Conflicted on what cruise to take for honeymoon

[FSU Girl]

One thing to keep in mind is how "busy" do you want to be on your honeymoon. Do you want to tour on land all most every day. Or do you want to relax. If you want to relax, than something warm and tropical.

I know you did not want to hear a third choice of cruise. but...

Well we live in Florida so it’s always warm and tropical here lol. We really wanted to do Europe for the honeymoon and we don’t mind the port intense-ness. Most of the ports end around 6pm so we will have evenings to relax

[FSU Girl]

what kind of responses have you got on the NCL board as compared to the responses on this non-biased, of course, Princess board ?:confused:

I haven’t posted this over there yet. I had asked about the ship I had booked and it got favorable reviews.

[riclop]

I’m so conflicted on what cruise to take for my honeymoon. My fiancé is no help he said he would be happy anywhere as long as I’m there. Right now I have to cruises booked and I like them both.

 

One cruise is on the Crown Princess that leaves out of Dublin and is a 12 night British Isles cruise. The other is Norwegian Jade leaves out of Rome and goes to Italy and the Greek Isles for 11 nights.

 

I’ve never been on either ship. My fiancé has never been to any of the locations, I’ve been to about half of the ones on the Norwegian sailing. I really like both and just can’t decide which one I want to do

Princess is better then NCL.

[kylea_s]

What type of cabin and what time of year?

 

 

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[Poulsbo Cruisers]

We just finished a British Isles cruise. We loved it, but our favorite European cruises are in the Mediterranean. If your decision only involved itinerary, I’d opt for the Med. But, with two separate cruise lines to consider your decision becomes more complicated. We haven’t done NCL for years because we like Princess so much. NCL will always hold a special place in our heart because our very first cruise was for our honeymoon on the Norway.

[FSU Girl]

What type of cabin and what time of year?

 

 

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Both are balconies and beginning of September next year

[FSU Girl]

We just finished a British Isles cruise. We loved it, but our favorite European cruises are in the Mediterranean. If your decision only involved itinerary, I’d opt for the Med. But, with two separate cruise lines to consider your decision becomes more complicated. We haven’t done NCL for years because we like Princess so much. NCL will always hold a special place in our heart because our very first cruise was for our honeymoon on the Norway.

 

The cruise ship is the hardest part of the decision. If these were on certain ships the decision would be so much easier. But I figure with the port intense itineraries it would easier to deal with a bad ship. There was another itinerary I loved and was perfect but it had 5 sea days and that’s just too long on a ship that had awful reviews.

[DrivesLikeMario]

The British Isles was probably my favorite cruise out of 43 so far. Depending on what time of year you go, it really is a fantastic experience and you'd both be discovering new places together. It'll make lasting memories for both of you instead of you always thinking, "Oh, that's a great picture but the last time I was here, I did this."

[FSU Girl]

The British Isles was probably my favorite cruise out of 43 so far. Depending on what time of year you go, it really is a fantastic experience and you'd both be discovering new places together. It'll make lasting memories for both of you instead of you always thinking, "Oh, that's a great picture but the last time I was here, I did this."

Is September a good time?

[maggieq]

I know this is the princess board but have you looked at Celebrity itineraries? Beautiful ships, great food and perks are very nice.

[spiceyxi]

I would check to see which cruise has more ports closer to the city of interest. It is always annoying with having to take a bus for 1hr+ into town and having multiple bathroom breaks. If either one drops you closer to the main attractions I would lean towards that.

 

We did a Carnival Med cruise, Spain, Italy and Croatia, for our honeymoon and had lots of great memories. However my wife always complained about the bus rides and bathrooms. An experience that we did not like.

 

Did a Greek cruise on Princess for an anniversary and really did enjoy it just as much. Closer to ports than in Italy, but still some bathroom concerns for her.

 

Just be sure to book a few nights before and after the cruise to enjoy the experience. We stayed in a former palace in the gothic district of barceBarc prior to our cruise and it was an experience to remember. Afterwords it was at the W hotel in Barcelona and that was a good rest before the trip. Med cruises are exhausting on their own.

[piescruises]

Princess I'd probably take. did you consider rccl?

[Skai]

I am of the opinion that cruises are better suited for port locations that can primarily only be visited be sea/air. This generally means islands, or scenic cruising to more remote roadless areas(IE. Alaska).

