How to Choose a Cruise Line?

So my last blog gave some thought to how to decide when to cruise, this one will provide insight as to which cruise line might be best for you.  It boils down to what you expect to experience and what atmosphere you fit into more comfortably.

1.  Family-oriented
There are certain cruise lines that have a strong reputation for being family-friendly.  Some cruise lines
choose to cater to those traveling as a family.  One obvious choice is Disney Cruise Lines with their full cast of characters and children's activities.  Other such as Celebrity, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, and Holland also have an assortment of pools, slides, karaoke, arcade, video or interactive games.  Some still have the old stand-by air hockey, foosball, ping pong, darts, bowling, and putt-putt golf.  While others have advanced to rock climbing, ice skating, and waterfalls.  Most offer in-cabin or special area babysitting.  Most offer a variety of clubs based on age ranges.

2.  Senior Citizens/Retirees
If steering far from children is your preference, consider sailing when the kids are in school.  The cruise lines that cater to Senior Citizens or Retirees are:  Silversea, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity, and Holland.  To enjoy lectures from celebrities of yesteryear, choose Celebrity.  For pottery, photography, and various lecture topics consider Princess.  They also offer wheelchair accessible cabins.  Silversea has fewer passengers (130-540) and cater to you in luxury with butler services.  Holland seems to offer the most with regular reminder announcements for meals and activities, fresh flower arrangements, soup/salad bars, cooking demos, art and antiques, and less of a nightlife.

3.  Fun, Fun, Fun
Carnival quickly rises to the top of the charts with a reputation for all out fun.  In fact that is part of its theme, tagline, and fleet reference "Fun Ships."  From the moment you step onto the ship until you leave, the crew has one goal in mind and that is for every passenger to simply have a really fun time. Imagine deck parties, dance clubs, game shows, scavenger hunts, and waitstaff that sing and dance during dinner.  Next on the list would be Royal Caribbean with its quest for the wow factor in providing activities to delight. They feature the skating rinks, rock climbing, talent shows, and the Dreamworks characters.

4.  Romantic/Honeymoon
Carnival offers some nice touches to enjoy if love and marriage are your focus.  Like several other cruise lines, they offer wedding packages aboard ship.  A boutique offering tuxedos for rent, chocolates, room decorations, champagne, flowers, strawberries, and more are available to add to the ambiance.  Princess gained fame as the Love Boat decades ago.  Aside from these purchased perks, you would be surprised at how easy it is to find the quaint, out of the way, spots on the ship where you can enjoy the sun rising or setting.  Or consider spa treatments for couples or late night dips in the Jacuzzi.  Snuggling up in the corner of a piano lounge caps off a day to remember.

5.  Budget-friendly

Those who have never cruised before might think that cruising is expensive.  But Carnival leads the pack in affordable cruises.  The best-priced cruises are usually those that are the shortest like 3-, 4-, and 5-night itineraries.  But sometimes it is finding that off-season sale or last minute attempt to fill a ship.  I have paid as little as $159 per person for a cruise.  Compared to road-trip or one destination travel, this is a great value when you consider your room, all meals, entertainment, beautiful ports of call, and a ship full activities are included.

6.  Luxury
Top of mind for luxury cruising goes to Cunard, Seabourn, Crystal, Oceania, Windstar, and Silversea.  From white gloves and silver trays to gold fixtures and brass, these vessels are decked out with accents that will dazzle you.  Orchestra music, Feng-Shui spas, unique and exotic itineraries, ballroom dancing, theatre, planetarium, and fencing are a sampling of the finer things in life.  You might even be surprised at how some luxury cruising doesn't come at luxury prices....but it might.

7.  Itinerary/Ports of Call/Length of Cruise
Rounding out the list of deciding which cruise line to choose is what your preference for itineraries or ports of call might be.  Shorter cruises may visit one or two ports fairly close to the port of departure.  This could be a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas, or 4-day cruise to Western Caribbean aka Mexico.  Longer cruises provide opportunities to explore more of the Caribbean (East and South), the Central America region, or even Alaskan territory.  Even longer cruises take you transatlantic, Panama Canal crossing, or Hawaiian island hopping.  The unique cruises are the re-positioning cruises because they stop at a variety of ports as the cruise line relocates a ship from the Bahamas to the Baja Mexico area or from Long Beach, California to Miami, Florida.  Then there are the European cruises or those among the majestic seas farther East.

What this boils down to is what you are in the mood for....or maybe you might want to try cruising once with each to help you decide which is your favorite.  (Shhh....I have mine!)