I have some ????

[dtuleya]

DH and I recently started talking about a DCL vacation, but we were thinking of the 3 or 4 night since none of us have ever cruised before. It's me and DH and DS (15 & 11).

Lo and behold, we went to a friend's holiday party last night and as soon as we got in the door she told us she is trying to get a group cruise together (7 day Eastern) and wanted to know if we'd like to go. It is the November 27, 2004 (week after Thanksgiving) voyage and there are 10 rooms blocked for us. Total w/o trip ins (and we'll be driving there) would be $2989.40. Before I start getting my hopes up can anyone tell me if this is a good price or not??? We have some time to decide since the deposit doesn't have to be in until February 1st.

Oops forgot to mention it would be category 9.

What will that price include onboard? I assume it doesn't include alcohol, but what about photos, shows, etc? Can anybody give me their comparisons of the Eastern vs. Western cruise?

 

[KathyTX]

Did she tell you what category the rooms are? We'd need to know that to check the prices...

But I think cruising with a group of friends sounds like a lot of fun!

 

[ThreeCircles]

Not too sure about the price (as we only book for two adults) but just wanted to let you know that the time of year you have slotted is an excellent time to sail. We sailed on the Magic during Thanksgiving week in 2002 and had a wonderful time.

 

[Jamashp]

Check out www.allseastravel.com

They give rates online. For the week of Nov. 27, Magic Eastern, they have a rate listed as $2,789 for four people in a category 9. I'd check further with them as well as Dreams Unlimited. Both usually have the best rates.

Good luck!

 

[dtuleya]

I'm waiting to hear back from DU, but I'll check out the other link also. Thanks alot!

I just did some double checking on www.allseastravel.com and actually the price would be $2989 since my oldest DS would be 15.

 

[alexandrew]

price seems pretty much on target ....

 

[NJ Cruisers]

Hi dtuleya - we'll be on the 11/27/04 cruise too. We already have a thread started in the Cruise Meets section. Join us there if you decide to cuise on that dates.

What's included and what's not:
Alcohol - no
Shows - yes
Soda - only at sit down meals
shore excursions - no (but you can grab a cab to a beach or visit the "downtown" area)
Food - definitely YES
Movies in the theater- yes (we saw Nemo, Brother Bear, Spy Kids 3 this year)
Photos - no


Diane

 

[jel0511]

That indeed does sound like a good price. Since you would be part of such a large group, you're available to receive group pricing. That usually is the best, and AllSeas is usually the best in terms of pricing, and since they are the same, I'd book with the group. The eastern makes 3 stops in port (St. Thomas, St. Martin and Castaway Cay) and the western has 4 stops (Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Castaway Cay). The real difference is the ports between the itineries and the Eastern does have 3 sea days, whereas the Western has 2. We are cruising on the Western because the ports have more interest for us. We've been to St. Thomas 3 times, and St. Martin once. So these ports wouldn't be anything new for us. We've never been to Key West and Cozumel, but have been to Cayman once 11 years ago. So, this seemed like a no-brainer to us. Most people say the excursions on the Western are better than the Eastern, but the Eastern has MUCH better shopping. If this is your first Caribbean cruise, and haven't been to any of the above ports, you really can't go wrong with either.