First time Cruisers birthday surprise for girlfriend

[tantrumxp]

Hello all. im glad i found this forum cause i was about to tear my hair out deciding what cruise to take, room to choose, where to go, fly or not. i finally decided to go south. I am planning a cruise for my girlfriend and it is also her first time. My cruising options are Norwegian, Princess and Royal Carb. Travel dates are Dec 26th to Jan 3rd. its like a new years cruise. we are 30yrs old. just a couple of questions.

 

Balcony worth it or not? I am planning either to leave from Flordia or NYC. obviously from NYC is pointless to get a balcony, it might be to damn cold. but from flordia going to the east carribeans it can be nice. opinions?

 

I was also wondering on the Norwegian Gem leaving from NYC to bahamas flordia. is there any time to tan? or would we spend most of our time eating, drinking and inside the ship because its to cold to be outside till we get to the south?

 

thanks yall

[cb at sea]

Personally, I think a balcony is a must (for me!), because with out one, it's like going to a beach resort, and overlooking the parking....what's the point?

 

Out of Fla, you should have nice weather (unless some far-reaching cold front sinks that low!!!) from the start! Once you hit the Bahama area, it's summer-like all year, bring shorts!

 

If the sun and warmth is a concern, don't waste 2 days each way sailing from NY--it will be too cool to enjoy the outside amenities of the ship until you get to your destination. Once you're there, tanning shouldn't be a problem!

[bull scat]

I look at a balcony as a luxury although I have found them useful on longer cruises when privacy was desired. Otherwise save your money and get a regular room. Generally speaking I dont use the room much. Most of the time I am on the decks for booze and activities.

 

I had a timeshare in the Nassaua Bahamas area for several years and you need to be aware that the average temp in Jan is 75-65 F. While this is not near the frigid temps of NY, off the ocean it can raise a chill. You may want to consider the Western Carribean (Cancun) where temps range almost 10 degrees warmer on average.;)

[tantrumxp]

thanks for the responses, i guess to solve both issues, im planning a 14day cruise on the RC Explorer of the sea to carribbeans. any opinions? is this to long for first time cruisers?

[tantrumxp]

oooo and another question. Do they have laundry service? or should i bring enough clothes for the duration of the trip?

[AlanAllyn]

The Explorer is a great ship. I would never sail the Caribbean without a balcony. I would not recommend a 14-day cruise as a first cruise. Thje chances are great that you will both love cruising. But, if you don't, 14 days is a long time to be unhappy.

[ChefSusan]

Congrats on your first cruise!

 

I would never do a 14 day cruise for my first one - what if you don't like it? You are stuck on board until you reach the home port. I would suggest that you book a 4 or 5 day cruise for your first time out. This way, you will be able to get a taste of what cruises are like, and if you really REALLY don't like it, you will not have wasted all of that money.

 

On my husband's first cruise, we booked RCL Monarch of the Seas out of Port Canevarel, and had a cabin in the way front of the ship (my husband did not know the nuances about booking a cabin at the time - I now do all of our cabin selections *lol*).

 

On our next two cruises (CCL Legend, CCL Freedom), we booked port side balconies, and are now absolutely HOOKED on them!

 

My suggestion? Book an outside cabin port side midship - you can watch the ship pull into port in the morning, which I always find wonderful and beautiful. I'm too claustrophobic to book inside cabins - I need to see sunshine and need to see scenery.

 

I cannot speak for other cruise lines, but CCL ships have laundry areas on each of the passenger cabin levels. If you are doing a 4-5 day, don't bother; if you are doing anything longer (and have a balcony), I would wash undies, bras, and tshirts in the shower, hang them on the line inside the shower, and then place them out on the balcony to dry. It's around $2.50 to use the washer and dryer on board, and even more expensive to have CCL do the laundry for you.

 

No matter what you choose, enjoy it - what a special time!

[trish1c]

14 days is way too long for a 1st cruise. If you don't like it you are stuck.

The Gem out of NYC is a great ship. It's very convenient to not fly. You are warm by the time you get to Florida & there's plenty to do aboard when you can't go outside.

[JanineM]

Fourteen days is a long cruise. You might want to look at 7-10 nights instead.

 

And for the balcony --- look, a lot of people think they are mandatory, but they are not. We will get a balcony if the price is right, but lots of times we have not had a balcony and we've been on a lower deck. It certainly didn't ruin my cruise!!! There are lots of options if you don't have a balcony, there are many decks up top (pool deck, walking deck), plus other decks below where you can sit outside, walk around, enjoy the sea breeze. While I love having a balcony, if money is an issue (and for most people it is these days), save the $$$ for excursions, dinner in a specialty dining restaurant, drinks, etc.

 

Laundry and dry cleaning service is available at a reasonable price. I send stuff out all the time and it is cheaper on the ship than it is at home. There is a clothes line in the shower if you want to rinse out personal items or workout clothes.

 

Check out sailings out of Tampa, Port Canaveral (Orlando) in addition to Miami and Fort Lauderdale. There are lots of nice choices from those cities.

 

And read the reviews here at Cruise Critic to get an idea of what the ships are like. But be warned --- it is usually the really cranky or the super cheerleader types who post reviews. You have to throw out the worst and the very best and the truth is somewhere in the middle.:)

 

Good luck planning and have fun!

[Mrs.C05]

I agree with others who say that 14 days is too long for a first-time cruise. I'd do a 5-7 day cruise first and then if you like it, go ahead and book a 14 for later.

 

My husband and I always book a balcony for anything longer than 5 days. We love being on our balcony pulling into port or just relaxing from everything.

[tantrumxp]

thank you all for your suggestions. since im going during christmas and new years, the flight and cruise alone will bring me to 5 thousand. and i know we shouldnt fly in the same day of the cruise just in case things happen. everyone knows about christmas travel and flying. the only reason i chose these dates is because its our first christmas, new years and her birthday together. heehee . so i figured to use that 5 thousand and go on a 14day. but i also see the issue about what if i dont like it?

 

The gem is also a good idea, but i think we might get to little sun in cause we spend the same time cruising up the east coast as well as. any one been on the gem outta nyc?

[trish1c]

tamtrumpx -- read the reviews; thousands of people have been on the Gem out of NY. The Dawn sailed the exact same route for years before that. If it wasn't good, it wouldn't be profitable & the route would have been changed a long time ago. It is a route that is more about the ship than the ports. You should also be able to save a bunch of your $5k budget by doing this. We spent way less than that for a balcony cabin on the 11 day exotic cruise on the Gem from NY 2 years ago & we did everything.

As you said, becuase it's the holidays, flying has more than the usual risks. For your 1st cruise I think you will be OK.

If you really need it to be hot for the whole time you are going to have to fly. If there is anyway you can go the day before, do it. If you can't go early, get the earlilest flight out & make sure you are going direct. Buy the insurance & pray.

[cardbucfan]

Agree that 14 days is too long. (I get twitchy on vacation no matter how much fun I'm having about day 10) Only you know if a balcony would be worth it. Lots of people on CC will say you won't spend any time in your cabin so it's not worth it. For us, it makes our trip. We spend a lot of time out of our cabin, but love having the peace and quiet and privacy of our own balcony. We will have breakfast out there, watch sail aways out there, pre-dinner cocktails (on a lot of lines, you can bring your own wine) and just hanging out on sea days reading. There are lots of direct flights from NYC to Florida and inexpensive, decent hotels to spend the night in if you go that route. Good luck in your planning, she's a lucky girl!