Best and worst cruise destinations

[Nemo2]

I went to the top of Giotto's Tower in Florence in my mid-60's. I am pretty sure my friends and I were the oldest people up there. A bit slower going up and down, perhaps a few rest stops along the way, but who cares?

It's only 414 steps.

 

[aaronc879]

I know someone who did the Panama Canal and highly recommends it. You could probably stop at Costa Rica or a couple Mexican cities on the way.

 

[NW-Bound]

Agreed! Who says once you have summited a mountain or climbed to the top of St. Peters you can only do it once. Do it in your 20's, 40's 60's and as long as you can. If you can't go all the way to the top go part way...

And then you come back a few years later, and finish the rest.

 

[brett]

At one time, pre retirement, we did lots of Carib. cruises. We preferred them to Mexican cruises. Now retired, we prefer extended land trips for the winter.

We have done Alaskan but they are not special for us. We lived on the BC coast for many years. Ocean, mountain, and glaciers were in our backyard so to speak. There have been excellent late booking Alaska rates over the past five or six years. Too much supply i guess.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

I know someone who did the Panama Canal and highly recommends it. You could probably stop at Costa Rica or a couple Mexican cities on the way.

We did Panama Canal from LA to New Orleans. Stops in Colombia and Costa Rica were very memorable. Heat in Colombia memorable also. This Texan was HOT

 

[Bamaman]

We went on Holland America's newest ship on a repositioning cruise docking in Rome 2 years ago. We'd always heard that HAL has an older crowd, but we were not prepared for the sea of walkers and wheel chairs outside the entrance to the restaurants.

Although we're pushing 70 years old, the other cruisers were a generation or even two older than us. We saw one 80 something couple that had Daddy along with them, and he was a mess. We also saw a tour with a bunch of elderly people with matching "Wild Ones" T Shirts.

We still joke about that cruise. But we really are thankful that we're very young and mobile for our age--at least since my wife had that knee replacement.

 

[NW-Bound]

^^^ I wonder if the menu of the meals on the ship was oriented to that older clientele. Maybe softer food, well-cooked, and more easily digestible food?

Other than that, I don't think being the spring chicken among the geezers has any drawback. Or does it in some ways I have not thought of?

 

[Teacher Terry]

Some friends of ours took a Holland cruise at 60 and said most were 80 and older. One reason we have been going to Europe the past 20 years is to do it while physically able. We climbed to the top of the tower of Pisa.

 

[Marc]

Hands down best is South Georgia Island and Antarctica. Fantastic voyage with wonderful scenery and wildlife. Nothing compares.

As for worst, probably Caribbean or Mediterranean in summer (crowded and hot).

If you are not a fan of scenery and wildlife in South Georgia, my second favorite would be Norwegian Fjords and third favorite would be to Baltic Sea including at least two if not three days in St Petersburg.

Marc

 

[friar1610]

Our first cruise was 11 years ago for our 40th anniversary. We didn't stay in North America but did remain in the hemisphere. It was a 2 week Norwegian cruise from Buenos Aires along the coast of Argentina, around Cape Horn and up the coast of Chile, ending in Valparaiso. Many interesting ports and sights along the way. Weather ranged from quite warm at the beginning and end to pretty nippy at Cape Horn. The length was about max for a first cruise in our opinion. The ship was very nice with, in retrospect, more amenities than we needed (example: a casino). We have, however, since discovered that we're happier with smaller ships (think Viking Ocean at 1000 passengers vs 3000+ on Norwegian or similar). One advantage of a smaller ship is that they generally tie up at a pier no matter where you go. Contrast that with a really big ship that often anchors out such that you have to go ashore in launches. (Too many flashbacks to going on liberty in the Navy via a motor whale boat.) Many other advantages including nobody under 18, no water slides or climbing walls, more subdued (but still excellent) entertainment, etc.

