Cruise Questions.....

Looking into a cruise for late January early February (before the school break) for Dh and myself. We have never been on a cruise before so don't know much. Can you recommend your favorite cruise line and why you like it. We are looking to go for 7 nights. I was reading about RCCL freestyle cruising. Does this mean we can eat when we like? I am not sure if I like having a set time every night. What do you have to pay for while on the ship?

Re: Cruise Questions.....

Hi Cathleen,

My first piece of advice, would be to choose the ports of call you would like to visit first. Once you know what islands you would like to see, you can check each cruise line to see what itineraries they have that match your choices. Finally, based on the type of accomodations, amenities, and level of service you desire, a couple cruise lines will set themselves apart from the others.

Cruise lines will vary, but in general, a cruise normally includes your accommodations, meals, and most onboard entertainment. Do be aware though, that many cruises offer "premium" dining choices for an additional charge, and that the time spent in the casino is NOT considered part of your onboard entertainment! :)

What a cruise usually does not include are soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, gratuities, shore excursions, shopping, etc.

Freestyle dining is usually associated with Norwegian Cruise Line, but more cruise lines are going to trial them in my opinion. Tere are always alternative dining choices on most cruise lines if you do not want to be tied to a specific time in the main dining room. Often there is a more relaxed "cafe" style venue available that serves most of the same menu. I suggest you at least try the main dining room a couple of times before passing judgement. It can be a great experience.

Re: Cruise Questions.....

I like Celebrity and Princess. RCCL is supposed to be great too. I went on NCL but about 18 years ago so I can't comment on them now. My friends have had hit and misses on NCL and Carnival. Honestly a lot is what itinerary you want - but it is also important to look at the cruise line itself and try to pick one that fits you.

I have mixed impressions with set dining. Princess has a nice system that you can either pick set dining time or you can rotate. We always did anytime dining with them. We always got a table for 2 but you can get a table with others if that is your preference.

I think it helps to talk to people who have been each line, look at pics, pick itineraries and a great site to check out is Cruisecritic.com they have a posting area and and it is divided by cruise line so you can check out each line, or each ship and get tons of info and ask questions over there.

We like Celebrity (the age of the cruises depends on the time of the year you go but we never felt we were with a much older crowd) - Celebrity has what some consider the best food of the mass market lines. It has slightly better service (little extras) that make a difference. Smaller ships, less passengers.

Princess - again we have always seen a lot of families, and people in their 20s and 30s and up. Food was not as good as Celebrity but it was fine for the week. Liked the fact that there were 4 pools so it split up the crowd. Prices were less than Celebrity -so you could get a bigger room (read mini suit) instead of something smaller.

From friends - RCCL - food is okay - lots of 20, 30s and up. Lot of activities and a bit more party atmosphere.

I hope maybe someone who has been on NCL or Carnival recently can add their experiences for you.

Paying - basically food (unless you eat in a specialty area or restaurant) is free (so read 3 meals, most snacks, room service) is free. But if you go to a speciality restaurant (depending on the line) can run $20 or more depending on the place - (or less) but you don't need to eat at any of those places to enjoy or get a lot out of your cruise.

Drinks you have to pay for (some have water, tea, ice tea, or lemonade or juice - at breakfast - are free) you can get a soda card which gives you free soda for a set price for the week - some lines have wine deals etc. There are usually drink specials.

Certain activities like casino, or personal trainers, spa treatments are for a charge. But regular activities during the day/night like shows, disco, bars, pool games, etc are free (unless it is gambling etc).

Shopping of course you have to pay for.

Entertainment is free - bands, shows, etc.

Shore excursions are for a charge.

You get a room card which gives you charging privileges and so everything gets charged to your room - they do not accept cash on board.

Honestly unless you are a big drinker, a big shopper, gambler, or you pick a lot of shore excursions you can keep your shipboard charges down.

Re: Cruise Questions.....

I just got back from a RCCL cruise - see my pages long review . they don't do freestyle dining just yet. You're probably thinking of NCL- Norwegian Cruise Line. They do the freestyle dining.

For our age group, I prefer RCCL over NCL. I wouldn't go on a Carnival ship. Princess and Celebrity are a bit more expensive, and generally, but not always, an older crowd. Celebrity and RCCL are the same company and the food is comparable.

Ports of call are very important.... from where I've been, I'd definitely recommended Bermuda, St Martin, St Thomas, St John, Tortola (a good beach day), Aruba, Antigua, Cozumel, and definitely Belize. Didn't love Martinique (even though I spoke very good french at the time) or Nassau, Bahamas. Won't go to Jamaica. No others really stand out in my head right now.

On RCCL, all meals are free. There is literally food 24 hours a day. Iced Tea, Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Tea, Coffee, and Hot Chocolate are all free as well. there is a charge for soda, but like another poster mentioned, they have soda packages you can purchase on Day 1. It was $6 per day for adults, $4 per day for children, and you get a free RCCL travel cup. Specialty restaurants onboard are $20 extra per person, but they are totally optional. We didn't utilize it on our trip last week because the dinner menu at the dining room was good every night and we didn't see the need.

You don't pay cash for anything onboard. Everything is charged to your cruise account - you either link a CC OR you can deposit cash at guest services and use it like an ATM card.

Just to give you an idea, our seapass account was about $295 total - that included our alcohol, some onboard shopping (a bracelet for me!), DH's soda package, and our staff tips (approx $100).

You'll love it...the service, the food, the convenience of everything...it's such a great vacation for a pretty inexpensive rate.

Re: Cruise Questions.....

Thank you all so much!! Some great ideas and tips.

Re: Cruise Questions.....