Cruise recommendation
 

We have never been on a cruise but are thinking it's time. Would
prefer to leave from Tampa. Which cruise line and month would
you suggest?

We got hooked a few years ago and this one will be our 10th. We would have done many more if that darn money tree would sprout a little faster. We're booked on Independence of the Seas for Jan. 27th 6 night cruise which is a short one if you want to give it a try. It sails out of Ft. Lauderdale which is a couple hours of driving to get there. But shhhhh, don't let the cat out of the bag as it's a surprise cruise for DW :kiss:.
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We have had 10 delightful cruises on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America. We usually cruise after November to avoid the Hurricane Season. The winter months were selected to 'escape the cold winters' but now that we are living in The Villages there is no reason to escape!

westcoast:

As I tidy up details for my 21st cruise, I think that I may have some expertise in cruising issues!

Cruising is really very personal and subjective. A great deal depends upon what your interests are. Just as much depends upon what the cruise itinerary provides.

Tampa-based itineraries are generally oriented to the western Caribbean. That means fewer ports than cruises sailing from Florida's east coast (Port Canaveral, Port Everglades [Fort Lauderdale] or Miami, although there may be some duplication.

I personally prefer either Holland America or Princess. I find them most compatible with a senior's outlook! Carnival attracts many because they are generally less expensive. But, please note that the atmosphere on board is highly skewed to the younger generation!

Royal Caribbean fills a gap between the "youngster-oriented" and the "elder-oriented" groups. It offers some excellent itineraries and ships.

As far as timing is concerned: I do not see much difference between months, overall. That said, it is worth paying attention to some details. For instance, I'd avoid one-week cruises during "Spring Break" and Thanksgiving because they'd be heavily peopled by kids! Kids are, for the most part, greatly taken care of by cruise ship staff, but can, nevertheless, be disruptive over a vacation cruise.

I may have added confusion to your considerations! However, please know that I am always happy to expound upon cruising issues at greater length (some might say, "exhaustive" length) at any time.

Send me a PM or contact me at swrinfla@comcast.net if you'd like more!

SWR
:beer3:

Cruises out of Tampa are mostly to the Western Caribbean.
My wife (She who must be obeyed) and I are booked on the Norwegian Dawn for mid-November. Great itinerary, great ship.
RCI is also worthwhile. Based on our one cruise with Carnival, I'd skip them.
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We cruise mostly with Princess. Overall really great line. Picked up a very good deal between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Off to the Caribbean.

Look at the wbsit Discount Cruises, Last Minute Cruises, Cruise, Cruise Line, Cruise Vacation.

Also go to Cruise Reviews, Cruise Deals and Cruises - Cruise Critic.

Lots of info. for you to consume.

Six times we have taken to the seas. The best cruise IMHO was the Alaska Cruise we took 3 years ago. It was on Celebrity. Of course, best to go in summer weather. We went on The Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)-----5,200 passengers and largest ship floating in 2010 for our anniversary with the entire family. Had a great time. First time out I would limit my journey to 7 days to see how it goes. We always take the patch of (whatever) you put behind the ear in case of rough seas. Came in handy the second time we cruised. Sea sick is no fun!

We use Holland America. Good service. I could tell you the lines we do not like but someone else probably thinks they are great and does not like HA. You might want to give a little info on what you would like to do on the ship. For example Holland America might not be your choice if you were taking your grand kids or wanted to drink until 4am. The various lines have their own personality. Try Cruise Critic Message Boards and research your questions. For example how are you going to get to Tampa? I would probably drive the day before and stay at a motel that allows me to park my car for free while I am on the cruise. The hotel may have a free (or pay for) shuttle to and from the pier. Lots to learn about cruising so I would spend a lot of time reading about the different ships and ports. By the way you will need a passport. Tampa is a good port to use. Try and pack one suite case per person. Generally one packs way to much on their first cruise. Pay attention to formal night(s). You do not need to be too formal or you can even be informal and go to the buffet. You can also be very formal.

Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas would be my choice out of Tampa. It's one of their smaller ships and our favorite in that line. There is glass everywhere and you are able to see the ocean from most places on the ship. It has an outdoor eating area behind the buffet that is our favorite place to gather. You can meet friends and have a snack. It has a beautiful theater and Royal Caribbean's entertainment is historically quite good.

