Totally new to cruises. Help

[Tea]

Was thinking of running the Disney half Marathon next November (2018) just before my 40th and then treating all to a cruise before holidaying in Orlando. I would like to see some of the Caribbean- we have family in Jamaica, so Montego Bay would be nice. I am not overly interested in the more commericalised islands such as the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands (and have already visited the latter), but I do appreciate that cruises generally stop in the more "high end" spots.

can anyone give me any pointers? I was looking at DCL and it's pricing about €4500 (£4000) for 3 days for 2 adults, 5 kids (2 of which are teens)- which seems a bit expensive, or am I just out of touch with what the cost is going to be?

Not wedded to a cruise either if there is another relaxing solution to some Caribbean Island hopping.

Edited to say: I have been reading down through some of the other posts:

personally, I would like to dress up but I would say that the kids would hate it- they will be 6,8, 10, 12 and 15 at the time of travel.
They hate being bored.
We don't like cheesy entertainment e.g like the stuff you would get on campsites or at holiday resorts in Spain.
I am interested in day trips and seeing as much of the islands as possible
I like luxury but don't want to pay through the nose
We hate crowds and lots of noise/rowdiness ,so sitting with a bunch of Spring Breakers for example or heavy drinkers would be a nightmare. As would sitting at the same table/set times for meals.

I see a lot of abbrevations and jargon NCL, Epic, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival- are these cruise lines or are some actual particular ships.

Also, where is best to be positioned on a ship- front, back, low/high deck etc

Thanks, all information gratefully accepted

[disneymadhouse]

There are many different cruise lines to choose from. Some of the main ones are DCL, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL, P & O.
Carnival have a reputation of being a party ship, particularly on the shorter cruises. Royal Caribbean have lots to offer kids -your older children would probably like some of the different things on offer. We adore DCL, but we are Disney nuts!

There are a couple of sticky's at the top of this forum - one for Carnival, and one for DCL. There is lots of information in both of those.

If you have a look on the various cruise line websites to get a feel of what itineraries are on offer, and on what ship. Then have a look at the cruise critic website. There is a forum for each cruise line with a wealth of information.
Some cruise lines ( I'm thinking Carnival ) offer any time dining where you can dine at a time to suit your family. I think the shows on Disney are fantastic, I'm not sure on other lines, as the only other cruise line I have sailed with was Island cruises, and that was before we had DD, so it was a different focus for us then, if that makes sense.

We like being at the aft of the ship, purely because on DCL the drink stations on the pool deck are at the aft of the ship, so its a quick elevator ride up / down. Also the forward / rear elevators are normally quieter! Mid ship is apparently better to feel less motion.
When choosing a stateroom, have a look a the deck plans to see what is above and below you. For example, if you think you may want to lay in some days, don't choose a stateroom above or below a restaurant that serves breakfast! Or if you like to go to bed ( or get the younger children to bed!) at a "decent" time, don't choose a room above or below a bar or nightclub.

HTH

[Tea]

thank you. I'll have a look around and then probably come back with another 100 questions