First Time Cruisers - Advice Needed SMALL UPDATE POST 39

[Erica Ladd]

DH and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary just after Christmas. We've never taken a cruise, mostly because it's so overwhelming with all of the cruise lines, different ships and so many itineraries1

Any experts have advice? We would like to go after Christmas so we can spend the holiday at home with family. NYE is no problem! But DH would need to be back at work no later than the week after New Years. Here's a quick description of what we are after -

4 or 5 night cruise (scared we might not like it and would be stuck for 7 nights at sea!! - but I'm willing to chance it if it's the perfect fit)
Not concerned with crazy onboard activities (ziplines, surfing pool, etc.) A few things might be nice like mini golf or pedal rides, etc.
A balcony room AND some sort of drink package for beer, wine and some cocktails every day
Adult areas to relax like pools and lounges, sit watching the water sipping a drink
We love to eat and can be adventurous but aren't really foodies. Mostly casual but I'd like maybe 1-2 nicer, dress up meals
Itinerary that has ports of call that we could explore on our own, or rent paddleboards (maybe a kayak tour if worth it) see the city/town and beaches
Not looking to break the bank but want to make this worth our while so willing to spend where needed.
Preferably a FL departure as I usually fly SWA and it's convenient from our city

Anything else important I am missing?? Not sure what precautions will be in place at that time, but we probably need a cruise line, ports of call that are not very restricted!

Thanks for any advice you can throw my way. I know it's a very limited timeframe so if there is a GOOD reason to postpone till a bit later we can (took our honeymoon to Europe 3 years after or wedding!)
And if anyone has any other ideas for a fantastic anniversary celebration please share!

ETA - not really interested in shows but may go to one to see what it’s like or maybe once to casino if there’s one onboard

 

[dreamer17555]

You are talking about a very popular and therefore very expensive time to cruise. Also wanting a drink package automatically takes Disney cruise line out of the running. Do you have an estimate that you’re looking to stay at budget wise?

 

[RamblingMad]

Do you get sea sick?

You're going during flu season. I'd expect to catch the flu. Both myself and my significant other caught the flu on our Disney Christmas Cruise.

Also, book early, so that you can book your excursions. Also, what I'm hearing is that less excursions are running these days due to staffing problems. Prepare to run into booking issues.

Finally, expect to pay more now. Everything is more expensive.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

For a special anniversary trip, I'd choose Celebrity first, then Princess second. See if either of those have a date or itinerary that works for you. I would personally try to avoid the Bahamas, but some people enjoy it. For better itineraries, you usually need at least a week. NYE may be your best option, since Christmas falls on Sunday this year. Cruise Critic is a great source for cruise info.

 

[Erica Ladd]

You are talking about a very popular and therefore very expensive time to cruise. Also wanting a drink package automatically takes Disney cruise line out of the running. Do you have an estimate that you’re looking to stay at budget wise?

Since this is all new to me I’m not really sure. Maybe $5-6k ? I don’t know how many specific excursions we would do, not interested in guided tors or swimming with dolphins kinda stuff. Looking for an all inclusive type of experience. I’m ok with taking DCL off the list. DH just comes to the parks to humor me

And like I said I can shift the trip a few months if it makes a huge difference price wise or it’s the perfect itinerary. Somehow I don’t really see things going DOWN price in general regardless of time of year. Shoot a dozen donuts from Dunkin’ cost me over $13 today! And a 3 pack of dental floss was over $12!

 

[Erica Ladd]

For a special anniversary trip, I'd choose Celebrity first, then Princess second. See if either of those have a date or itinerary that works for you. I would personally try to avoid the Bahamas, but some people enjoy it. For better itineraries, you usually need at least a week. NYE may be your best option, since Christmas falls on Sunday this year. Cruise Critic is a great source for cruise info.