As long as you are investigating cruising, take a look at cruisecritic.com. Click on "boards" and you'll find a message board just like this one except instead of talking about TV, they talk about everything cruising! It's a great place to research the topic and meet others, just like TOTV.

Good luck!

lanabanana, I could have written the note you sent. We LOVE the Jewel and the Radiance class ships. We have done transatlantics on her more than once. The buffet is wonderful and so is sitting outside. I would recommend Tampa for your first cruise; easy to get to, beautiful ship and you get a lot for your money. Maybe try their 4 or 5 day cruise. A few of my girlfriends and I will be sailing the Jewel in January for 4 nights.
Celebrity has a new class of ship called the Soltice class and it is beautiful as well. Holland America is an equally good choice with great service; we are considering a Tahiti South Pacific cruise with HA next Spring. But to keep it simple I vote for The Jewel out of Tampa for 4 or 5 nights. Have fun, it's great to live close by so many ports and after the Hurricane season the seas are usually calm.

My favorite
 

Although I have only been on 3 cruises, I will weigh in on this topic. We took two cruises on the Carnival ships and loved it. Then we took one with Holland America. We were less than impressed. The ship was old (Ziederdam) and it truly was geared to the older folks. There was very little activity on board and we were actually board on the cruise. We found that on the Carnival cruise ships there were many younger people on board but filled with activities where we could let our hair down and enjoy. We met many people our age on board as well and made some friends for the length of the cruise. I think it's a personal choice that's why there are so many ships to choose from! Have fun on your cruise.

Just a babe in the woods, only one cruise.

NCL, was great not an old crown by any means, no dressing up for dinner, in fact most were dressed down, parties were going into the morning......a lot of fun.

It was a Christmas gift from our kids which made it special.

NCL I understand does it different.

17th cruise
 

taking our 17th at the end of the month on Carnival . As stated earlier, it a personal preference. I will say we enjoy Royal Carribean, Princess & Carnival and I personally feel that choosing the time for cruising is very important. I do not want to cruise when it is spring break or a time where there could be an over flow of young children. We always lean towards the 1st week in Dec, which we are booked to take #18, usually the rates are good at that time. Another choice is early Feb as well as April ( after Easter). Hope all the info you gather is helpful and you get on the ship of your choice and have a wonderful time.

cruising
 

If there are no restrctions, we prefer the 10 day cruises in mid to late January on Holland, Princess, or Celebrity. If you have never cruised before, I would suggest working with a cruise agent as opposed to the internet. Prices are about the same but somebody experienced to help you. Working with a cruise agent can be beneficial to you because most of them have been to the ports that you will be going to. Also they can help you find the last minute deals.

We love cruising !! We have been on 47 of them. Our 48th, 49th & 50th are already booked.
We've only been out of Tampa twice. Very easy to get to. The rest are from the east coast.
We always cruise Celebrity & Royal Caribbean. Same company, but Celebrity is a little more upscale. Royal is fun. I really like the Freedom Class !

We're taking Holland America's Ryndam transatlantic on March 31. Repositioning cruises are always good value (although you have to enjoy days at sea, rather than a new port every day) and you can add a Mediterranean cruise on the end if you like.

We are Elite cruisers on Celebrity (20+) and our last 5 cruises have been 13-15 night cruises ranging from the Panama Canal (La to San juan), Europe (Barcelona to Venice), Transatlantic (Beaches of Normandy) England to Miami, San Diego to Hawaii and return, and this year NJ to Quebec and return. Longer cruises have alot of advantages such as not having to pack , unpack and repack in a 7 day period, Different cruise clientel allowing you to meet alot of interesting people who also enjoy cruising, and we normally cruise in October (staying away from the carabean) when prices are somewhat cheaper and the kids are in school. Repositioning cruises (such as our Panama Canal and Transatlantic) are great for they really are the cheapest way to cruise!

Cruise information
 

Thankyou all who responded. What useful information. It is always
good to hear about others experiences. Now we have our work cut
out for us. Thanks again!

