Other than a very brief weekend cruise on RCCL to Ensenada two years ago, my husband and I have not cruised in 10 years. I used to be "in the know" about cruise lines, ships, and cruise experiences, and now I feel like I just crawled out from under a rock. We also used to sail alone and now have two kids under 10, and I know nothing about kids and Carnival (kids club, shipboard activities, etc.).
Can I get some thoughts and opinions on these potential cruises? Looking at three different ships and a mix up of private islands and other POC. We've never been on a newer mega ship and have no idea what that experience is like. I've also never been to any of the private islands (nor have we been to Grand Turk) so I don't know which are better or worse. We have been to Belize, Cozumel, and San Juan, so know what to expect there (over a decade ago, though). We have been on the Liberty but that was almost 20 years ago. Our kids are 9 and 5 and this will be their second cruise, first trip to the Caribbean.
These are the cruises we are considering for this August (flying from California):
6-Day Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL
Carnival Vista
Half Moon Cay > Grand Turk > Amber Cove
7-Day Western Caribbean from New Orleans, LA
Carnival Liberty
Mahogany Bay > Belize > Cozumel
7-Day from Miami, FL
Carnival Magic
Eastern San Juan > Amber Cove > Grand Turk
OR
Western: Cozumel > Belize > Mahogany Bay