# You Pick the Cruise Itinerary



## CMF (Feb 5, 2009)

Which of these itineraries would you recommend for my family?

A. Port Canaveral:  Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. _Carnival - Dream, brand new ship._ 

B. Ft. Lauderdale:  San Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, and Nassau. _Carnival - Freedom, new ship._

C. Miami:  St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk, and Nassau. _Carnival - Glory, new ship._

D. Miami, FL:  Samana, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Great Stirrup Cay (private island). _Norwegian - Pearl, new ship._

Thanks,
Charles

PS Family consist of 2 adults, 1 senior, 2 boys who will be 8 at the time of the cruise, and a girl who will be 4.


----------



## gmarine (Feb 5, 2009)

I would choose option B. I like more ports of call as it gives more options for shore excursions and sightseeing.


----------



## capjak (Feb 5, 2009)

We are taking Cruise A in March (although the ship is carnival Glory not Dream).  We looked at one going to San Juan but Travel Agent suggested avoiding SJ with Teens.   So went with A (sans SJ)

I have only been on Carnival and Royal Caribean and enjoyed both.  I would also look at Royal Carribean one of the new megaships would be fun I believe.


----------



## Flo (Feb 5, 2009)

Last February we took our family on the Freedom (during President's week) to the Western Carib. The grandkids were 9 1/2 and 8. They had a blast. The kids camp was terrific for that age group.


----------



## vettebuf (Feb 5, 2009)

Assuming that you're first-time cruisers and based on our experiences, I'd recommend option C for several reasons:

1) It's a much shorter plane trip to and from Miami or Fort Lauderdale and the tickets almost always cost less than flying to San Juan.

2) St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk, and Nassau are great islands for first-time cruisers. St. Thomas has Coral World and Coki Beach for the kids, San Juan has the fortress, Grand Turk has the beach and the pool at Margaritaville, and Nassau has the marching flamingos at Ardastra Gardens or the aquarium at Atlantis for the kids.

3) Carnival's Kids' Camp. Our daughter, SIL, and 8 year old granddaughter cruised for the first time with us on the Freedom last April. Our granddaughter absolutely loved the Kids' Camp. Our 25 year old son also loved the Kids' Camp when we started cruising with him in 1993. 

We've been on 19 cruises (Carnival, Princess, and RCCL) and we've been to all of these ports except for Port Canaveral and Samana. We haven't been on the Glory and we won't be on the Dream until our Mediterranean cruise in October but both should be as nice or nicer than the 8 Carnival ships we've been lucky enough to cruise on.


----------



## alwysonvac (Feb 5, 2009)

capjak said:


> I would also look at Royal Carribean one of the new megaships would be fun I believe.



Here's another vote for Royal Caribbean's Freedom and Voyager Class Ships - http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/home.do

_"The *Voyager class *of cruise ships has everything from rock-climbing walls, miniature golf courses and ice-skating rinks to specialty restaurants and bustling boulevards lined with shops and cafés."

"The *Freedom class *of ships includes our largest cruise ships yet. What's more, these ships have the most spectacular, innovative onboard features at sea: the FlowRider® surf park, cantilevered whirlpools, ice-skating rink, full-size boxing ring, H2O Zone waterpark, and more"_


----------



## sstamm (Feb 5, 2009)

I have been on Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian.  Least likely to cruise again on Norwegian.  (So for me that rules out option D.)

The itineraries of B and C look best to me.  Are all the same length?  It really depends if you want more port days or more sea days.

I have gone from the Port of Miami, but not Ft. Lauderdale.  Based on what my parents have said, it seems like hotels and transportation near the Ft. Lauderdale port could be cheaper/easier.

If you fly, I would probably fly to Ft. Lauderdale if you are using either Lauderdale or Miami.  From our area, fares seem to be better to Lauderdale.

We went on a cruise last year at spring break.  We did not decide far in advance, and airfare for 5 was pretty steep, so we ended up driving. (I live probably about 1/2 hr from you.)  It really wasn't that bad, but our kids are older than yours.  We went from the Port of Miami.  It also helped that we could stop at my parents' in South Carolina on our way to and from.

Cruisecritic.com is a good website and also has forums for questions.  In general, I find the people there not as nice as Tuggers, but you can get good information.

Good luck!!


----------



## MuranoJo (Feb 6, 2009)

sstamm said:


> I have been on Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian.  Least likely to cruise again on Norwegian.  (So for me that rules out option D.)
> 
> The itineraries of B and C look best to me.  Are all the same length?  It really depends if you want more port days or more sea days.
> 
> ...


