Cruises, Cruises..wife and I are finally going to have a honeymoon..

[Pantoot]

Originally posted by: LolaWiz
what line?

Celebrity.

[edit: I want to echo the comments above. RCCL is a good line for a younger couple, along with Princess they do a very good job matching us up with people our age for the dining room. I haven't been on Carnival, but the impression they give it that everyone on the ship is younger and it definitely has a party-boat feel.

With Celebrity we were with people probably 30 years older than us at dinner every night. It was still a good time, especially since one couple must have been obnoxiously loaded and insisted on buying the table wine every night for dinner. We just didn't have anything in common with the tablemates on Celebrity.]

 

[newParadigm]

Originally posted by: Chunkee
Places to avoid? Best deals..I have been looking everywhere..so many to choose from...

please share your experiences, esp if you have been on more than one.

thanks

jC

Might choose to kind of DIY. Choose a really nice destination, and just go there, and spend a week or two. There are many VERY VERY nice islands in the carribeans. I've heard from many people that the rooms on cruises (on the boots) are very cramped, and that the whole thing can be kind of rushed. If you do choose this, make sure to try and get an adults only cruise, not a 'family' cruise, it will make it much less 'roudy' is the only way I can think to put it.

I haven't had a honeymoon yet, hell I'm not even married. But I did go to St. Lucia with my GF for a week. Very nice climate, some of the best accomadations I've ever seen, and there's so much to do. We went horseback riding, and biked some, but mostly just hung out on the beach, in the water, and in our small villa.

StLucia.org
Stonefeild Villas

The above two links are very useful. I stayed at the 1 Bedroom luxury villa. Its very nice, while it is expensive ($250 per night), I would definatley recomend it. For a cheaper go ($200 per night), the 'Deluxe' Villa is basically the same without a pool.

The main St Lucia site is very useful for finding different activities to do, and so on.

PM me if you want any more information.

 

[PoloShirt]

Cruises are for old people. Take a real vacation.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Originally posted by: PoloShirt
Cruises are for old people. Take a real vacation.

why do you say that?

both cruises i went on with buddies we ended up hanging out and partying with chicks the whole time. the second cruise it was 4 strippers. and a topless sun deck.

 

[PoloShirt]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
why do you say that?

both cruises i went on with buddies we ended up hanging out and partying with chicks the whole time. the second cruise it was 4 strippers. and a topless sun deck.

That must have been a niche cruise, not mainstream.

It's a fact that the majority of people who take cruises are simpletons (probably from Iowa) whose idea of a vacation is being hauled around on a shuttle bus.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Originally posted by: PoloShirt

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
why do you say that?

both cruises i went on with buddies we ended up hanging out and partying with chicks the whole time. the second cruise it was 4 strippers. and a topless sun deck.

That must have been a niche cruise, not mainstream.

It's a fact that the majority of people who take cruises are simpletons (probably from Iowa) whose idea of a vacation is being hauled around on a shuttle bus.

Carnival cruises are hardly niche. the second cruise, the one with the strippers was on their newest (and biggest at the time) boat. i'm pretty sure that's mainstream.

 

[UNCjigga]

I also thought this was a thread about you going on a honeymoon with Katie Holmes

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek

Originally posted by: PoloShirt

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
why do you say that?

both cruises i went on with buddies we ended up hanging out and partying with chicks the whole time. the second cruise it was 4 strippers. and a topless sun deck.

That must have been a niche cruise, not mainstream.

It's a fact that the majority of people who take cruises are simpletons (probably from Iowa) whose idea of a vacation is being hauled around on a shuttle bus.

Carnival cruises are hardly niche. the second cruise, the one with the strippers was on their newest (and biggest at the time) boat. i'm pretty sure that's mainstream.

Ignore him...he's just a JLGatsby wanna-be.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

Cruises really are hit and miss. But the good part is that it is easy to tell what is a hit and what is a miss.

If you are going for a 'budget' trip-avoid the cruises like the depths of hell.

If you can spend money, there is not much more luxury than a nice cruise.

The best ships I've been on have been the Seaborn cruise line. Check them out. Another nice one I liked in alaska is the Radisson Seven Seas. It was bigger, but still nice (not quite AS nice, though).

Finally, what i've always wanted to do but haven't yet, is try a sailing yacht cruise like Windjammer. I can't tell you how nice it is though.

Just stay as far away from NCL, Royal Caribian, Celebrity, etc, etc as you can. You'd be much better off doing just a land trip.

 

[Pantoot]

Originally posted by: GrantMeThePower
Cruises really are hit and miss. But the good part is that it is easy to tell what is a hit and what is a miss.

If you are going for a 'budget' trip-avoid the cruises like the depths of hell.

If you can spend money, there is not much more luxury than a nice cruise.

The best ships I've been on have been the Seaborn cruise line. Check them out. Another nice one I liked in alaska is the Radisson Seven Seas. It was bigger, but still nice (not quite AS nice, though).

Finally, what i've always wanted to do but haven't yet, is try a sailing yacht cruise like Windjammer. I can't tell you how nice it is though.

Just stay as far away from NCL, Royal Caribian, Celebrity, etc, etc as you can. You'd be much better off doing just a land trip.

Seabourn is certainly a pricier option, but the average age on the ship is generally 60. Unless that is the kind of crowd you are looking to hang with, I would shy away. The food is great, but not that much better than Princess or Celebrity, and they don't have balconies (at least in the Caribbean.) Their ships are much smaller, so there isn't much to do during the at sea days, but to some people that is part of the charm.

If you want caviar you can get it on Seabourn, but unless that is really important to you I actually prefer and would recommend the 'common' carriers.

 

[AllGoodNamesAreTaken]

From my own personal experience:

Carnival
1. I liked the buffet ( seemed to have the largest selection ).
2. Too many children when we went ( near/on some holiday ).
3. Entertaining shows.

Princess
1. I can't get enough of their souffles.
2. I think their formal dining food is the best ( of the 3 lines ). Great seafood.
3. Did not enjoy the entertainment as much as the other cruiselines.
4. I dislike the layout of the Grand-class ships.
5. I personally did not enjoy the buffet.

Royal Caribbean
1. Best entertainment, if I recall correctly.
2. The ship layout was great ( I forget which ship, but it has a small town-like promenade ).
3. Good dining.

As far as destinations, I've been all over the Caribbean ( seems to all blend together ) and to Europe. The ports in Europe tend to be quite distant from the attractions, so expect to pay a pretty penny for transportation/tours.