What is your favorite cruise line?

Btw, i went on a 7 day and hit places like St Thomas(US Virgin Islands), Bahamas private island, Tortolla (British VI), and Samana in the Dominican. St Thomas sucked for the most part. The entire place was jewelry stores and crap. I went on a great sea lion excursion there that was fantastic, but the island itself sucked. It's like being in a poor area of America with a bunch of stores selling American products that you can buy here. Tortolla was nice, had more art, and again the excursions make the island so it's up to you what you do. I went snorkelling and had a blast. Samana is a very poor place. I never actually touched land there because I was on a kayaking excursion into mangrove forests that was AMAZING (best excursion ever), but everyone I talked to that went to Samana said people were begging all over and it was very unpleasant. Beware of "private islands" in the Bahamas. Basically, there is an empty island with one restaurant, 1-2 bars, and beach. So don't take a cruise with more than one day on a private island unless you honestly just want to sit on the beach all day. You can still do an excursion like parasailing, but that is only a small fraction of your day. When I was on NCL, I spent over 1 hour in a never-ending line to get on the island, and then the same to get off of it. Other than the excursion, I wished I had stayed on the ship.
If I were to go again, the places I would look for are: Tortolla, Samana(i say this because their mangrove kayaking is so amazing), and Jamaica. If there is a Bahamas stop, try to find a cruise that hits a large port as opposed to a private island. I can't speak for the best part of the year, but when I went in December it was so beautiful. It was warm and beautiful but not too hot during the day, but it was brisk in the early morning (which I personally like).

I've been on Carnival and Royal Carb I would say they are all basically teh same, except Disney which is far more expensive, but you get a ton of things with Disney.

Now you get what you pay for, the "new ships" are bigger and better and it shows, the smaller ships you get more bang for your buck.

So this is my take, If you want to go on a cruise for cheap, and just really "chill" drink and unwind, not do a whole lot in terms of things on the ship, like simply sit poolside and drink or read....go smaller.

If you like to do things while on the ship and very active, so you are not a fan of just laying in a lounge chair reading and having a cocktail for a day or two, you need activiities to keep you occupied, then go "larger" and all cruise lines have bigger newer ships, do the research.

there is a website called Cruisecritic, join that, it's free, good info there and you canget to know people who are going on your cruise before you depart if you guys are social.

Enjoy, you really can't go wrong on any cruise ship.

Thank you, did the Princess Alaska Cruise with our grandparents, loved it but we were the youngest on the boat by about 30 years:) Carnival seemed like a spring break in Mexico...So please let me know how Royal Caribbean is! Also Celebrity looks fun!

Will do! We were looking at Celebrity but the cruise I wanted wasn't round-trip. So we'd leave from NY and wind up somewhere with no way home. I was sad.

I'm really excited!

One that doesn't sink the ship.

He speaks wisdom!

I've had nothing but GREAT experience with Royal Caribbean. Not too expensive either. It is a good idea to stay away from the Sovereign Class (Majesty of The Sea, Monarch of the Sea) as these ships are quite old, and despite numerous refits, they are showing their age. The Voyager class are awesome ships, and their new Oasis Class looks to be awesome!

JM

Cruises are for everyone. It's just a matter of picking the right ship and destinations for your age group and interests.
Best vacations ever.

Aren't cruises for elderly people?

This really depends on the cruise line and destination. Carnival and Royal Caribbean usually have all age groups on there. It also depends on the time of year you cruise--during spring break you get a lot of college age kids partying it up, and during the summer and holidays there are lots of families.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN hands down!

I've only been on a Carnival cruise almost 10 years ago for my honeymoon. I am taking a Disney cruise in Dec. Taking the whole fam. I'm psyced. So if I go by what I have done, Carnival it is.

I've been on Norwegian 3 times and Carnival once. Had a great time on all the cruises! These two cruise lines are probably the most laid back and has the most casual dress codes. If you are looking for an elegant experience, these would not fit the bill. They both have a wide age range for their clientele base.

Carnival can be a little bit of a party ship, so if that bothers you, don't go during spring break or summer.

Holland America is supposed to be very nice, but I heard that it is a very old crowd.

Celebrity is probably a middle age and older crowd and I've heard is is very subdued.

Royal Caribbean has a great following and everyone I know that has sailed that line loves it. I haven't sail RC because it is more expensive than Carnival and Norwegian.

Disney is supposed to be the nicest of the ships on this list, but it is also very expensive. If you have kids and can afford it, it may be worth the price! I know couples without children that love Disney and will only sail her.

All the lines above charge for drinks. I don't consider this nickle and diming... Most lines also offer dining options that are an additional charge, but there are plenty of restaurants on board that are included in the price. All the lines listed above also use a cashless system. You give a credit card when you board and all of your charges (drinks, specialty restaurants, spa treatments and shore excursions) are charged to your card. I think most lines also put your tips on the credit card too. No need to carry cash unless you like to spend at the casino (Disney does not offer this.)

And like several others have stated... definitely check out cruisecritic.com. That is a great way to see what each cruise line is really like!