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First Timer Needs Upfront Suggestions Please


nwmsu
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My family is pushing for a cruise and I have a rather long and admittedly picky list of musts for a cruise, it is my big vacation and I usually don't like people/crowds (I like peace and rest). I am willing to cruise and take kids out of school for 1 week in January/February if this means less crowds.

Can I get some feedback and recommendations even if it means avoid a cruise.

 

Budget: Under $5,000 total out the door when the cruise is done (not including my airfare to get there)

Cruise Location: Caribbean and Mexico only

Family of 4. Kids will be 11 and 10.

I am rather tall at 6'6" and need to fit in a room along with the kids or get them a connecting room as long as it fits budget.

Port of calls are indifferent as long as they are not elbow to elbow people.

I have no desire to lay on a lounge chair and listen to the adventures or misadventures of people around me. I just want my wife and kids around to chill. If there are things the kids can do together, great. As tweens they love swimming and video games and that is about it.

I don't drink, booze cruise isn't important.

We don't dance the night away, we read the night away.

Regarding food, we are surf and turf and potatoes kind of family.

 

Thank you all for your expert feedback.

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We are also of the "don't really want to cruise to party" kind of people. My husband is a writer, and we literally take cruises so we can work on the ship.

 

The travel agent is a good recommendation.

 

I would suggest going when school is in session. When the kids are out of school, even on the nicer cruise lines, there are little kids running around and it's more stressful. There is plenty for your kids to do on the ship.

 

I would recommend having your little ones in an adjacent room...it's not that much more if you have an interior stateroom to put them in their own room, but I would price both options. I know on Royal Caribbean that you can put 4 people in some rooms, but that's with bunk beds. If you like your kids, and don't mind them sleeping above you, that might be a decent option, but you would also be sharing a bathroom, which might be a hassle. Since you're tall, you might feel cramped with the extra bunks pulled down.

 

We always travel in winter months...late January or February is good. The prices are cheaper, and we usually get an interior stateroom on RC for about $449-500 per person for the 7-day cruise out of Galveston. You will have gratuities per person that will be additional, and that is automatically added each day (I think it was $12.50 per person, per day?), which would be an additional $350 for four people for the week. That leaves you over $2500 for excursions.

 

The advantage of cruise line sponsored excursions is that if you're late back, they'll hold the ship. If you're careful, you can arrange excursions with reputable operators for less. RC offers a Cozumel/Jamaica/Grand Cayman route and a Roatan/Belize/Cozumel itinerary. For our wedding, we chartered a boat in Grand Cayman, but for the best prices you'll be with other people. If you really want a private excursion, you can do a little research and maybe take a smaller boat out snorkeling or to Stingray City.

 

We find the quiet places on the ship to work...there is a club that overlooks the pool area where people sit and read, and plenty of areas that are accessible. My personal opinion is that Carnival seems to be a younger clientele, so more partiers, and Royal Caribbean seems to have a more mature clientele (most of my "party" friends think that RC is more expensive, so they look first at Carnival). There is also an adult pool area with comfortable, shaded seating. Your kids could go play in the waterpark while you read quietly in the adult area. They also just upgraded Liberty of the Seas with new water slides and there is a surfing activity onboard that is free.

 

Also, since you don't drink, a cruise is a really affordable way to go. We don't either. A soda package is separate, but if you want juice, water, and tea, you'll be able to work within that budget easily.

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Pretty much any cruise will be full of others....but if you aren't "pool people", you can certainly find less used areas to "chill" on ANY ship!

 

You would run into the same issues in any resort, too...except the rooms in hotels are larger. I would look for connecting cabins or at least side by side or directly across the hall from each other. With 4 in one room, it's too close for comfort, IMO...unless you can swing a suite.

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Two suggestions:

1. Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose the departure port(s) from the top list, then the times you are considering, and it will show you who is sailing then and their itineraries. Pay no attention to the prices listed.

After you have mulled over the possibilities,

2. Research airfare. I realize schedules may not be out this far ahead, but do the best you can to get an idea of the most economical/convenient airport to fly out of and into. That can narrow down your choices.

 

A suggestion is one of the three Dream class ships of Carnival: Dream, Magic, Breeze. And their newest ship, Vista. These ships have Deluxe Ocean View cabins with a split bath which affords two showers. Some will hold five with two uppers and a sleeper couch. Those for four have one upper. Have fun doing your research and be sure to get input from the kids. EM

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Your budget is VERY doable IMO!! I have always managed to sail with 4 in one balcony room for less than $3600.

 

Since your kids are close in age (and if they get along!!) taking them out of school for the cruise won't affect them much with there being few other kids aboard. Actually our one cruise the 1st week of December had less than 30 kids around that age on board, and less in the older ones. My oldest was kind of bored, but his younger brother (your kids age) was fine with it.

 

 

If you want the rest and relaxation and "read" time you sounds just like me! I would say what you NEED is a balcony cabin. Since you mentioned you were 6'6 I would really really suggest an extended balcony cabin as you will have a lot more leg room. I can't say about the cabin height itself though, the tallest of us ever sailing is 5'6 being my oldest DS, and I am only 5' so yeah I am no help there at all!

 

 

Personally I have never had an issue "squeezing" 4 of us into a regular balcony room and have never felt a need for a suite, other than 1 awesome upgrade we got for cheap. Sure the space can seem a little crowded, but then again, the 4 of us had lived with just 1 bathroom for well... 16 years before we finally have 2 bathrooms starting less than a year ago.

 

 

No matter what you do, you can always find less crowded things to do at port also, even if there are a ton of people there. If you want something out of the way, look for a private beach at the stops. My last concern like that was in Cozumel when there were over 24,000 cruise ship passengers that day. I booked a private beach club, and there were less than 50 people there all day.

 

 

As for cruises, I didn't really like RCCL. Carnival and NCL have a ton of outdoor places you can go to just chill and read along with indoor places next to windows. RCCL I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off most of the time for some reason. My son around your kids ages loved it though so....

 

 

A cruise really is what you will make it though so just remember that. But like you, I wouldn't be able to cruise w/o my "time away from everyone!!" that I couldn't sail w/o a balcony.

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Celebrity

Going on our 3rd in April

Have been on the other lines but my husband prefers the sophistication and elegance of Celebrity even tho he's 39.

We are taking our 2 children ages 7 and 11 on their 1st cruise.

We love good food, and excellent service and a clean ship with a sophisticated crowd! Celebrity! !

We are younger and we do drink but don't want to deal with the other "party" ships that can get out of hand.

We are staying in a Concierge veranda and our kids are staying in an adjacent inside cabin which was less expensive than cramming the 4 of us in the veranda with a trundle couch.

We leave in less than 8 weeks for our 10 day carribean cruise to celebrate my husband's 40th bday...sailing on the Celebrity Equinox who just won 3rd for overall best cruise ship via Cruise Critic.

 

Good luck with your search!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app

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  • 4 weeks later...

FYI...while a cruise in January will give you warm temperatures, the water temperatures can vary. If I were with a group that enjoyed swimming and intended to go in January, I'd choose a cruise with a Southern Caribbean itinerary because the water temperatures will be warmer. We were on a cruise in December and while there were a lot of people that got in the ocean, I considered it too cold for comfort. Try to see if you can find a cruise leaving out of San Juan.

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