Decisions, decisions....trying to pick a cruise

[unigus]

Though I've been on 1 cruise in the past, it was so long ago and not on a major cruise line I'm a newbie so feedback will be greatly appreciated.

 

I am looking at 3 ships that fit into my travel schedule. All 5 days out of FL as I have to be at the Miami Airport at 1pm on June 24th. Will be traveling with my 14 yr old son and we are both certified divers.

 

My choices are:

RC- Grandeur of the Seas Ports: Key West, Cozumel, CocoCay

Carnival- Destiny Ports: Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman

Carnival-Inspiration Ports: Grand Cayman, Cozumel

 

Being divers Cayman and Cozumel is a big plus and I have not been to either (added plus), we've been to KW and Jamaica before but the first 2 leave out of the east coast and more convenient but we have plenty of time to drive from Tampa to Miami when we disembark.

 

Questions~

Has anyone been on these and how was it?

How strict are they on the age groups for teens? They seem to break down 12-14 yrs old and 15-17 yrs old. My son would not be as happy to be w/ younger kids since he gravitates toward older ones.

 

I can use my miles so air should not be an issue and will probably look at diving outside of the excursions the cruiselines offer to avoid the masses. I will probably wait a little bit for the prices to drop since I'm fairly open and will be fine w/ an interior cabin since we'll be out of it more often then not and have no need for a balcony (at least this trip).

Any feedback on that would also be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge; this place is a goldmine of useful information already.

[6rugrats]

No one on this board ever has kids that are happy with their own age group :)!

 

Usually, they allow kids to move down in age, but not up. Of your port stops, be aware that Grand Cayman seems to be the port most often missed, as if it's too rough, they won't run the tenders.

 

I think an inside cabin will be fine.

 

There is a diving forum here; you may want to post your question about the ports there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40

[cruiserking]

Though I've been on 1 cruise in the past, it was so long ago and not on a major cruise line I'm a newbie so feedback will be greatly appreciated.

 

I am looking at 3 ships that fit into my travel schedule. All 5 days out of FL as I have to be at the Miami Airport at 1pm on June 24th. Will be traveling with my 14 yr old son and we are both certified divers.

 

My choices are:

RC- Grandeur of the Seas Ports: Key West, Cozumel, CocoCay

Carnival- Destiny Ports: Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman

Carnival-Inspiration Ports: Grand Cayman, Cozumel

 

Being divers Cayman and Cozumel is a big plus and I have not been to either (added plus), we've been to KW and Jamaica before but the first 2 leave out of the east coast and more convenient but we have plenty of time to drive from Tampa to Miami when we disembark.

 

Questions~

Has anyone been on these and how was it?

How strict are they on the age groups for teens? They seem to break down 12-14 yrs old and 15-17 yrs old. My son would not be as happy to be w/ younger kids since he gravitates toward older ones.

 

I can use my miles so air should not be an issue and will probably look at diving outside of the excursions the cruiselines offer to avoid the masses. I will probably wait a little bit for the prices to drop since I'm fairly open and will be fine w/ an interior cabin since we'll be out of it more often then not and have no need for a balcony (at least this trip).

Any feedback on that would also be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge; this place is a goldmine of useful information already.

 

 

Hi Unigus,

 

I have not sailed on any of these ships. But, I think your family would really enjoy the Grandeur of the Seas. Royal Caribbean is known far and wide for how well they cater to families and they have some really beautiful looking ships.

 

Port wise I think the Grandeur is the best bet because you will have three stops. Key West is a lot of fun to stroll around. Coco Cay will be a perfect spot to dive or snorkel, the private islands are always very popular and I'm sure you will really enjoy it.

 

All of the ships you have chosen were built in 1996 but, I think the Grandeur is the nicest. If you go to the ship alphabet at http://www.shippparade.com you will find some great pictures of Grandeur of the Seas.

 

Do some research, read about the Carnival and Royal Caribbean look at pictures of the ships and see which ones appeal to you. Also try going on both the Carnival and RC boards and start a comparison thread Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean. Or do a search for the same question it's probably been asked a dozen times already.

 

Jonathan

[unigus]

Thank you so much for your responses. I've lurked around and read pages of debate (wow!).

 

I've gathered that food is better on Carnival but you may be blinded by the decor.

 

Ships are nicer and well run on Royal but you'll probably pay the price for it.

 

So...still looking but may just stick to the East Coast cruises, book my air and gamble on price. (Just my luck it's the first week most schools let out, but perhaps w/ the snow days it'll work out to my advantage).

