Celebrity. Eighteen of their twenty-eight cruises were on Celebrity which they have always enjoyed. They have tried other lines the other ten times and have never been as satisfied.

With that stated: My oldest Brother and his wife have taken a minimum of one cruise a year over the last twenty years. They will only go on Celebrity or the Princess Line. My Brother prefers the smaller ships on Celebrity but my Sister-in-Law prefers the larger ships of Princess as she is a "worry wart" when it comes to motion.

One last comment: As most Americans only get two weeks vacation I would suggest a seven day cruise if you want to be around younger people. It was our experience on our seven day cruise that the passengers ages ranged from twenty somethings up to older seniors. On the other hand on our nine day cruise it was a LOT of very old seniors (with the time to take a nine day cruise) with walkers and wheel chairs. It would take FOREVER to get through the breakfast and luncheon buffet lines behind them. Often assisting them with their trays and in some cases carrying their trays to their table for them. The other plus and minus was a lot of Europeans (that get thirty days vacation by law) however, many did not speak English (at least as far as I could tell) Therefore there was not a lot of interaction with people of Vintage age.

With all of this stated: I am looking forward to our next cruise. As my oldest Brother has pointed out over the years. It is the most "bang for your buck" that one can get on vacation. When one factors in a hotel room in a each port of call, gourmet food (at least on Celebrity) and entertainment along with the cost of getting you to each port of call. It is a relative bargain in those terms. Even though you are a captive market for alcohol they do NOT "rape" you for the cost of drinks in my experience. On our last cruise the drinks were $5.00 or less. One word of advise is that your duty free purchases are impounded until you get off of the ship. So, that blows the theory that you will be able to drink your duty free alcohol that you purchased at the first port of call.

Feel free to PM if you have additional questions.

 

I can say Royal Carribean is good line. The best time to go depends on your budget and where you want to go. I second the mention of an outside cabin with a balcony as a mandatory requirement and some on shore activities need to be part of the plan.

Oh yes, if you like adult beverages, be sure to include that in your budget. Those Pina Coladas (sp?) can add up quickly laying by the pool.

 

Funny how that keeps coming up?

 

I have never been on Celebrity but will sometime.
We have done about 12 cruises over the years.
Cruise lines we have sailed are:
Royal Carribean
Holland America
Carnival
NCL.

The best food was Holland
The best service was Royal Carribean
Carnival was OK but not outstanding in any category.
NCL was at the bottom of the list.

We are booked on RCCL out of Los Angeles for Hawaii in October.

I'll let you know how that goes.

 

We've been on 7 Celebrity Cruises. All very good experiences. Spend the extra bucks for a patio. All of my cruises have been to the Caribbean. If I can help you in any way let me know, there are some things to do, and not to do. Cruising is still the best value for the buck. The one thing I would disagree with is the 3-day cruise. If your going to spend the money go for at least seven. Everything else everybody mentioned is right on. You'll have a great time.

 

Thanks for all the input. Can you give some examples of things to do and not to do?

 

I've been on four cruises - to Montreal via the St Lawrence Seaway, to Bermuda, to Acapulco via the Panama Canal, and around the Caribbean - on Windjammer (sailing ships), Royal Caribbean, and another smaller line I can't remember. I don't think anything under a week is a good idea. You get on board and it's time to pack up and go home! Definitely an outside cabin (window). Or the patio that some recommended. More motion up and forward, so keep that in mind. I much prefer smaller ships with fewer passengers, but not sure how many of those are around now, other than the exclusive (i.e. very expensive) lines.

Cruising isn't for everyone - you are at sea alot (obviously), with limited time in port (at the most 8 hours). But I enjoyed the ones I took. There is lots to do on board and the excursions are nice. If I had to recommend one cruise, I'd say go for the Panama Canal. It's awesome. The one I took was 10 days (St Thomas, Curacao, Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Acapulco), but I think you can do a week. Left from San Juan, with a couple of days added on in Acapulco, at Las Brisas (fabulous, romantic, pink motel overlooking Acapulco Bay). Here's a website:

http://www.honeymoonislands.com/destinatio...sas/default.htm

 

while some people obviously find it fun....
being stuck on a boat, even big boat for a week would drive me nuts...
the only possible exception would be a northwest passage deal looking at glaciers calving.

and I despise waiting in lines and dealing with crowds.