Help! Which cruise should we choose??

[lilmakattack]

We are planning to surprise our kids (DD 11 & DS 7) with a cruise for Christmas but we cannot decide which one. Since this is our first cruise and we are going during the school year, we can only do a 4 or 5 night cruise as DH is a teacher and can only miss so many days. So here are our two options. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or recommendations.

Option 1: 4 night Bahamas cruise on the Dream

Pros:
-it sails from Port Canaveral which is close to my parents house so they can take us to/from the port and have the possibility of spending an extra day with them
-can drive or fly
-my DD will turn 12 on this cruise
-ability to afford a Verandah room

Cons:
-only 4 nights instead of 5
-only goes to the Bahamas

Option 2: 5 night Cozumel/Castaway Cay cruise on the Magic

Pros:
-5 nights, 2 sea days
-going to Cozumel instead of Nassau
-my DH and I will celebrate our birthdays on this cruise
-Marvel day at sea

Cons:
-more expensive, will have to book an inside room
-will definitely have to fly, extra expense of hotel

Thoughts? I realize either option will
be great but since this is our first cruise I am having a hard time choosing! And DH is no help because he changes his mind daily lol.

 

[KdKyA]

I was going to give one answer, then thought about the other, and really, either one would be fun and have it's pros and cons. The one thing I keep coming back to is family. I would do the 4 night and fly so you can have a day with your parents which would be great for DD for her to be with her grandparents and for her birthday at that! I value time with family over the extra night on the cruise. I personally prefer the Dream class over the classic ships anyway, so if it were me, I would go with the Dream out of Port Canaveral.

 

[TN_mom5]

We loved having the verandah on our first cruise so I'd pick the 4 night. Getting to see the grandparents would also be a huge pro for us.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Is the 4 night on the Dream? Bigger ship. Does that make a difference to you?

I'm with the pp that said go with the 4 night and spend a day with family.

 

[MaleficentUK]

First time, 4 night with parental visit.
Second time, more days and more interesting ports.

 

[MaleficentUK]

Oh and which ever you do, absolutely celebrate your birthday regardless of whether it is the exact right day or not.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Personal opinion only. We would never do less than 5 nights although at this point We never do less than 7.

love the magic and the dream but the magic is very classic and special. We never get off at Nassau. Cozumel has some cool excursions.

 

[Alicatt]

I also vote for the 4 night on the Dream. This being your first cruise, if you don't love Nassau, that just means extra time to explore the boat! I am doing something very similar for our first this summer. I will probably only go to the pirate muesum at Nassau maybe the brewery. Really I just want to spend time on the ship since it's not a very long cruise.

 

[soonerscott84]

Well we've been there and done that!

My personal recommendation would be the 5 day. We went on our first disney cruise, thinking 4 days would be enough for the kids.

It was too short!!!

That led us to (4) more week cruises and the 10 day Mediteranean!

 

[tink1970]

Well we've been there and done that!

My personal recommendation would be the 5 day. We went on our first disney cruise, thinking 4 days would be enough for the kids.

It was too short!!!

That led us to (4) more week cruises and the 10 day Mediteranean!

To address the OP question-I don't think you can go wrong either way. Personally, if your DD and parents are close I'd spend a little time with them (and save on parking/hotel/etc). Saving money AND making your parents happy sounds like a win-win to me.