Cruise Veterans: I Need Help!

[tarheelmjfan]

It's been a few years, since we've cruised. So much has changed. Finding a good price isn't as easy as it used to be. When we last cruised, I looked for the destination we wanted & found a cruise line & price we were happy with. Now there are promos including alcohol, specialty restaurants, gratuities, excursions, etc. Searching all of the lines has become overwhelming. We would be purchasing alcoholic beverages & eating in mostly specialty restaurants, whether or not our package includes that, so it's something we need to consider. Obviously, gratuities are a given. I'm hoping some of you will take pity on me & give me tips & suggestions to help me find the best cruise at the best price possible.

I realize this is a Disney board, but we are not interested in a DCL cruise at this point in our life. We would consider any of the other mass market lines.

For reference, we have sailed on Celebrity multiple times, Princess once & NCL once. We would rank them favorite to least favorite as Celebrity, Princess, then NCL. Food quality affected our opinion more than anything. I'm just not sure Celebrity has enough going on to keep DS(24) busy on sea days. We haven't sailed the newest/biggest ships on any of the lines though.

The dates we have to work with are the evening of March 3rd to March 12th. A cruise 7 days or longer would work, as long as it fits within those dates.

We live between Ft. Lauderdale & Miami, so those ports would be most convenient & our first choice. We would consider other Florida departure ports & San Juan, if the ports or ship made it worth the extra travel time. As much as SJ appeals to me for the ports, DH reminded my of my penchant to over pack. For that reason, needing to fly to the ship wouldn't be ideal, if we can find a great option that doesn't require a flight.

DS likes to be on the go. A port intensive cruise or a ship that has a lot for a 24 yr. old & his parents to do on sea days is most important. DH is more active than I, so they could do most activities at sea & on land. DS also really loves music. Educational enrichment programs would most likely appeal to him as well.

We do like dressing up, so a more strict dress code isn't an issue. That doesn't mean a formal dress code is necessary.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll post later, if I forgot anything. Thanks so much for reading this far. Any help figuring out the best cruise for the price would be very much appreciated. We will consider anything. I just really need help in narrowing down our options, so I can do more meaningful research.

 

[ashley0139]

I'd recommend Royal Caribbean. Their ships (especially the newer ones) have tons to do including zip lines, rock walls, ice rink, etc etc. RCL goes everywhere so you could definitely find ports you would like.

 

[Kitty 34]

It's been a few years, since we've cruised. So much has changed. Finding a good price isn't as easy as it used to be. When we last cruised, I looked for the destination we wanted & found a cruise line & price we were happy with. Now there are promos including alcohol, specialty restaurants, gratuities, excursions, etc. Searching all of the lines has become overwhelming. We would be purchasing alcoholic beverages & eating in mostly specialty restaurants, whether or not our package includes that, so it's something we need to consider. Obviously, gratuities are a given. I'm hoping some of you will take pity on me & give me tips & suggestions to help me find the best cruise at the best price possible.

I realize this is a Disney board, but we are not interested in a DCL cruise at this point in our life. We would consider any of the other mass market lines.

For reference, we have sailed on Celebrity multiple times, Princess once & NCL once. We would rank them favorite to least favorite as Celebrity, Princess, then NCL. Food quality affected our opinion more than anything. I'm just not sure Celebrity has enough going on to keep DS(24) busy on sea days. We haven't sailed the newest/biggest ships on any of the lines though.

The dates we have to work with are the evening of March 3rd to March 12th. A cruise 7 days or longer would work, as long as it fits within those dates.

We live between Ft. Lauderdale & Miami, so those ports would be most convenient & our first choice. We would consider other Florida departure ports & San Juan, if the ports or ship made it worth the extra travel time. As much as SJ appeals to me for the ports, DH reminded my of my penchant to over pack. For that reason, needing to fly to the ship wouldn't be ideal, if we can find a great option that doesn't require a flight.

DS likes to be on the go. A port intensive cruise or a ship that has a lot for a 24 yr. old & his parents to do on sea days is most important. DH is more active than I, so they could do most activities at sea & on land. DS also really loves music. Educational enrichment programs would most likely appeal to him as well.

We do like dressing up, so a more strict dress code isn't an issue. That doesn't mean a formal dress code is necessary.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll post later, if I forgot anything. Thanks so much for reading this far. Any help figuring out the best cruise for the price would be very much appreciated. We will consider anything. I just really need help in narrowing down our options, so I can do more meaningful research.

