Suggest a mediterranean cruise line for cruisers in their late 20's?

[juniperia]

Hello Everyone!

 

My boyfriend and I are thinking of going on our first Mediterranean cruise in late 2009/early 2010. We would particularly like to see the pyramids in Egypt.

 

Can you recommend a good cruise line for our age group? I've been told to avoid Carnival and Costa, but I'm not sure about the rest.

 

I've only sailed with RCCL for a Western Caribbean cruise (Navigator of the Seas) - and we loved it! In December 2008, we are going on the Celebrity Solstice to see the Eastern Caribbean - we are so excited!

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

[Happy ks]

Choose your trip by the itinerary rather than the ship.

 

We just got off Legend of the Seas, an older ship that we would not have considered except for the itinerary. We had an excellent time and on these types of cruises, you are so busy you don't have all that much time for the ship, it's a far different experience than a Caribbean cruise.

 

You will have an older crowd if you don't cruise in the summer months, but a more comfortable experience weather wise. Out of 19 days (some added days pre and post cruise), we had rain only once and temps in the mid 70's the rest of the time....very pleasant.

[Roz]

Why were you told to avoid Carnival and Costa?

 

Roz

[juniperia]

Why were you told to avoid Carnival and Costa?

 

Roz

 

I was told it was the best way to avoid screaming children, and that the ships aren't as luxurious or nice as the other lines (from their experience).

[juniperia]

Choose your trip by the itinerary rather than the ship.

 

We just got off Legend of the Seas, an older ship that we would not have considered except for the itinerary. We had an excellent time and on these types of cruises, you are so busy you don't have all that much time for the ship, it's a far different experience than a Caribbean cruise.

 

You will have an older crowd if you don't cruise in the summer months, but a more comfortable experience weather wise. Out of 19 days (some added days pre and post cruise), we had rain only once and temps in the mid 70's the rest of the time....very pleasant.

 

Thanks for pointing out that the itinerary is more important for this cruise since you don't spend as much time on the ship. I'll definitely consider that!

[Roz]

Carnival's European cruises are longer and more expensive than their short Caribbean itineraries, and attract a totally different crowd. I would be surprised to find hordes of screaming children.

 

Carnival only uses their newest ships, so I believe you would find them every bit as luxurious, or even more so, than the other ships sailing in Europe.

 

I would discount Carnival as a choice.

 

Roz

[juniperia]

Carnival's European cruises are longer and more expensive than their short Caribbean itineraries, and attract a totally different crowd. I would be surprised to find hordes of screaming children.

 

Carnival only uses their newest ships, so I believe you would find them every bit as luxurious, or even more so, than the other ships sailing in Europe.

 

I would discount Carnival as a choice.

 

Roz

 

I see. So are you saying you would not discount Carnival as a choice, and that I should consider them along with the other cruise lines? Thanks!

[Roz]

Yes, that's what I meant. I would NOT discount them, in other words, DO consider them as a choice. Sometimes the typing fingers and brain aren't connected! :D Glad you figured it out.

 

Roz

[wwinfl91]

Find a good online web site and check for cruise lines that are doing a stop in Egypt. I checked the online TA we use ***** for two month in the fall in 2009 and was surprised by the number of cruises that stopped there.

 

If you are serious about seeing the sights in Egypt try to find one that does an overnight or two stops so you have two opportunities to see as much as you can of Egypt.

 

I agree with the earlier poster that the itinerary is probably as important as the cruise line for a Med cruise as they are very port intensive.

 

I would suggest checking out Princess if you haven't already. We really have enjoyed our cruises on that cruise line. We also like HAL but the clientel will tend to be a lot older than you.

 

Personally I would avoid Carnival but that is because our only experience was much less than good on our only cruise with them.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[gg2]

Hello Everyone!

 

My boyfriend and I are thinking of going on our first Mediterranean cruise in late 2009/early 2010. We would particularly like to see the pyramids in Egypt.

 

Can you recommend a good cruise line for our age group? I've been told to avoid Carnival and Costa, but I'm not sure about the rest.

 

I've only sailed with RCCL for a Western Caribbean cruise (Navigator of the Seas) - and we loved it! In December 2008, we are going on the Celebrity Solstice to see the Eastern Caribbean - we are so excited!

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

Hello Juniperia!

 

We a young couple on either side of 60 :D going on a 12-day Med cruise on NCL in April '09, including an overnight in Egypt. There are several lines that offer this port on their itinerary, but we chose NCL because of their Freestyle Cruising policy: there are no set dinner times for the dining rooms and they have a relaxed dress code.

 

We can enjoy the ports and our tours without having to be back on board for dinner in a dining room at a specified time. Yes, dinner is not so very important, but we feel that we paid for the cruise and our meals, so why pay extra for dinner elsewhere? Also, there are no mandatory formal nights, and the only dining room dress restrictions are "no shorts and no jeans". Packing for a two-week trip is easier when you can bring all casual clothes and no heels!

