Hello,

We have never been on a cruise before. We are thinking about it but we have NO IDEA of where to start! Can do well with airfare/hotels/rental cars but cruises I am totally clueless.

We are a family in our mid 30s, and a boy 7 1/2 and girl 3 yrs old. Obviously we are not looking for a party cruise:-)

We live in Michigan and getting a flight to Florida should be no problem.

Big ships sound kind of appealing...getting lost in all the activities on ship. 3 to 6/7 nights sounds perfect, no longer than a week.

Any recommendations of where to start? Is there a document online like Cruises 101? Any cruise companies and ships you recommend? Any particular destinations? Any good places to book these and hopefully get some good bargains?

Any help appreciated.

Thank you.

Since you feel comfortable doing other travel arrangements, you should pick up the cruise "thing" pretty quickly. Here are some tips off the top of my head; I'm sure others will chime in with additional advice.

- Maybe you should pick a budget. For the cruise lengths you're talking, you could spend between $1K and $20K. That will help you narrow down your destination, cruise line, length, and cabin type.

- Personally, I think that a good first cruise is the Caribbean, which it sounds like you're considering given your statement on how it's easy for you to get to Florida. Keep in mind, though, that Caribbean cruises depart from all over the east coast; Florida is not your only option. Alaska is another great "starter" cruise, and it's not all that hard to get to Seattle or Vancouver, either.

- I would advise you to get the biggest cabin you can comfortable afford, definitely with a balcony at least. After this cruise, you can stay in tiny inside cabins if you decide that's your thing, but if you go that route now and hate it, you'll have a miserable vacation.

- By the same token, I would recommend a premium cruise line like Holland America, Celebrity, or Disney. Stay away from Carnival, and probably avoid Norweigian and Princess. If your budget and tastes allow it, Radisson and Crystal are excellent upscale lines (but with less in the way of children's activities, so beware).

- Around a week is a good length of time for a first cruise. Any shorter and you're not really allowing yourself the full experience. Any longer, and you all may get cabin fever, ruining your chance to enjoy future cruises together.

Let me know what you think of this advice and then I'll write back with more opinions. I'm happy to be more pointed if you'd like, but for now I'm trying to be balanced and impartial!

Don't automatically spring for a veranda/balcony - if you go on a cold weather cruise or one with lots of ocean time (wind) you will spend practically no time on the veranda/balcony - and you can see the world just fine from one of the open decks if you really have to have the wind in your hair for a while. On the other hand, in warm weather - they are great!

Disney is great for kids, I'm told - and your kids are ideal ages for a Disney thing. Also, Royal Caribbean (the less expensive owner of Celebrity) does advertise a lot of kid's things. Yes, Carnival is a "party" ship - especially Mexico.

Enjoy!

Since you're looking for lots of onboard activities - I would not recommend Radisson (even though I love it and have been on 7 times) since they don't have much on board activities and very few children on usually (might be different in Caribbean but I've only been on in Europe and Tahiti).

I probably would say that a Balcony is not an absolute necessity but make sure you get at least a full outside window cabin (might be a bad experience with small inside cabin or cabin with only portholes).

Thanks so much for the responses so far, they are very helpful.

We were thinking Carribean primarily.

Balcony sure sounds appealing and we may spring for it if the price is not way more.

As a frequent Priceline user we do really want to find a BARGAIN--this is one of the main criteria, probably the primary one. I have heard good things about Carnival but I don't know for sure. I looked at the Disney Cruise line a few years ago and we would just not pay the price they were asking.

I think the ship is more important than the rest...Need to have lots of activities, swimming pools, stuff for kids, better than decent food, quiet at night so we can sleep easy, and Internet access -->this is very important, need to at least know what's going on with work....I know I know we are on vacation, can't help it:-)

From East Coast: any good ones leaving from New York City?? We have relatives there and visit often.

Read an article about the biggest cruise ship ever some months ago....The Mary something...it sounded and looked very cool.

I'm studying up on cruises as well. If you haven't already stumbled across it, I recommend the website www.cruisemates.com. It's kind of a one-stop shop for helpful cruise information. Of course there are other cruise websites as well, but Cruisemates is pretty all-encompassing. Check out the "First time Cruisers" and "Family Cruising" sections, for example.

As for itineraries from various ports (NYC, for example), start at this page:

http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/itineraries/

Since you are traveling with young children, I would recommend Disney. They are geared more toward children than the other cruise lines - with activities even for 3 year olds that give parents a break. When your children are a bit older, you may want to think about expanding your adventures to some of the other cruise lines mentioned.

One thing I can recommend - if you can, find an itinerary where your first day is a day at sea. This will give you a day to get your bearings on ship and de-stress from the journey to your port (especially if you don't get to your embarkation port until the day you sail).

Besides, there's something magical about waking up your first day and being surrounded by all that water.

Get the best cabin you can afford, and I do think a balcony is worth the money! (A balcony cabin may also be a little larger than some of the others, and you will have 4 people in yours.)

Also, I highly recommend finding a good cruise travel agent for your first cruise, since he/she should be able to quickly advise you on what's a good choice or a bad choice. Unless you really like doing all that research and agonizing.

Actually this is a good recommendation for all cruises since travel agents usually discount cruise fares (below what you can get if you booked directly with the lines) - unlike airlines.

Since I try to cruise about 3 times a year, I will chime in with my two cents.

If you are looking for a bargain cruise, forget NYC. Most of those cruises are sold well in advance and for close to full price. Galveston has had some great bargains and the air cost should be about the same as to Florida.

The "largest" cruise ship you heard about was the Queen Mary II. No real bargains there (and certainly not much for kids) unless you book one of the transatlantics. That entails one way air to or from the UK.

Try Vacationstogo.com. They have some heavily discounted cruises 90 days before cruising.

With kids, Royal Caribbean probably has the most activities-rock wall, ice skating rinks, etc. BUT Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are no longer offering much in the way of discounts through TA's. I have heard great things about Disney's kids program, but you are correct, they do not discount much, as they are sold out.

Look into NCL. Freestyle (meaning no formal and no fixed dining). And they are supposed to have a decent kids program. Carnival may be tooooo much of a "party hardy" atmosphere, unless you cruise during the summer. Don't need to expose the kids to a drunken party. My one and only Carnival cruise looked like an overgrown frat party. People were actually pouring beer from a funnel off someone's balcony to their friends on the deck below. And the "hairy chest" and "belly flop" contests were disgusting. Could be my age (55), but I was truly appalled. It would have been a hoot at 25, but NOT for families or us ADULTS.

I think I remember the winner of the "hairy chest" contest - a middle-aged lady from ...

(Sorry - couldn't resist).

Actually - the advice given by greatam is right on target!

I found this site to be invaluable, there is also a message board where you can lurk and learn all kinds of things you may never even contemplate.

www.cruisecritic.com it is highly recommended!

Another vote for www.cruisecritic.com ^

I know you said that getting a BARGAIN is your first priority, but I really think you should look for a good VALUE. That may not be the cheapest option, but the one that offers the most overall benefit for a given price.

When you do your normal traveling (with your family), do you stay in Ritz-Carltons, Hiltons, Motel 6's, or whatever run-down no-name dive you see a billboard for with a cheap rate? Cruise lines run that gamut as well, and you would be similarly well-served to look at more than simply who has the cheapest fares.

Given all your other considerations, I now recommend Disney Cruise Line. Maybe get a smaller cabin to save a few bucks, but the overall experience sounds like exactly what you're looking for.