I don’t think I get seasick but I’ve never cruised for multiple days before lol. DH went deep sea fishing and was fine while many others did get sick. He did take Dramamine prior and was fine. I’d be willing to do a week and yeah, not super interested in the Bahamas either but I see many shorter cruises go there. That’s why I’m willing to extend the length of cruise or shift when we go

 

[tvguy]

Well, as mentioned, that is probably one of the busiest weeks of the year, so it will be pricey. And this late for a peak week , you may not have a lot of options because I expect most of the ships are already fully booked. And I suspect every cruise line will have a higher number of children on board that week.
I always tell people to pick ports first. Which ones appeal to you, do you want lots of sea days or no sea days? Then look at the ships to see what things they offer that appeal to you.
I've cruised Disney, HAL, NCL, RCCL and Celebrity and all were great. But you need to get busy if you want to book for this year.

 

[abdmom]

I'd recommend searching on a site like cruisesonly dot com or cruises dot com . Use boards.cruisecritic.com to do some research on which cruise lines appeal to you.

I've sailed Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Princess. My favorite is Holland America because I like their unique itineraries. I'd stay away from Carnival, especially for a 4 or 5 night cruise. Try to see if you can extend your time to a 7 night or longer cruise. The 4 night cruises tend to be party cruises.

You may prefer Azamara or Viking or Seaborn or Silversea or Virgin or Oceania. They're more upscale than the typical cruise line.

 

[kymom99]

I have cruised late February and early March several times. It’s a great time to cruise in the Caribbean.

If you can find an itinerary that stops in key west, that’s a good place up strike out on your own. I took a carnival cruise to the Dominican Republic and grand Turk island. Grand Turk had the most beautiful water I have ever seen. I wouldn’t really recommend carnival. It was fun and high energy but there were some rough people on there. And the food in the dining room was so-so.

I would do as suggested previously and look at princess or holland America. I like royal Caribbean but I think if you are willing to spend more, there are better options out there. Watch out for cruises that offer free unlimited alcohol to all passengers unless you like being around crowds of drunk people.

If you can afford a suite, even a junior suite, they usually come with priority boarding, etc.

 

[fly girl]

Celebrity is my first choice.

Look on their site and see if any of their trips interest you. Then look at price - my bet is the rate for a start date after the holiday travel season will be lower than the week you are looking at.

As PP said, 7+ days gives you a much better itinerary.

Celebrity often has many different drink packages. It is a nice perk but if you are paying oop (versus a promotional deal) do the math to see if it’s worth it.

If you are worried about seasickness, stick with a midship cabin.

 

[Erica Ladd]

I found a HAL7 night cruise in that timeframe- balcony room with drink package specialty dining and excursions? included for about $3500 total. Goes to Grand Turk and Puerto Rico. I forget where else! If we go for 7 nights I’d want no more than 2 days at sea…

I’d also love to have a stop at Key West and find a cruise that does…

 

[tvguy]

I found a HAL7 night cruise in that timeframe- balcony room with drink package specialty dining and excursions? included for about $3500 total. Goes to Grand Turk and Puerto Rico. I forget where else! If we go for 7 nights I’d want no more than 2 days at sea…

I’d also love to have a stop at Key West and find a cruise that does…

HAL is great.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My advice, fwiw. We have only sailed with Disney (X4). Can hardly wait to do another DCL cruise someday.

On the four night sailings we seriously wished we had more time on the ship. Seven nights are better, but still go by really fast. We learned to book some WDW time afterward to make it easier to leave the ship.

I got sea legs, but never really got sea sick, as I was afraid I would. I wore the ear patch the first time but never needed it after that.

We enjoy staying on the ship when everyone else gets off. They offer some fun things to do then (culinary tours, wine tasting, etc.), and it’s less crowded. We also get to explore areas of the ship that we might not otherwise visit. Excursions are fun, too, but there’s something to be said for getting to know the ship, too, as it’s a work of art in itself. At-Sea days are a good time to sleep in and order room service!

Some of the nicest photos I have of our family came from the cruises. Formal nights are kind of fun. We spend a lot on photos, and tips. I’m not sure about drink packages, but I would buy a bottle of wine at dinner the first night and they would keep it for me and bring it out to dinner on subsequent nights. I know you used to be able to buy a beer package that came with a nice little cooler, but not sure what they’re offering now. (We’re not big drinkers but like a few tropical drinks over the course of the week.)

You might consider picking a different week that wouldn’t have as many kids or maybe be as crowded? But if you decide to go that week, have a great time! And be sure to let us know how you liked it!