 

For that reason, (even though they are technically islands), I would suggest that a trip to the British Isles could be done (and better experienced) as a land trip.

 

One could either fly into Dublin or London, rent a car and self-tour w/ the opportunity to experience much more than the sample-platter style of touring that cruising provides.

 

For that reason, I would look at the Greek Isles cruise more -- as a personal choice.

 

To me, the destinations are more of a draw than the cruise ship itself, especially on such a port intensive itinerary. We are considerably younger than the avg. age cruiser on Princess, but we actually decided to look at HAL for a recent E. Med. cruise. HAL is generally considered to be an even older avg. age than Princess, but we didn't really notice or care. In fact, the smaller ship led to a more intimate experience with less passengers and less crowded public spaces. We also found that some of the amenities on board HAL to be a little nicer than Princess.

 

So ask yourself if the cruise ship or destination is more important. If you are young and active(like us), after long days self-touring in port, most of the evening is going to be spent having dinner. Then, perhaps a little entertainment afterwards, before retiring for another day in port. Having only one sea/ship-day for the sailing may mean that one doesn't really need to be overly concerned with which ship one is sailing on, and what daily activities may be offered.

 

Yes, Princess is a little more classier and NCL is a little more casual than Princess. Princess generally has better (included in the fare) food, but neither cruiseline is gourmet. NCL has a more options/variety in specialty dining. NCL beat Princess hands down in entertainment. Princess does have nice offerings for a pleasant evening on deck such as MUTS.

 

You can't really go wrong with either choice, but as suggested above -- Why not make things more difficult and add a couple more cruiselines to look at. Both Celebrity and HAL are also doable.

Edited September 2, 2018 by Skai

[moki'smommy]

There is no perfect cruise, but there are a lot of good cruises. There is no perfect time to cruise, unless you count "when you can be off work to do it." September is good--fewer kids! There is no perfect cruise line--it is more about what is the right line for you at this moment in your life. It's about what you want. If you want good entertainment on board, there are better lines than Princess. If you want good value for your money, Princess is a good choice.

 

Unless something unplanned happens, you'll both have long lives and many cruises. Pick what looks good now and figure that you'll do the other sometime later. Later could be a couple years or a couple decades, but the possibility should still be there. I get that you want everything to be "the best" or "the perfect choice." That's not reality.

[TheRabbit]

I just flipped a coin for you 5 times and it came up princess every time.

 

 

 

I would take the Crown as the temperatures will be cooler. Med ports will still be warm that time of year.

[cruisequeen4ever]

What about doing Princess B2B 7 day cruises to the Med????? You can book them as 1 14 day cruise. That’s what I would pick as my #1 recommendation, the best of both worlds. We have done several 14 day (7 day B2B) Meds on Princess, and they’re awesome!

 

 

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[FSU Girl]

What about doing Princess B2B 7 day cruises to the Med????? You can book them as 1 14 day cruise. That’s what I would pick as my #1 recommendation, the best of both worlds. We have done several 14 day (7 day B2B) Meds on Princess, and they’re awesome!

 

 

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I had thought of that but those cruises don’t fit into our dates which we can’t change.

[njmelis24]

I say go on the Crown. My husband and I are in our mid 30s and whilst we've only done a short amount of cruises together (none to northern Europe) we do land trip quite a bit and the UK and Ireland are one of our favorite spots. Will be taking him to London for his 35th birthday this January in fact.

 

Also, DH much prefers Princess over NCL or RCCL FWIW. He enjoys the chill environment after a long day in port and rather enjoys the buffet, even for dinner.

 

September is still too warm for me in the Med. You'll be more comfortable doing the British Isles IMHO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cairn Mom]

I like what another poster said, I also think you and your future husband should do a trip that is new to you both. So, I vote for the British Isles. The food on Princess is better but the activities on NCL are geared to a younger crowd. Bottom line, you’ll have a wonderful time on either trip.

 

 

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[rbslos18]

FSU,

 

You are thinking/worrying too much. Either is great. We prefer Princess. I would choose the British isles based on your interests. We have been on Celebrity, RCCL, SilverSea and Princess. We feel most at home on Princess.

 

I’d suggest a Club Class minisuite. We find the dining very special. Watch for price declines and re-fare. You will have a memorable honeymoon. Just do it!

RB