im new to crusing, never been on one before and would like to go. my friend and i want to take a 3-5 day cruise to the carribean. we are in our mid 20's and have been told to go on a carnival. is october a good time to go? what about price ranges? best site to book, compare at? any help would be appreciated.

mitch

We had a free cruise on carnival and rooms and the food and service were pretty bad. It was a lively cruise but I can imagine other cruise lines are much nicer and just as fun. I would check out www.cruisecritic.com and read some trip reports. I don't know the best site to book sorry.

There are an array of cruise brands out there. Generally, you get what you pay for. If you are paying say $100 p/p per day, you cannot expect the quality of the food nor the size of your cabin to be as nice as if you book a ship for twice that amount.

Most people want to cruise the Carribian during winter months so that they can get away from inclement weather. October is a shoulder month; you would get a particular cruise for less in October than in February.

Carnival is probably the cruise line with the youngest population. If you have very high standards of cuisine and service however, this might not be the cruise line for you.

There is also a large array of cruise-only travel agents, you will get dozens if you Google the topic. If you are able to do your own research and need minimal help from a travel agent I would recomend http://www.patravel.com/ These people do a mimimal ammount of hand holding but rebate their commission to you minus a booking fee.

If you know what you want, www.cruisequick.com has given me the lowest quote many times. Used them twice without problems. Quick email return, great customer service.

As a previous poster said, Carnival has the "party atmosphere" and tends to cater to younger travelers. Royal Carribean is a step up and still has many young people.

Princess tends to be good value for your money, but the clientele is generally older. If you are in your 20's, you might be bored.

I have never sailed on NCL, but I hear that the clientele is generally older and nightlife stops after 10 pm.

Would also recommend you check out www.cruisecritic.com.

Tips - Do not buy your tours from the cruise company. They are VERY overpriced and you will have many options once you land - especially in the Carribean. Consider hiring a taxi for a day. We did this in Jamacia for $80 and got to see all the sights the tour companies did, plus some they did not...

Don't forget to budget for "extras" on your cruise. Drinks (even non-alcoholic beverages like flavored coffees) are quite costly and add up quickly. There is also the casion, bingo, horse races, etc. $20 here, $50 there - your cruise bill could easily be more than your trip.

I really like to use www.vacationstogo.com

You can go to the section marked "find a bargain" and put in your parameters, and bingo! all your matching cruises come up.

You can enter October, 3-5 night, leaving from whatever port you wish, or if you have a port you are dying to see, you can enter that. If you'd like to check Carnival first, you can enter that as well. You can also check "plus one month" if you are thinking that maybe November would work for you.

Once you hit enter, all of the cruises that fit your parameters will pop up.

I've found their prices to be good, and I really think their website can't be beat for simply narrowing down your choices.

Have a great time!