 

You are planning wisely to travel during the fall/winter/spring and avoid the summer heat in a place such as Egypt! Good luck with your search and, which ever cruise line you choose, you will have a wonderful time.

[Roz]

Other lines besides NCL now have dining options. For instance, Princess has Personal Choice and HAL has Anytime Dining.

 

Roz

[NorbertsNiece]

RCL Independence of the Seas leaves out of Southampton. OK you might prefer to fly straight to the Med however you could start off with a trip to the UK and tour a bit here. You could compare the air fares. We had a wonderful trip on her a few weeks ago; there's loads to do on board and the food was excellent.

[fun*n*sun]

If you are most interested in seeing Egypt you might want to check out a Nile river cruise.

[juniperia]

Find a good online web site and check for cruise lines that are doing a stop in Egypt. I checked the online TA we use ***** for two month in the fall in 2009 and was surprised by the number of cruises that stopped there.

 

If you are serious about seeing the sights in Egypt try to find one that does an overnight or two stops so you have two opportunities to see as much as you can of Egypt.

 

I agree with the earlier poster that the itinerary is probably as important as the cruise line for a Med cruise as they are very port intensive.

 

I would suggest checking out Princess if you haven't already. We really have enjoyed our cruises on that cruise line. We also like HAL but the clientel will tend to be a lot older than you.

 

Personally I would avoid Carnival but that is because our only experience was much less than good on our only cruise with them.

 

Have a great next cruise.

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions! The Egypt overnight sounds like a great idea (the main draw for us are the Pyramids)! I looked at Princess, too. How did you find the food?

[juniperia]

Hello Juniperia!

 

We a young couple on either side of 60 :D going on a 12-day Med cruise on NCL in April '09, including an overnight in Egypt. There are several lines that offer this port on their itinerary, but we chose NCL because of their Freestyle Cruising policy: there are no set dinner times for the dining rooms and they have a relaxed dress code.

 

We can enjoy the ports and our tours without having to be back on board for dinner in a dining room at a specified time. Yes, dinner is not so very important, but we feel that we paid for the cruise and our meals, so why pay extra for dinner elsewhere? Also, there are no mandatory formal nights, and the only dining room dress restrictions are "no shorts and no jeans". Packing for a two-week trip is easier when you can bring all casual clothes and no heels!

 

You are planning wisely to travel during the fall/winter/spring and avoid the summer heat in a place such as Egypt! Good luck with your search and, which ever cruise line you choose, you will have a wonderful time.

 

We haven't even thought about dining options, but the flexible dining times on Norweigan sounds great! The lighter (casuals only) packing sounds good, but if you wanted to, are there formal night options?

 

PS Age is nothing but a number! Have a wonderful time on your cruise! :)

[juniperia]

Other lines besides NCL now have dining options. For instance, Princess has Personal Choice and HAL has Anytime Dining.

 

Roz

 

Awesome! NCL, Princess and HAL are strong candidates for flexible dining! :) We do love our food!

 

Roz, you're quite knowledgable - thank you for all your tips!

[juniperia]

RCL Independence of the Seas leaves out of Southampton. OK you might prefer to fly straight to the Med however you could start off with a trip to the UK and tour a bit here. You could compare the air fares. We had a wonderful trip on her a few weeks ago; there's loads to do on board and the food was excellent.

 

Airfare is definitely something else to consider, since we would be coming from Toronto, Canada. I wonder if it would be easier to employ the help of a travel agent if our start and ending destinations are different. My boyfriend hasn't travelled as much as I have so he might really enjoy some time in the UK. Thanks so much! :)

[juniperia]

If you are most interested in seeing Egypt you might want to check out a Nile river cruise.

 

The main draw for us is the Pyramids and maybe some bazaar shopping. My boyfriend hasn't travelled in europe as much, so we're trying to see as many countries as possible in this one trip. However, thanks so much for the suggestion!

[wwinfl91]

We have found that the food on Princess is as good as the food on the other mainline cruise lines. The food in the alternative with an extra charge restaurants is excellent. We aren't big on really fancy food so our needs generally are relatively simple so we maybe aren't the best judges on the food but there is always plenty of it.

 

We really like the personal choice dining option which lets you decide when and who you want to eat dinner with. We have arranged a table with others from our rollcall and then if we want to eat by ourselves we just let them know we aren't going to be eating with them and get a table for two or go to one of the speciality restaurants. We never had a really big problem getting a table.

 

Princess has four smaller cruise ships, all were previously part of Renissance cruise line which went belly up a few years ago. We were on the Tahitian in July for a 14 day Alaskan cruise. The others in this class are the Pacific, Royal and Ocean Princess. The reason I mention them is that they do not offer personal choice dining as they only have a single dining room so you would have fixed seat dining if you went on one of them.

