First Cruise Recommendations

Hey all! I have been itching to go on a cruise but I am a little torn as to which cruise line / ship. I read CC's article on 'How to Pick a Cruise Line' but was hoping you could give a more in-depth take based on your experiences.

My girlfriend and I enjoy the finer things in life (Food, drink, service, etc.) so I was immediately drawn to Regent. However, after some research, I see that people who are 50 years old, felt young on the ship; my girlfriend and I are 27. With that said, we do get along with the older crowd. Instead of nightclubs, we enjoy cocktail bars (Well-made drinks). She loves spas, shows and relaxing. We don't need ziplines, surf/wave pools, etc., but it would be nice to have activities offered.

Since we do travel a lot, we don't need a lot of ports, necessarily. Instead, it would be cool to experience everything the ship has to offer while at sea. Because of this, we were thinking a Transatlantic route, or, for the new Regent ship, we were looking at the Los Angelos to Miami route. We don't care where we go as long as it's warm!!

The Haven on Norwegian looks interesting. Would that be a better balance, than say, Regent? My only issue is, the balconies are much smaller in The Haven compared to the Regent Explorer. Albeit, it's a fraction of the price.

What are your thoughts?! Thank you so much!

NCL and Regent are polar opposites in the world of cruising. While the Haven might be nice, NCL is still the Spirit Airlines of cruising. I think a nice compromise would be Celebrity, especially Solstice Class ships. The ships are beautiful, have decent activities and entertainment, and the food is pretty good. If you book a suite, you'll be able to dine in Luminae, which is included for suites only.

NCL and Regent are polar opposites in the world of cruising. While the Haven might be nice, NCL is still the Spirit Airlines of cruising. I think a nice compromise would be Celebrity, especially Solstice Class ships. The ships are beautiful, have decent activities and entertainment, and the food is pretty good. If you book a suite, you'll be able to dine in Luminae, which is included for suites only.

Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. CC recommended The Haven under their 'splurge' category, which is why I asked. The Celebrity Suites in the Solstice Class aren't doing anything for me. I'm curious how the Edge will be. The Edge Villas, Penthouse Suites and Iconic Suites all look interesting! Not sure what they cost but I have to assume that they would be cheaper than the Regent Grand Suites (Which I personally would go for).

EDIT*: $36,000 per person for the iconic suites; $20,000 per person for the Villas....yikes! Maybe I'll wait to see some reviews before I book - haha.

Hi Eaglesfan1227,

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

If you're interested in a transatlantic you should consider booking one on board Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2. The QM2 is only purpose built transatlantic ocean liner cruising today.

The ship is absolutely gorgeous, terrific service and food. QM2 does 7-night transatlantic voyages between Southampton, Uk and New York. Sometimes there are longer trips with a stop in Hamburg, Germany.

The main class is Britannia, we have sailed this many times and think it is excellent. However, if you want to bump it up another notch or two you might consider booking either of the Grill categories. Both Princess and Queens Grill on Cunard are noted for their tremendous opulence, exemplary service and delicious food.

Celebrity is another line to consider particularly their newer Solstice class ships, like Silhouette, Reflection. We love sea days, they are a great chance to relax and enjoy the ship. But, if port days are really great too especially if you're cruising somewhere interesting like Europe.

You might consider a longer transatlantic. During April all of the cruise lines re-position their ships from Florida to Europe. Many of them offer terrific prices for 10, 12, 14 or longer transatlantics often with four or five port stops in Europe.

If you're interested in the exclusive areas that suite passengers access, MSC has their Yacht Club which gets very good reviews.

Good luck booking your first cruise.

Jonathan

Hey all! I have been itching to go on a cruise but I am a little torn as to which cruise line / ship. I read CC's article on 'How to Pick a Cruise Line' but was hoping you could give a more in-depth take based on your experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

My girlfriend and I enjoy the finer things in life (Food, drink, service, etc.) so I was immediately drawn to Regent. However, after some research, I see that people who are 50 years old, felt young on the ship; my girlfriend and I are 27. With that said, we do get along with the older crowd. Instead of nightclubs, we enjoy cocktail bars (Well-made drinks). She loves spas, shows and relaxing. We don't need ziplines, surf/wave pools, etc., but it would be nice to have activities offered.

 

 

 

Since we do travel a lot, we don't need a lot of ports, necessarily. Instead, it would be cool to experience everything the ship has to offer while at sea. Because of this, we were thinking a Transatlantic route, or, for the new Regent ship, we were looking at the Los Angelos to Miami route. We don't care where we go as long as it's warm!!

 

 

 

The Haven on Norwegian looks interesting. Would that be a better balance, than say, Regent? My only issue is, the balconies are much smaller in The Haven compared to the Regent Explorer. Albeit, it's a fraction of the price.

 

 

 

What are your thoughts?! Thank you so much!

Oceania for best food and bottom line value (e.g., airfare/credit included in cabin price). For a "younger" demographic, choose a shorter cruise to the Caribbean, Med or Alaska.

@EaglesFan1227 - first, I hope your handle refers to the Philadelphia Eagles.. there are no other worthwhile Eagles to be a fan of (except the band I guess) ;-)

I'm around your age and I too would recommend Celebrity. I've been on the Celebrity Reflection, and it was a beautiful ship with lots of amenities. I really think Celebrity offers what you're looking for and is kind of a good middle ground especially for two 20-somethings. Depending on the time of year your cruise, you might still be on the younger side of the clientele, but it won't be as much a difference as on Regent or one of the other more luxury lines. Also, Celebrity offers some transatlantic cruises, and some good Caribbean itineraries that have a nice mix of sea vs. port days.

Based on the information provides, my suggestion would be to consider the following options:

- Traditional liner: Cunard's Queen Mary II (QM2) is a fairly modern, but classic liner. A very taditional company, with evenings being more formal, resembling the cruising I know from the 70's & 80's. Larger ship that will have a reasonable pax demographic.

- Smaller ships: rather than Regent, my suggestions is to check out Viking Ocean & Oceania. Ships are a little bigger than Regent. Viking is smart casual, with no formal nights. On longer cruises the demographic is older, but shorter cruises will have a younger demographic. On Viking you may experience older teenagers, but no kids

- Mainstream mega ships: probably Celebrity or Holland America