Cruises - 1st Time Cruiser Seeks Help!

Hi and thanks for your help! DH and I would like to go for a cruise around mid-Nov or even around Christmas. We can leave from just about anywhere in the USA; would probably prefer the South, though.

We'd like something not catered to children, loud, smoky, or "casino-like". Prefer really good food, more sophisticated and such as that. We're in are 40's (if that helps at all).

Any good ideas for us are greatly appreciated!

Thanks again,

TxSkyGal

DH and I would like to go for a cruise around mid-Nov or even around Christmas.

Just curious....what (or who) is DH?

Designated Husband??? :confused:

DH is a Disney boards term, in this case Disney Husband or Darling Husband. Check out the list at Disboards.com (http://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm). If you thought FT had some serious members, check this site out! Great stuff though, all the info you could ever possibly want if you're going to any Disney property.

Just curious....what (or who) is DH?

Designated Husband??? :confused:
How many times to I have to tell you that DH is for dear husband. :D :D :D

I don't know about the disney reference... It is used quite a bit on disboards, but it was explained to me that it was dear husband. I've used it a few times ;)

Mary

Hi and thanks for your help! DH and I would like to go for a cruise around mid-Nov or even around Christmas. We can leave from just about anywhere in the USA; would probably prefer the South, though.

We'd like something not catered to children, loud, smoky, or "casino-like". Prefer really good food, more sophisticated and such as that. We're in are 40's (if that helps at all).

Any good ideas for us are greatly appreciated!

Thanks again,

TxSkyGal

What is your budget for the cruise? For a higher end line, we've been on Radisson 6x (in Europe) and have always had a good time.

You might want to check out CruiseCritic.com's message boards for suggestions about which cruise line would be good for you. Generally, the higher-priced lines (Silverseas, Radisson, etc.) tend to have the least number of kids and have the atmosphere it sounds like you want. But they're also the most expensive, a lot more than the "less expensive" lines (Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc.), and the mid-level lines aren't always kid-infested neon-covered eyesores. You might want to talk to a local travel agent (a flesh-and-blood one) who specializes in cruises, to see what they think is right for you.

There are tons of sailings to the Caribbean out of the South that time of year. I know there are sailings out of Galveston, Norfolk, and of course lots from Florida. But be advised that there's still a lot of repair work going on in the Caribbean due to the hurricanes, so there have been a lot of itinerary changes going on. So if you're picky about the ports you want to see, now is not a good time to book a Caribbean cruise. If you don't care and just want to get away, then you can get some good deals to the Caribbean right now. You can also do a sailing out of LA to the Mexican Riviera, which hasn't been hit by any hurricanes this year. One of my friends just got back from a Mexican Riviera cruise, and she's tanned and happy. :)

DH to me = Designated Hitter. :D

Need a bit more data.

Budget? Length of cruise (3-4 days, week, 10 days?)

If you're in for a week, my gut says Celebrity. 3-4 Days: Royal Carribean.

Be aware that Christmas-New Year's is very high season. If you can go the week or two before Christmas or anytime in Jan after New Years week, the prices drop substantially.

check this site :

http://www.vacationstogo.com/

and you can also view the specials for the next 90 days and subscribe to their weekly newsletter.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/emailtick.cfm

Another site where there is also a cruise guide:
http://www.ecruises.com/

If you want quiet , try to avoid Carnival

Crystal Cruises - Crystal Harmony from $950 per person Inside cabin or $1,140 Oceanview (port charges included) .

Last Minute Luxury 7 day cruise to Mexico & the Bahamas sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale.. Ports: Key West, Gulf of Mexico, Cozumel, Gulf of Mexico, Nassau, Freeport, Ft. Lauderdale. Sail date(s) - 10/24/04, 10/31/04. View itinerary

A little earlier than you wanted, but luxury, great food and amenities and very few kids.

It was sent to me by Icruise.com. If you can't get it to pull up, IM and I will try to send you the link.

Otherwise, Vacationstogo.com is a great place to find bargains. If you want to sail on Seabourn, they are running some great specials to Central America/Mexico/Caribbean. Vacationstogo has most of Seabourns' specials listed.

Stay away from NCL, RCCL, Carnival, Disney. You will find many more children and from your specs in your post, an atmosphere that is not what you want. Try Celebrity, Holland America, or one of the Luxury lines.

Crystal Cruises - Crystal Harmony from $950 per person Inside cabin or $1,140 Oceanview (port charges included) .

Last Minute Luxury 7 day cruise to Mexico & the Bahamas sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale.. Ports: Key West, Gulf of Mexico, Cozumel, Gulf of Mexico, Nassau, Freeport, Ft. Lauderdale. Sail date(s) - 10/24/04, 10/31/04. View itinerary

A little earlier than you wanted, but luxury, great food and amenities and very few kids.

It was sent to me by Icruise.com. If you can't get it to pull up, IM and I will try to send you the link.

Otherwise, Vacationstogo.com is a great place to find bargains. If you want to sail on Seabourn, they are running some great specials to Central America/Mexico/Caribbean. Vacationstogo has most of Seabourns' specials listed.

Stay away from NCL, RCCL, Carnival, Disney. You will find many more children and from your specs in your post, an atmosphere that is not what you want. Try Celebrity, Holland America, or one of the Luxury lines.
Great post and I completely agree. The more high-end the cruise line, the less likely one is to find kiddies. Anytime you can get on a Silversea, Crystal, SeaDream, Seabourn at a bargain rate, you are in great shape.

Keep in mind that if you avoid school holiday periods, you'll be unlikely to find kids on any cruiseline.

At the Crystal website, you can find some other Crystal special offers in the Caribbean. (http://www.crystalcruises.com/offer_detail.aspx?OG=7) Here's a complete listing (http://www.crystalcruises.com/cruiselist.aspx?RK=CAR) of their Caribbean offerings. Those are some really great pricings.

If you have any questions about CC, feel free to let me know.

Keep in mind that if you avoid school holiday periods, you'll be unlikely to find kids on any cruiseline.

That's not always true - there are under school-aged kids & babies on non-school holiday cruises, but the advice in general is good. Again, stick with Holland America or Celebrity. But, if you can afford it, Radisson (distant 2nd) or Silversea (#1 in my books - 3 cruises & counting...) is the way to go. You'll be spoiled for anything else!

You people are great, thanks! Our budget is middlish. But, if I can get a non-rev discount; this at least gives me ship ideas to look at. Any more info y'all want to post about this, is appreciated!

P.S. DH is Darling, Dear Husband!

TxSkyGal

Based on your budget category and your desire for realy good food, I'd say Celebrity might be your best bet. Holland America is also very nice, but (on verage) draws an older deomgraphic (not that there's anything WRONG with that) ;)

Both lines above, the ships are large but not mega-mega sized, and if you sail from Florida, you can cruise out of Port Everglades and can therefore avoid Miami and its port.