How do you choose your cruise?

[MagneticMags]

DH and I are thinking about booking a Western Caribbean cruise for the early fall and we are torn as to what to do. We've been on one cruise before (Carnival Valor June 2013) and had no issues with the ship or it's staff. I'd like to try RCI's Freedom of the Seas for the experience of cruising with another cruise line but find the Carnival Western Caribbean itinerary to be little more of what I was looking to do. What do seasoned cruisers do? Choose cruise line over itinerary or itinerary over cruise line? If I choose itinerary over cruise line I have two choices: Carnival Sunshine or Carnival Conquest. Which one is better? Any thoughts?

[Nebr.cruiser]

Price, itinerary and time of year are our priorities. We've been on 5 cruise lines and liked them all; the ship isn't a 'must', though there are some I'd like to try.

 

Since we've been to the Caribbean a lot, itinerary there is a little more important--it's nice to hit a different island, and we enjoy the southern route more.

 

We also have certain itineraries that we hope to do, such as Australia, but only for the right price; and of course, the flights are a big concern for some cruises.

[lifes-a-beach]

go on both. and then go on some more. we're about to book our fourth in 12 months. three different lines and two iteneries from two different ports. we're only limited by funds and my vacation time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Itinerary is important to us.

[navybankerteacher]

Be willing to compromise on each of the three essential specifics: ship, itinerary and cost; so you can come to the best decision. It is rare that your favorite ship (or line) will have a sailing to your favorite destination at a great price. Put together lists for each itinerary you are considering, then look at them side by side so you can weigh the relative merits.

[NMLady]

DH and I are thinking about booking a Western Caribbean cruise for the early fall and we are torn as to what to do. We've been on one cruise before (Carnival Valor June 2013) and had no issues with the ship or it's staff. I'd like to try RCI's Freedom of the Seas for the experience of cruising with another cruise line but find the Carnival Western Caribbean itinerary to be little more of what I was looking to do. What do seasoned cruisers do? Choose cruise line over itinerary or itinerary over cruise line? If I choose itinerary over cruise line I have two choices: Carnival Sunshine or Carnival Conquest. Which one is better? Any thoughts?

 

We choose by itinerary and price. That is what determines cruise line and ship for us.

[Warm Breezes]

DH and I are thinking about booking a Western Caribbean cruise for the early fall and we are torn as to what to do. We've been on one cruise before (Carnival Valor June 2013) and had no issues with the ship or it's staff. I'd like to try RCI's Freedom of the Seas for the experience of cruising with another cruise line but find the Carnival Western Caribbean itinerary to be little more of what I was looking to do. What do seasoned cruisers do? Choose cruise line over itinerary or itinerary over cruise line? If I choose itinerary over cruise line I have two choices: Carnival Sunshine or Carnival Conquest. Which one is better? Any thoughts?

 

We don't always have the same priorities when choosing a cruise. When we can go is almost always our number one priority as we have limited weeks that are available for us to travel. From there we have sailed NCL Epic, DCL Wonder and DCL Magic for the ships. We have sailed other ships for their embarkation ports and itinerary. If more than one ship meets our criteria we look to the best value. Your best bet is to decide what you want most out of your vacation and choose based on that.

[janetz]

We do both. Sailed the Allure and Oasis for the ship, and are booked on the Royal princess for both the ship and ports of call that we have never been too.

We are not true to any line and it really is nice if you can switch it up just to see what else is out there.

The Freedom is a great ship and I would sail that over any Carnival ship. Even with the same ports, you will always find something new to explore. So, your call. Ship or ports? ;)

 

Plus, you will become a cruise addict so you will see more ports in the future :)

Edited March 2, 2014 by janetz

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I will admit to being a Celebrity loyalist so will book with them. We've been to the Caribbean many times so will book based on the ship. Otherwise it is itinerary and will sail on whatever Celebrity ship is doing one we like.

 

We are looking at a cruise to Boudreau but will probably do our 1st river cruise.

 

Mary Lou

[OCruisers]

Depends for us.

Always the itinerary is a very important factor.