Just enforcing "The Rule". Have a great time with your cruise decisions, Tarheelmifan.

 

[jevs]

Change your dates and come cruise with me so I have someone to drink with when the kids bugger off to kids club. It'll be FUN

 

[Wishing on a star]

For your son, I too was thinking of Royal Caribbean. One of the nice ships.
I think that they would probably offer ports and activities that you all would like.

You are correct... the days of cruise deals and discounts offered by cruise internet retailers are over.

Here is what I would do...
I would pick a cruise, and book soon. I think all lines offer cancel with no fees up until a certain last-payment-date. If a better price or promo is offered, all you have to to is rebook (re-fare). If you are picky about your cabin, by booking early, you will be able to select the cabin and location that you like best

With most cruise lines, I think I would go with a package that includes the extras.
You do have to be careful though... Quick calculations can compare the cost of the extras that you would like, added to a regular fare, versus the cost of a package with drinks, etc. (If I am right, Princess has offered so-called Sip-N-Sail packages that cost just as much or more than a drink package added to the regular fare????) So, just double check that with some quick calculations.

I am not sure if any great Last-Minute fares will come out at that time of year. Even though it isn't near Easter, I am thinking that this is still high season for Caribbean cruises, and I don't think I would hold off and wait.

Our last cruise was Alaska, in May, on Princess (because they are good in Alaska and offered the itinerary and dates we wanted)
We went ahead and booked... Turns out, because May is early in the season, we could have gotten our nice cabin cheaper.
That is just the luck of the draw, though!
At least our TA gave us an extra $100.00 onboard credit.

Happy planning!

 

[Kirby]

Our last cruise was Alaska, in May, on Princess (because they are good in Alaska and offered the itinerary and dates we wanted)
We went ahead and booked... Turns out, because May is early in the season, we could have gotten our nice cabin cheaper.
That is just the luck of the draw, though!
At least our TA gave us an extra $100.00 onboard credit.

Happy planning!

My DH and I are interested in an Alaskan cruise. Are you saying it's cheaper to book in May when you wait later to book than say right now?

 

[mjkacmom]

My DH and I are interested in an Alaskan cruise. Are you saying it's cheaper to book in May when you wait later to book than say right now?

I think for Alaska, book as far ahead as possible, less likely to go fown in price than let's say a Caribbean cruise in October.

 

[ksjayhawks]

Here are two from RCCL that meet your dates, one from Orlando and one from FLL. Both on the bigger ships which offer a lot to do onboard. There are good excursions at the ports or beaches that are nice. I think RCCL has some special offers going on right now.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I'd recommend Royal Caribbean. Their ships (especially the newer ones) have tons to do including zip lines, rock walls, ice rink, etc etc. RCL goes everywhere so you could definitely find ports you would like.

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know, if RCI ever offers free alcohol packages, specialty dining or any other promo?

Just enforcing "The Rule". Have a great time with your cruise decisions, Tarheelmifan.

Rules? We don't follow no stinkin' rules around here. You know better than that. That's no fun at all.

Change your dates and come cruise with me so I have someone to drink with when the kids bugger off to kids club. It'll be FUN

I wish we could. We'd have a blast. Unfortunately, we're stuck with DS's spring break schedule. He works in the office of a college & attends a different university. It's amazing that both of them are off at the same time. We want to take advantage of our good fortune. Unfortunately, it may not happen again, before he graduates.

What cruise are you taking?

 

[msjprincess]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know, if RCI ever offers free alcohol packages, specialty dining or any other promo?


Rules? We don't follow no stinkin' rules around here. You know better than that. That's no fun at all.



I wish we could. We'd have a blast. Unfortunately, we're stuck with DS's spring break schedule. He works in the office of a college & attends a different university. It's amazing that both of them are off at the same time. We want to take advantage of our good fortune. Unfortunately, it may not happen again, before he graduates.

What cruise are you taking?

I've never seen a free beverage package for US citizens. They do offer dining packages which will give you a discount on speciaty dining.

 

[tvguy]

Take a look at HAL, their food and service are top notch.
NCL America was probably the lowest on our list, just because the ship wasn't a destination, it was just a moving hotel
We have also sailed RCL, regular NCL, Disney and Paquet. But RCL, regular NCL, and Paquet were so long ago (1983 to 1988) that our experiences are too old.
Regular NCL used to be awesome. Best entertainment at sea (with Disney very close) because they used to have name entertainers on board, folks you would see on the Tonight show, and all those Christmas specials. We saw Shields and Yarnell, Norm Crosby, Jack Jones and the Fifth Dimension on NCL, and they hung out the entire week with passengers on the ship.

