The Ship or the Destinations (ports)

[1st mate]

Do you select a particular cruise for the ship itself or the destinations(ports of call)?

 

The ship, to me, is a destination. It is a vacation in itself. The ports are the second consideration.

 

Does price influence your decision or, are you going to cruise regardless?

 

Price is a factor, but if I want to cruise I will probably find something that satisfies my requirments.

[cottagemama]

I plan mostly for the destination. The ship is secondary;)

[bionicman97]

Price determines the time of year that we go, then the ship, then the ports

[B-52]

You have to take everything into consideration. There are ships I do not want to sail on, and then there are itineraries that are not appealing. Then there is cost, including travel to port, overnight stay, car rental, etc.

Having said that, to get the largest variety, I do not remain loyal to one cruise line.

[Shooraq]

Normally it's destination for me. Like headed to northern europe next year. However, Liberty this fall for a 3-nighter and Oasis next year are the exceptions because I want to try out the bigger ships. :D

[Sequim88]

Repositioning vs. Regular cruise, then # of nights, then Ports, then ship, then dates, then price if multiple dates are OK. Price might sway ship choice if there were a large difference but in general a Radiance Class preference.

[Saysell64]

We have Oasis booked because of the ship right now and Serenade for the itinerary so both for us. Usually we like to decide where we want to go and then look at which ships are going there. Price influences our decision on which cabin category we will have.

[leoandhugh]

Destinations and ports of call are primary for us - particularly ports which we have not visited previously. And we avoid ships that do the same old, same old Caribbean itineraries - dullsville plus. We also look for cruises such as repositioning that are two weeks or longer when combined with another back-to-back.:)

[DonnaK]

for us, it's a combination of both. Itinerary is usually the first consideration, and then the ship. We like newer, larger ships, but we also like new destinations, so we aren't likely to try Oasis because we are tired of those ports. Of course, price is a huge consideration too.

[Trainman-2]

I am a Ship Person!

 

The Ship itself is the destination and the vacation.

 

The ports are like gravy on mashed potatoes.

[Captain Jake]

65 destination

35 ship

of course time of year plays a major role.I would never sail Carnival or RCCL during Spring Break

:cj

[abhb]

The destination for our cruise next week. We are going to LA to get BIL and SIL, cruising on Mariner and staying an additional week to visit family and friends. We also have Oasis booked for the sheer enjoyment of the ship:D

[granddutchess]

Ports are our first consideration. Want to see as many islands and their beaches as possible.

[critterchick]

Depends. If it's Europe, Australia or some other far away land, then I want as many interesting ports as I can get. If it's Mexico or the Caribbean, then I want a ship that I like. Price is always a factor, and may be the tie-breaker when deciding between ships or lines.

[Kimbopolo]

I'm a destination gal. DH is a ship guy. However, price (and a distaste for flying) are equally important to both of us.

[klingoncruiser]

Destinations first, ship second. :rolleyes:

[Janet524]

It all depends on what part of the world we're cruising. If we're doing the Caribbean, we'll typically select by the ship/price because we've been to almost every Caribbean port a dozen times. In Europe we'll select by itinerary first then ship.

[vowsatsea]

I sail based on embarkation/debarkation port because I don't fly. Then I pick based on ship, but itinerary matters also. If I'm trying to chose between say, the Caribbean Princess and the Explorer of the Seas, that's when I'll go to the itinerary and pick based on that.

[skandls]

If the cruise is the same Caribbean or Mexico Ports we like the big Royal Caribbean ships. If we are on a port intensive cruise - the itinerary and a ship that is a relaxing home away from home.

[CruiseLover15]

I am a Ship Person!

 

The Ship itself is the destination and the vacation.

 

The ports are like gravy on mashed potatoes.

 

I agree.

[fmax]

Each cruise is different. Caribbean tends to be the ship unless I find an itinerary at good price I haven't done. Med would be the ports.

[bluegirlum]

We have to fly, so we want to leave out of somewhere warm and easily accessible. That limits us already. Then it's the ship and price. We want certain things on the ship, so that further limits it. We don't really care about the ports because if we want to spend time somewhere we'll take a longer vacation there.

[joyride21]

Ports! Definitely the ports. Price is also a big factor, and we can pretty much only do seven day cruises at this point in time (not enough vacation + cost of flying to embarkation port) so we are running out of cruises on Royal. We've got Jewel to New England/Canada coming up, after that all that's really left is deep South Caribbean (Dominica, Aruba, Curacao) and far west Caribbean (Costa Maya, Belize City). After that we'll likely be switching lines so we can visit new places, unless Royal adds some new ports.

[cb at sea]

If I were going for the ports, I'd take a land-based vacation! I'm PAYING to use the ship, so that's the 1st consideration, for me. You aren't at any given port for more than a couple hours (in most cases)....how much of that country can you see? I mean, zip-lining, or a catamaran trip really doesn't give you the whole, overall view of that country...so for us, it's the ship.