On cruises less than 14 days ... like a 7 day, we'll pick from a variety on different cruise lines. (Fun to sleep around! :D )

Cruises 14 days or longer, it's probably going to be Princess because Princess in the best all around fit for us. :)

LuLu

~~~

[I-Cruiser]

Itinerary, time of year, cruise line (mostly Celebrity or Royal) and price are the most important for cruises longer than 7 days.

For a 7 days escape I also think its fun to try something new:)

[cb at sea]

First, we decide WHEN we want to go, then we look at where the ships go...and pick according to the actual itinerary.

[Hlitner]

One should give some consideration that a fall cruise in the Western Caribbean (or anywhere else in the Caribbean) will be during the active part of hurricane season. These storms can really have an impact on cruises and cause them to drastically change the itinerary. The other issue is getting into ports of embarkation/debarkation. We ourselves have done these fall cruises many times (without any problems) but it is something to think about. My favorite place for fall cruises is the Med since it is the shoulder season, weather is usually OK (they do sometimes have rainy weather) and its just a great place to cruise.

 

Hank

[olemissreb]

I prefer Celebrity so I usually start there and then look to itinerary and price. Celebrity just "fits" us more. I try to find an itinerary that has a couple islands we haven't been to - usually a Southern itinerary. If we just want to go and relax and not do anything on any of the islands, I'll pick an itinerary that we've done before.

[packedandready]

First, we decide WHEN we want to go, then we look at where the ships go...and pick according to the actual itinerary.

 

This is what we do also. To the OP...just remember that although it's not common the itinerary may change due to a number of different reasons.

[trish1c]

DH's ability to take vacation is the biggest limiting factor for us. So first I figure out when we want to go. Then I try to determine if there are any holidays in there so we can go when DH has to use fewer vacation days. Then I see who is sailing then & look for the best price on the cabin. Armed with that I start looking at transportation costs. I also compare the costs of the trip during the holiday week to the weeks before & after to make sure the price isn't completely insane. If the premium for not burning a vacation day is too high, we go another week.

 

Once I get it down to 2-3 choices based on overall costs I pick which itinerary looks most interesting / appealing.

[mizLORInj]

When we're sailing with our family/friends (usually 3 or 4 cabins needed) we select the month (usually 2 months being looked at) and then look at all the cruise options for those months.

We like to try new places, but sometimes end up at ones we've been to (but that's ok too!).

We also like to try out ships we've not cruised. I like variety and I'd be bored on just one cruiseline.

All cruises have been good to excellent!

So the short answer for you is: I'd try the cruiseline I'd not yet sailed--or maybe a ship I'd not yet sailed. I do want to see what Sunshine is like since it's different than any other Carnival ship. And Conquest is just like Valor, so. . .

 

ENJOY!! whichever you choose.

Edited March 3, 2014 by mizlorinj

[geoherb]

I look at the different cruises that fit our dates. DH is a professor at a community college, so our vacation time is set by his schedule. I generally look at Princess and Holland America, though we have sailed on others, including a Carnival cruise a couple of years ago.

 

Price is the first thing that I look at with our dates in mind. Itinerary doesn't matter as much. If two ships are priced alike, then I start looking at which itinerary is more appealing. Generally we prefer eastern Caribbean over western. But our next cruise is going to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We'll either enjoy the ship or find something inexpensive to do in port.

Edited March 3, 2014 by geoherb

[meggie711]

One of my favorite topics! Cruise planning! Hubby laughs at me because as soon as we start talking about planning a cruise, I begin my spreadsheet. I include all of the important information (Ship, itinerary, date ranges, type of stateroom, ports, driving distance, price, and additional pro's or con's of the ship). We bounce around the ideas and usually end up eliminating the more expensive, the ports we don't really care about, the ships that don't have as much to offer, etc. By the end, we have a couple that we're deciding between, and we can usually whittle those down pretty easily.

[MagneticMags]

Thanks everyone for your input. DH and I booked our cruise on RCI's Freedom of the Seas tonight. Let the countdown begin.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[ehfl]

We have a preferred cruise line, and usually look there first. We're not locked in, but it would have to be a really good deal to go with another line. We look at when we can go, and price. We like larger ships, but it's not that important. We enjoy going to new places, but don't have to on every cruise. We basically just want a nice getaway at a reasonable price.