[Avista]

Although prefer not to cruise Carnival, our last Carnival Cruise was quite nice. Our daughter likes Carnival for their excellent childrens program. When we all cruise together, it is usually Carnival. Our last cruise was on The Carnival Dream. We had a Cove Balcony which we loved. This is a balcony on Deck 2 under the lifeboats and close to the water. Only some ships have Cove Balconies.

[Raen Dear]

Thanks, Ladylake1. I think you are correct. Most of the pyramids are inland; I was making assumptions but when I checked it out, I think I need to do a specialized tour. I did not realize Mazatlan had become so dangerous. It used to be a lot of fun.

[Avista]

Thought of one more things. We will board about 11am even if given a later boarding time. Once onboard we head straight to lunch. Tables are taken quickly, and cabins are usually not ready yet. We have a nice leisurely lunch. You will have your carryons with you.

We board our dogs at. http://www.abcdpetresort.com. While we cruise.

[rayschic]

Originally Posted by Raen Dear

I really like the idea of taking off at a few days' notice. I had no idea such inexpensive trips were available. Now if I could find a dog sitter. . .

Here's a good website for cruises. Prices are very good, especially if you are willing to go within 90 days. The closer the date, the better the price, usually.

Discount Cruises, Last-Minute Cruises, Short Notice Cruises - Vacations To Go

[Carl in Tampa]

Originally Posted by Raen Dear

Thanks to Carl in Tampa. Very helpful. What are your feelings about travel to Mexico? Too dangerous? I want to see those pyramids!

Most of the problems that American tourists have in Mexico are more related to land travel than the cruises. But the fact that American tourists are so often victims makes me refuse to spend my money in Mexico.

Abductions for the purpose of obtaining and using credit cards and taking cash is commonplace along the Texas border.

Drug dealing gangs are now making forays onto our side of the boarder for the same purpose.

Mexican police and soldiers have fired upon our Border Patrol officers.

The Mexican government has been ineffective or negligent in providing protection for American tourists.

The influx of Mexicans into our country is changing the demographic of our country and is a drain on our welfare system.

I have an associate who retired from the same agency that I did who made a good living representing the families of kidnapped tourists by going into Mexico and paying the ransoms.

Mexican police regularly and routinely arrest American tourists for the purpose of extorting bribes for their release.

These are some of the reasons I decline to travel to Mexico.

However, years ago, before things were as they are now I did travel in Mexico, both crossing from Texas and on cruises.

[emc101]

have been on cunard they are very formal, royal carribean once loved ice show and at see crafts but food was worse I have ever had. they managed to ruin our family anniversary cruise will never use them again. carnival is part all the time and drunks were everywhere so they rank just above royal. been on Holland America several time. took cruise with them through panama canal and to south America, also to and from Europe. loved Holland they seem willing to do anything for you.

have used vacations to go 1 time and rest have used aaa in leesburg. kathi Roberts is very good.

[JourneyOfLife]

Prices do tend to vary with different operators and seasons (supply/demand).

One other thing to consider is the condition of the ship. If we are considering booking a cruise, I try to find out the last time the ship was refurbished.

[Rollie]

Christmas Break and Spring Break are the most expensive times to cruise. They are also crammed full of little one's out of school. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

As someone else suggested, check out Cruise Critic. Most all your questions can be answered on this site. Also great forums for chatting.

As for cruise lines themselves. Carnival, NCL, and RCCL tend to be more family oriented. Celebrity and Holland are more upscale. Princess tries to do everything well. That being said, asking for cruise line advise is very suggestive, and you can get many different answers.

Happy Cruise, what ever you choose.

Rollie

[justjim]

New Years Cruise and between Christmas and New Years are a lot more expensive times to Cruise. Unless there is a very good reason to go during this time (kids out of school etc.) I would choose another time for my First Cruise. I know ---hit the bank account real hard a couple years ago to take kids and grandkids on a Cruise during their Christmas break! Of course, money no "object"---and good reasons to go during this time----let it happen.

[PennBF]

We have cruised a great deal on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America and Princess. Most usage on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We just came off of an 18 days cruise on Princess which was our first experience with Princess and it is the only line we would never use again. It would take too much space to give all the reasons and in summary would only say they were the ones allegedly with the less concern with the passenge including food, comfort, ship design, etc. We are diamond on Royal Caribbean, etc and have enjoyed their cruises along with Celebrity and Holland America. Just an opinion as another input.

