First time cruising, which line and ship is best???

[Danny61231]

My wife and I are thinking about trying a cruise for the first time in either January or February 2018. At the time of the cruise, I will be 33 and she will be 29. Neither of us are partiers and big time drinkers although I occasionally enjoy a drink or two while on vacation. We are looking for a relaxing time with decent shows, entertainment, and other things to keep us occupied. If I have to pay for drinks I would most likely only have 1-2 over the entire duration of the cruise but if they are included I would have more. We are hoping to eat all of are meals at the complimentary restaurants and we would really like to keep the cost of our trip as low as we can while still enjoying ourselves and being on a nice ship. The two main cruises we are looking at so far are:

 

Royal Caribbean - sailing on the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston TX.

- Ports: Cozumel, George Town Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica

- Price: $531 per person for an inside promenade view room w / $26 OBC + gratuities

 

Norwegian - sailing on the Pearl out of New Orleans

- Ports: Cozumel, Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya

- Price: $589 per person for an ocean view room + gratuities / free unlimited beverage credit, free meals in specialty restaurants, $70 gift card to the big box store we would be booking through.

 

I really don't know enough about the two different cruise lines, ports, or activities and dining quality to make a decision and I could really use some help. Hopefully some people have experienced both of these chips and can provide some pros and cons for us to consider. Also, being that we have never been on a cruise or large ship before, we are unsure how we will react to sailing and the movement of the ship. Anything we should consider on where to get a room or difference between the size of these ships? Thanks a lot, Dan

 

P.S. Information would also be wonderful on whether New Orleans or Galveston would be better to sail to / from and why. I have heard the weather in Galveston that time of year can be iffy. Also, Any idea which area would be cheaper to fly to from Minneapolis, MN and have reasonable hotel prices? Thanks

Edited January 31, 2017 by Danny61231
adding information

[champagne123]

Out of the tons of cruises out there, why did you narrow it down to these two?

[leaveitallbehind]

I would suggest contacting a travel agent who specializes in cruises and start there. Let them assist you with your preferences, cruise line style and ship features. Note that pricing is a matter of supply and demand and will be different with each cruise line, itinerary, and date of sailing. While that is an important factor, I would not base my decision to heavily on that and would look more closely at what each cruise line and ship you are looking at has to offer in terms of amenities,etc.

Edited January 31, 2017 by leaveitallbehind

[George C]

I am a big RCCL fan, so I would do Liberty ( which we did last year) it was just refurbished last year and looks like a new ship, lots of things on board a great Ice show ( and you can go ice skating) flowrider, etc etc. But New Orleans is a cooler city to leave from.

[trish1c]

They are both equally fine cruises. Flip a coin. Really the differences are that negligible.

 

Actually price airfare to each port & the cost of a hotel the night before. Book whichever cruise has cheaper transportation. Since that is a consideration I'm wondering why you ruled out cruises from Miami or FLL.

 

Large ships have stabilizers so the movement isn't that bad. Think of the ship like a fulcrum or seesaw. The middle moves less than the ends so if you are really worried get a cabin near the middle of the ship on a lower deck.

 

Pack some OTC non-drowsy Dramamine & buy a set of seabands, they are acupressure wrist bands that help with the nausea. I sleep with them on.

[Roz]

Since you have to fly from Minnesota, you may find airfare to FL to be less or the same as airfare to NO or Galveston. A lot of people sailing from Galveston who have to fly need to go to Houston and then find transportation to Galveston.

 

Either of the ships you chose could work for you, but like other posters, I'm curious how you honed in on just these two.

 

Roz

[navybankerteacher]

Since you have to fly from Minnesota, you may find airfare to FL to be less or the same as airfare to NO or Galveston. A lot of people sailing from Galveston who have to fly need to go to Houston and then find transportation to Galveston.

 

Either of the ships you chose could work for you, but like other posters, I'm curious how you honed in on just these two.

 

Roz

 

Good points: it may very well be less expensive to get to Miami, Tampa, of Fort Lauderdale - giving a much wider selection of ships - as well as a better range of ports.

[traveler279]

MSN to FLL is cheaper than HOU or MIA.

 

 

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[Hlitner]

For a young couple on their first cruise, either of those options would be fine. Any experienced cruiser can give you opinions based on our own taste....but the reality is that everyone has their own likes/dislikes. Both Norwegian and RCI are decent cruise lines and you will quickly form your own opinions once you get aboard any of their ships.

