Help with picking a cruise

[bcvprincesses]

I just won a cruise up to $3000 and I have no idea what cruise to pick. It would be myself, dh and dd's that are 11 and 13. We have been on a few Disney cruises in the past but want to try something else. Anything over $3000 we would just pay ourselves. I have an apt on Saturday with the travel agent that we have to use and I just wanted to go there with a few ideas in mind. We have to book it by next Tuesday so I don't have much time to research. I would prefer to leave from somewhere in Fl as the airfare is cheaper. So, what cruise would you pick and why? Thanks so much. I am just so excited because I never win anything.

 

[DMRick]

Take a look at vacationstogodotcom just to get ideas. Of course cruisecritic is always a great help researching cruises. I think with the age your kids are, I would stick to one of the larger of the Royal Caribbean ships as they can have so much to do right on the ship for kids. We don't often sale with our grands, but I know that is their prefered cruiseline.
Hopefully the TA you have to use doesn't have inflatted prices.

 

[dakcp2001]

Congrats! Id try to make it a once in a lifetime dream trip since you get a 3k down payment! I'd spend all 3k. What is your dream destination? Alaska? Belize? Mediterranian? There are some great looking Hawaii cruises!

I am so excited for you! ENjoy!!!!!

 

[msjprincess]

Take a look at vacationstogodotcom just to get ideas. Of course cruisecritic is always a great help researching cruises. I think with the age your kids are, I would stick to one of the larger of the Royal Caribbean ships as they can have so much to do right on the ship for kids. We don't often sale with our grands, but I know that is their prefered cruiseline.
Hopefully the TA you have to use doesn't have inflatted prices.

I was going to suggest the same thing. I'm pretty sure with Royal Caribbean you pay the same price no matter who you book with.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

We did the Carnival Legend Western Caribbean out of Tampa a few years ago and loved it! I think it was a little less than 3K for a balcony stateroom, but I'm sure prices have changed since then, and we did a lot of excursions that brought the cost up above that. We swam with dolphins in Cozumel, sting rays in Grand Cayman, snorkeled at a small island in Belize and zip-lined in Roatan. dd's were 11 and 5 at the time and both loved it.

I would recommend visiting Cruise Critic. It's like the DIS for cruising. They have forums for the different cruise lines, different ports, and also a forum for cruise newbies.

How awesome that you won a cruise!! Have a great time!

ETA: on Cruise Critic, you can find out some of the differences that are important to you in cruising. For example, we aren't into getting dressed up while on vacation. We loved that Carnival allows men to wear dress shorts in the main dining room all but 2 evenings of the cruise. Other people think that's appalling and hate Carnival for it. (and they will be just as vocal about it as some on the DIS are about refillable mugs ) I believe some cruise lines are giving the option of flexible dining times, rather than having a set time for your whole cruise. Again, some will like that, some won't. Read and figure out what sounds best to you. Also, when looking at specific itineraries, make note of the times the ship is in port. Sometimes a "day" in a particular port is only from 7:00am to noon. And when they say 12:00, that means they are pulling out at 10 till, and will tell you to be on the ship by 11:00.

 

[LynnTH]

I have been on about 7 cruises. (NCL, RCCL and Carnival). The last 2 were Carnival and the kids were with on those. They had a great time but I think the stuff to do onboard is lacking compared to RCCL. The brand new RCCL ships look awesome (The Allure and the The Oasis). I would look into those - there is so much to do on there and would be great for all of you.. One of these ships will be our next cruise.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I have no idea which is best but congratulations!

 

[izzy]

With kids 11 and 13, I would pick Royal Caribbean's Freedom on the Seas out of Port Canaveral. I have been on about 15 cruises on various cruise lines, and the Freedom of the Seas was fantastic. While I don't have children, there looked like tons to do for the kids on this ship between the rocking climbing wall, the flowrider, and the ice skating rink. Go ahead and treat yourself to a balcony cabin, or maybe even a junior suite to give yourself some extra room with 4 people in the room.

 

[Cindy B]

With kids 11 and 13, I would pick Royal Caribbean's Freedom on the Seas out of Port Canaveral. I have been on about 15 cruises on various cruise lines, and the Freedom of the Seas was fantastic. While I don't have children, there looked like tons to do for the kids on this ship between the rocking climbing wall, the flowrider, and the ice skating rink. Go ahead and treat yourself to a balcony cabin, or maybe even a junior suite to give yourself some extra room with 4 people in the room.

I am doing that exact cruise with my kids (aged 13 and 16). We are doing two separate rooms so we can have two bathrooms.

3,000 is a nice amount to play with but may or may not cover an entire Freedom sailing(depending on date/cabin size).

Good luck planning... and congratulations!