 

I will also add we loved the Tahitian and its smaller size was just right for us. The ship was beautiful and very elegent and had everything we wanted except for the PC dining. But we had a great group we ate with who we really enjoyed meeting so the fixed seat dining wasn't a problem on this cruise.

 

We also hope to take a cruise that includes time in Egypt someday. My wife is a cancer survior and has only recently finished recovering from her treatments so we haven't wanted to get too aggressive in our cruise schedule. But it could be we will be looking into next fall for another further afield cruise so we might end up on a ship with you.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[mariemorgan]

I'm not sure why you were told to avoid Carnival? That is "known" to be for the younger crowd.

 

I have been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. I find them all very similiar. So I would go with whomever has the best itinerary.

[juniperia]

We have found that the food on Princess is as good as the food on the other mainline cruise lines. The food in the alternative with an extra charge restaurants is excellent. We aren't big on really fancy food so our needs generally are relatively simple so we maybe aren't the best judges on the food but there is always plenty of it.

 

We really like the personal choice dining option which lets you decide when and who you want to eat dinner with. We have arranged a table with others from our rollcall and then if we want to eat by ourselves we just let them know we aren't going to be eating with them and get a table for two or go to one of the speciality restaurants. We never had a really big problem getting a table.

 

Princess has four smaller cruise ships, all were previously part of Renissance cruise line which went belly up a few years ago. We were on the Tahitian in July for a 14 day Alaskan cruise. The others in this class are the Pacific, Royal and Ocean Princess. The reason I mention them is that they do not offer personal choice dining as they only have a single dining room so you would have fixed seat dining if you went on one of them.

 

I will also add we loved the Tahitian and its smaller size was just right for us. The ship was beautiful and very elegent and had everything we wanted except for the PC dining. But we had a great group we ate with who we really enjoyed meeting so the fixed seat dining wasn't a problem on this cruise.

 

We also hope to take a cruise that includes time in Egypt someday. My wife is a cancer survior and has only recently finished recovering from her treatments so we haven't wanted to get too aggressive in our cruise schedule. But it could be we will be looking into next fall for another further afield cruise so we might end up on a ship with you.

 

Have a great next cruise.

 

My mom also went on a Princess ship to Alaska, and she loved it! The ship, the food, the excursions!

Thank you for your input. I hope your wife will be in perfect health soon! Cheers!

[AmoMondo]

I'd definitely go with the itinerary that suits you best. One thing to bear in mind though, is that if you book one of the European cruise lines such as Costa or MSC, English will not be the only language spoken onboard - expect 5 or 6 language and English speakers may be in the minority. Some people find that fun and makes them feel more like they are truly overseas, others hate it.

[juniperia]

I'd definitely go with the itinerary that suits you best. One thing to bear in mind though, is that if you book one of the European cruise lines such as Costa or MSC, English will not be the only language spoken onboard - expect 5 or 6 language and English speakers may be in the minority. Some people find that fun and makes them feel more like they are truly overseas, others hate it.

 

great point! i'd definitely want to go with a mostly english speaking cruise line! thanks so much.

[SelectSys]

To me it is a combo of the ship and itinerary. Perhaps this is because all of our trips have been as a family with kids.

 

I prefer a modern ship. I would think that Celebrity would have a great offering at a competitive price if you don't want to be around too many kids. However, please realize that kids will be on every ship if you travel during the summer peak.

 

RCL Independence of the Seas leaves out of Southampton. OK you might prefer to fly straight to the Med however you could start off with a trip to the UK and tour a bit here. You could compare the air fares. We had a wonderful trip on her a few weeks ago; there's loads to do on board and the food was excellent.

 

We went on the previous version of this cruise on Navigator and had a great time. The only downside of our trip was that the weather going down to Gibraltar was poor so the first two days were largely inside. Same on the last sea day after Vigo.

 

To the OP, this cruise during the summer has more kids on it than on any other cruise that I have been on previously - including Disney. If you are looking to avoid kids don't book this cruise during any UK school holiday period.

 

Good luck!

[cruiselover57]

Hello Everyone!

 

My boyfriend and I are thinking of going on our first Mediterranean cruise in late 2009/early 2010. We would particularly like to see the pyramids in Egypt.

 

Can you recommend a good cruise line for our age group? I've been told to avoid Carnival and Costa, but I'm not sure about the rest.

 

I've only sailed with RCCL for a Western Caribbean cruise (Navigator of the Seas) - and we loved it! In December 2008, we are going on the Celebrity Solstice to see the Eastern Caribbean - we are so excited!

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

Hi there,

 

Don't rule our Carnival - we were on the Carnival Freedom to the Med. in August and although we did have some kids on board, the rest of the guests were on average, in their 30's - mixed ages. The ship was beautiful and I think you would enjoy it. Food was great and lots of choices too.