 

I guess I'm not that stressed about it, the one thing everyone seems to agree on here is cruising's a great vacation and if you go in with an open mind and look to enjoy yourself you will....much like life ;)

[Essiesmom]

It is no longer a good idea to count on prices going down. More likely, they will go up, but if they DO go down, you can usually get some credit up until final payment. Cabins are generally smaller on Royal. EM

[cardbucfan]

I've not been on any of those ships, however we chose our spring break cruise for the ports for diving purposes so I can answer that part.

 

All the research I did suggested that the Western Caribbean itinerary of Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan was the best for diving so picking an itineray with some of those ports would probably be the best from that standpoint. You can't dive in Key West because of the short amount of time you are there (at least on the cruises I looked at-the timing of yours may be different). The private islands only had ship sponsored dives (and Princess was the only line with a dive-lots of snorkel tours on the other lines) and it was horribly expensive and not highly regarded by the folks on the scuba board. I've heard about Grand Cayman getting cancelled since it's a tender port but we didn't have an issue the only time we went and I am hopeful it works out for us this time.

 

Additionally, I live in Tampa and it's a good 4 1/2 -5 hour drive to Miami so if you are trying to catch your flight out of Miami the same day the ship docks, I don't think it will happen. Your son will also have to stay in the 12-14 group-they don't let kids "age" up. I have 2 kids 2 years apart and my younger one hates not being with his brother because he's used to being with older kids too. The cruiselines are not flexible at all about that. Good luck!

[Goldmoon]

Thank you so much for your responses. I've lurked around and read pages of debate (wow!).

 

I've gathered that food is better on Carnival but you may be blinded by the decor.

 

It is a little bright, but fun... The food and service is fantastic, also the shows are usually fairly well done. They have early shows always G-rated then a late show which some can be R-rated, especially with the comedians. The kids clubs, I have heard are fantastic.. and probably will have a couple of kids with only older siblings too... The rooms are nice and large (in comparison to the Princess ship I was on).

 

Ships are nicer and well run on Royal but you'll probably pay the price for it.

 

So...still looking but may just stick to the East Coast cruises, book my air and gamble on price. (Just my luck it's the first week most schools let out, but perhaps w/ the snow days it'll work out to my advantage).

 

The bahamas and Carribean was a lot of fun, and many enjoy the scuba, new snuba, and many other excursions offered.. If you book the early saver on Carnival, the price could go down and you can take advantage of it. I have already dropped the price on my May cruise twice and my cruise in October 3 times.

 

I guess I'm not that stressed about it, the one thing everyone seems to agree on here is cruising's a great vacation and if you go in with an open mind and look to enjoy yourself you will....much like life ;)

 

Cruising is addictive.. lol. Where else can you get all you can eat and drink, not have to drive and still see other places, the entertainment goes with you and its included, no dishes, no making beds, and great people, music, etc.... and a free kids club...?

[FINTUCKYFARMS]

Though I've been on 1 cruise in the past, it was so long ago and not on a major cruise line I'm a newbie so feedback will be greatly appreciated.

 

I am looking at 3 ships that fit into my travel schedule. All 5 days out of FL as I have to be at the Miami Airport at 1pm on June 24th. Will be traveling with my 14 yr old son and we are both certified divers.

 

My choices are:

RC- Grandeur of the Seas Ports: Key West, Cozumel, CocoCay

Carnival- Destiny Ports: Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman

Carnival-Inspiration Ports: Grand Cayman, Cozumel

Was just back from western caribbean in Sept on the FOS. Huge ship!!! But lots to do for kids. We went with party of 19 and about half were kids. There were not real strick w/the ages, specially in the wii and playstations contests. Grand Cayman is awesome, think my brother went on a priate ship snorkel and some were scuba diving. They had a blast. In Cozumel, we went on the turtle snorkel in Carmen de Playa, about a 45 minute water taxi ride from the boat. My favorite excursion. It is on the reef (2nd largest in the world) there were tons of fish, turtles and even a baracuda. AWESOME!!!

 

Being divers Cayman and Cozumel is a big plus and I have not been to either (added plus), we've been to KW and Jamaica before but the first 2 leave out of the east coast and more convenient but we have plenty of time to drive from Tampa to Miami when we disembark.

 

Questions~

Has anyone been on these and how was it?

How strict are they on the age groups for teens? They seem to break down 12-14 yrs old and 15-17 yrs old. My son would not be as happy to be w/ younger kids since he gravitates toward older ones.

 

I can use my miles so air should not be an issue and will probably look at diving outside of the excursions the cruiselines offer to avoid the masses. I will probably wait a little bit for the prices to drop since I'm fairly open and will be fine w/ an interior cabin since we'll be out of it more often then not and have no need for a balcony (at least this trip).

Any feedback on that would also be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge; this place is a goldmine of useful information already.

 

Happy Diving!