Ships, Ships, Ships

[rebeccajo68]

If you knew you were only going to cruise one time in your whole life, which ship would you choose and why???

[Kudos2Fly]

If money isn't a problem. I probably would pick a cruise ship like the Q.E.2. I would pick a cruise ship that really "takes care of you". Just for the reason I don't normally have people "taking care of me".

 

If money is a problem. Then I would go with the new RCL ship. The one thats 158,000. I don't remember the name. I would want to go on that one, due to its the biggest ship out there.

 

Kim

[rebeccajo68]

If money isn't a problem. I probably would pick a cruise ship like the Q.E.2. I would pick a cruise ship that really "takes care of you". Just for the reason I don't normally have people "taking care of me".

 

If money is a problem. Then I would go with the new RCL ship. The one thats 158,000. I don't remember the name. I would want to go on that one, due to its the biggest ship out there.

 

Kim

 

I'm not wealthy enough for QE2. Just a single working woman I'm afraid. Which line is RCL?

[Pumbaamd]

You guys are talking about the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines "Freedom of the Seas", which starts sailing next year. Go to:

http://www.freedomoftheseas.com

[kitty9]

If there was only ONE cruise for my entire lifetime? I would make sure I saved up the money or used up all my credit cards, and went on a Crystal cruise to Australia and New Zealand.

 

RCCI is Royal Caribbean. It's a mass market line, and while it does a nice job, it's not anywhere near a "once in a lifetime" cruise line.

[voyageur]

If I were only going to go on one cruise... I certainly wouldn't choose a big (and definitely not the "biggest") ship... I would choose a medium size... maybe Radisson Seven Seas to Tahiti, or Mediteranean on Seabourn.

If you're watching a budget then I would choose a Southern Caribbean or Panama Canal cruise on Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, or one of the smaller ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

[caviargal]

I would choose a Baltic cruise on Crystal as one of my ultimate cruises.

 

If budget is an issue and you want a nice experience on a very pretty ship, Radiance class on RCI would be my first choice.

[momofmeg]

If money isn't a problem. I probably would pick a cruise ship like the Q.E.2. I would pick a cruise ship that really "takes care of you". Just for the reason I don't normally have people "taking care of me".

 

If money is a problem. Then I would go with the new RCL ship. The one thats 158,000. I don't remember the name. I would want to go on that one, due to its the biggest ship out there.

 

Kim

 

Kim that is Freedom of the Seas-but I have no desire to go on that ship-I was on Mariner of the Seas-a beautiful ship-but wall to wall people-on seas days you may as well forget spending time by the pool-even the adult's only solorium one was super crowded-I could not understand it-people go on voyager class ships supposably because there is so much MORE besides the lido and pool-but for some reason-no one was interested in rock climbing, minature gof, inline skating and ice skating, everyone wanted to be by the pool.

 

I loved the promande but the same problem in evenings-you could not MOVE there hardly it was so crowded. I was also disapointed in the dinningroom food-the quality was not very good-and at breakfast and lunch-you could not order something that was not on the menu-for ex. I wanted a english muffin with cheese and canadian bacon at breakfast-I got it but the waiter was very put out as that was not on the menu. The same at lunch-for some reason a simple salad was not offered-only one with chicken and one with schrimp-I could not get the waiter to bring me a simple salad.

 

So I soon learned to eat in the windjammer for breakfast and lunch. which was fine but on sea days the same problem-it was super crowded there. Johnny Rockets also was a 30 minute line-in spite of the extra charge. The food was good there/though I guess not so good for you-all that grease but at least it tasted good. Now I did enjoy Chops-I did get superior food and service there, food that tasted good and not bad for you health wise.

[caviargal]

I would choose a Baltic cruise on Crystal as one of my ultimate cruises.

 

If budget is an issue and you want a nice experience on a very pretty ship, Radiance class on RCI would be my first choice.

[momofmeg]

I loved Princess-not that much more expensive then Carnival or RCCL but I found the food superior-we had 2 great Italian chefs on the one Princess cruise I took. I wish Princess offered more choices-the biggest reason I have done more Carnival/RCCL cruises-there are more choices on those lines.

 

Princess was not a "stuffy" cruise like what I experienced on HAL and the entertainment was good and I found plenty to enjoy myself. Now I am a gal who usually is asleep by 1 a.m. -so I cannot say about late night entertainment but there was plenty going on before that. I found on HAL everything closed up by 9p.m. except for the Broadway style show and ofcourse the casino.

[Kudos2Fly]

I have only experience with Carnival and one cruise with Celebrity. I have always enjoyed all the cruise I have been on. But my next cruise will be to Alaska. This one I'm thinking of trying Princess.

 

Thats the ship Freedom of the Seas. I just figure I would like to try a ship of that size.

 

Kim

[marty7070]

If I had to pick just one cruise, it would be the World Cruise on Crystal Serenity. Crystal is my favorite Cruise line, Serenity is my favorite ship and if limited to only one more cruise for the rest of my life, that would be the one.

[MikeT718]

If it had to be only one cruise and money was no problem then it would have to be ther 108 day Grand Tour around the world on HAL's Prinsendam...I would not like to be on the largest ship I like them small..To me the service on the smaller ships is better:)

[voyageur]

Yes, the Prinsindam is absolutely beautiful, but I can never find a cruise the right time or length to suit our vacation schedule. That would be the definition of the perfect size ship.

