Hello - New to Boards and New to Cruising

[disneegeek2015]

Hello!! I am new to the boards and new to cruising. I will be honest, I am a bit overwhelmed. My husband and I are looking into doing our first cruise (with 2 teenaged kids, 18 and 16) and we were looking at Carnival vs Princess. We have friends who LOVE Carnival but we have heard Princess is a great starter cruise. Do you have a recommendations? What are the differences? We are looking to do a short, 4-day to get our feet wet. Thanks in advance for any and all advice :)

[Sixtytwo]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the world of cruising, Disneegeek!

 

For me, I have never sailed on Princess but can tell you that we have never had a bad cruise on Carnival! Others will differ with this opinion, but for us we choose Carnival because it offers us the best experience for the price paid. Before you decide, I would suggest comparing the itineraries of both and making a call as to which you would prefer. Next, I would to to both the Carnival and Princess websites and do a "mock booking" to see if the difference in prices would cause you to change your mind. The mock booking, if you are not familiar with that, is simply entering the information like you were going to book a cruise but not taking it all the way through. You can get the bottom line price (base cruise rate, port taxes and fees, and gratuities if you choose to add them) before you actually have to pay anything.

 

As for being overwhelmed, this only says you are quite normal! :D We all get that way and it just becomes part of the adventure! Once you decide which cruise line/ship/itinerary you want, post your questions directly on the thread for the cruise line to get better answers.

 

Lastly, I would suggest avoiding a 4-day cruise. The shorter cruises are more prone to have lots of folks who booked it for a quick getaway and are much more prone to be party minded! Our first cruise was a 7-day and we were not even close to being ready to get off when we got back to the home port! We could have gone on and on and on! If your time/budget allows, consider looking at 5+ days. You will find better itineraries and I don't think it will be too much for a first timer.

 

Best of luck!

[puppycanducruise]

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Cruising.

I haven't cruised on either Princess or Carnival, so I can't offer any advice there. But, I think a 4 day cruise would be too short!

I hope you have a great cruise whatever you decide to do.

[Roz]

Welcome! Both are good cruise lines. It depends on what you're looking for and your price point. I agree with the advice to avoid the 4-day cruises if you can get away for 5-7 days. 7 days is ideal for a first cruise.

 

Roz

[Californiacruizers]

Welcome, I have only sailed Norwegian it was an older crowd. I sailed 4 days with a 12 and 2 year old. Carnival seemed to be more kid/teenage friendly. Our ship would dock next to Carnival there were many more children and young people on Carnival than on our ship. A four day was good for us, I guess it depends on the destination and the timin. Good Luck, enjoy!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

JMO -- but I would go with Princess.

4 day cruises do tend to attract a younger group who like to party -- more so on Carnival than on Princess.

[parallel]

Welcome, I have only sailed Norwegian it was an older crowd. I sailed 4 days with a 12 and 2 year old. Carnival seemed to be more kid/teenage friendly. Our ship would dock next to Carnival there were many more children and young people on Carnival than on our ship. A four day was good for us, I guess it depends on the destination and the timin. Good Luck, enjoy!!

 

Hi Californiacruizers - I'm new too and saw your reply about your experience with Norwegian. I want to take a cruise with them NYE. When you say older are you referring to senior citizens? Or like 27-50?

 

(Nothing wrong with senior citizens, btw lol.) :)

 

*I love how this board keeps me up at night jotting down useful information. ;)

[George C]

Another vote for Princess, overall a better line. But as previous poster said NCL is not a line for older people.

[John Bull]

Prospects are that the teens will prefer Carnival (more fun) & you'll prefer Princess (a little more refined).

 

So choose Princess.:)

Unless the teens see this thread. :D

 

But these are comparisons - and if you've nothing to compare then I really don't think you can go wrong with either. :cool:

 

Shortest cruise we've ever taken is 7 days, yes the shorter cruises seem to be more for partying than for cruising or travelling.

