frayedend

They sound like indoors kids to me. Carnival hasn't changed that much. Bring there Ipads for them.

Not really indoor kids at all. Allure is also on their mind because of the ice skating. They are hockey players. They go to practice 3 or 4 nights a week, have one or 2 games per weekend. Our family spends the entire winter at hockey rinks. They do play more video games than I'd like at home when there isn't hockey but there isn't much you can do outside in winter here. In summer they are out most of the time. But they are active and healthy. If the Carnival shows keep them and us entertained then that will probably be fine, with all the port stops. But if not then the nights can get boring rather quickly. Allure seems to have so many shows we'll be busy each night.

Like!

 

OP, to answer your original question: Go with Allure if it's financially viable for you (I always hesitate to comment on price difference threads because I have no idea how much that particular amount of money means to any individual family I otherwise know nothing about :p).

 

You'd be spending a significant amount of money on a cruise on Valor that you're not certain your entire family would enjoy, and obviously if your kids are bored that would impact your own enjoyment of the cruise. I'd spend the extra $500 for the sure thing.

At this point I am leaning toward Allure. The price difference isn't that significant to me. I wish I could find my review of the Dream, but search isn't working. I remember saying in it that while I had fun I wouldn't be going Carnival again. Allure looks really good. I know it will cost more in the long run. They have more things that aren't included and stuff. But I will probably save money on ports. I think with the islands offered we'll just stick to beaches. No need to tour them or anything crazy.

Is booking Allure or Oasis along with you completely out of range for your friends? Have you suggested that they cancel the one they have and book with you instead of you booking with them? (sorry if I missed that if you posted before)

Mostly it's about the dates. They have fixed vacation that has to be requested way in advance. We had no idea the price differences between months and we didn't even know if we could go anywhere this year. So we told them not to think about us and to book something so they wouldn't lose any good deals. The difference in price for them is quite a lot, like almost $2000. Not to mention the Allure had no rooms for 3 people that week. The price I got was for Oasis leaving the day before.

I guess I got spoiled last cruise by having friends with us.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I think it's clear that there is good reason to be conflicted. Good points on both sides. A couple more details just to reply to some of the posts...

I am the husband :D I know it seems more women here on CC but I love researching vacations so I'm the one on the boards. My wife would most likely not want any extra alone time with me either :D. But that is why I'll have my own cabin.

Anyhow the kids have chosen a cruise vacation as their ideal trip. We've offered Disney (they are just a bit too old to enjoy a full week there). My older son doesn't really enjoy theme parks or scary rides in general so a Universal type thing is out. They really like cruising. They've been on Disney, and on RCCL Mariner. As a matter of fact they enjoyed Carnival but spent so much time in the arcade I think they spent more than my wife spent in the casino. LOL I just don't want them spending a vacation playing video games. They do enough of that at home. They do enjoy shows. They love the beach and really liked snorkeling last trip. A lot of ports is nice but can actually add quite a bit to the cruise price when you think about it. Lunch every day unless you go back to the ship, tours, taxis, etc.

The funny thing is I asked my kids and their answer is "I don't know, that's a hard choice." I guess I'll give them some time while I wait for my work bonus. I'll make a final choice when I get the money to book in a month. :D

I also understand the parent making the decision but I think I have the same dilemma. I love hanging out with friends. My friend likes to stay out and drink while both our wives prefer a show and bed. We enjoy the same tours and stuff. But at the same time we have wanted to try Oasis since it first was introduced. I keep thinking about Carnival and the flat coke that made it hard to enjoy my rum and cokes, the same shows 2 years later, etc and I just want something more. But then again there was the 24 hour ice-cream, which was much better last year than when we first went on Dream, and the 24 hour pizza which I really liked. Makes me hungry. :D

Heck maybe we flip a coin.

The shows will be different on different ships. I want to go on Allure or Oasis but can't afford it yet. Southern Caribbean is an outstanding intenrary. I would also check your flight costs but if I can afford it. I would probably go with friends

Yeah I checked flights and the San Juan will cost a little more. So really the costs are almost equal. That's only because the Carnival Cruise is in July and we are flexible so we can wait and go toward the end of August when prices come down a bit for Allure. I just don't know. My wife just read the entertainment options for each ship at night. For the kids Carnival had nothing except the arcade. We all tend to be night owls. The late comedy shows aren't for kids, then there is arcade or bar. The shows and entertainment on Allure just seem incredibly better.