 

My one caution is that cruising out of Galveston does involve some hassles in just getting to the port. If you book a package which includes transfers (to and from the airport) that will be fine. But if you plan on doing your own air/transfers...you might want to consider the extra cost of the transfer to the port. And, if cruising out of New Orleans...try to give yourselves an extra 1 or 2 days to enjoy New Orleans. Another very convenient port is Ft Lauderdale....where you might find even better deals since there is a lot of cruise competition in the southern FL ports. Not sure of your home airport, but consider that both Southwest and Jetblue often have low cost flights to FLL...which do not show-up on many search engines (you need to check each of those airlines on their own web sites). Southwest also still allows you free luggage...which is a nice benefit.

 

Hank

[Roz]

As Hank just pointed out, one of the reasons I do my FL based cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale and not Miami is SW. For instance, last December I snagged a real deal and got roundtrip airfare from Nashville to FLL for well under $200. Before I book any cruise, I check airfare and hotel availability. That makes a huge difference in my ability to cruise.

 

Roz

[AmberCascades]

I would suggest you read one of the Caribbean Ports of Call books. They give information on what to do at each port and also describe the various ships, ship culture, vibe on the various ships/lines, etc.

 

It might help you to figure out which line and ship might best fit your style and also will give you information on the various ports to help you figure out what you would most like to do.

 

If you ask here "what's the best" you are going to get 50 different answers as everyone has their own personal favourite that works best for them, but it might not work best for you.

[JVilleGal]

Make absolutely sure you fly into your port of departure the DAY BEFORE your ship sails. DO NOT FLY THR DAY OF SAILING it's a sure fire way to miss your ship. Also buy travel insurance, it's cheap and will cover medical emergencies which your US coverage won't cover once you leave US waters. Does not matter how young and healthy you are. Stupid accidents happen.

 

 

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[GeorgesGal]

I would also look at Celebrity out of Florida. The Solstice class ships are lovely, there is lots of music going on, plenty to do on sea days and good ports out of Florida. Check them out. The age mix on board is mostly between the 30's and the 50+, so you will have plenty of company and a lovely ship on which to enjoy your first cruise!

 

Donna

[wildbill426]

As you can see, I've only been on Norwegian, but I can also recommend them as my first cruise sticks in my mind. They did a lot to make us comfortable when we went. I love the lack of dinnertime with them, and I have found the quality of food to be excellent. Wherever you go, good luck, and I think you'll really enjoy it. Right now I couldn't see me NOT taking a cruise every year.

[cb at sea]

Alcohol is NOT "included" on any of the mainstream lines....luxury lines include it, but actually you're paying for it in the pricey fare!

 

If you will only have 2-3 drinks PER CRUISE, then just buy as you go....drinks are now priced in the $8-10 range...exorbitant, IMO....so all the lines now offer "drink packages", but they will run you in the $45-60 pp PER DAY range......not worth it unless you are a BIG drinker.

Drinks that are "included" in your fare are, Ice water, coffee, tea (iced or hot) lemonade, milk and juice during breakfast.

 

To save even more, get a guidebook on your ports....seldom is an "excursion" needed....they, too, are pricey, and you can have a blast on shore on your own, as long as you do your research!

 

Just pick the cruise line where you get the best cabin at the best price. They are all more alike than different!

[Cuizer2]

My wife and I are thinking about trying a cruise for the first time in either January or February 2018. At the time of the cruise, I will be 33 and she will be 29. Neither of us are partiers and big time drinkers although I occasionally enjoy a drink or two while on vacation. We are looking for a relaxing time with decent shows, entertainment, and other things to keep us occupied. If I have to pay for drinks I would most likely only have 1-2 over the entire duration of the cruise but if they are included I would have more. We are hoping to eat all of are meals at the complimentary restaurants and we would really like to keep the cost of our trip as low as we can while still enjoying ourselves and being on a nice ship. The two main cruises we are looking at so far are:

 

Royal Caribbean - sailing on the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston TX.

- Ports: Cozumel, George Town Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica

- Price: $531 per person for an inside promenade view room w / $26 OBC + gratuities

 

Norwegian - sailing on the Pearl out of New Orleans

- Ports: Cozumel, Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya

- Price: $589 per person for an ocean view room + gratuities / free unlimited beverage credit, free meals in specialty restaurants, $70 gift card to the big box store we would be booking through.