I agree make it 7 days if you can - that pushes the budget up, so usually-cheaper Carnival might be a decent compromise.

 

JB :)

Edited August 14, 2015 by John Bull

[disneegeek2015]

Thank you so much!! We are looking into longer itineraries now. Lol! How are the Mexico itineraries on either line? Have any of you done them?

 

 

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[parallel]

Hello!! I am new to the boards and new to cruising. I will be honest, I am a bit overwhelmed.

 

Welcome btw Disneegeek - I found this board by mistake by researching and it has been a lifesaver. I haven't taken my first cruise yet and I'm also overwhelmed. ;)

 

Lots of information to soak in, right? I'm a newbie too. First cruise hopefully in December for me. But I agree about doing at least a 7 day. More bang for your buck from what I've read.

[bwaz]

We've done Mexico twice, once on Carnval and once on HAL. I think Mexico is great if your family likes water sports and beach days. We enjoyed it both times. We love snorkeling, but we also went parasailing, kayaking, took a small boat tour. They have nice beach resort hotels for lounging by a pool, relaxing etc. You can get a day pass

 

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[notentirelynormal]

I prefer Princess. I find the decor of Carnival a little too "casino" for me. Princess has more muted colors and feels more like home. I agree with the shorter cruises. The worst part of cruising (besides paying for it) is the getting on and off the ship process. Packing, traveling etc.

 

My kids have cruised since they were respectively 7 YO. They have grown up enjoying Princess and have always been able to find things to do. Remarkably they even enjoyed family time and just hanging out with us. However, if water slides and hairy chest contests are what you are looking for, Princess is not for you.

 

They are now 37 and 32 (I think) and except for wanting to try Disney for the kids will tell you they have enjoyed Princess at each step. We are now starting on the grandkid generation and my DGS will be taking his 6th cruise next April. He will be 10.

[Bizmark'sMom]

I'm just chiming in to note that I recently booked a 4 day cruise over St. Patrick's day specifically to party and rock out to independant punk bands. I honestly feel sorry for others on the ship who are expecting a nice, quiet trip to the Bahamas, because most of the other passengers will be there for the same reason I am.

 

Do yourself a favor and head out for a 7 day cruise. You'll get to see more islands. The passengers will be more vacation minded. You'll get a better taste of what cruising is like.

[parallel]

I'm just chiming in to note that I recently booked a 4 day cruise over St. Patrick's day specifically to party and rock out to independant punk bands.

 

You sound fun! What bands? I'm random like that too, just not with a cruise yet!

[Bizmark'sMom]

You sound fun! What bands? I'm random like that too, just not with a cruise yet!

The Salty Dog Cruise on Norwegian. Flogging Molly is headlining, with Rancid. There are like 20 other groups I haven't heard of before, but any band with a name like Punk Rock Karaoke, or Larry and his Flask is worth a listen. Only way it could be better is if the Dropkick Murphys were on board.

 

That's off topic, but an illustration of what a 4 day cruise will be like. It's an excuse to party - the booze package is paid for, food is paid for, someplace to crash is paid for, it will be loud and not restful. Head deeper into the Caribbean for a better taste of how nice cruises can be. Tobago is beautiful. I spend a whole week on Barbados I liked it so much. Trinidad is amazing when you get out of Port of Spain (seriously, don't bother wandering off the ship on you own in that port, get into the mangroves to watch Scarlet Ibises come in to roost, or wander into caves to see Oil Birds.) Bonaire has the best snorkeling you'll find right off of the beach. Don't take a booze cruise, get deeper in and really get a taste of the area.

[Keith1010]

Welome to Cruise Critic.

 

Try to get a recommendation from a friend of a travel agent who specializes in cruising.

