First-Time Cruisers

[bicker]

My wife and I are first-time cruisers, looking for guidance and advice, from as far and wide as we can manage. We're aiming to do a 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise in Jan or Feb of '05. We've narrowed it down to either Adventure of the Seas, Golden Princess, or Celebrity Constellation. We're trying to find the best match for our personalities, 40-something, health-conscious, shy away from formal attire, but also shy away from anything remotely akin to "party atmosphere." We also figure we're better off with a cruise that is less focused on being family-friendly, and more focused on middle-aged couples like ourselves.

Does anyone have any specific advice regarding how to make a choice between the three (and incidentally, the most compelling and consistent advice I've heard is, "The difference is so minimal that you can't go wrong whichever way...")?

[DaCruzNut]

Hi, Bicker, and welcome to out CruiseCrazies family!

IMHO....

Your three choices are excellent, but I would eliminate Royal Caribbean..

Celebrity has, hands down, the best food, all-around. I've sailed over a dozen lines (Celebrity, Princess & RCCI included), and still believe that Celebrity has the best cuisine! Princess follows, a very close second. Royal caribbean is somewhere near the bottom of my list, as far as the food.

The entertainment on all three is excellent and Royal Caribbean has the nicest ships, as far as layout, etc;

The large Princess Ships, however, are very well designed. The "Grand Class" ships do not feel like the giants they are. The public rooms are designed to give a "small" feel, and are divided by angles and varying heights to get that effect.

To paraphrase George orwell, "All cruises are eqaul. It's just that some are more equal than others...." :grin:

[Jason]

Hey bicker,

Welcome to CruiseCrazies!! We're a very friendly bunch of people, with many experienced, veteran cruisers who are ready to answer any possible questions you may have. Hope to see you around.

[KeithnRita]

bicker,

All of your choices would be good--there is no bad cruises--only good and better

[Shari2]

Welcome aboard, bicker!

I think you would really like Celebrity except for the formal part. They are just a tad bit more formal than the others. I haven't been on Princess, yet, but they have the personal choice dining, so you could opt out of formal nights from what I hear.

Personally, I like the formal nights. There are usually only two on a 7-day cruise, and you wouldn't have to wear a tux, you could just wear a dark suit, and your wife could wear some dressy pants and a sparkly top and be dressy and still be comfortable, and you would be just fine.

I agree with Jeff, I like Celebrity's food the best. They also have an afternoon buffet that has healthy food items like grilled salmon and salads, fruit, etc. in the spa area that you might like for lunches. I think you would like either Princess or Celebrity. Royal Caribbean would probably be more casual, but I think you would find more families and young children.

I had a friend who went on the Constellation recently, and she loved it! Good luck in deciding!

[sailinglisa]

Based on what you say you want out of a cruise, I would tend to go with Princess, Celebrity and RCCL in that order. Celebrity tends to be a tad more formal than Princess and RCCL is more of a party atmosphere. Celebrity is more geared towards middle aged couples, but again the formal thing works against that. There are great alternative restaurants on the Golden that you can go to on formal nights.......and there are more dining options on Princess than Celebrity.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[GottaCruz]

I would go with the advice of these very experienced and knowledgeable members. I'm sure you will be very happy with your choice and you will have a fantastic cruise. After you book, remember to post your cruise date to our CruiseCrazies calendar. :cool: :cool: :cool:

[TheSkipper]

I think Celebrity is your best answer. We have cruised on all these lines many, many times. On formal night try alternative dining to avoid the formalwear thing if you wish. Less kids on Celebrity and even less if you are sailing from San Juan due to the airfares. Princess is a very, very close second, IMHO. But, Celebrity seems to have just a bit more "class." :wink:

[Sebbie]

Welcome Bicker

You picked the right place for your questions. Everyone here is very nice and helpful. I am a first time cruiser as well and have asked lots of questions. These people here know what they are talking about!!! :smiley:

[bicker]

Thanks for the input, everyone! We actually decided to go with RCCL. We checked very seriously into both Princess and Celebrity, but decided that we'd rather go with RCCL, based on the feedback we got from a lot of forums, and family members who have cruised all three (and know my wife and I pretty well :)).

The formal vs. casual atmosphere was part of it, for sure. I'd rather face that on RCCL, which is less formal to start with, than on Celebrity. There wasn't many folks who described an overt party atmosphere on RCCL, and my mother didn't think anything of it.

We aren't really motivated to find the "best" food, but rather the healthiest food, and in that regard we heard relatively good things about RCCL (especially from my mother, who's cruised both RCCL and Celebrity).

We also heard that there were actually more children on Celebrity than RCCL as much as we heard the opposite, so it appears to vary enough not to make much of a difference.

So we're set for the Southern Caribbean itinerary in late-January/early-February. We actually chose a smaller ship (as compared to Adventure of the Seas), and will cruise on the Serenade of the Seas.

Now comes the planning and preparation for the trip! :)