We have been on a lot of cruise ships and have met all kinds of people while sailing around the world. A lot of people ask the same questions over and over, so we thought that we would answer them for you here!
Here are the most common questions that newbie cruisers often ask before their first cruise:
What Is The Cost Of The Cruise?
What is included:
Cruising can be done within whatever budget that you have. There are many variables that you can choose from that could impact the overall price of your cruise, such as the destination; the time of year; the itinerary; the cabin choice; and the mode of travel to get to your cruise.
Generally speaking however, cruising is one of the most inexpensive ways to see parts of the world in one trip, as it is like being in a travelling hotel, where the cost of the transport from one place to the other is included, as well as your food, entertainment, and onboard activities!
You could be on the exact same cruise as someone else, but have two very different experiences. For example, you could be sharing an interior cabin with your friend not paying for extra things such as a bar credit, or life-changing excursions, vs a single person in a suite who has access to the specialty areas on the ship, with a butler and a private hot tub. The differences could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What is not included:
Every cruise line is different, and in fact, you could have things included or not depending upon any specials that were available as you were booking the cruise. Factors that you would likely have to add into your overall cruise fare include drink packages, travel such as flights, ubers, parking; daily gratuities; excursions; wifi; and personal activities such as taking a class, going for a spa treatment, or paying for a specialty dining experience for example.
Is cruising just for old people?
We have all read about people retiring on ships... in fact, there was an article about US doing that too! Yes, there are a lot of "older" people who are on ships and that is because a lot of them are in retirement and want to see the world, or do the things that they have always wanted to do but couldn't while they were working. But no, cruising is NOT just for "old" people. In fact, there are so many cruising lines and experiences that are geared toward all ages.
There is Disney Cruises, which offer a lot of amazing cruise experiences for Children.
There is MSC and COSTA cruises, which have cost effective cruising for the extended families from newborns to great grandparents.
There is Virgin Voyages, which is geared for adults who like to have fun without children.
There is Carnival Cruises, which is known for party atmospheres of all ages...
We've been on 10 cruise lines, and 50 cruise ships as of now, and we have met all kinds of people, of all different ages.
Will I get bored on a cruise?
Because there are so many different ages on a ship, there are usually quite a few choices of things to do on a ship. Each ship offers such a unique variety of things, but more importantly, you will be sailing to new destinations around the world, so that you will have lots to explore and do off of the ship as well.
Some of the things that we like to do on ships include learning something new; for example, we have learned how to play instruments and learned magic tricks; we compete in ship games and trivia; we participate in fund raising events on the ship; we work out in the gym; we hang out in the pools and hot tubs; we love just reading on our own balcony; and we love attending the entertainment shows and meeting new people from all over the world.
What is the best cruise line?
This is a question that we get asked A LOT. When someone asks us, we have to respond with another question "What is important to you when cruising?" so that we can answer better. There are so many variables that go into this answer!
So, in general, our response is as follows:
If you want an all ADULT, Unique, Well Rounded, Kind of Risque Cruise, the I would choose VIRGIN VOYAGES as a TransAtlantic Voyage, however, I would avoid this cruise line if it is solely travelling in the Caribbean.
If you are looking for an "older" crowd, with less hype, educational entertainment, with some really good cruise ports, I would go with HOLLAND AMERICA.
If you are looking to hang out with your partying friends for a few days, and just want to have fun at a constant higher energy, then pick CARNIVAL CRUISES
If you really love unique, state of the art entertainment, where no expense is spared in the quality of the shows both on and off-stage, then I suggest COSTA CRUISES
If you want to travel with your entire family, and have literally something for everyone, then I would do MSC CRUISES... I would avoid them if you aren't traveling in a group though.
If you want a general all around cruise where you know exactly what you will get in terms of consistency across the board with a relaxed atmosphere, then I would say PRINCESS CRUISES
If you want to feel like you are in a travelling city with a lot going on everywhere, then I would say to try out ROYAL CARIBBEAN
If you want to spend a little extra and go on a nice quality ship experience then book a CELEBRITY CRUISE.
If you want a hit and miss cruise line where sometimes it is AMAZING, and other times NOT, then you could go with NORWEGIAN CRUISELINE
If you like to ballroom dance, go to specialty lectures and travel with your pet, then you go with CUNARD
Personally, we like all of the cruise lines for one reason or another. Some of them have many unique things that we look forward to experiencing on board, while others, we know that it will likely be more of a casual experience to the next ship.
If you have any questions about cruising, we would love to hear them! Thank you so much!
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