Pros and cons of cruise liners
 

We have only taken two cruises so far so we are novice at this, all on Celebrity. We took the second Celebrity trip because the dinners were so good on the first Mercury. The second trip had German chef and we thought the food was too heavy by our taste. We are going to try again on the Celebrity as the Village of St. James has a group going, 156 strong. We like the fact that they'll have a bus leaving from TV. Normally we will not try Crystal because of the cost but next fall we'll go with another couple because they got a good deal. Now, I was told that Carnival is too big and too many young people. On the other hand, I was told that Disney has great food and you won't notice little one running around? Was also told Princess and Holland America are very good. On board we like good food and good wines. Which cruise lines will you recommend?

We must be the exception.....We love Carnival!
We are Platinum cruisers on Carnival and are 63 yrs young. We enjoy the larger cabins and the larger number of balcony cabins available, which lower the cost of those great cabins.
We do avoid summer and spring break, but have never found Carnival to be rowdy, although there will be rowdy drunks on any ship you sail. That is just a fact.
The Princess and Celebrity ships we sailed were filled with senior-seniors. Lots of walkers and scooters. I am not saying that as a negative! We still plan to cruise when we are 20 +yrs older. Those lines do seem to appeal to the more senior set.
But Carnival provides us with the amenities we enjoy, at a great price, and lots of options of ports, length of cruises etc.
We sail on Sept 30 from HNL to SYD. Carnival is relocating a ship to Australia and it is a 17 day cruise with 3 days in Tahiti and 1 day in Fiji. Can't wait!!!
Different strokes for different folks. We love cruises and I'd be happy to go on any ship any time anywhere!! A cruise is an awesome relaxing vacation!!

We are Elite with Celebrity & Diamond Plus with Royal Caribbean. I haven't seen a lot of walkers etc. on Celebrity, but I sure did on Holland America. Nice ships & they do alot of things really good, but definitely geared to the older crowd. They don't even do a sail away party when they cruise to the Caribbean.
However, if you're cruising, life is good ! :thumbup:

Taking another cruise on Celebrity on Sept 21 out of Seattle through the Panama Canal and back to Florida. Celebrity is our favorite and we are Elite members. Great benefits for being Elite. My suggestion is to pick one great cruiseline and stick with it for the loyalty benefits.

To each his own!

For what it is worth, I have found Holland America to attract a much older crowd.

Personally, went on RC Allure of the Seas and there was just too many people - not for me. Been on RC several times - everything was "okay" just not great.

As far as Carnival - I believe if you go on the 3 day cruises then yes, it is more of a party (young) crowd. However, on the trips I made which were longer - 7 days - This was a really great cruise.

Just saying !!!!

Yes, I agree with ugotme... typically, the longer the cruise, the fewer young people you will see. I have cruised Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean, big ships and smaller ships. They all have their differences, pros and cons and offer slightly different experiences. Really have never had no complaint with any of these 3 an enjoyed them all. It just comes down to personal tastes and what you are looking for in a cruise.

I do have a couple of (probably stupid) questions for experienced cruisers. We're taking a Mediterranean cruise next Saturday with Holland America (Ryndam). It's only our second cruise.

As far as money goes, are Travellers Cheques easily cashed on board ship? Or do we need to take Euros in cash? Are North American Visa cards readily accepted in Spain and Italy, and on board ship?

There will be two formal nights and the rest are "classy casual". Does this mean I need to pack 12 different outfits just for dinner? Or do experienced cruisers wear the same thing on several different occasions?

We haven't booked any shore excursions yet. We usually avoid long bus trips, and we don't like the feeling of being "herded around". When we cruised Venice and Greece, we took a couple of excursions but mainly we just hung out ourselves, which was easy to do in the Greek Islands and in Venice. From reading the Message Boards about our current cruise, it seems that most people have booked excursions well ahead for every single port. Are we best to book in advance or "wing it" when we are on the cruise?

Longest cruise we've taken was a 14 night....did not take 12 outfits for casual night dining..did re-wear & interchangeable. As far as your money questions... no money onboard is ever exchanged your sea pass card is the only card you will use since it is connected to whatever credit card you use at time of check in at your sailing port. Do have a travel agent that you are currently working with? If so, she should answer any of your questions regarding traveler cheques as well as American Visa Cards being accepted in Spain & Italy. Have a wonderful time

I'm with Bonny. For large ships Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have been our go to cruise lines. Also prefer cruises of 10 days and longer.