[rebeccajo68]

Thanks you guys. You are giving me some very good information. Now I will consider a smaller ship although I was thinking the bigger ships would be more fun. I don't like crowds especially when I'm trying to "chill out".

:)

R

[Mr_Cruise]

Any one time cruise WILL be a once in a lifetime experience contrary to the posts of others that may have previously had the privilege of cruising on multiple occasions thus far.

 

Of course there are a multitude of choices available, and each experience is priced accordingly. Further to that, many things are so subjective and must be carefully considered in order to select the "best cruise for you". Just because the price tag is higher doesn't mean that YOU will enjoy it any more than a more economical experience.

 

I would suggest that by posting your intended budget for your trip and preferred destination, you may find that members of these boards could then make some plausible recommendations within those parameters.

[rebeccajo68]

OK, let me give you some idea of what I'm thinking about. I know that I would love going on an alaskan cruise and some day I hope to be able to afford that.

My first and only cruise to the caribbean was cancelled due to Wilma. Now I have to make plans again. The first go around, someone else (from my church) planned the cruise. I figure since it has taken me until 55 years of age to go on my first cruise, it may be the only one I get to take. Lets hope not, but you never know. I certainly don't have the ability to cruise as much as a lot of people on this site.

So...I want to choose the right itinerary and the right ship. This go around, I have to choose RCCI because I already have a credit on that line. But I also wanted ideas to plan on for the future so I'm loving the other ideas.

 

But back to now. I have all year to plan for the next one. Two friends will probably join me so that will help with cost. I want an exciting ship but I hate huge crowds. Love kids but don't really want a lot of them on my cruise. Otherwise, I'm open to suggestions. I've read all kinds of things about different ports but am confused about which ports are the best/most interesting. I'm not really much of a shopper but I love nature.

Can't decide if 5 days is enough or 7 days would be better. I love good theatre and don't know which ships have the best shows.

[rebeccajo68]

What do you think about the Radiance?

[TrentS]

I'm not wealthy enough for QE2. Just a single working woman I'm afraid. Which line is RCL?

A cruise on QE2 costs no more than a cruise on most other ships, and in many cases it's cheaper than taking a cruise on some of the mainstream lines. One big advantage for singles is that QE2 has single cabins, no paying a premium. The Grill cabins are pricey, but the Mauretania Restaurant cabins are very inexpensive... The QE2 is not a premium ship anymore though, unless you love old ships, or classic liners, you'll be very disappointed in the service, food, conditions onboard, etc.

[TrentS]

I would stick with Silversea. They have smaller ships, of EXTREMELY high quality!... The ONE cruise I would do though would be a World Cruise on Crystal.

[Mr_Cruise]

What do you think about the Radiance?

 

I've been on the Radiance. Beautiful ship.

 

Actually, one RCI employee that I traveled with last May (who has done all cruise and cruisetour routes in the entire world offered by RCI, well except one Canadian Rockies itinerary) advised me that the Radiance class of their ships is their passenger's number one preference.

 

He currently works on the Sovereign of the Seas, and will be working on the Freedom as soon as she launches.

 

Overall though, the Radiance is a fine choice within RCI's fleet; I frequently recommend it to clients and would not hesitate to book friends or family on her.

[rebeccajo68]

OK. so lets say I book on Radiance to the caribbean for 7 days. Do you have any input as to cabins/locations? If you were booking between February-June, which month/s are usually the best value?

 

I'm thinking Eastern Caribbean with a stop at Coco-Cay

[Mr_Cruise]

I mainly deal with the Alaskan Cruise route, so I can't say as I'm extremely familiar with this ships particular itinerary in other waters.

 

Cabin location preference is fairly subjective, and does depend on the type of accommodations desired as well.

 

In general though, something mid-ship will be most stable and provide you with the ease and convenience of central access to all passenger amenities forward and aft.

[cruiseapril]

I would choose the Prisendam to the Amazon.

[wrp96]

OK. so lets say I book on Radiance to the caribbean for 7 days. Do you have any input as to cabins/locations? If you were booking between February-June, which month/s are usually the best value?

 

I'm thinking Eastern Caribbean with a stop at Coco-Cay

 

Look for either one of the cabins on the back of the ship or one of the cabins on the hump (the bump out around the elevator) especially on the port side. These are the most popular locations because they have the best views.

 

For best cruise time I would look at either early February or early May. March and April are Spring Breakers; starting late May you get families cruising for summer break and prices are higher when families are traveling.

 

CocoCay is beautiful; I would gladly choose any itinerary that stops at either of RCI's private islands. Remember Radiance's sister ships are Jewel, Serenade, and Brillance so you don't have to choose just Radiance.

 

Of the itineraries offered by the Radiance class to the Caribbean these are my favorites:

 

8-night Eastern Caribbean on Jewel from Ft. Lauderdale, stopping at San Juan, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Thomas, and Nassau.

 

7-night Eastern Caribbean on Radiance from Miami, stopping at CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

 

7-night Southern Caribbean on Serenade from San Juan stopping at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados.