Suggestion:
I have been on more than 25 cruises and there are some differences that you need to be aware of in making your selection of which is "best".
Princess, Celebrity and Holland America have great ships are more classy and reserved. They are just a little more upscale and luxurious than the other cruise lines. Passengers tend to be middle aged and up and have cruised multiple times. Holland America has mostly senior citizens (65 and up) cruising on its ships and very few kids and young people.
Norwegian cruise line is good, they cater to families and have mostly passengers in the range of age 35-40 and up. Its the line that you want to go on if you want to be informal for pretty much your whole cruise.
Carnival is the budget cruise line that generally has the lowest prices. They cater to young people, first time cruiser and families. Most of their cruiser will be in the 20 to 45 age group and there will be lots of kids on board. Their ships have some good on-board activities like water slides and basketball court.
Royal Caribbean is also a cruise line that caters to young cruiser and families; ages about 25/30 to 60. It has the advantage of having the most on-board activities, like ice skating, roller skating, mini-golf course, a basketball/tennis court, the rock climbing wall, and on the new Oasis and Freedom Class ships the surfing simulator, the Flowrider. The RC ships that you should look for cruises on are the RC's Oasis Class, Freedom Class, and Voyager Class ships ( http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/home.do;jsessionid=0000G01AnqHJY-ESpPCFy_RrfyO:12hdhua36?cS=NAVBAR )
All cruise cabins are sold based on double occupancy and the prices listed will be per person and based on at least two people going on the cruise. (If you have a 3rd and/or 4th person in your cabin their fare is generally about 50% of the first two persons.) The price you pay will depend also on the type cabin that you choose. There are 4 basic types of cabins on ships;
- inside (no window),…………………………..… least expensive
- outside (a window or porthole),
- balcony/veranda, and
- suites and penthouses…………………….. most expensive.
The "FROM" prices you see will always be for an inside cabin. Some cruise ships have cabins that can accommodate families up to 6 or 7 people.
Most cruise lines have special listed on their home page that will save you hundreds. The cruise lines also offer the best prices for early booking a year or more in advance. The prices of cruises vary by date so to get the best price select a date when the price is lowest; same cruise but costs less.
There are really three basic types of itineraries for the Caribbean.
Western Caribbean cruises typically go to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and a private cruise line island. If you go to Cozumel there is the opportunity to buy a tour to see Mayan ruins, if that's your interest. Its considered the best place to go for scuba and snorkeling. If you go to Jamaica the two main attractions are a river raft float trip (not rapids) and the Dunn's River Falls climb. If you go to Grand Cayman you will likely want to go to 7-Mile Beach or do a swim with the dolphins/stingrays tour.
Cruises to the Eastern Caribbean typically go to St Thomas, St Maarten, a private cruise line island and maybe another island like Tortola or Puerto Rico. If you want to do a lot of shopping then pick a cruise with St Thomas as one of the port stops. St Maarten is also mainly a beach and shopping stop.
Most Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises have a private island stop where the ship takes food ashore for an all day beach party with games and entertainment. All of the cruise lines have what they call their private island and you can have a great day on these islands; only ship's people on them for the day.
The Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries typically start in Puerto Rico and go either to Aruba, Curacao, and St Thomas and St Maarten, OR they go to the southern Caribbean islands like Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia and maybe St Thomas and/or St Maarten. For the most part these latter islands are very much alike but nice to see. The main difference between these two Southern Caribbean itineraries, aside from the different islands, is the Aruba cruise has two "at sea" days with no port stops, while the other has a port stop about each day.
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