beckzay

Carnival will usually start sailing out of NYC in late June and finish in October.

Thank you! That's a bummer :(

How early in the season does Carnival start sailing out of NYC?

My avatar is a picture of a tiny hermit crab I was holding in Curacao.

 

By the everyone... I am sitting at Scotchies in Jamaica now waiting to be served their famous Jerk Pork! We are on the Norwegian Getaway this week and having a great time with perfect weather. Thank you Scotchies for the free wifi! Hey Mon, have a good day!!!

I'm looking forward to your review of the Getaway....hopefully you're planning on doing one :)

Awesome! This is how everyone should cruise (and live life!) :)

Also, I just want to add...that the "free" beverage package on NCL isn't necessarily all that free. They charge an 18% service charge at the time of booking. I know tipping is obviously a necessity but it's something that people don't always thing about. I believe it's around $165 for two people for a 7 day cruise. Just a heads up :)

I see you're in Pennsylvania, have you looked at the Dawn to Bermuda out of Boston? You could have the better itinerary with a less crowded ship...best of both worlds :)

My personal opinion is that the kids are old enough to stay home :D Maybe mom and dad need a mom and dad vacation?

 

Those breakaway rooms are small. Really small. Like 20 sqft smaller than the cabins on the gem. I'm just saying.

 

I know the itinerary is "better" but consider that MOST of the vacation are days at sea. You spend more time at sea than you do in port. Just... remember that.

Haha, this is true but we've been on 5 cruises without them and now it's time to introduce them to cruising :) I wouldn't feel right about going without them again. An although we are paying for our adult children to go they will be paying for their alcohol and chipping in for shore excursions.

True, the itinerary to bermuda is mostly sea days which is why I like the breakaway...there's so much to do on the ship. I'm not sure it would be as enjoyable on a smaller ship like the Dawn where there are limited deck activities. So, really, it's a toss up between the breakaway and the gem.

What is the price difference for booking two inside cabins on the breakaway is it that much of a price difference from the Gem?

Currently, this is the price break down:

Breakaway 1 family OV (with bev. package)...$3301

Breakaway 2 insides (no bev. package)....$3767

Gem 1 OV and 1 IS (with bev package)....$3541

Dawn to Bermuda 1 IS and 1 OV (with bev package)...$3765

So, as you can see, the Breakaway with 2 insides isn't really economical for us right now since not only is it the most expensive, it doesn't include the UBP which is important to us :)

 

If one of you can climb the ladder up to the 5th bed it is doable. The stateroom would be crowded but there is so much to do on the Breakaway you'll only use it for sleeping, showering etc.

 

 

Yes, this is my thought too, but I'm still nervous we'll get there and be miserable, lol. We're close and truly enjoy each other company but I worry about the little things like my husband snoring keeping the kids up and the two older kids coming in in the middle of the night.

5 in a cabin when they are all adults would be way too crowded like you say. OP, go the inside/outside option.

So, you think we should book the Gem to Bahamas (inside/outside cabin option) rather than the Breakaway to bermuda? I'm not sure if two rooms is a good trade off for a better ship and itinerary. Decisions, decisions.

I really want to book the Breakaway to Bermuda for mid-May but the only way we can afford it right now is to book all 5 of us in a family oceanview (with beverage package for my husband and I). Or we could book the Gem to the Bahamas with an oceanview (beverage package included) for my husband and I and an inside for our 3 kids.

Our "kids" are 21, 21 and 14...all adult size. Actually, all are bigger than I am :) So, essentially, this would be 5 adults in a cabin on the Breakaway.

The Gem is $200 more than the Breakaway because of the two rooms. The itinerary of the gem doesn't really excite my husband and I since we've been to the Bahamas 4 times already, but the kids have never cruised.

Should I forget about the Breakaway and just book Gem because of being able to get 2 rooms? I'm not worried about the 1 bathroom issue because we currently all share 1 bathroom at home :)

If you youtube "Getaway ropes course" you can see some great videos of it from start to finish.

I am so afraid of heights, but I've already told myself that I'm definitely doing it when we go on either the Breakaway or Getaway this spring!!!! I'm going to do it no matter what...even if I need to have a drink or two beforehand ;)

I can't wait!!!

Ok, just wanted to make sure you knew the family suites aren't necessarily crazy expensive, but it really varies. Have a great time, sounds like the Breakaway deal is awesome and you'll love Bermuda!

Thank you very much, I really appreciate the advice. I probably wouldn't have even looked at the Dawn and a suite if you hadn't mentioned it.

Unfortunately, it looks like both of the sailings on the Breakaway we could have gone on are sold out now for the family ocean view category :(

We loved Bermuda, there is so much to do, the three days fly by! And it sounds like a good fit for your budget, there is a lot you can do in Bermuda for a minimal amount of money. The bus and ferry system is cheap and reliable. Food is expensive, so we ate lunch out and had a late dinner on the ship, so it wasn't such a big deal. St George is a wonderful history filled spot to explore, loved the perfumery. Did the caves, not my favorite, but you never know til you try it. And gorgeous beaches with wonderful warm water. Would go back again and again if I could. Did you check the prices for the family suites on the Dawn? They would hold 5 adult sized people very comfortably, not sure that would be true with the family oceanview...