Repositioning cruises are a great deal. We actually have one booked for Oct 2013 from Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale. For good bargains sailing within Europe is fantastic based on the fact you are paying U.S. Dollars for your tours and onboard expenses vs. euros.

Pay attention to the placement of your cabin. Look at a map of your ship and try to get a cabin that has only cabins above and below you vs. a pool or disco to keep down on noise and whenever possible pay the extra for a balcony, there is nothing like it.

Love to leave from Tampa. Just so darn convenient. A few years ago went on a cruise that turned out to be a "spring break" cruise.
Despite the warnings from others, we all loved it. In fact, we have done it twice since.
Think about it....instead of the average age being 76, it is 23.
These "kids" are all over 21 and wonderful people. If you would like to see a bit of the future, try it.

My wife and I hadn't cruised either until we took a Viking River cruise in Europe. We enjoyed it very much.

Does anyone know about parking facilities at the Tampa cruiseport? Is it secure? Are there alternative transportation options to the port from the Villages? We're considering a trip on the Jewel in January.

What benefits
 

My husband and I have been looking to take a cruise this winter. A few of you have mentioned about added benefits, such as Elite status, for sticking with one cruise line. We've been on Princess, NCL and Carnival....Could you tell me exactly what kind of benefits you receive?

I would call Holland America and ask. Generally US money is accepted on land so you may be able to use dollars.
Credit card chip is a good question. No matter what you are told the local merchant might not take it. My daughter had the problem this summer. Credit Card co in US said no problem not having a chip but local non chain shops would not take it. My guess is that they are liable for stolen cards and do not want the risk. She used an ATM to get local cash as needed. Also automated ticket machines etc required the chip or local cash.

Try searching on Cruise Critic Message Boards. You can look at ships and ports.

Formal night. What won't fit in one suite case forget. I would mix and match but take as little luggage as you can.

To be a little more series on the suite cases I would take one per person that was to be checked and one per person to carry on. The reason is that suite cases get lost so make sure you can survive with your carry on. Also don't pack all your stuff in your bag and your spouses in the other . Mix and match. We have never lost a bad going to the ship but have coming home. Also can not remember a cruise where I did not meet someone with a lost bag.

I tend to book excursions ahead of time much easier and avoid the sold out. I would do it ASAP. If you are not sure that you will want to go on one on a given day then I can see waiting and picking from what is left. When we are doing repeat cruises we tend not to book ahead but for the first time to a new area we generally book every port in advance.

The benefits are too numerous and diverse to mention in a post, but generally they include express check-in/check-out, free laundry, a gift, wine, on board open bar party, and on and on. Each cruise line is different and awards differently. Some award for days at sea, some for individual cruises, some for both. There are also many levels possible, ranging from just a few to 8 or 10. I would advise you to look into the various cruise line websites to see what they offer. They are under different names, for instance, Royal Caribbean has the Crown and Anchor Club, Carnival has VIFT (Very Important Fun Person), and Princess has it's Captain's Circle. Some of the top level benefits include having dinner with the captain and a free meal at one of the specialty restaurants. The more you sail with a cruise line, the better the benefits will be!

Thanks for the info, and to those who PMed me. It's a great idea to mix and match clothes when packing! I will take Euros and US $s for tips. I can pay our ship charges by credit card. An extra suitcase will cost me $200, so thanks for reminding me that no-one cares what I wear. :D

Bare, how exciting to cruise the Med in September. Make sure that you have black slacks, (the wrinkle free material) and you can wear different tops. Actually we've stopped dressing up on cruises to Europe and eat in the Buffet.:icon_wink: I know that Europe has gone over to a chip credit card so that can be difficult so it's best to have Euro's. Have you checked out your Roll Call on Cruisecritic.com? Many times people on your particular cruise will have private excursions that you can join. In the Med you can be locked out of ship excursions so best to make a reservation on line. Please let us know all about your trip when you return; I'm sure the doggies will be happy to welcome you home.

You can also take clothes that are ready to be discarded and that will give you some extra room for what you buy.

We have just returned from another Carnival cruise. Still haven't noticed that young rowdy crowd yet but do love the larger cabins. The Ocean Suite this trip was our favorite. One more Carnival booked but our little group of cruise friends are looking at other lines because of some cutbacks.