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Cheap Cruises: Which ships to sail for the best value
On some major cruise lines there is a little niche of cruise ships out there that represent an extraordinary value. They are not the newest ships and not the oldest ships. The great value comes from them being about in the middle of all the ships on a couple diferent lines.Carnival Destiny is one of those ships. Carnival Cruise Lines built Carnival Destiny in 1996. At the time she was the greatest ship afloat at 101,353 tons. Much smaller than new Carnival Dream at 130,000 tons, Destiny was nearly double the size of older Carnival Fascination at 70,367 tons. Currently sailing from Miami the ship does a four night sailing to Key West and Cozumel with a day at sea, alternating with a five-night sailing that goes to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman with two days at sea. Another five-night sailing does Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau in the Bahamas with one day at sea.
Prices are reasonable on this one with prices starting at $199 per person on the four-night and $289 per person + tax on the five-night.
On Celebrity Cruises, the Celebrity Millennium at 91,000 tons is another one that prices out nicely for a shorter cruise. This one sails from Miami on a four-night to Cozumel with two days at sea starting at $349 per person and a five-night to Falmouth, Jamaica (if it ever opens) and Grand Cayman starting at $449 per person + tax or a five-night to Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel also starting at $449 per person +tax.
Celebrity Millennium was built in 2000 and held title of the latest, greatest class of Celebrity ships until knocked off the top spot by the popular new Solstice class ships, surely the future of the line.
There are other ships as well, let's call them second-generation ships, that are not the newest but not the oldest but can represent some of the best values in cheap cruises at sea.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
t Jan 22nd 2011 8:29PM
Don't waste your money on carnival destiny. No entertainment, mediocre food, and nothing to do except on the islands. Go on Disney!! Nothing else will compare
Eileen Jan 22nd 2011 8:59PM
So not true! We were married on and then cruised with our family on the Destiny in 2009 and had the vacation of a lifetime. The only way I would cruise on Disney would be if I had several small children and wanted to be on a continual sugar high! The Destiny was classy, the food was exceptional, and the entertainment was first class. Everyone in our party was impressed and had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend the Carnival Destiny to anyone.
Linda Jan 22nd 2011 10:18PM
I also took the Destiny to St. Thomas to get married in 2002. Great ship! Been on it twice!
wng2b Jan 23rd 2011 1:01AM
Celebrity Millennium was built in 2000 and held title of the latest, greatest class of Celebrity ships until knocked off the top spot by the popular new Solstice class ships, surely the future of the line.
Trent Jan 22nd 2011 8:39PM
Or, in the case of alcohol, just bring your own.
Kel Jan 22nd 2011 9:07PM
Some ships DO NOT allow you to bring alcoholic beverages on board.
Kel Jan 22nd 2011 9:06PM
When choosing a cruise be very careful. Carnival may be a good buy, BUT they generally appeal to a younger crowd so it probably would not be a good choice for the senior cruiser. Families will probably find Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Princess to their liking with lots to do on the ship. Older cruisers will in most cases enjoy Celebrity and Holland American. Then there is the upper scale such as Cunard, Seaborn and other smaller up scale lines. Many times on a cruise I have heard people complain about the ship, such as recently on a Holland Ship I heard, "there weren't enough shops and no promonade." This person either didn't check out the ship or if they did use a travel agent (a good plan that doesn't cost you any more) they were not matched to the ship. Be also wary of "Spring Break" and other times school is not in session is you don't like kids.
Larry Fischer Jan 23rd 2011 4:19AM
I have to disagree. We are in our 70s and spent three nights on the Carnival Fantasy from Port Canaveral. Maybe we were lucky but it was one of the most enjoyable cruises. The younger crowd showed us nothing but respect, holding doors for us and asking us to get in front of them. We even danced our slow dance in the back of one of the clubs while most others danced the new way in front, and nobody cared. Of course Disney is the best (we've cruised Disney three times) if you have children or grandchildren, but you have to be able to afford it. It's by far the most expensive.
Larry Fischer Jan 23rd 2011 4:21AM
One more thing. Holland America cruise line is fantastic; your room is cleaned every time you leave it and the crew is excellent. HOWEVER, be careful of the old passengers, some are disgustingly grumpy. My worst cruise experience was on the Holland America Westerdam, where some ancient passenger tried to hit me with his cane because he thought we were trying to sneak ahead of him into the show; we weren't but he didn't believe me. I didn't want to hurt him so I didn't respond but so much said for the old and crotchety.
