First time cruising

saxonlady

Hi am planning a cruise for our 25th anniversary in October 2012. We have never cruised before, both in our mid 40's and have a budget of £1k each. I expect our budget will probably on stretch to the Med so I would like to incorporate Italy on the cruise. I have looked at some brochures but feel quite overwhelmed with it all. I would really appreciate some help with planning from all you good people here. Is it best to book now or should I wait & book last minute?:o

LondonDiva

I really love cruising! Have a look at the forum for www.cruisecritic.com it's a fount of information.

Your budget would pay for a good two weeks in the carribbean depending on booking. Prices go up and down as with package holidays - A friend is cruising vext week and made the mistake of checking the current price of her 9 night cruise - it's dropped to £260 odd (excluding flights to and from Barcelona).

vegasvisitor

I agree, prices fluctuate depending on cabin availability, so best to just keep checking. October might be reasonable if you avoid school holidays.

We've only done Thompson's in Europe - so not sure about other cruise lines. We've also only done Canary Islands so can't comment on rest of Europe.

I agree though, it may be possible for your budget to stretch to Caribbean, depending on flight prices. We went on a Carnival Cruise a few years back, booked flights separately and the cruise through the Carnival website. You could try their website and see if there's anything you fancy - many cruises from Florida (Miami, Tampa, Port Canaveral etc - most of which are easy to fly to, except maybe Port Canaveral which you would probably fly to Orland and have to get across to the east coast somehow).

Have you tried phoning a few agencies for suggestions?

VfM4meplse

You can get much better deals if you go through agents. Cruising will open up a whole new world to you, and can be very good value for money if you get the right deal, esp if you are a big eater. LondonDiva is right, Cruisecritic is like Tripadvisor for cruises. It's particularly useful for booking excursions at a much better rate than the ship will offer, so go ahead and use the experiences of others.

Be selective in the company you pick. Out of all the cruises I have been on, I would recommend Celebrity.

Btw I really dislike cruises (I go out of duty, my mum expects each of her children to accompany her at least once a year) but I know I'm in a teeny tiny minority. I don't like the excess, being waited on, being herded with the masses and much prefer independent travel.

vivatifosi

Hi saxonlady

Some questions that might help you narrow the field down a little:

1) are you looking for absolute state of the art ships with golf, and skating rinks and rock climbing walls etc (these tend to be bigger) or something smaller and more intimate?

If you want big and bold, consider one of the larger Royal Caribbean ships or NCL Epic.

2) do you like the formality of dressing for dinner or would you rather dress more casually?

Royal Caribbean and NCL are both quite casual, though you can still dress for dinner if you like. P&O, Celebrity, Princess tend to be more formal. NB: most ships though have one or two formal nights, they aren't all formal.

3) do you like to eat at around the same time each night or chop and change a bit? If you like to eat around the same time each night then most cruise lines will accommodate this.

If you like to eat at different times, then NCL introduced this first. Royal Caribbean also have this, but it is less flexible. Fixed dining times are the norm.

4) do you want to cruise with a mainly British audience? A more European audience or a more American one? P&O, Thompsons operate for a mainly British audience - it's a while since I last sailed P&O but this wasn't only noticeable in the people on board but also the choice of food and the price and selection of drinks. MSC and Costa are Italian lines, on these the food will be more European, the shows designed for a more multi-cultural audience and the announcements will be in different languages. English will not be the first language on board. In the Caribbean, Princess; Royal Caribbean; NCL; Carnival etc cater to a more American audience. In Europe they cater to a more mixed European audience. On a European cruise with one of these lines, expect English as the main language, cuisine to have a slightly American bias and a mix of Brits, Americans, Germans and Spanish on board along with a smattering of other nationalities.

5) Destinations: you mentioned Italy but do you have any specific preferences? There are many Western Med cruises that will take you to Naples, Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Livorno (for Florence and Pisa). If you want to go to Venice you may need to look at cruising out of Rome or Venice or taking a longer cruise out of Barcelona.

6) Port of departure: your main options for Western Med will be Barcelona and Rome, with the addition of Venice if you consider Eastern Med. It may be worth mentioning that Barcelona port is significantly closer to the airport than Civitavecchia is to Rome. So when looking at transfers this may be something you want to consider.

Cruisecritic - as LondonDiva mentioned - is a great place to find out more info. If you can focus your requirements a little bit though you'll be able to focus more easily on what fora you want to read there.

saxonlady

Thank you for all the replies so far. I'm really impressed by all the suggestions.
Londondiva, Cruisecritic is a great website especially for newbies like me.
Vivatifosi I realise I need to be more specific with what we want to do and ports to visit. I would particularly like to visit Florence if possible.
I'm not too bothered about totally state of the art stuff like Golf etc, however as long as there is decent entertainment, fitness centre and good dining (we're not massive diners but do enjoy a variety especially trying out foreign cuisine). We don't mind formal dress on the odd night however casual dress is more favourable.
I'm quite warming to P&O Ventura which seems to have some good reviews. Does anyone have any experience of this ship?

vivatifosi

saxonlady wrote: »

I'm quite warming to P&O Ventura which seems to have some good reviews. Does anyone have any experience of this ship?

I haven't personally but it is certainly a ship that I'd consider. I sailed several times on the old Ocean Village, some of the concepts from which have been rolled over onto the newer Ventura. It was great and from what I've heard, Ventura is less formal than the other P&O ships. Everyone I've spoken to who has sailed on her (most of whom are from the old Ocean Village crowd) say they really like her.

travellerboy

If you choose P&O (Part of Carnival Corp.) you will not be able to get the massive saving available if you book via a USA travel Agent. I always use www.vacationstogo.com
As an example -
Celebrity Equinox sailing 5th October 2012 out of Rome on a 10 night cruise. Balcony cabin (2 people) is quoted at $3278 ( £2070), the best UK price I have found is £2488 for the same cabin/date. Not only is a cheaper price you also get Free Pre-paid Gratuities and $200 onboard credit.

You will be able to get cheaper or more expensive cabins, this is just an example of the potential savings available. You should be able to get a 10day cruise on a 5 star ship for £1000 each.
I would book early if you want a specific cabin type and location or late if you have no preference. The US agent also honour any price falls that occur and your deposit is fully refundable upto final payment date unlike the UK where you lose it all if you cancel.

Your said your interest was P&O Ventura - this ship sails from Southampton to the Med in October and will pass thro' the Bay of Biscay - not a good idea for a first cruise. That time of the year weather can be terrible and you lose so many days in poor weather enroute to the Med. I would suggest you definately choose a ship that departs and returns to a Med port and avoid the long tiresome, rough searoute. If you want to cruise from/to Southampton don't go later than August, latest September unless you enjoy rough seas.

saxonlady

Thank you travellerboy.

I hadn't thought of using a USA agent/website

I'll be certainly doing my comparisons and will try to book sooner rather than later. I'm looking at the early part of October as I want to ensure we're away on the 11/10/12.:j

travellerboy

saxonlady wrote: »

I hadn't thought of using a USA agent/website

.

Another US website which is good for instant cost comparisons is www.americandiscountcruises.com
I believe the only cruises available to a UK citizen via the USA Agents are Celebrity, RCCL and NCL. I always choose Celebrity so not too concerned with the others.

ellie14

Another vote for Celebrity love Silhouette