Yeah, the Long Island Iced Tea is the best go to for a drunk. But be careful. First, many of the bartenders tended to give me way too much sour mix and virtually no coke. It was hard to drink it was so sour. Then on the last night at the Piano Bar (this was last year on Dream) I ordered a double Jack and Coke. It was $15 and same size as Long Island. So I tried the Long Island. It was much better with that bartender so I drank quite a few. I don't remember everything but I was drinking later with a guitarist that had finished his set in another area. Then I was eating pizza and explaining how Megadeth and Metallica had some of the same songs with different lyrics, to a couple of metal head teens. Then I recall being woken up and forced to leave the ship to go home. Let me tell you, travel that day was an absolute nightmare. So don't drink them on the last night. :D

Until my son can afford to pay for the vacation, he does not get a say in the vacation. You are the parent make a parent choice. You are in charge of your budget, etc. Who worked for the tax refund/vacation? You kids should be thankful that they get a vacation. How many of their friends have been on a cruise?

 

Make the kids pack a book & have the read it when they complain about being bored.

Wow! Really? I mean I don't think you even got my post. It's not just a conflict because of the kids. We like to go with our friends as well. We have a great time with them. I bet your son just loves your vacations huh? Anyhow, we vacation as a family for family fun. I can't imagine a parent that would be happy with their kids being miserable because they are happy and they paid for it. That just seems so weird to me.

Anyhow I know what is on Allure. But what are the shows like on Valor? Are they the same shows from ship to ship? They don't need to be broadway quality for me, but I'd hate to get on and find out it's the same exact shows.

After my last cruise on Dream I was pretty sure I was done with Carnival. Although my only 2 Carnival cruises were on Dream and we enjoyed them, I wasn't completely happy. I forget some of my complaints but the only real thing keeping from going back was a lack of things for my kids to do. They are boys, 13 and 11. They will not absolutely not do the kids club. So please don't post how they will enjoy. It doesn't matter because they won't do it and every time I post that I get at least a few people telling me to force it on them. Anyhow, that's out. So they spend money in the arcade all day and night. The basketball is always filled with teens that won't let them play. Mini golf is bore city after a while, and honestly the water slides didn't really entertain them much, at least not to keep them busy for a week. It was so noisy outside you couldn't hear the movies on the big screen so that kind of sucked for them too.

We planned on our next cruise being Oasis or Allure. We really like Royal Caribbean and there is lots for the boys to do. They like to skate and things like that. They will go to the shows and somewhat enjoy them.

Anyhow, this is where my conflict arises. We have friends we cruised with last time. They book Valor Southern in July. We weren't sure we could go on a vacation this year, but taxes worked out so we may be booking something. We can go Valor for about $4500 (2 balcony staterooms, I snore badly) or we can go on Allure in August for $5000 with 2 balcony (boardwalk, not ocean).

The problem is no friends on RCI. Our friends have a son that my kids love hanging out with. I don't know what to do. The kids aren't sure either. They want to see Allure or Oasis as well. But they like having a friend. Valor has a great itinerary and is port heavy, so less time on ship. But that will also mean more money.

Advice? How are the shows and other things on Valor?

I've only been on the Dream and I am going again on the Dream next week. But this doesn't sound like an improvement. They will be adding pool space, but taking away Atrium to add more cabins. So more people, no more space. They will add more paid restaurants, which would mean less public space. One thing I didn't like about the Dream was the indoor spaces all felt confined. Taking away the one large place isn't the best bet, imo.

I was on the Dream back in 2010, it was still very new. The smell would appear in a hallway occasionally. But it was infrequent and I could guess there would be plenty of people that smelled it and plenty that did not.

One thing I've never had confirmed by others was a horrid rotten smell out on Lido one day. It was maybe only for an hour and it smelled like rotten food, not sewage. My guess, and only a guess, was the ship was dumping garbage waste. Anyone ever notice something like that? Heck, maybe the ship was just passing through some garbage and churned it up.

Maybe they will change the regulations, maybe they won't. In any event if they do there will be more than enough time to obtain one then.

 

The aliens placed their microchip decades ago and the interference from that would completely prevent the government's micorchip from working.:D

You have your tinfoil hat on backwards. That wasn't aliens. The government has already put a chip in you. They just used government proctologists dressed up like aliens to fool you into thinking it wasn't them. :D

Is there some kind of money belt/carrier that will stay secure and waterproof while I'm snorkeling? If I can keep my stuff with me I'll feel more secure, rather than renting a locker.

I've always used one of the plastic cases with a rope on it that they sell on the ships. It's big enough for a wallet. I put it around my neck when snorkeling. Never had a problem, stays watertight. It was a hard plastic case. I see a few other options on amazon. They make a lot of stuff that is even good for phones.

And they are still cruising, taking excursions, buying drinks, etc. That's OK. I just wish they would stop saying they are too expensive and just say "I don't want one and I don't want to spend my money on them". The constant talk of the costs while planning their next cruise/vacation is silly.

 

And the US has passed laws requiring passports for certain types of travel and people are absolutely certain that this will never be an issue for them. :rolleyes:

Your post is confusing. You want us to stop saying they are too expensive and admit that we don't want to spend the money on them? Okay I admit it. I don't want one and I don't want to spend the money on them (because they are too expensive).

