New to Cruise

[DaCruzNut]

I always recommend Carnival to first-time cruisers. Not knowing what to expect, you won't be disappointed.

My three favorite limes are Celebrity, Proncess and Carnival. Quite a 'range..."

The food on Carnival may not be as good as the other two, but it's very good. The entertainment is possibly the best at sea... The service is good.

As far as itinerary, the Western Caribbean gives you a taste of three very different ports; Cozumel (or Playa del Carmen or CanCun, depending on the ship) is typicallly Mexican; Jamaica is very 'Caribbean;" and Grand Cayman very British...

As far as ports to leave from, I live near Port Everglades (Ft. Laud) and Miami, so I'm prejudiced... Been on 62 cruises, of which 61 left from those two ports...

[sailingrose]

I'd say Carnival or RCI for a first trip.

We are partial to RCI. If you want a large ship with lots to do the Voyager class ships would fit the bill. (Voyager, Explorer, Mariner, Adventure and Navigator) No other line has ice skating, rock walls, parades, etc. Great vacation in our opinion.

I agree with Dacruznut, western Caribbean is the best to get some island flavor. I love Cozumel, my favorite port after anywhere in Alaska.

Check out pricing and airfare. See if you can narrow it down to a few ships and then let us know which one interests you. I would also book the airfare without the cruiseline and go in a day ahead and stay at a hotel if you can. Cruise air tends to be way more expensive. If you book with the cruiseline they will get you to the ship even if there are delays but if you book on your own it's up to you to handle it. That's why we all recommend flying in a day early if possible.

[popsec]

Another consideration is that Carnival leaves from NYC so you could probably drive there. Royal Carribean & Celebrity leave from Bayonne, NJ. We live in VT and it's a 5 hour drive for us to either NJ or NY but worth it if we don't have to pay for airfare since we have more money for cruises :wink:

[Mebert]

There is plenty to do at night and lounges of different types. There are even discos and casinos. You will not lack for things to do at night.

Of course there are the presentations by the ship's performers and comedians who are flown in who appear in main lounge, which is huge. There are smaller rooms with musicians, sometimes there are duos or trios on the promenade deck, not far from the casino.

There will be midnight buffets where the food is carved up into very intricate pieces of edible art. Don't forget to bring your camera so you can take pictures before the people devour the decorations.

You can choose do do any of those things or just relax in your cabin or on the deck.

As far as safety, I find the ship to be incredibly safe. However it doesn't hurt to be cautious until there are some answers to some of the disappearances. I believe they are drinking related. Have some way to stay in touch with your traveling companion and be practical when meeting strangers. Have fun but be practical. Don't go off to some hidden corner of the ship with someone you don't know, particularly if you've had too much to drink. It pays to have your travel buddy with you if you're going to drink. Be friendly with the crew but don't flirt too much with them. You may get an unexpected response that seems like they are asking for a date. They may be doing that but they may just be flirting back.

Where ever you choose to go, your onboard experience will be a fun and safe one.

[KeithnRita]

In spite of what you here on the news, cruise ship are safe! The incidents that have happened have been blown way out of proportion. Consider the number of cruise ships and the number of passengers and the number of cruises and the percentage has to be extremely low. Just use common sense and you will be fine.

Be warned, however, you may become addicted or even obsessed with cruising, and may even become a bona fide CruiseCrazies!