We've also done an Alaska Inside Passage cruise (about a week) on an Alaskan Dream ship. They have smaller ships 80-130 or so passengers, IIRC. In my opinion, that's the only way to do Alaska because the big ships can't get in as close to glaciers as the little guys. Also, they have more schedule flexibility than the big ships. That means that if there's something particularly interesting going on (a pod of whales appears, a glacier is calving heavily, etc.) the captain can make a split decision to linger rather than to move on.

Those are a few thoughts off the top of my head. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[mystang52]

Alaska wasn't my favorite cruise, yet I highly recommend it as well. It's a different world there, and a worthwhile bucket list destination.
My favorite cruise? Hawaii on Norwegian's Pride of America. Hawaii, too, is a different world, and beautiful is an understatement.

 

[Steeler75]

Another vote for Alaskan cruise inside passage on Royal Caribbean. So much to see and do that you can’t experience any other place. Best memory was going salmon fishing in Ketchikan, caught a 20 pounder and the fish was bagged at the dock and served to us the next evening at dinner. Soo cool.

 

[DrRoy]

On to Alaska! It was my first cruise.

 

[ckelly78z]

Nothing mentioned so far is as American as cruising the Great Lakes;

https://www.pearlseascruises.com/cr...MI4NLlpYPv5gIVjp6fCh0tLgKlEAAYASAAEgLrp_D_BwE

 

[donheff]

Sea of Cortez/s is a great active cruise snorkeling with whale sharks and sea lions, kayaking, hiking, mule rides through a palm oasis. Again great food and open 24 hour bar. Look at UnCruise Adventures again, great line to cruise with.

That looks great. One of my favorite trips was to Galapagos and this looks similar. Do they provide good snorkeling gear/shorty wet suits or do you need to bring your own?

 

[grasshopper]

That looks great. One of my favorite trips was to Galapagos and this looks similar. Do they provide good snorkeling gear/shorty wet suits or do you need to bring your own?

The ever cold Ms G brings her own shorty and mask, she wears the shorty under her full length. You get fitted with good gear that you use all week inclusive. Open water I always wore a wet suit, near shore and beach just a swim suit. Ms G brings her own prescription mask, she just had cataract surgery so it won't be needed again.

 

[donheff]

Well grasshopper, this may fit better in the blow that dough thread but DW and I just booked a reservation on the Sea of Cortez trip leaving the 25th of this month. Once they confirm the hotel for the night of the 24th we will confirm and actuate the flight hold.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

We enjoyed our cruise to Alaska overall but living in the pacific northwest, not a lot was extremely unique for us. But if you're not from the region, it's probably a good first cruise. Favourite part was sailing the inside passage.

Our favourite North/Central America cruise was likely one where we stopped in Costa Rica, Belize, and Panama due to the (active) activities.

Least favourite destination by far: Jamaica.

We've only sailed the mainstream lines. Our impressions:
Favourite is Celebrity. It's kind of a more elegant line. More "educational" type activities like talks/presentations, with still fun events.
Second fav is Royal Caribbean. More family orientated, with physical activities, parades, disney-esque shows.
The misses has sailed on Holland America. Says it's a more older crowd with less evening activities.
She's also sailed on Norwegian. Didn't love it with too much nickel and diming.
Have not sailed Carnival. Sounds too much of a party ship for us though we would consider giving it a try.
We haven't sailed Princess either but our friends have and they love it. It's kind of of Carnival corp's equivalent to RCL's Celebrity brand.

It also depends on the ship. We like the larger more modern ships with more public areas, restaurants, etc onboard. YMMV.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