 

[ronandannette]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know, if RCI ever offers free alcohol packages, specialty dining or any other promo?


Rules? We don't follow no stinkin' rules around here. You know better than that. That's no fun at all.



I wish we could. We'd have a blast. Unfortunately, we're stuck with DS's spring break schedule. He works in the office of a college & attends a different university. It's amazing that both of them are off at the same time. We want to take advantage of our good fortune. Unfortunately, it may not happen again, before he graduates.

What cruise are you taking?

There is always some sort of "promo" running, but on RCCL it's usually on price only - occasionally there will be a small on-board credit. The kind of deals you're talking about are almost always on NCL https://www.ncl.com/cruise-deals/choice

A couple more pieces of information would be helpful before making specific recommendations:

• Do you have a budget?
• One cabin for the 3 of you or two?

 

[mjkacmom]

NCL is still offering free at sea offers - you can chose the UBP and SDP for the first 2 passengers. The away class ships have big ropes courses, rock climbing walls, bowling, and Broadway shows.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

For your son, I too was thinking of Royal Caribbean. One of the nice ships.
I think that they would probably offer ports and activities that you all would like.

You are correct... the days of cruise deals and discounts offered by cruise internet retailers are over.

Here is what I would do...
I would pick a cruise, and book soon. I think all lines offer cancel with no fees up until a certain last-payment-date. If a better price or promo is offered, all you have to to is rebook (re-fare). If you are picky about your cabin, by booking early, you will be able to select the cabin and location that you like best

With most cruise lines, I think I would go with a package that includes the extras.
You do have to be careful though... Quick calculations can compare the cost of the extras that you would like, added to a regular fare, versus the cost of a package with drinks, etc. (If I am right, Princess has offered so-called Sip-N-Sail packages that cost just as much or more than a drink package added to the regular fare????) So, just double check that with some quick calculations.

I am not sure if any great Last-Minute fares will come out at that time of year. Even though it isn't near Easter, I am thinking that this is still high season for Caribbean cruises, and I don't think I would hold off and wait.

Our last cruise was Alaska, in May, on Princess (because they are good in Alaska and offered the itinerary and dates we wanted)
We went ahead and booked... Turns out, because May is early in the season, we could have gotten our nice cabin cheaper.
That is just the luck of the draw, though!
At least our TA gave us an extra $100.00 onboard credit.

Happy planning!

Thanks for the suggestions. As you've noted, cruise pricing has become much more complicated. I'll try to find something to book soon in case prices go up.

My DH and I are interested in an Alaskan cruise. Are you saying it's cheaper to book in May when you wait later to book than say right now?

We cruised to Alaska several years ago in June. May was the cheapest month, followed by early June. I definitely wouldn't pay prime prices for an Alaskan cruise that early. If you don't have a particular cabin in mind, waiting until final payment has been paid by others will probably get you a better price. The other option would be to book very early from a high volume TA that doesn't have a cancellation penalty, then monitor prices.

FWIW, I've cruised to Alaska twice. IMO, itinerary should be your top priority. It can make or break an Alaskan cruise. Most of all you want to see an amazing glacier not what I call a frozen river. I've done it both ways, because I didn't book my second cruise there. I felt really bad for the people I sailed with the second time, because I knew they had missed the most incredible part of an Alaskan cruise.

Here are two from RCCL that meet your dates, one from Orlando and one from FLL. Both on the bigger ships which offer a lot to do onboard. There are good excursions at the ports or beaches that are nice. I think RCCL has some special offers going on right now.

View attachment 198935

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'll definitely check them out.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I've never seen a free beverage package for US citizens. They do offer dining packages which will give you a discount on speciaty dining.

Celebrity & Norwegian both offer free alcohol packages a lot of the time. NCL requires you pay gratuities on the package, but Celebrity doesn't. Wishing on a Star mentioned Princess also does on occasion. MCS's Yacht Club offers free drinks in the secluded area all the time. I don't know about the others, which is what makes pricing a cruise so difficult now.