  Would you be willing to share why you won't consider NCL again? Just curious, we've only done 3 cruises and they've all been on NCL.  Two in the Caribbean 10-12 years ago and one about 2 years ago in Alaska on the Pearl.


----------



## pcgirl54 (Feb 6, 2009)

I would chose B for the itinerary and FT Lauderdale airport for cost/ease of use. Have been on RC and Carnival but not NCL.  We prefer more ports of call to more days at sea.

I have read mixed reviews about NCL from Boston/Bermuda (under consideration). Free style cruising and home port for us makes it a very attractive option because we would save on airfare.  I have read NCL food/onboard activites are not as good as other cruise lines mentioned but this is just what I have been reading. Tips are automatically charged on your initial bill. It costs extra pp to dine as the featured restaurants. I do not know if this is true of all cruise lines. Fee is $10-$25 pp extra. You do not get the same waiter due to free style dining if that matters to you.


----------



## caribbeansun (Feb 6, 2009)

Are you aware that Carnival has a reputation for being a "party ship" with a demographic that might be at odds with your own stated group of travellers?


----------



## CMF (Feb 6, 2009)

caribbeansun said:


> Are you aware that Carnival has a reputation for being a "party ship" with a demographic that might be at odds with your own stated group of travellers?



I've also heard that they have a great kids program.

Charles


----------



## stmartinfan (Feb 6, 2009)

We took a Carnival cruise with pre teens a couple of years ago.  It was their "nonsmoking" cruise, so perhaps that limited the number of partiers, but we certainly didn't feel like it was inappropriate for our kids.  There are so many different activities and places on the ship that we found lots to do.  Our kids participated in some of the teen activities and since it was spring break week there were lots of families on the ship.  I suppose it would be a pain if you were on a corridor with partiers who were up at all hours, but that wasn't our experience at all, and we didn't spend time in the bars, were we probably would have met up with partiers.


----------



## Caladezi (Feb 6, 2009)

We have been on 28 cruises to date and will be leaving on another in two weeks.  We have sailed on Celebrity, RCL, NCL, Carnival (our least favorite), Holland American, Seawind, Disney and others.  Some cruises are better than others for different things.  If you want to pick the cruise with the absolute best program for kids from 3 through teens, then Disney wins hands down.  There is just no comparison.  The cost is higher, but well worth the extra money.


----------



## SpikeMauler (Feb 6, 2009)

Out of those choices, I'd choose  "B". No question.


----------



## sstamm (Feb 7, 2009)

muranojo said:


> Would you be willing to share why you won't consider NCL again? Just curious, we've only done 3 cruises and they've all been on NCL.  Two in the Caribbean 10-12 years ago and one about 2 years ago in Alaska on the Pearl.



I wouldn't go so far as to say I won't consider NCL again, but I'm definitely not as likely to choose that line.  To be fair, we cruised during a holiday spring week, and the ship was very full, so maybe it would be better another time.  Nothing big or serious went wrong, but a series of small things we noticed that made the whole experience overall less satisfactory than our other cruise experiences.  Don't get me wrong- we had a great vacation and I am very glad we went.  While there were some outstanding crew members, most of the crew we encountered seemed disengaged.  Several activites in which we tried to participate were inexplicably canceled- people showed up and crew just shrugged their shoulders. Despite seeing empty tables, service at most meals was very slow, drink orders took forever, then never offered again, coffee arrived 15 minutes after dessert, etc.  Like I said, nothing earth-shattering, but just not good service.  We never did find our room steward, and had difficulty getting extra ice or towels.

On the plus side, the morning breakfast room service was fantastic.  My 11 yr old son thought this was outstanding- we had breakfast on the balcony every morning.  He thought I should deliver breakfast to his room when we got home!


----------



## pcgirl54 (Feb 7, 2009)

I am a once in awhile cruiser so I can only reflect on our experiences. On our Carnival ship some time ago I found people gravitated towards what interests them. We had our 3 sons 10-15 at the time and they just had a ball. There were no issues and we were in the lower decks of the ship. On RCL to the Western Carribean sans kids we found the same to be true.

If you have kids you focus on those activites. If you like to gamble or dance the night away you will focus on those activities.

Needless to say I would not probably go college spring break weeks whether it was a hotel or cruise ship with a noted party destination. 

