Carribean 2017- where to begin for a newbie?

[Happyinwonerland]

A dear friend and I have decided to take all of our kids on a cruise in summer 2017 ( she has 2 girls, will be aged 9 and 10, I have one girl, will be almost 5). We think we'd like to go either Bahamas or Carribean, and we would like to leave from Florida (preferably Port Canaveral). Beyond that, we are both newbies and have no idea where to begin!

Our budgets are very different. I would prefer to stay in a balcony suite, she will likely go with an interior stateroom.

Any suggestions for where to being researching a cruise? Places to look for tips and tricks?. Advice for a newbie? How do you find the best deals?

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, I might start on Royal's website itself. Check out the ships that go to the Bahamas and Caribbean, the ones that leave from PC, and see if you can work out what sort of ship you would rather be on. Then hone in from there.

 

[Laz]

Cruise Critic has an entire section for first time cruisers, plus their forums are excellent:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ftc/

You may want to consider a TA that specializes in cruising.

 

[sam_gordon]

I will also suggest a TA. But, since it's "no fun" having something handed to you, here's some questions you'll need to ask yourself...

1) Do you know/care WHEN you want to go (is June better than July? August better than June?)?
2) Do you know/care how long you'd like to cruise (4-5 day? 6-7? longer?)
3) Do you know/care WHERE you want to go? Do you want to swim with stingrays in Grand Cayman? Golf in Cozumel? Go to a resort in the Bahamas?
4) Do you require certain amenities on the ship (slides, flowrider, shows, extra dinning, etc)
5) Does the day the cruise leave/returns make a difference (Sun-Sun, Sat-Wed, etc)

You already know where you want to cruise from, so the trick is looking at what ships sail out of PC that meet your requirements.