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First time cruise. I have narrowed my choices to the Jewel or Freedom based on cost and departure port. We are 40's couple, very causal, the visits to the port are the biggest draw for us and both have good options. Like the idea of Jewels anytime dining and would prefer to sit at a table for two. Are there other pros/cons I may not have thought of?
Time of year obviously affects weather, and can really affect the cruise experience. Example: it looks as if most of NCL Jewel's universal hotels orlando Caribbean itineraries depart from Houston. Winter and early spring, universal hotels orlando the Gulf can have rough water with skipped ports. Fog can bring things to a halt.
Time of year and length of cruise is also a determining universal hotels orlando factor for type of passengers. Short cruises may be more party oriented. Spring break will have more kids and college universal hotels orlando students. Long cruises have older people who have more free time. Cruises that include many archeological sites will attract different cruisers than cruises with mostly beach stops.
Itinerary is very important for activities and sight seeing, but the ship itself can be just as important. Look at vacationstogo for pictures and specs on ships and itineraries. universal hotels orlando Join cruisecritic.com to read reviews of each ship and the various itineraries. You can also jojn the roll call for your cruise and meet other people you can join for excursions, so save money rather than taking expensive ship's excursions. Each Line has a reputation and even different ships within a line may appeal to different cruisers. Carnival has a reputation for party ships with louder music, etc. Jewel has Nickelodeon kid's program.
Think about what you enjoy and look for a ship that provides that atmosphere. We chose a more upscale, quieter Princess ship for just DH and me, but a more fun, family oriented ship, NCL Epic, with a great kid's program for Cruise with little GD.
We didn't ever eat in the restaurants where you paid an extra charge to dine (they weren't the style of food we wanted to eat), but the extra charge was minimal if you wanted Japanese, Chinese etc meals.