Take a look at HAL, their food and service are top notch.
NCL America was probably the lowest on our list, just because the ship wasn't a destination, it was just a moving hotel
We have also sailed RCL, regular NCL, Disney and Paquet. But RCL, regular NCL, and Paquet were so long ago (1983 to 1988) that our experiences are too old.
Regular NCL used to be awesome. Best entertainment at sea (with Disney very close) because they used to have name entertainers on board, folks you would see on the Tonight show, and all those Christmas specials. We saw Shields and Yarnell, Norm Crosby, Jack Jones and the Fifth Dimension on NCL, and they hung out the entire week with passengers on the ship.

Thanks for the input. It's too bad cruises aren't what they used to be. We took a cruise for our honeymoon many years ago. Oh for the good old days..... They treated you like royalty, the food was amazing & the entertainment was fantastic. That's the reason I hesitate to recommend a cruise to honeymooners. It's not what it used to be, but it can still be a great vacation.

NCL is still offering free at sea offers - you can chose the UBP and SDP for the first 2 passengers. The away class ships have big ropes courses, rock climbing walls, bowling, and Broadway shows.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into their cruises. I'm pretty sure one of their biggest ships leaves from Miami.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

There is always some sort of "promo" running, but on RCCL it's usually on price only - occasionally there will be a small on-board credit. The kind of deals you're talking about are almost always on NCL https://www.ncl.com/cruise-deals/choice

A couple more pieces of information would be helpful before making specific recommendations:

• Do you have a budget?
• One cabin for the 3 of you or two?

Thanks for the input. Even though I realize it's not helpful, we don't have a particular budget in mind. Obviously, we'd like the best price for a comparable experience. We've decided to book a cabin for 3, because the point of the trip is family bonding time, before DS is on his own. The only other option we'd consider is an inside or ocean view cabin for DS very close to our balcony cabin. We'd actually prefer a balcony cabin to reasonably priced suite (with free promos considered) for all 3 of us. The final cost including cabin, gratuities, alcohol, specialty dining, etc. is what matters to us.

 

[disney4us2002]

I would also recommend NCL on either Getaway or Escape. Both offer two free choice options & my suggestion would be free beverage package and free gratuities. Both are the most value over the other options, unless you are booking your 24 yr old in your cabin. The dining packages are not as costly. We always get a separate cabin for our boys. If you only have one son you might want to check on the studio cabin option for him. The Getaway & Escape have tons of things to do onboard. Personally, I think the Western Caribbean is better than Eastern but mostly because I could skip Nassau on every cruise I ever take again. It seems every cruise goes to the Bahamas!

Have fun.

 

[msjprincess]

Celebrity & Norwegian both offer free alcohol packages a lot of the time. NCL requires you pay gratuities on the package, but Celebrity doesn't. Wishing on a Star mentioned Princess also does on occasion. MCS's Yacht Club offers free drinks in the secluded area all the time. I don't know about the others, which is what makes pricing a cruise so difficult now.



Thanks for the input. It's too bad cruises aren't what they used to be. We took a cruise for our honeymoon many years ago. Oh for the good old days..... They treated you like royalty, the food was amazing & the entertainment was fantastic. That's the reason I hesitate to recommend a cruise to honeymooners. It's not what it used to be, but it can still be a great vacation.



Thanks for the tip. I'll look into their cruises. I'm pretty sure one of their biggest ships leaves from Miami.

I know, that was in response to your question about RCI.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Based on what you list liking and wanting more to do for the 24 year old, I also recomend Royal Caribbean.

If you have any status with Celebrity, yo ucan call and have it matched on RCCI---they are owned by the same company. What you get as perks is different between the lines--you can easily look it up though. If you happen to be Elite on Celebrity (not sure if you have sailed that much), you'd be diamond on RCCI and get three drink vouchers each to use in any bar in the evenings (usually 6:00-8:30, though it varies a bit by ship) as well as other perks.

Sometimes there are special for dirnk packages, etc--though it is less likely in high volumes time frames like a spring break cruise that you are looking at. Or, they might offer 20% off online if you prebuy it once booking the cruise (this has been teh case for our last couple of cruises).

RCI also allows you to bring on two bottles of wine per cabin---in case not everyone wants a package but someone might still want a bit of wine on the balcony or something.

There is also usually a discounted speicality restraunt package you can buy online before you sail---works out to about 35% off with 3 or 5 nights out (usually)

Cruise critic is by far and a way your best source for information about lines other than DCL

 

[Prose]

Consider Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan. The ship is just about to go into dry dock, which recently on ROyal has meant added restaurants and possibly water slides. A Southern route is very port-intensive, and Old San Juan is amazing.

Alternatively, look at one of the Oasis class ships - they are huge and full of things to do.