How to Choose a Cruise Line for Your Vacation

My husband and I have been steady cruisers for about 20 years. The cruise industry has grown in leaps and bounds since we first cruised, and there are more options in cruising than ever. In addition, the price of cruising has actually dropped over the past 20 years in many categories due to the keen competition and glut of cruise ships.

We love cruising. It is one of the most relaxing vacations you can take. You have everything you need and want on a ship. There are various dining options on most ships today. There are various activities - both indoors and out, and the destinations can range from the more popular vacation spots to the most exotic. How do you choose a cruise if you have never been on one, or maybe only cruised once?

If you have never cruised, it is good to talk to a good travel agent who can give you an overview of the different cruise types. There are also a many good websites: cruisecritics.com, cruiseaddicts.com to name a few that will post opinions on the various cruise ships and itineraries. On cruisecritics.com, you can actually visit the forums to hear the latest feedback on recent cruises on each cruise line and cruise ship. Once you have an idea of what cruise line you'd like to take, you can then visit that cruise line's website.

Within this article, I hope to give you a basic overview of cruising, and then you can do further investigation on the specific cruise line of interest.

First of all, you need to think about what type of cruise experience you would like. What are your favorite destinations? Do you want an exciting, lively experience on board? Do you want a ship that has lots of out door and indoor activities? Are you traveling with young children? Are you young, middle aged or old? Do you want an elegant, classic-type cruise, where you need to dress up for formal nights, or do you want a free-style cruise? Do you want a cruise ship that provides not only entertainment, but also education? Do you live near a cruise port such as New York, Miami or Los Angeles, and want to be able to take a ship round trip, or are you willing to fly to pick up your cruise ship?

Answering these questions will give the first hint of the best cruise line for you. Here is a brief overview of some of most popular cruise lines within the United States.

Carnival Cruise Line -
Ships in this cruise line are known as "fun ships". Carnival cruise ships are generally more casual and have a young crowd. Most of these ships have their home base out of Miami, but there are several that come out of New York during the cruise season in New York, which is from Spring through Fall. Carnival ships are generally affordable cruises.

The Carnival Corporation has taken over many other types of cruise lines over the past 7 years, including Cunard and Holland America Line, to name a few. These cruise lines offer a different experience than the Carnival cruise ships.

Celebrity Cruises

This cruise line has been popular out of New York with trips to Bermuda all spring and summer. The cruise line also has ships out of Miami and offers various destinations. This is generally a classic cruise line. I never heard anyone say a bad thing about this cruise line. The food is also known to be very good.

Cunard

In terms of elegance and tradition, Cunard is the probably the leader in this category. The ships of Cunard include the Queen Elizabeth II ( QE 2) and the Queen Mary 2 (QM2). The QE 2 is the older ship (almost 40 years old at this point), but still does some wonderful European cruises from its home base in Southampton, England. The QM2 is the second largest cruise ship in the world, and has replaced the QE 2 in doing regular Transaltantic crossings. The QM2 also does various U.S. cruises to the Caribbean, New England and Canada and the Bahamas. In the U.S., you can pick up the QM2 mostly in New York. There are a broad range of rooms, from inside cabins on the lower decks to varous outside cabins and suites, with and without balconies. The QM2 is the type of ship that also believes in educating passengers as well as entertaining them. It is the only ship with a Planetarium on board, and has an 8,000 volume library, the largest at sea. However, there is also a great disco, a ballroom, and a beautiful main dining room. This ship is definitely in the classic tradition, but you can see both young and older passengers on board. My husband and I have mostly sailed on Cunard during our years of cruising.

Disney Cruise Line

This cruise line has been voted as best for children, although many other ships have a wide range of activities for children. This ship is noted for a great family vacation. The cruise line is based mainly out of Florida, but is also doing a Mediterranean cruise in the summer of 2007. I have known couples without children who have truly enjoyed this ship. The service and entertainment are said to be excellent.

Holland America Line

Similar to Cunard, Holland America Line (HAL) is generally in the classic tradition. However, in recent years, HAL launched a series of Vista class ships which are more updated in look and activities. There is also Club HAL for children on HAL ships, but most of HAL passengers are over 50. Some of the more traditional HAL cruise ships do a World Cruise, and several cruise to Alaska. There are also various European cruises, U.S. cruises and Caribbean cruises.

Norweign Cruise Line

This line has become very popular in New York, with year-round cruises to Florida and the Bahamas on the Norwegian Dawn. This ship popularized "freesyle" cruising, which means that you are not held to a particular "seating" for dinner. Instead, there are various dining options on board and you can choose where you want to go, and when you want to eat. The ship is modern and the "free" style makes it a favorite for couples with children. The line has a mixed crowd - young to older.

Princess Cruises

The original "Love Boat" was a Princess cruise ship. These ships come out of both east and west coast ports, and have varied itineraries. The line has a mixed group - young to old, probably depending on the cruise ship chosen and the itinerary. The most recent Princess cruise ship is the Crown Princess with over 3,000 passengers. It cruises out of New York in the summer and fall to the Caribbean.

Regent Cruise Lines

This was formerly Radisson cruise line. This line boasts smaller (400-700) passenger cruise ships with some very exotic ports of call throughout the world. The ship has mostly all suites and may be more expensive overall than some other ships. However, drinks are included in the price.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

This cruise line is quite popular in the U.S., with large ships and a mix of ages on its cruises. Earlier this year, the line introduced the largest cruise ship ever, the Freedom of the Seas, with over 4,000 passengers. The ship has a surfing pool, and many of Royal Caribbean's other ships have rock climbing walls. If you have an active family and want a lot of activities, indoors and out, the Freedom of the Seas probably takes the prize.

There is much more information to gather on the world of cruising, and you can check out the following websites for further information: www.cruise.travel-guides.com; www.cruises.about.com; www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage; and also www.cruisecritics.com and www.cruiseaddicts.com for up-to-date reviews. Also check out Cruise Travel Magazine which provides up-to-date news and information on cruising, as well as cruise schedules and prices.

Happy cruising!