I was told that Disney ships do not have casinos. Disney does do everything well.


----------



## pedro47 (Feb 7, 2009)

B.  Your family will love traveling to the different ports.  The kids cruise ship line would be Disney.  But Disney can be costly for some families.  The senior's travel would probably liked NCL or Celebrity Cruise Line.

Conde Nast Traveler Top Cruise Ships for 2009 Large Ship
Disney Wonder was #1 and Disney Magic # 3.

Celebrity Cruise ranking #2 Celebrity Constellation, # 3 Celebrity Summitt, #6 Celebrity Millennium and # 9 Celebrity Infinity.

A great family cruise line that I would consider is Royal Carribbean Line (RCI)
# 7 Mariner of the Seas (RCL).....a tie
# 7 Serenade of the Seas  (RCI)
# 14 Adventure of the Seas  (RCI)
# 17 Brillance of the Seas (RCI)
# 19 Navigator of the Seas (RCI)

Good luck and enjoy your cruise


----------



## JudyH (Feb 8, 2009)

I just got off the "B" today, the Carnival Freedom, same ports.  We were only in San Juan 5-10 at night, not much to do then.  Also, a very short day in Nassau, made shorter by difficulties with embarking.

I really liked tying up at the dock and never having to tender in.

There were 80 percent senior citizens on this cruise, probably less than 100 children.  We hardly ever saw the kids.

Lots of choices for shore excursions on the other ports.  Food was ok, about what I expected, not great.

We also flew from BWI to Ft. Lauderdale.


----------



## lprstn (Feb 8, 2009)

I've done Carnival and have to say...we had fun.  Check out cruisecritic.com for better details.  Disney of course is a winner, but my expections are so high that I can't enjoy a much more economical Carnival Cruise, my kids had fun and so did I.


----------



## vettebuf (Feb 9, 2009)

I'm going to chime in one more time with something else to consider. 

We selected the Carnival Freedom for our granddaughter's
first cruise because we figured that if she (and the rest of the family) was bitten by the cruise bug, they could always take a Disney cruise the next time. We knew that Carnival had a good kids' program and we also knew that most people that take their first cruise on Carnival are happy with it. 

One other thing, Carnival now markets to repeat cruisers and dropped the "party" marketing years ago. Our January Freedom cruise had mostly oldsters on it. Our April Freedom cruise had mostly middle-aged couples and families.


----------



## sstamm (Feb 9, 2009)

vettebuf said:


> One other thing, Carnival now markets to repeat cruisers and dropped the "party" marketing years ago. Our January Freedom cruise had mostly oldsters on it. Our April Freedom cruise had mostly middle-aged couples and families.



I agree that Carnival doesn't have quite the "party" reputation that it might have once had.  I have enjoyed both the Carnival cruises I've been on (both times with a group of friends) and I really feel Carnival is a good value.  I understand they have a great kids program, although I have no personal knowledge on that aspect.

Despite the fact that my family's cruise on NCl was over spring break and was full of kids and families, the kid's programs weren't all that interesting to our pre-teens and teens.  They thought they were pretty lame.  Also, a few things they did try to attend, they showed up according to the schedule and the teen center was closed- no crew anywhere to be found.


----------



## Fletcher921 (Feb 9, 2009)

I would choose "B".

A few reasons.  Fort Lauderdale easier to navigate to - usually less expensive to fly to as well.  Tortola is a wonderful island.  We prefer Carnival over NCL hands down.  I think the variety of ports would be more fun for kids than sea days.


----------



## btcctomtb (Feb 10, 2009)

CMF said:


> Which of these itineraries would you recommend for my family?
> 
> A. Port Canaveral:  Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. _Carnival - Dream, brand new ship._
> 
> ...


 

I cannot wait until I hear feedback from Carnival Dream. I have heard great feedbck on the Splendour. The early pricing on this ship looks really good. The Jacuzzi's actually hang from the side of the ship. Transfers from MCO to Port Canaveral currently $70 Per person round trip could make this cruise a little more expensive.

What date are you looking to cruise. Carnival is running a great special right now with a non-refundable deposit promo and prices are really great.

As far as the Party ships. Short cruises tend to draw more college aged young adults that like to over indulge. This is true for all lines. Carnival is spending a lot of $$$ to make the Fantasy class more family friendly. They are still pretty basic ships even after the overhaul, but I think they will draw more families. 

Have you looked at Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas? The Freedom of the Seas is a great ship as is the Independence of the Seas. They do generally cost more but if you are lucky you can get a senior rate or a resident rate. 

