I feel silly asking

[Living4acruise2day]

Especially with all of the Hurricane problems right now. I have been reading about all of the different cruise lines for the past few weeks silently. I have only been on one cruise many years ago, which was Celebrity.

 

I am leaning towards RC which seems to have many options. I don't think I am ready for the big ships yet. I am looking for nice music, relaxation by the pool with a good book and good food.

 

The destination would be warm weather, so I am pretty sure the Caribbean fits the bill. I am just not sure of which Islands yet. I am not asking anyone to choose the cruise for me, but I would like to know the most memorable cruise you have had. I think this may help me. I appreciate your time and suggestions.

[dreadpirate3]

Especially with all of the Hurricane problems right now. I have been reading about all of the different cruise lines for the past few weeks silently. I have only been on one cruise many years ago, which was Celebrity.

 

I am leaning towards RC which seems to have many options. I don't think I am ready for the big ships yet. I am looking for nice music, relaxation by the pool with a good book and good food.

 

The destination would be warm weather, so I am pretty sure the Caribbean fits the bill. I am just not sure of which Islands yet. I am not asking anyone to choose the cruise for me, but I would like to know the most memorable cruise you have had. I think this may help me. I appreciate your time and suggestions.

 

I enjoyed the Enchantment in 2013, and there is a review link in my signature.

 

Our plans are to take a Radiance class ship next year and then a Freedom class. I have no desire to cruise on one of the giant ships, at least until we try the smaller classes.

[Jarmo]

Grandeur, out of Baltimore, to Bermuda and/or Bahamas is a great time.

[Cruzin-K]

I've done several to the southern Caribbean and those are my favorites. The ports are beautiful. I've usually gone there on a Radiance class ship (Jewel and Serenade) which are a bit smaller and had a nice relaxing time.

[awestover89]

Especially with all of the Hurricane problems right now. I have been reading about all of the different cruise lines for the past few weeks silently. I have only been on one cruise many years ago, which was Celebrity.

 

I am leaning towards RC which seems to have many options. I don't think I am ready for the big ships yet. I am looking for nice music, relaxation by the pool with a good book and good food.

 

The destination would be warm weather, so I am pretty sure the Caribbean fits the bill. I am just not sure of which Islands yet. I am not asking anyone to choose the cruise for me, but I would like to know the most memorable cruise you have had. I think this may help me. I appreciate your time and suggestions.

 

For me, it's more about the destinations than the ship, so my most memorable cruise was my first; a southern Caribbean out of San Juan on Jewel of the Seas. We went from San Juan to St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Barbados. So we got to see 6 places I'd never been before, all on a 7 day cruise.

[halfapair]

We sailed on the Jewell of the Seas a couple of years ago out of San Juan, Puerto Rico and just loved it. It's a beautiful ship.

 

We ate in the specialty restaurants on board because we did not like the food in the MDR. But we loved the food in the restos.

[RFerrington]

It really just depends on what you like to do, what time of the year you would like to go, and what your transportation situation (to proximity to a cruise ship) is.

 

The time of year is important. There are weather issues with all of the seasons and your timing will determine whether there are large numbers of children on board, if that is a concern.

 

Where you are coming FROM is important. There are travel times to avoid and some ports are easier to get to by air than others.

 

What you like to do will determine where you go. Do you like the beach ? Do you like to gamble ? Do you want to see the sites of Alaska or St Petersburg (Russia) ?

 

Lots of data points go into deciding where and when you want to cruise.

[WisconsinFan]

A hard question, each has been unique.

 

Our first one (on Disney) got us hooked! To have your children crying as you walk off the ship tells you it was a great vacation!

 

As you can see in my signature we have been on many different sized ships, from Radiance Class to Freedom Class on RC. Our first truly big ship will be this spring- and another first.

 

Time of year you can cruise and itinerary is what we have used to pick our trips first, the ship came second to us.

 

I think the best part of the trip is planning it :D have fun.

[MrsKC08]

For us we prefer Eastern Caribbean islands over Western. I can totally understand not wanting to do something like the Oasis class right off the bat, but I highly recommend the Freedom class ships. They are big, but not as big as Oasis and there is so much offered onboard to do and see.

[cb at sea]

I would head to a travel agency, if I were you...get brochures you can look at....they can really give you a "feel" for each cruise line or ship...and then, get guidebooks on your potential ports.

 

Personally, I don't care for the RCI Radiance class ships...the "adult" pool is enclosed, so you can't have a quiet place to tan!

[Living4acruise2day]

Very interesting. There were a couple of suggestions that interested me greatly. Back to the drawing board. I will keep you posted. I want to do a little reading on a few things. Thank you again.

[JTBCruiser]

I've done several to the southern Caribbean and those are my favorites. The ports are beautiful. I've usually gone there on a Radiance class ship (Jewel and Serenade) which are a bit smaller and had a nice relaxing time.

 

Ditto! Our 1st RCI cruise was on the Jewel in the Southern Caribbean and we loved it. Very nice, relaxing and beautiful ship with lots of views of the sea. We are now hooked on RCI.

[Biker19]

I want to do a little reading on a few things.

 

Browse some of the review threads here on some ships you may consider to get further ideas.

