Advice where? 1st time, quiet family, 2 teens

[HickoryKat77]

Hi,

 

We are considering a cruise. We are from a very small (pop. 300), rural farming community. We don't travel much and my 2 teen (16 & 18) daughters would like to go on a cruise.

 

We don't party or gamble, so it is hard for me to think of what would we do with our time besides sit in the sun and swim, which is fine, but I can do that in the summer in Michigan.

 

So I guess I'm looking for some suggestions. First, where to go? Secondly, what to do at those locations? :confused:

 

I appreciate any and all suggestions.

HickoryKat

[JanineM]

I think you would find a cruise an absolutely fantastic way to spend your vacation. We aren't partiers and my husband doesn't spend a second in the casino (I lose a few quarters :D ), and we both just love it.

 

Since it's all so new to you, you may want to find a travel agent you trust to help you with your decision. Or do you have any friends who have cruised and can give you their impressions? There may not be a TA convenient to you, so if that doesn't work then I suggest you read the Reviews here at this site to get an idea of what works for you.

 

Maybe decide on where you would like to sail from first, then decide how many days, then decide how much you want to spend, then start looking at ships and itineraries.

 

Carnival has a reputation as a party ship, but there are an awful lot of people who dispute that. I think it depends more on the length of the cruise - weekend cruises are more likely to be raucous. Royal Caribbean has great activities for the whole family. I think it is Princess that has Movies Under The Stars where you can watch movies from the pool at night, like at a drive in.

 

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!

[5waldos]

Carnival also has movies under the stars on many of their ships.

 

I took my teenage son last year on our first cruise. There is a lot to do but mostly I curled up and watched the water and read. For me that is a wonderful vacation! It is an easy way to get a small taste of various places- we are about to cruise around the Caribbean- on the port days you get to wander around or take excursions that offer a range of activities. I saw very little of the party side of the cruise despite having taken a shortish (5 days) cruise during spring break. I spent not a dime in the casino, and drank very little, never saw a show (I fell asleep before they started). The ships themselves are amazing- over the top decorating which is fun to wander through. Some of the activities are really silly but it was fun watching people. I certainly would recommend that you try it- you might love it, and you might not but you won't know until you try. Your teenagers almost certainly will love it. We are giving it another try with my husband and other son in March. I don't know whether my husband will like it or not- we'll see.

[F02]

Even though I was not fond of staying at a floating hotel, I took a cruise many years ago and I got hooked.

I found that people choose their cruises for different reasons and I would advise you to think about the amount you are ready to spend, the timeframe you are considering, whether the ports or the ship are important to you. I will go into a little more detail about itinerary, timeframe, on board activities and cruising as a whole.

Itinerary: The number of cruises where you will not encounter any language other than English is small. It is not necessary to know the language of the country where the ship stops but it can add a little extra. If of course you want to take a taxi the language question gets more important. :confused: With the shore excursions organized by the cruise line, the language should not be an issue. :)

Timeframe and itinerary: If you go in winter, most ships are in the Caribbean and in southern parts of the globe.

On board activities: If you like ice-skating or rock climbing, you have to look for a ship that offers these activities. I believe most ships offer movies, shows and a library. Most offer more.

I hope you will not suffer too much of a culture shock when you have people from different parts of the U.S. and from different countries on the ship and depending on your itinerary at the places you will visit. ;)

I hope my list of aspects to consider will be of some help to you. Please keep in mind that you can cover the important aspects that you miss the first time on a second, third or other future cruise.

[luvlake]

One of the biggest sales going now is for Alaska. Alaska has a laid back attitude and is absolutely beautiful.:) Most cruising is done from May to September while the kids are out of school. There are many ships and many possibilities.

 

The Alaska Port of Call board is a good place to start.

 

Happy Cruising!:)

[SuperLarz]

Hi,

 

We are considering a cruise. We are from a very small (pop. 300), rural farming community. We don't travel much and my 2 teen (16 & 18) daughters would like to go on a cruise.

 

We don't party or gamble, so it is hard for me to think of what would we do with our time besides sit in the sun and swim, which is fine, but I can do that in the summer in Michigan.

 

So I guess I'm looking for some suggestions. First, where to go? Secondly, what to do at those locations? :confused:

 

I appreciate any and all suggestions.

HickoryKat

 

We are also going on our first cruise, and I have become an addict of this website and also tripadvisor.com. That is a fabulous site to research a travel destination.

 

I started my research by picking the destination (Caribbean) and the month (February) and then chose a cruise line. I looked at their websites, read reviews, talked with friends, and compared their itineraries and prices. I was heavily debating between Celebrity and Princess, but ultimately Princess had the itinerary I wanted during the preferred timeframe, so Princess it is.