There is nothing silly about spending money on things we enjoy or benefit us without spending money on things we don't need and that will only help us if a situation occurs that has a very low likelihood.

What I can not understand is why some people are so passionate about others having passports...:confused: If you want one get one. If you want someone else to have one so badly, buy it for them...

 

Ron

That is an awesome idea. I constantly see people on here telling me how it's not that expensive and the cost is nothing so I have to get them. So whoever that is can just let me know and I'll email them a place to send the check. :D

Oh the 'Leaky Roof' defense.

 

Don't need to fix the roof when it's dry and who wants to go outside when it's raining?

Oh yeah, I'm not denying it. I know it's not a great excuse. We constantly say that we will get our passports one at a time so that it won't hurt so much financially. But then as usual there always seems to be something else to spend the money on that is more important (or more fun. :) )

It'$ all about the money.

Well, and the timing. My family has passport cards. We only got them because we were driving to Niagara Canada. When we plan a trip or vacation we usually have a budget. It's just not easy to put passports into the budget. At the time we got the cards the price of getting full passports was enough of an increase that we couldn't justify it. Looking back, yeah we probably should have gone full passport. But it's a big difference so we chose not to spend it.

When I book a cruise I don't want to spend another $480 so we can have passports when we don't need them. The reason I mention timing is simply this. If we are booking a cruise we don't really have an extra $480. If we aren't booking a cruise it doesn't seem to make sense to spend $480 for no reason.

Home Depot?

Oh yeah! HD has deals with Weber, John Deere, Ariens, just to name a few. You will see features on their models that are different and realize there is a reason their price is lower. I'm not saying it's bad stuff. Sometimes you can get a model that saves you a few bucks but is very similar to what you want.

Personally I would never be buying jewelry from a ship or on an island unless I was an expert on it. It just doesn't make sense to take that kind of gamble.

Totally disagree!

 

Humor at the expense of a person's race, ethnicity or sexual preference is not acceptable. Indeed, it plays into the hand of those who are prejudiced to begin with.

 

A real comedian has no need to "cross the line." Cheap jokes based on racial or sexual stereotypes are not "humor," but simply play into the hand of existing prejudices.

Of course, unless it's, ya know, straight white guys.

In any case it's fine to disagree. I don't agree with your point. I think people being overly offended helps play into the prejudice. It does of course depend on what you think is crossing the line. There are overly feminine gay men. I know some of them, they know it. They make fun of it and they don't get offended by others joking about it. It's not at their expense. If comedians don't make fun of stereotypes there isn't really much left to make fun of.

Back to the OP: I've seen Jerry Seinfeld 2 years in a row and it was at least 70% exact same material.

It's their job, like Carlos Mencia once said, "My job is to stand up here and make you laugh... (proceeds to rattle of racist, sexist, homophobic, and other demeaning and derogatory terms that last about 30-40 seconds)... See? I didn't get fired, and I didn't get in trouble. You tell my jokes when you get back to work on Monday morning, see how long it takes you to get sent to 'Sensitivity Training'."

 

Now I'm not saying you HAVE to listen to the adult shows, it's totally your choice. I've walked out on PLENTY of comedians too, asked for the "cover charge" back as well.

 

Not condoning or "supporting", just making conversation...

I think sometimes comedy just isn't for those that are easily offended. I'm sure some comedians cross the line but for the most part making fun of certain demographics is part of the fun. You have to be able to laugh at yourself. Black comedians make fun of the silly things white people do. I get it and I laugh.

There are stereotypes of all races, religions, sexual preferences etc that can be made fun of without meaning that the person doing the joking hates you or is "homophobic" or "racist".

I plan on smuggling booze on board because I'm cheap and I want to stiff the cruise line. No really, that's not completely true.

The fact is the cruise line wants to stiff me. It's no different than going to a pro-ball game. The stadium charges you $8 for a $2 hot dog. On the cruise ship you are a captive audience. There is no competition for where or what you can buy. Some of us prefer a cruise for many different reasons. But the fact is having a good number of drinks may be a big part of our vacation. It can add up quickly. What, the booze package alone that is offered on the UK ship is $70/day or something like that. So obviously a week can give someone a bar bill of $500, and that's just one person.

If I thought I had no choice but to buy only the ship's booze then I'd probably book a hotel on an island where I could buy what I wanted at a competitive price. Fact is the ship sells booze in bottles for a good price. But they won't let you drink it. It's the cruise ship saying to you, "Hey we know this stuff doesn't cost much but if you want to have it here then you have to take the 500% markup plus tip.

So the holier than thou people that like to belittle the smugglers can just keep to themselves. If you don't like it then don't open these threads. The rest of us are just trying to communicate ideas and we just don't need to hear about your morals. And on top of that all the threads with the good ideas and info get deleted because of the idiots that have to pop in and flame us for discussing the issue.