[tomahawk246]

Go big or stay home. Oasis class or Anthem

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hi Living,

 

Your question is a valid one...no need to feel awkward. We are about to become Diamond Plus C&A members...so we have been on many RCI cruises. RCI is a good choice and I would say a Caribbean Cruise would be right for you. If you can do longer than 7 days...even better.

 

RCI is a good choice for what you have described in your post. RCI has what I like to call..."an enhanced activity level". They have great entertainment at night and something happening every minute of the day. The food is what I call "Nuts and bolts"...nothing spectacular but solid...you will not go hungry. The service is great...everywhere onboard. If you have the funds available...you can try a suite. RCI has some of the best suites at sea of any company out there...and the Suite Perks are really good...especially the Concierge Lounge and evening service between 5:30 and 8:30 PM.

 

I really like the Radiance Class of ships...they are gorgeous and allow sea views everywhere...with lots of glass. They are Radiance, Serenade, Brilliance and Jewel. We also enjoy the Freedom Class.

 

If you want a more sedate cruise with good food and service there are many choices sailing the Caribbean. You might want to try small ship cruising for a quieter time.

[temple1]

I like Enchantment. It is a smaller ship but still has some of the bells and whistles.

 

As far as favorite cruise I think our stop in Costa Maya on one of our cruises was a great day.

[preschool teacher]

The Roatan route is a good one to go on.....good luck and have fun

[Gottafly]

I am an agent, and I concur the Radiance class on RCCL is beautiful. I also like the Navigator and will soon take the Liberty (2 wks)! I thought the Grandeur's Solarium was one of the nicest I've seen.

 

I would also check other lines: Holland America, MSC or see what else Celebrity has to offer.

 

Obviously, I recommend a travel agent, but find someone who has sailed on several lines and knows their stuff ;)

[Living4acruise2day]

Thanks for all of the input and suggestions. I think I have it narrowed down. I am looking at the Navigator. There is a very appealing itinerary that is calling me. Any opinions on the Navigator. I hope I am not being too big of a pain to everyone.

[MikeBTN]

Thanks for all of the input and suggestions. I think I have it narrowed down. I am looking at the Navigator. There is a very appealing itinerary that is calling me. Any opinions on the Navigator. I hope I am not being too big of a pain to everyone.

 

Plenty of opinions here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=264

[MommaBear55]

Especially with all of the Hurricane problems right now. I have been reading about all of the different cruise lines for the past few weeks silently. I have only been on one cruise many years ago, which was Celebrity.

 

I am leaning towards RC which seems to have many options. I don't think I am ready for the big ships yet. I am looking for nice music, relaxation by the pool with a good book and good food.

 

The destination would be warm weather, so I am pretty sure the Caribbean fits the bill. I am just not sure of which Islands yet. I am not asking anyone to choose the cruise for me, but I would like to know the most memorable cruise you have had. I think this may help me. I appreciate your time and suggestions.

 

Oh, you are speaking my language! I love Royal Caribbean for all the reasons you mention.

 

My favorite cruises have been on the smaller ships with lots of sea days. I give the Radiance class a slight edge over the Vision class because of the size of the music venues. Both classes have better connection with the seas than the biggest ships. I am happy with the MDR food, but the two times I have tried specialty restaurants they really were a step up in food quality.

 

We are beach and snorkel people, so our favorite ports are (in no particular order) St. Thomas, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacoa, St. Croix, Belize, Honduras, Labadee, St Kitts, Cozumel. We also really enjoy San Juan for the history, the old city, food and drink. We avoid St Lucia because of the transportation costs to the beaches and we have never managed to find something enjoyable on St Martin. Others really both these islands though.

[MommaBear55]

Thanks for all of the input and suggestions. I think I have it narrowed down. I am looking at the Navigator. There is a very appealing itinerary that is calling me. Any opinions on the Navigator. I hope I am not being too big of a pain to everyone.

 

DH and I were on the Navigator last December. Great ship, great ship. Loved the music venues...

[MikeBTN]

You may want to check out Adventure of the Seas as well. It gets high marks and does a Southern route, which a lot of seasoned cruisers enjoy, out of Puerto Rico.

[griffy116]

Thanks for all of the input and suggestions. I think I have it narrowed down. I am looking at the Navigator. There is a very appealing itinerary that is calling me. Any opinions on the Navigator. I hope I am not being too big of a pain to everyone.

 

We've sailed on the Navigator, although it was on a Med cruise about 3 years ago. It's a beautiful ship and the staff and crew are FABULOUS!. We love the Caribbean and it really doesn't matter to us whether the itinerary is Western, Eastern or Southern. We visited Roatan for the first time this past year and loved our day spent on a catamaran with snorkeling swimming and wonderful food provided. We love San Juan, we love Curacao, the Grand Caymans, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Belize and even though Jamaica would be our least favorite, seeing Dunns River Falls is something we enjoyed very much. I think if you are going during the winter months, the water in the Southern Caribbean will feel better. I like WARM water. Other than that, whatever the itinerary, I think you will find tons of fun things to do.

[Duffys wife 1957]

Jewel if you are thinking a smaller ship <3 Love Jewel... Larger ship loved Freedom <3 .. I am sailing on Allure in Feb. will let you know how I liked her.. I was not WOW ed with Quantum