Really Need Travel Advice!!!

[Ilivetogo]

Good luck!!! We have been on 2 cruises (Alaska and Mexico) and they were both AMAZING and wonderful and fun ...

We took NCL for both (Mexico cruise was on the new EPIC - fantastic). The EPIC was AWESOME fun for the teens (and adults) with the water park (yes, it has a water park) and other activities like rock climbing, basketball and bowling. They also have the Blue Man Group on board! So cool.

On our Alaska cruise, which was incredible (on the NCL Star), my then DD15 brought along a friend (who paid most of her own way) for company. You may? want to consider that. At 15, they would love having someone their own age to hang with. We found it worked out great! If you do, just be sure to check with the ship's rules about paperwork to bring along to say they're allowed to travel with you!!

Have a great time!! Man, now you have me wishing I was booked for another cruise.

.

 

[rigs32]

If you're looking for message boards like these, but for cruises, cruisecritic.com is the place to go. I especially like the port specific boards. I never book excursions through the cruise ship and get great (and cheap) ideas for how to spend the day from others who've been before.

I like using vacationstogo.com to search for cruise options. You can search based on a lot of criteria then sort by date, price, etc.

I often book through cruisecompete.com. Once you know which cruise or two you've narrowed it down to, you request a quote and travel agents "compete" to win your business. They will quote you a price - sometimes it includes an on board credit or other bonus items - but that will be spelled out in the offer. You then book through that travel agent online or on the phone. We've booked using that site twice and I was happy with the service and offer. The convienience of a no-obligation quote but then the service of a live person as your agent.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I've been on a number of cruises and my parents are cruise addicts (they're leaving on number 35? 40?...something like that, tomorrow). It's a great way to travel with persons of all ages. My personal opinion as to the best introductory cruise itinerary is Western Caribbean (this is what I took my DH on for his first big boat ride). Exotic, but not too out there. Interesting site-seeing possibilities, but still beach lounging options. Based upon my and my parents' experiences I'd suggest Princess, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian as your best bets. And yes, cruisecritic is a good resource.

 

[jsrj21]

IMHO, adding WDW to this defeats the purpose of taking a break from Disney...

You are so right. This is just me trying to find a way for my son and I to go to WDW. Realistically though, I need to show some discipline and stay away so that way I can justify planning that 10-day trip in 2012!

However, she did mention going to Universal...maybe we'll do that if we sail out of Port Canaveral. We've never been there either.

I am so grateful for your advice. Thanks so much!

Jose

 

[jsrj21]

Awesome advice! Thanks. I have read and heard of nothing but good things about Royal Caribbean. I may be leaning that way.

Jose

 

[jsrj21]

If you're taking a family, I'd go Western Caribbean. I find Eastern ones less then impressive, and honestly, I don't think I'd want to bring a kid to Jamaica (a popular stop for Eastern Cruises and some Western). I also am not a fan of the Bahamas.

Your personal style comes a lot into play with cruises and how long you want to spend on a ship versus at ports. I personally think 7 day cruises are ideal, they get you to 3 - 4 locations and give you some down time on the ships as well (days at sea). From a style perspective, if your family is very outgoing and loud (not in a bad way), a Carnival cruise might be great, but if you're more relaxed or want something similar to Disney quality, you're going to want to move up market to Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Princess or Disney (not in particular order). If you want something really more upscale, look to Cunard or Celebrity, but kids may feel out of place.

I personally wouldn't travel again, ever, on a Carnival cruise, it's not my style and they really are the low end of the cruising world (there are worst, but from the large cruiselines, they are pretty much the bottom).

Thanks so much for the advice! I have heard great things about Royal Caribbean. May be going in that direction. Thanks again.

Jose

 

[jsrj21]

Things to be considered:

Vacation fund- how much are you able to spend (when comparing, I found DCL didn't come close to meeting Royal Carib or Carnival in terms of money spent vs cruise length)

I love everything Disney but the prices for the cruises are a bit much. I can go on the DCL but for the money, I can take a cruise [non-Disney] and still have money to do other things [like Universal, Sea World, etc] if sailing out of Port Canaveral.

So $3-4,000.00 is my range with air etc out of NYC. If we sail out of NYC or NJ, then it will be less. If we go out of NYC or NJ, I will be able to do a 3-4 day Dude Ranch in upstate NY along with the cruise for about that amount of money. I think that that's not bad.

Thanks for the response.

Jose

 

[ksjayhawks]

Another vote for Royal Caribbean. We have a son who just turned 18 in October and we have cruised RCCL once a year since 2004. He has never been bored and has always made many friends that he keeps in touch with. In fact, several of them will be together on our cruise in March.

We have been on Freedom and Liberty of the Seas, Mariner, Rhapsody, Oasis and cruise on Allure in March. They are all great ships, but with your son, he would enjoy the Freedom--flowrider, rock wall, etc.

Go to cruisecritic and find the boards for the different lines, read and ask questions.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Definately look at what ships and itineraries are available cruising out of NYC, Bayonne and maybe even Baltimore. Driving to the port and parking there is a lot less expensive than flying and departing from FL or PR. plus, you don't have any worries about transporting your duty free liquor purchases home during the TSA's "war on liquids."

Do nothing until you have visited cruisecritic.com!