I did, for multiple dates in May, and it's quite a bit more for a suite on Dawn than the family ocean view on Breakaway (and way more than the Getaway to the Caribbean). I know the OV will be tight but I'm not that worried about it. We're a really close family (our twins are only 16-17 years younger than us) and we still all share 1 bathroom in our house :) We won't be in the room much, we'll be out making memories!

I see that you are from NH. The money you save by doing Bermuda from Boston will go a long way. We did Bermuda from NYC to save air and it was awesome. Having the ship as your "hotel" for 3 days is a big plus.

 

There is so much to do in Bermuda they won't miss Island hopping, especially if they are on their first cruise. Lots of snorkeling, swimming and shopping and back to the ship for food and entertainment.

 

Since you will probably drive to Boston from NH, look at buying some snorkel gear before you go. No baggage to pay and no line to stand in to get the gear.

 

Have an awesome cruise.

 

Lynda

Yes, the idea of not having to fly in a day ahead of time, get a hotel, get a shuttle to the port, etc. is VERY appealing. Unfortunately, it looks like the price of Dawn for us would be about $900 more expensive than the Breakaway since we would get 2 rooms on the Dawn (1 family ocean view on the Breakaway...with all 3 kids sailing free).

I'd personally choose the Breakaway but you didn't say whether you have kids, where you're coming from (pride leaves out of Baltimore, Breakaway out of NYC) or your itinerary. Either ship will be great I'm sure as Pride was just renovated :)

Bermuda is nowhere near the Caribbean....it is in the Atlantic....

Yes, I'm aware. I don't think anyone said it was near the Caribbean.

I did, but she doesn't start sailing to Bermuda until the first week in June. The latest we can cruise is the 3rd week of May.

I take that back, the Dawn DOES go to Bermuda in May...I don't know what I was thinking. I'll have to price out two rooms.

Are you in NH? Did you look at the Dawn to Bermuda? Granted, the Breakaway is a newer/bigger ship with a lot more bells and whistles than the Dawn. I looked at both when we were booking our first cruise ever last year and I figured we wouldn't know what we were missing if we saved the money and travel time and just sailed on the Dawn for our first cruise.

 

I will echo the others that you can't go wrong with Bermuda, though. You will love it! :D

I did, but she doesn't start sailing to Bermuda until the first week in June. The latest we can cruise is the 3rd week of May.

Wow, thank you everyone for your advice so far. Definitely a lot to think about. Looking at airfare prices right now and I think that's going to be the deciding factor. It's going to end up being a lot less expensive to do Breakaway since airfare is looking like it's going to run us over $1500.

Bermuda is sounding better and better :)

And, like I mentioned before, the kids will be happy with anything since we don't travel much. They'll be in awe with either ship!

Definitely sick of it!!! We're getting another 12-18 inches and it's going to last until Tuesday....then another storm on Thursday....then subzero freezing temps next weekend :(

We probably aren't cruising until May but just booking one will get me through the rest of the winter!

I've done both of these cruises with teens. They loved both.

 

When are you going?

 

If in the summer, pick the Breakaway and save your money. The three days in Bermuda fly by and there is so much to do there, that you won't be able to do it all. The ability to get on and off the ship is very nice. You aren't rushed and you come home very relaxed. Your kids can sleep in and your older family members can come and go as they please.

 

If you are going in the early spring or winter, pick the Getaway, so that your entire cruise is in warm weather. It's fun seeing different islands, but one thing you haven't mentioned is how you feel about getting up at 8:00 am on your vacation. My family is off the ship on port days as soon as the gang ways open. Sometimes, that means I have grumbly teens who want to sleep in, but fall asleep on the beach instead. There is the reverse rush to make sure you don't miss the boat at the end of the day. We almost missed the boat in Jamaica, due to a negligent tour operator and it is highly stressful being a pier runner with everyone on their balcony shouting at you :)

 

Either way, you'll have a great time and you are going to want to take both cruises.

 

Have fun!

Thank you. We're thinking the last week of May for both

We're definitely beach people and don't really want to spend a TON of money on excursions on either choice. The kids would be happy to do some sightseeing and beach since they have never been to the tropics.

We were all set to book the Getaway for the 5 of us and then decided to check a departure port closer to home just to compare prices. It turns out that we could book the Breakaway for less money (because of no airfare) to Bermuda.

So, what would you choose for a first cruise? The "kids" will be 21,21 and 14. They have never cruised before. They are easy to please though :) Do you think a 7 day caribbean (St. Thomas, Tortolla, Nassau) on the getaway or a 7 day Bermuda on the Breakaway would be better?

I'm worried about being somewhere for 3 days straight. I kind of like the idea of "port hopping" on a caribbean/bahamas cruise but honestly that's the only thing I know.

LOL shouldn't have taken a phone call while I was typing my response

 

think the NCL site is having some glitches - probably getting slammed today

thank you kjquilts, I really appreciate you taking the time to look at it too :)

Yes, it was a glitch, because now I'm able to book it with the UDP for 5 of us at that price (which is an AMAZING deal!)