[bubblehead1026]

Lots of good advice in these responses. We have cruised the Caribean several times,Alaska, the Med and the Baltic. What I hear about Mexico is troubling right now. We love Port Canaveral as a point of departure for domestic ports. Also like Royal Caribbean and like Celebrity best. We have also cruised Princess (so-so) and Holland American (in truth, one of their older vessels, very dated). Avoid Carnival! We prefer a balcony cabin, but depending on time of year and how much "cabin time" you spend, that might not be a big deal for you. None of the beds are as comfortable as yours, lol. The advice about using AAA is good advice, especially if you must fly to the departure point. AAA travel services should be able to tap into good rates, although, the "last minute" sites are good if you can go on short notice. AAA advisors will also discuss things like trip insurance. We like AAA because they give us a one stop source to get it all done.

[ConnecticutYankee]

We cruise frequently and compare prices on Vacations to Go, and DirectLine Cruises. For cruises over 5 days, DirectLine provides insurance. We have sailed Holland, Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean is our 1st choice, with Princess second. We have found that booking on either of these 2 sites, the price can be less than booking direct with the cruise line.

Parking at Port Canaveral at Park&Cruise will run around $60 for a week. It's double that to park right at the port. There are bus lines that take you to Ft. Lauderdale and Miami....about $100 RT per person. You can also drive (4 hrs) and there are lots of places to park.

I would suggest for your first cruise, try a 7 day Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. The itinerary is a stop at Cocoa Cay (RC's private Island), day in St Thomas, and a day in St. Maarten. The entertainment was very good, and we thought the food was excellent. We always get a cabin with an ocean view. We tried a balcony once, and the problem is there can be smokers around, and it can be very windy. Also, the cabin is smaller. If you explore the 2 sites I mentioned above, you can get this cruise for around $750-800/pp.

Cruising is the best vacation value going! Give it a try!

[patfla06]

We love cruising!
Our favorite cruise line is Princess.

A really good website to use is:
Cruisecritic.com
(Lots of good info and advice)

[Cajulian]

Vacations2go.com is a great site with great deals. It shows all the cruise locations and cruise lines. My wife and I are up to about 35 cruises now. We usually stick to Princess, Royal Carribean, and Norwegian. We have sailed many other Cruise Lines, but primarily stick to these.

We like big ships versus small because in rough seas they are much smoother and far less motion sickness. Quality of food, rooms, and all levels of the ships are great on the three cruise lines I mention. Ships like the Norwegian Epic, the Royal Caribbean Oasis and Navigator series ships are like being in a Grand Hotel or give you the feeling of being in a city with street parades and Promenades.

We just enjoyed a Southern cruise to Aruba. We liked it far better than the Eastern and Western. Although we still like to go to St Thomas/St Marteen.

Panama was our most disliked cruise ever. Just not worth seeing and the ports were not nice, with the exception of Cabo San Lucas, which was good.

My wife checks deals every week. We usually find prices for $499 to $699 plus port fees/taxes per person for 7 days, sometimes 9days.

My wife just got back from two Viking River cruises in Europe. She did three river cruise back to back last year.

Best Vacations ever. Something to do everyday, great food and entertainment. No worries about what to do each day or where to eat.

[784caroline]

Originally Posted by Raen Dear

You know you're a Villager when . . . you are thinking about taking your first cruise. The Hubster and I would like to launch our cruising adventure with a Christmas cruise to somewhere like Mexico or the Panama Canal for maybe a week. My question is how in the world do you know what is a reasonable price for a cruise? Prices are all over the place and there are discounts etc etc. Do you just find something that you can afford and take a chance or is there a reasonably easy way to compare prices? I don't want to make finding cruise deals a second career because I've already found mah jongg. Thanks.

************************************************** *********

As an "Elite Plus" Celebrity Cruiser, I will offer my comments regarding your post. AS a first time cruiser, I would definitley find a good reliable travel agent to steer you in the right direction ...with that I mean, choosing which ship, time of year to travel, type of cabin and what price should I pay. Also regarding price, you should not simply look at the price per person per cabin. YOu need to look at the total cost of the cruise itself. This also takes into consideration what they call On Board Credits (OBC) which all good travel agents (TA) should offer and definitely some TAs offer more than others. This can bring down the total cost of cruising for OBC can include pre-paid tips, OBC to use in Bars or other locations on teh ship, and even free meals in the speciality resturants.

AS a first time cruiser, I would NOT cruise over Christmas and New Years. Prices are MUCH higher, you will find many more families and young kids . I would also keep it to a 7 day itenary probably to the Eastern Carabean. I would NOT select a MEGA ship such as RCCL 's Allure or Oasis...although great ships theya er just too big for you to get a feel and to appreciate crusing.

I personaly rely on Cruise Reviews, Cruise Deals and Cruises - Cruise Critic for alot of advice but you need to find a good TA.

Good Luck