 

I really don't know enough about the two different cruise lines, ports, or activities and dining quality to make a decision and I could really use some help. Hopefully some people have experienced both of these chips and can provide some pros and cons for us to consider. Also, being that we have never been on a cruise or large ship before, we are unsure how we will react to sailing and the movement of the ship. Anything we should consider on where to get a room or difference between the size of these ships? Thanks a lot, Dan

 

P.S. Information would also be wonderful on whether New Orleans or Galveston would be better to sail to / from and why. I have heard the weather in Galveston that time of year can be iffy. Also, Any idea which area would be cheaper to fly to from Minneapolis, MN and have reasonable hotel prices? Thanks

 

I went on three cruises last year. One on the Crown Princess, one on the Liberty of the Seas and one on the NCL Pearl. So, below is a link to the Liberty OTS cruise and a link to the NCL Pearl cruise. Both are long with lots of pictures. Hopefully it will provide you with additional information ...

 

Liberty OTS review -- http://http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2364155

 

NCL Pearl review -- http://http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2439655

 

I've sail out of both New Orleans and Galveston. Loved New Orleans. Not fond of Galveston. New Orleans was different (the French influence) while Galveston is hard to get to. It is well south of Houston. Hobby is south of Houston and thus is closer to port. Mostly Southwest flies into Hobby. Bush is north of Houston and a taxi ride can be expensive. Hire a limo if you are flying into Bush. About the same price as a taxi, but much more comfortable. Most of the airlines fly into Bush.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Cuizer2

[Essiesmom]

I would consider the port of NOLA easier to get to from the airport than Galveston. However, if you are considering Feb. 2018, consider that Ash Wed. is feb. 13, the end of Mardi gras. So before that, will be all the celebrations of Mardi Gras, hotels full and prices high. EM

[griffy116]

Love New Orleans and we actually stopped there on the way to a cruise on Liberty out of Galveston this past July. We usually cruise on Royal Caribbean and you will find plenty to do onboard. LOVE the ports on the Royal Itinerary. We haven't cruised on NCL so I can't contribute any comparison information except on the ports. Falmouth is not one of my favorites, but I love Grand Cayman, Roatan and Cozumel. There are tons of great excursions on each of these. We are sailing on Celebrity in June and have the drink package.The price was comparable with other cruises we were looking at and then when you deduct what you would spend on drinks, plus gratuities, and OBC, which we would use anyway, it's a good deal. We've flown in to FLL to cruise out of Miami because for us, airfare is much cheaper to FLL than MIA. We take a $13 pp shuttle on SAS. They are waiting at the port when we arrive and take us to the airport. Easy and inexpensive. We ALWAYS fly into the port city the day before and we always purchase travel insurance.

[Danny61231]

Thanks for all of the information and advice that has been posted so far. I have pretty much been looking at the two cruises I listed because of the cheaper prices compared to cruises leaving out of Florida. I would love to be able to check airfare prices but unfortunately, most of them aren't available (or are sky high) this far out. I tried checking Southwest's tonight for Ft. Lauderdale and they only show as far out as August. I might have to start checking some Florida departures if airfare is normally cheaper. What are some of the favorite ships (less expensive) that go to the western Caribbean from Florida? We are pretty sure we want to go to Cozumel but other than that, we are open to other ports. If any more information is needed, please let me know. Thanks!

[spookwife]

Galveston in Jan-Feb has a very high possibility of extreme heavy fog which can totally derail coming or going.

 

NCL OTOH, often offers a super low base price but you pay for a lot more once on board( to include room service, which Royal offers gratis until midnight -5 am)

 

G-ston is also up to 90 minutes away from the airport( depending on which one you fly in to) and hotels on the island can be expensive and have minimum 2 night stays.

 

ultimately you have to look at the bottom line, factoring in ALL costs( including airfare to and from plus the hotel stay the night before, transportation to and from the airport, port and hotel)

 

it may be that the NCL is the better deal, but I would still not sail that line for a variety of reasons, mostly personal likes and dislikes.

[Cuizer2]

NCL OTOH, often offers a super low base price but you pay for a lot more once on board( to include room service, which Royal offers gratis until midnight -5 am)

 

Or you can go to the buffet and get whatever you want for free. And even on Royal Caribbean the person bringing the room service to you expects a tip.

 

I've been on both lines. They both have their pluses and minuses.