I will weigh in on cruiselines as ive done about 20 now on various lines. Its a race to the bottom for Carnival (clientele makes it messy and loud. Think dessert dishes on elevator floors. sticky surfaces. lowest common denominator kinda stuff). Norwegian. Did an Atlantic crossing and panama canal with them. Sketchiest boarding ive ever done for both of them. Its like they had not ever boarded or debarked a ship before. San Pedro port, Barcelona port, Ft Lauderdale and New ORleans. No its not the ports' fault. Ive boarded other ships at the same ports. Its who they contract with and what they allow them to get away with. I liked the wide variety or restaurant choices. I had to make 2 very distinct complaints to Norwegian and I trust them the least. Next upwards is ROyal Carib. In my mind they are a bit elevated from carnival, but still do huge ships afloat. Holland. Tops in my book. Older crowd. YEs wheelchairs etc. Tradeoffs is its quieter, kids don't plow into you or puke in the pool. They do classical concerts. Movies. NOrmal shows. In my mind and based on the way they react to problems that arise, HOlland is run by grownups for grownups. Do not take a Holland cruise for the nightclubs. They also have smaller ships. I think right now Eurodam may be the smallest. Small and elegant. No 4k people trying to get shore or back. They can also go into smaller ports and tie in where larger ships cant go or have to use the little ferry boats which are sketchy. Holland will also use their own life boats as little ferry boats. Not my fav bc they tend to be very enclosed. If it flipped, you would have to go over top all the geriatrics to get out. In summary, if something sketchy happens at sea, I always think "Carnival." Ofttimes, Im right.

 

[GreenEggs]

We've been on dozens of cruises since 1977. In this hemisphere, my favorite cruises are out of San Juan to the southern Caribbean. You can hit 6 different islands on a 7 day cruises. We would suggest avoiding Carnival's festive cruises.

We've been to Mexico, Jamaica and the Western Caribbean so many times that we're through visiting that region.

In the last couple of years, we have been taking repositioning cruises to Europe--a very strong value.

But our favorite cruise was a Baltic Cruise to the Scandinavian countries and St. Petersburg. We also loved cruising out of Italy to Malta and the Greek Isles--and over to Turkey. We do not enjoy cruising along the Spanish coastal cities in the Mediterranean, however.

Thanks for mentioning the repositioning cruises. We're planning a trip to Spain this May with our daughter to celebrate her graduation. I started thinking about how expensive "better than economy" airfare is...and your post gave me the idea of taking a cruise to Europe instead of flying.

We just placed a hold on a couple of cruises for 48 hours while we decide which dates will work better for us.

One is 16 nights from Ft Lauderdale to London, with a stop in Canada, 3 in Iceland, and 1 in Scotland. It's only $6472 total (including tipping & travel insurance) in a balcony room for the 3 of us.

The other is a 7-night cruise from NY to London on the Queen Mary 2. The total for 3 in a balcony room is $4994.

(edit: One 1st class flight to Madrid from Charlotte is over $7000 )

I've never been on a cruise, so this is sort of exciting.

 

[Souschef]

The other is a 7-night cruise from NY to London on the Queen Mary 2. The total for 3 in a balcony room is $4994.

I've never been on a cruise, so this is sort of exciting.

IMO, you could never get me on another Cunard ship. Poor food, unless you are in Grill Class, very formal.

 

[GreenEggs]

IMO, you could never get me on another Cunard ship. Poor food, unless you are in Grill Class, very formal.

That's not good to hear. When did you last try one?


The other cruise is on a Princess ship. Is that a decent one?

 

[Dash man]

That's not good to hear. When did you last try one?





The other cruise is on a Princess ship. Is that a decent one?

My experience on Princess was meh. Nothing wrong with it, nothing special about it. I’m definitely in the Celebrity and Royal Caribbean camp. Full disclosure: I own 500 share of RCL.

 

[Souschef]

That's not good to hear. When did you last try one?


The other cruise is on a Princess ship. Is that a decent one?

It was a while ago, but from reviews I have read, it has not gotten much better. We sail exclusively on Princess as we have a bunch of perks. Try to get a cabin in Club Class. They have a separate dining room with no waiting.

 

[athena53]

Well grasshopper, this may fit better in the blow that dough thread but DW and I just booked a reservation on the Sea of Cortez trip leaving the 25th of this month. Once they confirm the hotel for the night of the 24th we will confirm and actuate the flight hold.

UnCruise? I just took that trip last March and loved it. I've been on 5 cruises with them now and put down a deposit on a sixth.