- How we choose a cruise - we are in the “cruise often” stage of life. But we are still learning what makes a best cruise for us. With 20 cruises taken or scheduled through 2025, we are varying the length, destinations and cruise lines. However, we are developing a pattern and preference, as our history makes evident.
- In 2024 and 2025, we have focused on Royal Caribbean, as we raised our Loyalty status and obtained those benefits.
- We have sampled Celebrity (2023, but also in 2018) and Princess, with a second Princess and our first Holland America scheduled for late 2025. Another Celebrity cruise is scheduled for 2026.
- Length of cruise - our preference is either a one-week cruise, or a transatlantic cruise of 10-15 nights. If we are selecting a ship for the first time, we might try a 4 night option. Three nights just results in a quick turnaround with little time to get to know the ship. Lately, we’ve begun to book a back-to-back 3 and 4 night cruise. We repeat port destinations, but get an opportunity to see the shows offered without having to be scheduled every night. On a transatlantic, we try to take a ship we are familiar with, but sometimes, it’s the destination rather than the journey. The 2-week trips avoid jet lag, so you can arrive fully rested and time-adjusted in Europe. (When we fly over, we need a day or two of recovery time before we can begin proper tourist activities.)
- Departure port - In our early cruise-life, we didn’t consider the necessity to fly to be a hindrance to our overall enjoyment. Now, we most often depart from Port Canaveral, with options of Royal Caribbean, Princess and Disney. From home, we can be parked at Port Canaveral in under 2 hours. Royal Caribbean is our most-often selected choice. We recommend arriving a day early to your departure port if flying. When traveling in Europe to board a ship (Southampton, Barcelona, Amsterdam or Rome), we schedule our arrival 2 nights in advance of departure, or one week (plus) for a pre-cruise vacation. Ft. Lauderdale and Miami departures require car service or connections with a train, so that’s less convenient (although necessary to access certain itineraries).
- Big ship vs. “Little ship” - there are no small ships, despite the obvious difference among 2500 and 7500 passenger vessels. Travelers debate the benefits of each. We enjoy small, medium And large. The smaller ships seem to provide more personal service in the dining rooms and bars. However, there are significantly fewer attractions for children, which appeals to a certain group of travelers. The larger ships not only offer more child-centered activities, but also more venues, restaurant choices, music variety and larger/more elaborate production shows.
- Cost considerations (not just cabin choice) - most cruisers choose between balconies and interior (window or no window) cabins. The price differences are usually obvious, although we sometimes see balconies less expensive than window views. (It pays to check often, or it helps to have a travel agent monitor price changes - at no cost to you.) Prices also vary by season, and by ship size.
- You can spend hours researching the cruise lines, seasons, cabin choices, etc., or get some help from a travel agent. We cruise most months of the year, but recognize the risks of cruising during hurricane season along with the impact of other weather patterns. Even an experienced cruiser can be surprised to see a small snowman on the cruise deck while traveling from Tokyo to Seattle, via close proximity to Alaska.
- As you might guess, prices are lower when fewer people choose to cruise. You may secure the best price closer to departure date if you are willing to give up your most-preferred cabin location to those who selected (and paid) early.
- Transatlantic cruises offer some of the lowest per-day prices - due to usually sailing under capacity, and because of the reduced number of ports and associated fees.
- You can book a “guaranteed” cabin. You will choose the class (e.g., balcony or oceanview window), and your actual cabin will be assigned close to the departure date. Savings can be significant, although you will have ceded your choice of deck and location on that deck.
- “Obstructed Views” - pay attention to the percentage of obstruction and consider the price differential. We have not found obstructions to be too annoying; we mostly appreciate the additional space and outside access of balconies. (Obstructions can occur on other cabin types, too.)
- First time cruisers - if you’ve never cruised, you need to find out if this travel approach will be appealing. (I wouldn’t recommend this, but we have met first-time cruisers on 12+ night transatlantic voyages.) You may choose based upon the itinerary (i.e., what ports will you visit), preference for Broadway-style shows, children’s activities, port access, and/or price. While choosing the inside cabin will cost considerably less than a suite, if you find the lack of a window or sliding door access to a balcony to be unattractive, no amount of cost savings will be satisfactory. (However, we know frequent cruisers who appreciate the low cost along with the relative quiet to be an excellent option - professing no ill effects from the relative isolation of inside cabins.)
- Cruise lines are aggressively promoting big, 3-day weekends, which are less expensive just based on the shorter period; obviously the long weekend appeals to those with limited vacation time, and…from observation, appears to appeal to the party set, so adjust your expectations accordingly.
- A 4-night cruise will allow you to explore at least one port and give you a little better idea of your preferences, before plunging into a full week or longer commitment.
