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<blockquote data-quote="traveler" data-source="post: 244937" data-attributes="member: 1954"><p>Hello Scratch and welcome to the world of cruising. </p><p> </p><p>We are in Vancouver, BC right now and our 59th cruise will leave on Sunday for Hawaii, the South Seas Islands and New Zealand. This cruise and many of ours have been on Holland America. The only bad experience with that line was on the ms Amsterdam. I would suggest you avoid that ship. </p><p> </p><p>Princess line is a very good line also. We have had good food and without a doubt the some of the best evening entertainment on their ships.</p><p> </p><p>Carnival, particularly on Caribbean cruises tends to be a party ship with alot of younger passengers. I would not pick Carnival for your celebration. </p><p> </p><p>The above three lines are owned by Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL)</p><p> </p><p>Celebrity has been good for us too. The steaks and all beef has been some of the best around. This from a person who prefers fish to beef.</p><p> </p><p>Royal Carribbean Lines is reasonably good too. They own Celebrity Line.</p><p> </p><p>Norwegian (IMHO) would be my last choice. They are probably the least expensive if you watch the sales out there. We are booked in a month from now on an NCL subsidiary from Barcelona to Rio at the small price of about $35 per day, per person. A real steal, <strong>but you do get what you pay for</strong>.</p><p> </p><p>Most of the other lines we have sailed are out of business so no sense going over their attributes.</p><p> </p><p>Now, a few generalities:</p><p> </p><p>Big ships (1500 to 3000 passengers) = generally better entertainment due to a larger stage for production shows, but long waits for tenders in ports where you don't dock. If you are on a 3000 passenger ship it will even take a while to disembark and reboard even when docked. A little bit cold since you walk past so many people and meet and get to know just a few. Generally harder to find a lounge chair by the pool and most things seem crowded. The one exception was the Queen Mary II. Very well laid out for a super large ship but you don't want to return to the ship when the tours come back... lines to get on are huge.</p><p> </p><p>Food - I feel that generally, Holland America has the best food but I have found none to be unacceptable.. I would suggest you not waste the extra for any specialty restaurant. Yes, the food and service are generally a bit better but unless you have a special celebration, save your money. If you do want to eat a one of them, make reservations as soon as you get on the ship. Particularly if you want to visit that restaurant on a sea day (not in port). If you are on a ship with set seating, check you dinner time and table asap and if it is not to your liking, see the maitre d' immediately. His hours and location will be located on your daily info sheet in your cabin.</p><p> </p><p>As to shore excursions, if you are sure of what you want, reserve on their web site before you even get on the ship. Some lines now charge a cancellation fee so make sure you pick well. I say this because <strong>you will be a bit confused when you board</strong> and the experienced cruisers will be lined up and book all the good tours up quickly. As an experienced cruiser, we often do tours on our own. The exceptions are dangerous ports (middle east countries) and where it is difficult to duplicate their itinerary. Examples, we have a car rented in two Hawaiian ports this time and will venture out on our own, saving 50% of what the ship charge is for the same tours. If we meet another compatible couple, we will save even more. In some ports we will take a taxi and still save $. In Wellington NZ the ship has booked the entire tour company we were going to go with for one tour so we had to book through the ship at near double their regular rate.</p><p> </p><p>Daily life at sea - Don't hold back on trying new things. You will find that many are novices at the activities, just like you.</p><p> </p><p>Weather - In the Caribbean, avoid September and October in particular. That's the worst of hurricane season.</p><p> </p><p>Prices - Shop around! Watch the sales! No two people on a cruise ever seem to pay the same for similar rooms! Shop, shop, shop! One of the better agents I have found is Cruises 'n More. If you e-mail me I will give you my agents name. It is best if you already have found the cruise you want then shop the price. Perks are coupon books (mostly useless) and cabin credits (good as cash). Also, most lines give extra cabin credits if you own 100 or more shares of their stock. A good investment for frequent cruisers.</p><p> </p><p>If you have questions on anything I may have missed, just post a note.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="traveler, post: 244937, member: 1954"] Hello Scratch and welcome to the world of cruising. We are in Vancouver, BC right now and our 59th cruise will leave on Sunday for Hawaii, the South Seas Islands and New Zealand. This cruise and many of ours have been on Holland America. The only bad experience with that line was on the ms Amsterdam. I would suggest you avoid that ship. Princess line is a very good line also. We have had good food and without a doubt the some of the best evening entertainment on their ships. Carnival, particularly on Caribbean cruises tends to be a party ship with alot of younger passengers. I would not pick Carnival for your celebration. The above three lines are owned by Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) Celebrity has been good for us too. The steaks and all beef has been some of the best around. This from a person who prefers fish to beef. Royal Carribbean Lines is reasonably good too. They own Celebrity Line. Norwegian (IMHO) would be my last choice. They are probably the least expensive if you watch the sales out there. We are booked in a month from now on an NCL subsidiary from Barcelona to Rio at the small price of about $35 per day, per person. A real steal, [B]but you do get what you pay for[/B]. Most of the other lines we have sailed are out of business so no sense going over their attributes. Now, a few generalities: Big ships (1500 to 3000 passengers) = generally better entertainment due to a larger stage for production shows, but long waits for tenders in ports where you don't dock. If you are on a 3000 passenger ship it will even take a while to disembark and reboard even when docked. A little bit cold since you walk past so many people and meet and get to know just a few. Generally harder to find a lounge chair by the pool and most things seem crowded. The one exception was the Queen Mary II. Very well laid out for a super large ship but you don't want to return to the ship when the tours come back... lines to get on are huge. Food - I feel that generally, Holland America has the best food but I have found none to be unacceptable.. I would suggest you not waste the extra for any specialty restaurant. Yes, the food and service are generally a bit better but unless you have a special celebration, save your money. If you do want to eat a one of them, make reservations as soon as you get on the ship. Particularly if you want to visit that restaurant on a sea day (not in port). If you are on a ship with set seating, check you dinner time and table asap and if it is not to your liking, see the maitre d' immediately. His hours and location will be located on your daily info sheet in your cabin. As to shore excursions, if you are sure of what you want, reserve on their web site before you even get on the ship. Some lines now charge a cancellation fee so make sure you pick well. I say this because [B]you will be a bit confused when you board[/B] and the experienced cruisers will be lined up and book all the good tours up quickly. As an experienced cruiser, we often do tours on our own. The exceptions are dangerous ports (middle east countries) and where it is difficult to duplicate their itinerary. Examples, we have a car rented in two Hawaiian ports this time and will venture out on our own, saving 50% of what the ship charge is for the same tours. If we meet another compatible couple, we will save even more. In some ports we will take a taxi and still save $. In Wellington NZ the ship has booked the entire tour company we were going to go with for one tour so we had to book through the ship at near double their regular rate. Daily life at sea - Don't hold back on trying new things. You will find that many are novices at the activities, just like you. Weather - In the Caribbean, avoid September and October in particular. That's the worst of hurricane season. Prices - Shop around! Watch the sales! No two people on a cruise ever seem to pay the same for similar rooms! Shop, shop, shop! One of the better agents I have found is Cruises 'n More. If you e-mail me I will give you my agents name. It is best if you already have found the cruise you want then shop the price. Perks are coupon books (mostly useless) and cabin credits (good as cash). Also, most lines give extra cabin credits if you own 100 or more shares of their stock. A good investment for frequent cruisers. If you have questions on anything I may have missed, just post a note. [/QUOTE]
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