Meggie Jan 22nd 2011 10:03PM
"Cheap" is not always a good thing in travel. You get what you pay for! Do your homework, ask questions, USE A GOOD TRAVEL AGENT!! I find Carnival ships loud and not condusive to relaxation...unless you wanna spend all day drinking and being a fool. That's been the atmosphere on my 3 Carnival trips...no more!
I much prefer Holland America Lines. Now that I am an adult, I like to travel like one..in comfort. The addage that HAL is for old folks, just isn't true, although they have a decidedly older clientel on the longer voyages, which is great. They are by no means OLD.
noel Jan 22nd 2011 10:44PM
Took Holland cruise a few months ago and never saw so many walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, and scooters in my life and we cruise a couple of times a year. Disney cruises are NOT just for families with kids. We have traveled Disney about 7 or 8 times and the children never have been an issue. We go alone but for our 50th wedding anniversary we took daughter, son in law and 9 year old grandaughter. Enrolled her in Navigators club and never saw her hardly again. Wouldn't even come out for meals ( they will feed them in the club) and didn't even want to go into Nassau. Food is great and entrtainment is spectacular.
elliot Jan 22nd 2011 10:59PM
You are as young as you feel or as old.I have plenty of time to feel old.Give me a young thinking ship any time.Carnival is the fun ship.If you are not interested in fun, take one of those ships with a bunch of stuffed shirts waiting for their next meal.
tracy Jan 22nd 2011 11:32PM
we sail on canival and enjoy it very much,cruises are what you make of it .go the little extra and get a balcony room . you get privacy and relaxation away from the crowed pool areas
Maurice Jan 23rd 2011 12:08AM
My girl and I went on Royal Carribean about 10 years ago on Enchantment of The Seas. It was a lovely ship with great food, some kids, and mostly nice people. I prefer a more mature crowd but not with walkers or crutches. Those people are always nasty! Their fav comment is "hey get outta the way." We worry a bit because of all the viruses occurring on board and some crime!
Dave Jan 23rd 2011 7:46PM
Hello cruise travelers,
My advise is always consult your professional cruise specialist / travel agent. They are in this business to assist you with making all of the correct choices and to guide you through the delicate booking process. If you have not cruised before, this is practically mandatory. You may do some advanced research on your own, by logging onto various websites and checking which dates, locations and cruise lines match your vacation needs. Ask lots of questions and do your homework. My wife and I have been on five cruises and are on yet another one in February. With each cruise, you learn how to be wiser and more savy. Arrive at the port at least ONE whole day before departure, since airlines cannot and will not guarantee that they will get you to the port . . . due to weather, mechanical and other delays. We had our dinner guests arrive three days late for their cruise, because they decided to leave Virginia about six hours before the departure in Tampa. The ship left port without them, so they struggled to catch up to the ship in Cozumel . . . after taking three separate flights, at their own expense. Travel with some close friends or family members. You already know them and have something in common. This experience will give you something to reflect on whenever you see them. We took our over-21-aged children with us before they got married and started their families . . . what a wonderful time together. We also recruited some close friends to travel with us on three cruises. We cherished each day and laugh about the dusty, off-road, Jeep adventure we took in Mexico. So far, we have done cruises with Carnival to the Western Caribbean, with Royal Caribbean to the Southern Caribbean islands, with Norwegian to the East Caribbean, with Holland-America on a cruise / tour to The Yukon Territory, Denali and the Alaskan Railroad to Anchorage, on Princess to the Mexican Riviera and now to the East Caribbean again with Princess. Our favorite cruise was aboard the Serenade of the Seas with Royal Caribbean from San Juan, to St. Thomas / St. John, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados and back to San Juan. The ship and crew were by far the very best . . . so far. Our next destination may be the Mediterranean, The Holy Land, etc. Our motto: Cruise and travel while you are still physically and mentally able to enjoy all that cruising and traveling has to offer. Because, once you are "six feet under," you have procrastinated too long. Some advise from a well-traveled, adventurer, "Get out there . . . and enjoy life !"
Trent Jan 23rd 2011 10:52AM
All cruise documents SAY not to bring it aboard. But, after all, it's obviously not illegal to have alcohol on ship; they just want to sell their own. In all the times I've cruised, I've never had it taken from my luggage (and they do check luggage for other things, guns, knives, drugs, whatever) and I have always kept the liquor in plain sight in the stateroom. And Guest Services are happy to bring ice for those drinks.