Is cruising for you.

[Ian]

Cruising has a weird rep. What's your take on it. What ships or lines etc do you like or are interested in.

[Canucks]

I think that cruising would be fun (I have never been on one though), but I'm not sure whether it is worth the money. Also, there is always the threat of Norwalk and other illnesses. I personally hate crowds and the cruise ships are getting bigger and can hold more people. Since I haven't cruised I can't say which lines are better but based on appearances I don't like the Holland America ships. My favourites would be the Celebrity cruises and Royal Caribbean. I voted yes just because it is something that would be a new and interesting experience.

[CFG]

I personally really enjoy it. You are able to visit many different places in a short period and get an idea of which you would like to return to.

I have been on the Royal Caribbean ship, Vision of the Seas and the Celebrity Cruises GTS Infinity. Of the two I preferred the Infinity. It is fast, 24 - 25kn cruise. It is gas turbine powered with azi pods. It also has a smaller passenger capacity then some if its competition when compared to similar sized ships. I was on it for 14 days thru the Panama Canal and was really impressed. I must say that in my opinion it is not the most appealing of cruise ships to look at, but... a small price to pay.

I am booked to go on the Pacific Princess this coming December for a voyage down the amazon river. It is a smaller ship, 600pax compared to 1800 on Infinity, so it should be a different experience.

[Ian]

I have been on 3 coming on 4 cruises, 2 with Royal Caribbean, 1 with Norwegian and soon to be with Princess. Out of the 3 ships I have been on (Serenade of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas & Pride of Hawaii) I must say that Serenade of the Seas was the nicest followed closely by Mariner of the Seas followed distantly by Pride of Hawaii. I found Norwegian Cruise Lines to be a big step down from Royal Caribbean in every way. From what I have heard Celebrity is very nice, it is owned by Royal Caribbean and acts as their upscale brand. If I had to book another cruise I would go by this order, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival then NCL.

[Koastal Karl]

I have only been on 1 cruise on 1 cruise line. Norwegain Cruise Lines on the Norwegian Star. I think cruising is awesome if your into that type of thing. The cruise I did was only 3 nights with 1 port so it was sort of an introductory cruise for me seeing I had never cruised before. I am doing my second cruise with Norwegian on Sunday on the Norwegian Sun to Alaska. I have only been on Norwegian but I really like that cruise line. I like the Freestyle cruising that Norwegian offers and they have nice looking new ships too. I would like to do a cruise on Princess one trip. I really like the looks of the Golden and Star Princess. Also I would like to do a cruise on the Norwegian Pearl. Holland America seems to be more formal but if I ever did a cruise with them I would want to go on one of the newer ships like the Oosterdam or Westerdam. The smaller Statendam Veendam, Zaandam dont really interest me. Celebrity has some okay ships too same with Royal Carribean. I think my favorite cruise line is still gonna be NCL and I have also heard Carnival is pretty good too!

[Kahloke]

I've not been on any cruises, but my parents have done a couple of trips on a smaller cruise line called Sea Dream Yacht Club, and they now swear by it. Sea Dream operates in the Caribbean during the winter months, and the Mediterranean during the summer. The vessels are small, but the service is ultra-deluxe - 5 star all the way. My mom said the food on board was outstanding, and anything you want, you get. It's pricey, but the benefits are personal service (the crew to passenger ratio is almost 1:1), fewer crowds due to its smaller size, and the ability for their ships to get into smaller ports, which also means no tendering (because they can fit into smaller docks), or less time involved in tendering to shore whenever they do anchor offshore. Anyway, if I were to go on a cruise, I would be tempted to save the money for something like this rather than the "big box" ships.

Here's a link to their website:
www.seadreamyachtclub.com/

[Koastal Karl]

Well when you pay the same amount to take the Alaska Ferry to Skagway as to a cruise I think I would take a cruise. Not saying I wouldent want to do the trip on the Alaska ferry someday as I think that would be cool though. But cruising isent for everyone, but I sure like it!