 

Keith

[cbr663]

Our very first cruise was a short, re-positioning cruise. We got it through an auction site and the vacation was a 3-day land stay in San Diego, and then hop on a cruise ship and sail from San Diego to Vancouver. It was wonderful. It wasn't a bug commitment to land travel nor cruise travel. It allowed us to sample a cruise to see if we would like it. I figured if we didn't like it, we wouldn't have to spend too much time on the ship.

[disneegeek2015]

The Salty Dog Cruise on Norwegian. Flogging Molly is headlining' date=' with Rancid. There are like 20 other groups I haven't heard of before, but any band with a name like Punk Rock Karaoke, or Larry and his Flask is worth a listen. Only way it could be better is if the Dropkick Murphys were on board.

 

That's off topic, but an illustration of what a 4 day cruise will be like. It's an excuse to party - the booze package is paid for, food is paid for, someplace to crash is paid for, it will be loud and not restful. Head deeper into the Caribbean for a better taste of how nice cruises can be. Tobago is beautiful. I spend a whole week on Barbados I liked it so much. Trinidad is amazing when you get out of Port of Spain (seriously, don't bother wandering off the ship on you own in that port, get into the mangroves to watch Scarlet Ibises come in to roost, or wander into caves to see Oil Birds.) Bonaire has the best snorkeling you'll find right off of the beach. Don't take a booze cruise, get deeper in and really get a taste of the area.[/quote']

 

I'm surprised DKM didn't want in on that bill. Good list of bands for St. Patty's Day, though! :D

 

Trying out a 4-day for our first cruise since that's what is probably going to fit into our kids school schedules (1 in college/1 in HS). But because of the responses in this thread, husband and I decided to go on a 7-day with just the two of us later on. :) Was even researching last night and saw a 15-day Hawaii trip we would love to take. I guess my next question would be is a 15 day too long?

[disneegeek2015]

Our very first cruise was a short, re-positioning cruise. We got it through an auction site and the vacation was a 3-day land stay in San Diego, and then hop on a cruise ship and sail from San Diego to Vancouver. It was wonderful. It wasn't a bug commitment to land travel nor cruise travel. It allowed us to sample a cruise to see if we would like it. I figured if we didn't like it, we wouldn't have to spend too much time on the ship.

 

I think that's kind of where my husband and I are at. If we go on this 4-day, there is not a huge commitment and if we like it, we are thinking of doing the 15-day in Hawaii.

[duncan449]

My husband and I alternate between Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

I have no experience with Princess, but there is always something to do on a Carnival cruise which might be good for you with the kids.

 

We are not the sit and relax by the pool people, so we are always looking for something to do. Activities, contests, games, etc.

 

Carnival is not the party ship it seems to have a reputation for. I was leery of them at first because of this, but have found that I rather enjoy them. The atmosphere is much better than that of RC, but RC has the better ships... or at least of the 6 ships I've been on - we have the Magic booked this coming December, so I'll finally get to see one of the bigger ships.

[zookiebird]

I think that's kind of where my husband and I are at. If we go on this 4-day, there is not a huge commitment and if we like it, we are thinking of doing the 15-day in Hawaii.

 

Keep in mind that the 15-day Hawaiian cruise is usually 5 at sea days "out", 5 days around the islands and 5 at sea days "back". You might want to consider flying over to Honolulu and taking the 7-day Hawaiian cruise on the NCL Pride of America. Just a thought.

[Roz]

I've done several of the 4-day repo cruises from SD to Vancouver; not a party atmosphere.

 

3-4 day Mexican or Caribbean cruises tends to equal party city.

 

Two different cruise animals.

 

Roz

[Californiacruizers]

When we sailed on the Norwegian Sky, this past November I would say the crowded was for the most part 30 and up. It was a refined trip, not a party crowd which I appreciated since I have smaller kids.

[parallel]

When we sailed on the Norwegian Sky, this past November I would say the crowded was for the most part 30 and up. It was a refined trip, not a party crowd which I appreciated since I have smaller kids.

 

Thanks for your reply. I'm 34 so I guess I'm good to go. :)