Decision Guide
You are in luck. You have available in the page below a great
way to easily choose the right cruise for you. Basically, if you haven't
cruised before, how do you know which cruise is right for you? Easy! Read on
and do read the whole page.
Picking a cruise can be easily broken down
into a few categories. These are cruise destinations, shore excursions,
shopping, atmosphere, ship class, and price. They all blend into one another in
ways that a new cruiser may not realize. We will break each category down now
and tell you how each affects your decision. Some categories also have their
own page full of details that you can use to make your decision based upon our
category tips.
In the guides below are simple suggestions on how to
choose your destination based upon the type of cruise you would enjoy. A lot of
this information just isn't available from other agencies. Following some
sections, you can click on the link to take you to detailed descriptions of the
subject at hand.
Destinations
Obviously, one chooses a
destination based upon the type of vacation they want. If you want beaches,
Alaskan cruises aren't your best bet. There's a bit more to it than that.
Choosing the proper destination really involves all of the other categories
such as atmosphere, shopping, and shore excursions.
Also keep in mind to
pick a destination based upon the need for unusual airfare. Cruises such as the
Hawaiian and Transatlantic cruises arrive and depart at different
ports.
Other important destination considerations include which class
ships serve each destination and what shore excursions are available. As we
mentioned earlier, these considerations all blend in together and are outlined
in more detail below.
Details about each Carnival cruise destination are
outlined here: Cruise Destinations 
Shore Excursions
At almost every stop
at port, there are fantastic tour packages that are offered by the Carnival so
that you can make the most of your time on shore. These are called shore
excursions. Obviously, one can get off the ship and make their own exploration
at any stop. But the shore excursions make things very easy and fun, and have
really been put together well.
Every port has a very different selection
of shore excursions. Use our shore excursion page to see a list of which ports
carry the shore excursions you like and use this information to choose the
cruise that will stop at these ports. In our exclusive Tips and Tricks
information, we provide some detail on which shore excursions do and don't live
up to their descriptions. But you can pretty much expect to experience just
what each promises.
See the list of available shore excursions here:
Shore Excursions
Shopping
Ahhh, yes. The shopping. Don't
worry ladies, there are places to shop galore at almost every Carnival stop.
For serious shopping, the larger 'upper class' ports offer more selection and
variety of goods than the smaller ports, which offer more local trinkets and
souvenirs. The Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico, and St. Thomas always get
raves from the females about the great shopping available. But for probably the
best shopping of all available, Rome, Italy probably takes the cake.
Atmosphere
In the variety of cruises
Carnival has to offer, so lies the variety of atmosphere each cruise
provides.
If you're the type of person that likes relaxing vacations
that are lighter in hustle and bustle, richer in quiet scenery, and quaint
villages in port, consider the Alaskan, Canadian, European, and Transatlantic
cruises. These cruises are made for relaxation and usually have less younger
passengers and children aboard. Also keep in mind that during the time that
school is out for the summer, Cruises to the beach ports have more children on
board than they would at other times.
For those that like more of a
party atmosphere, with lots, lots, and lots more to do then all of Carnival's
other destinations are for you such as Mexico and the Caribbean... especially
during spring break. The real parties take place in stops that depart after
dark. Look for those night time destinations if you like a party you'll not
soon forget!
The atmosphere aboard each cruise also has a lot to do with
the ship size and class. Read more about that below.
Ship Class
All carnival cruisers are
not exactly the same, but they are all similar in amenities. The biggest
difference is size.
The only suggestion I have here is for those
younger cruisers looking for more of a party atmosphere. You MUST choose a
larger ship with more passengers over the smaller ships.
At about 10:30
or so, right after the final show of the evening, there tends to be a
population crash when a lot of people go to bed. This doesn't affect those
people who don't like to stay up late... as they're in bed asleep. It does
affect those looking for more activities late at night. The larger the ship,
the more people to stay awake later to form a crowd that will fill the disco or
piano bar and sing and drink into the evening. On the smaller ships, there may
be so few people about that they close these areas early. On the larger ships,
things usually keep rolling right along until 4 AM.
Call Us
Much more detailed information
can be had over the phone. Please feel free to call us for any help you need
not listed here and to book your cruise vacation!
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