The families that I have booked both tend to go back to Carnival even after a Royal, NCL or Princess Cruise. Thay really do cater to the kids and especially the kids under 12.

If you let me know dates I can give you any possible rate codes that you should ask for when booking. Caribbean cruises are about 30% less then what they were this time last year.

Do not forget this little tidbit also; The company reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9 per person per day if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel


----------



## Vorenus (Feb 23, 2009)

*Carnival Departs From Baltimore*

Due to economics we cancelled an Alaskan 2 week Rail and Sail cruise this summer.  Then booked the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore in May 09 for Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport.  This really saves on air fare so the whole family (14) booked the same.

Carnival stopped Baltimore departures in 2004 until the city upgraded the terminal and now they are back.  We have cruised Celebrity, Royal C and Carnival from Miami, Port Canaveral and Baltimore in the past.

Your only downturn on the Baltimore departure is the time at sea.  But we wanted to relax.

Both St. Thomas and Marteen were excellent stops and catching site of all the cruise ships lined up at the dock was amazing.

Have fun


----------



## CMF (Jul 24, 2009)

*Testing the patience of the most patient people I know.*

This is round two of planning for the Spring 2010 get-away. 

The biggest concern here is that the Celebrity Mercury is 12 years old and there may not be enough to keep the kids entertained while at sea.  Otherwise it seems like the winner to me - especially because we can drive to Charleston from Maryland and save on airfare. DW is worried that the ship does not have as many bells and whistles as the newer ships . . .  


  *  Celebrity Mercury (1997) quad inside & double OV; 3463.20 + 2461.60 = 5924.80 [$539 per day - 11 days]
          o Charleston, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Marteen, St. Kitts, Tortola

    * Ruby Princess (2008) double OV 3142.38 + interior quad 4236.56 = 7379 + air [$737 per day - 10 days]
          o Ft. Lauderdale, Princess Kay [priv. island], St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua

    *  Carnival Freedom (2007) quad inside 3041.52 + double OV 2015.76 = $ 5057.28 + air [$632 per day - 8 days]
          o Ft. Lauderdale, St. Juan, St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, Nassau

Thoughts?

Charles


----------



## Twinkstarr (Jul 24, 2009)

CMF said:


> This is round two of planning for the Spring 2010 get-away.
> 
> The biggest concern here is that the Celebrity Mercury is 12 years old and there may not be enough to keep the kids entertained while at sea.  Otherwise it seems like the winner to me - especially because we can drive to Charleston from Maryland and save on airfare. DW is worried that the ship does not have as many bells and whistles as the newer ships . . .
> 
> ...



Personally I don't like Carnival, kind of cheesy. Don't know the age of the Ruby Princess, but Princess is my favorite cruise line. 

I believe Celebrity has kids programs.


----------



## CMF (Jul 24, 2009)

Thanks.

The Ruby Princess is a 2008 ship.

Charles


----------



## RIMike (Jul 24, 2009)

CMF said:


> Which of these itineraries would you recommend for my family?
> 
> A. Port Canaveral:  Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. _Carnival - Dream, brand new ship._
> 
> ...



I think you mean Royal Carribean Freedom of the Seas....great for teens and Kids ship


----------



## CMF (Jul 24, 2009)

No, it is the Carnival Freedom that I am referring to in the post.

Charles


----------



## geekette (Jul 24, 2009)

I like Princess for Anytime Dining because I like to eat in the dining room but am not keen on having a schedule while on vacation.  I suggest you check ship/itinerary ratings as concerns children's programming/amenities.  

Cruise Critic does have a review section you can peruse.  You can also ask on their Ask a Cruise Question what you asked here and get some info from people that may well have done all of these!!


----------



## Judy (Jul 25, 2009)

Unless you're looking for amenities such as climbing walls and ice skating rinks, the age of a ship has little to do with suitability for children.  It's more the attitude of the cruise line toward children and the age of the passengers.  If I were traveling with small children, I would focus on suitability of ports of call and shore excursions; days at sea and organized children's programs; time of year and length of cruise; price. 

Shorter cruises and lower prices (except Disney) tend to attract families.
Time of the year: if your "spring break 2010" is school vacation time, that should be good for families, but watch out for Carnival as it tends to attract rowdy college students during their spring break.

I agree with the posters who've recommended that you check with the folks on Cruise Critic www.cruisecritic.com


----------