 

[kymom99]

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/C2T07D/J269.html
This one looks nice. Not offered on your dates but they may add more. It gives you an idea anyway.

 

[Erica Ladd]

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/C2T07D/J269.html
This one looks nice. Not offered on your dates but they may add more. It gives you an idea anyway.

That cruise looks perfect! I wish it were for my dates or even I wish they had more in the future! Do cruise lines ever release more dates for a certain itinerary? What’s my best bet - just keep checking??

 

[John VN]

I found a HAL7 night cruise in that timeframe- balcony room with drink package specialty dining and excursions? included for about $3500 total. Goes to Grand Turk and Puerto Rico. I forget where else! If we go for 7 nights I’d want no more than 2 days at sea…

I’d also love to have a stop at Key West and find a cruise that does…

DW and I have done DCL, Royal C, HAL, Carnival, Norwegian, Oceania and best of all for $$$ spent is MSC.

This past June we did a B2B, 4 Day then 3 Day for our 49th Anniversary and as usual we sailed Yacht Club Level. Thousands less than a DCL Verandah and way less than DCL Concierge also extremely good value compared to all others.

 

[kymom99]

That cruise looks perfect! I wish it were for my dates or even I wish they had more in the future! Do cruise lines ever release more dates for a certain itinerary? What’s my best bet - just keep checking??

If I remember right, holland America and carnival are the same company. We did this itinerary in March on carnival a couple years pre-Covid. I would keep checking or you could even call.

 

[Cheburashka]

DH and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary just after Christmas. We've never taken a cruise, mostly because it's so overwhelming with all of the cruise lines, different ships and so many itineraries1

Any experts have advice? We would like to go after Christmas so we can spend the holiday at home with family. NYE is no problem! But DH would need to be back at work no later than the week after New Years. Here's a quick description of what we are after -

4 or 5 night cruise (scared we might not like it and would be stuck for 7 nights at sea!! - but I'm willing to chance it if it's the perfect fit)
Not concerned with crazy onboard activities (ziplines, surfing pool, etc.) A few things might be nice like mini golf or pedal rides, etc.
A balcony room AND some sort of drink package for beer, wine and some cocktails every day
Adult areas to relax like pools and lounges, sit watching the water sipping a drink
We love to eat and can be adventurous but aren't really foodies. Mostly casual but I'd like maybe 1-2 nicer, dress up meals
Itinerary that has ports of call that we could explore on our own, or rent paddleboards (maybe a kayak tour if worth it) see the city/town and beaches
Not looking to break the bank but want to make this worth our while so willing to spend where needed.
Preferably a FL departure as I usually fly SWA and it's convenient from our city

Anything else important I am missing?? Not sure what precautions will be in place at that time, but we probably need a cruise line, ports of call that are not very restricted!

Thanks for any advice you can throw my way. I know it's a very limited timeframe so if there is a GOOD reason to postpone till a bit later we can (took our honeymoon to Europe 3 years after or wedding!)
And if anyone has any other ideas for a fantastic anniversary celebration please share!

ETA - not really interested in shows but may go to one to see what it’s like or maybe once to casino if there’s one onboard

5 night cruises on Disney Dream sailings out of Miami have a lot of GT discount rates available. You certainly could find something affordable as long as you go when school is in for most kids.

DCL doesn't offer liquor packages, but you can bring a certain amount of canned beers onboard in your carryon luggage. The Dream has a nice adult-only pool deck, adult-only lounges at night and some adult-only activities/game-shows, an adult-only spa & gym, and Castaway Cay has an adult-only beach. Palo and Remy are very good adult-only upcharge restaurants where you can have dinner instead of dining among the families in the MDR every night.

If you pick a cruise that includes Nassau as a stop, go to Atlantis. It has a nice casino. If you book Atlantis Aquaventure you can go to their big waterpark and beach. It's really beautiful and there are great views of the island from the landings at the top of the tall slides.

 

[kymom99]

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/C3T07B/J317.html

Here you go. You’re making me want to go now!

You can go in there and filter by months and such. I put in Caribbean and checked off feb March April.

 

[RamblingMad]

Another option is river cruises in Europe. One of my friends did one and loved it.