 

Then I began researching cruising in general, so I would know how to pick the right stateroom for us. (This board was very helpful for that!) We ended up choosing a balcony room on the Caribe deck, midship. (Balcony is more expensive, but I want to be able to sit outside of my room on my own little deck!) The Caribe deck has bigger balconies than the other decks, it is also in the middle of the ship, so I have heard you are less likely to get seasick if you stay near the middle.

 

Then I began to research the ports of call. My husband and I won't "party" on the ship, we may gamble a tiny bit, but not much. What we are really interested in is seeing the different islands. We love the beach, love to snorkel, sight-see, do a little shopping, etc. I thought the idea of a cruise was great, because I am not limited to visiting ONE place, I get to see 5 islands in a week!!

I knew we wanted to book some excursions because I think you can get a better "feel" of the island that way. So I did a ton of research, reading lots of reviews, and finally chose 2 excursions through private companies, and one through the ship.

 

We are doing a hiking/waterfall/hot-springs excursion on the island of Dominica, because the island is supposed to be very lush and beautiful. We are doing a snorkel/sail on Bonaire, because that island is reported to have some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world!! And we are going to take a tour of Grenada (through Princess) that includes the spice plantations, rum distilleries, historic sites and the beach. (Grenada is known for it's spices and rum, so I wanted to see some of that.)

Then on the other two stops (St. Thomas and Aruba) we've decided not to do excursions, but to catch a cab to the beach, spend the day in the sun, and do a little shopping/wandering in the towns.

 

So... that is our itinerary. We leave in 8 days!! I would encourage you to think first about where you want to go. Do you all have passports?? You'll need them to leave the country. Can you afford to fly to the port where you will embark from? All these things are considerations. (We live in Oregon, so for us it is cheaper to fly to California and cruise to Mexico, but we have already been to Mexico. So we are using air-miles to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and are cruising the Caribbean instead, because we've never been there. Without the air-miles it would have been a really expensive flight though!)

Also... what are your girls interested in?? Do you think they would like to hike, or snorkel? Do they enjoy history or photography? Do they want a ship with an active teen-club, or are they content to hang out with you guys?? Maybe they would want both, but they don't even know it yet!

 

So, check your calendar, your budget, and a world map and go from there. I think it sounds like a fantastic opportunity for your girls to see some of the world, in a very luxurious and safe environment!

 

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!! And of course, if you have any more questions... just ask!

 

Amy

[4canucks]

Hi,

 

We are considering a cruise. We are from a very small (pop. 300), rural farming community. We don't travel much and my 2 teen (16 & 18) daughters would like to go on a cruise.

 

We don't party or gamble, so it is hard for me to think of what would we do with our time besides sit in the sun and swim, which is fine, but I can do that in the summer in Michigan.

 

So I guess I'm looking for some suggestions. First, where to go? Secondly, what to do at those locations? :confused:

 

I appreciate any and all suggestions.

HickoryKat

 

We are also from a small communtiy and have 2 children.

Live along the shores of Lake Huron but just love the chance to travel and see the world.

Cruising is a great way to spend time with the fam. It is what you make of it. Something for everyone. I would pick an itinerary that has several ports and expose the kids to parts of the world. Be it the Carib or Med. The swimming and culture is diff than Michigan..We ski at Boyne and love the shores of Harbor Springs/Petoski...Having said that nothing beats getting away during the winter months and snorkeling with a school of fish in clear aqua

breath taking waters, walking the streets of St. Martins or the unique

landscape of Tortola, Virgin Gorda. My kids have many fond memories of our travels. My 2 even enjoy dressing up for the fine dining on the ship.

Gotta try it once. I would suggest spring for a balcony to boot.

Watching the dolphins swim along side of the ship with a morning coffee as the sun rises while pulling into an Island..

Go for it. We are hooked.

Only live once!

[HickoryKat77]

Well, we've been reading all of the advice here and on a few of the other threads and we have made a decision. We're going to go!!

 

My family wants to go somewhere warm, so probably the Caribbean.

I'm going to post a new question about the next few questions I have. Again, that's so much.

[tomko2]

One thing you might want to consider is booking two adjoining cabins given the age of your daughters. By having two cabins you would have two bathrooms plus a bit of privacy.

 

Another option is booking a 5 or 6 night cruise plus a night or two in Florida (if you cruise from here as opposed to San Juan). There have been many horror stories of people missing their cruise because their flights were delayed due to bad weather or other reason.

 

Kathy:)