Difficult Choice-Help!

[brazilgirl]

I am having a terrible time trying to decide...please help!

 

I am planning an "extended family/friends" vacation , a really big group of about 20 people for January 2012.

 

Mosyt in this group are not experienced cruisers...many are 1st timers. The majority of the children will be "tween" girls ....

 

The dilemma:

 

Freedom of the Seas:

Ports-

Labadee

Falmouth , Jamaica

Grand Cayman

Cozumel

 

Carnival Dream

Ports

Cozumel

Belize City

Roatan

Costa Maya

 

 

My immediate family and I have been to almost all the port on the Freedom itinerary(except for Falmouth).I like Carnival´s itinerary better. However , many of the others in the group haven´t been anywhere in the Caribbean.

 

I lean towards RCI , as my feeling is that it is a notch above Carnival. However , I have never sailed on Carnival , so I may be wrong.

 

Since many of the people in the group have never sailed , and many of them won´t have many future opportunities to do so , i want to offer the best overall experience for everyone.I will be planning everything , but I don´t want to put my needs first.

 

Help!I´ve read the threads here about FOS vs the Dream , but didn´t get a lot of info.

 

Kim

[sandytoes03]

What's the budget like? Are people concerned about prices? Is Carnival cheaper? I guess it depends on what people want. Would they prefer to spend less on the cruise itself, and more on POC? Since they haven't been on any cruises before, either ship will probably be great. But, I'm partial to RCI. I sort of like the POC for Carnival better too, but both itineraries look good. I would base it on price now, and if people can swing it, I guess I would lean towards RCI, but I haven't done Carnival either.

 

Hope I made some sense!

[crzgrl66]

This is usually how our family decides...

 

Itinerary - It's always nice to go to a port you haven't been yet

Cost

Ship - Dream & FOS will be more similar than different

Embarkation Port - Is one easier access for your party

Kids Club - Dream & FOS will have lots for tweens

 

We usually lean toward RCCL, however there are many on the boards that LOVE Carnival.

[brazilgirl]

Carnival is slightly cheaper , but not earth shatteringly so.....not a deal breaker.

 

As I mentioned , the Carnival itinerary is more intriguing to me , as it includes two countries I haven´t visited yet (Honduras and Belize).

 

For those who have sailed both itineraries , which impressed you most? Some of those cruising with us probably will most likely not have the opportunity to do it again , so I really want to chose the best itinerary ...one that includes the most varied opportunities to see different things and have cool experiences.

 

I see both itineraries offer dolphin swims...GC has Sting Ray City , but Honduras (or is it Belize) has monkeys. Falmouth looks iffy....

 

I have read some negative reviews of the Dream. I try to take these reviews with a grain of salt , but I am a Celebrity fan and am a bit wary of long lines and lots of bright colors ...lol. But I looked at the staterooms on the Dream and they look very nice.

 

The huge waterslide on the Dream looks terrifying , but the mini golf looks fun.

 

Both cruises leave Port Canaveral...I narrowed down the cruises to these two because we will be doing pre Disney activities....otherwise I would choose a Celebrity S class ship.

 

Thanks for the input so far...would love more!

 

Kim

[cb at sea]

Since most haven't cruised or been to any of the islands, any will be fine. They have nothing to compare it to! I'd go by price...the less money they spend, the more fun they will have!

I think you'll find that RCI and Carnival are more alike than different! The only major difference is the ship design...and, again...the 1st timers have NOTHING to compare...whatever you decide, everyone will have a fine time!

Once you pick the ship/itinerary, I certainly would allow the others to make their own plans...do NOT make yourself the "planner" of the group!

You should know that a cruise isn't rocket science....tell them the ship and the phone number, and let them take responsiblity for their own good time!

[brazilgirl]

To a certain extent , I have to be the planner...people from different countries , people who have never really traveled at all are involved. I am going to do a group booking.

 

However , all flights , transport to port etc will be their responsibility. As far as shore excursions , I am going to toss out some ideas , but each person will have autonomy.

 

Í am still so torn..any other thoughts or opinions on the two ships /itineraries?

 

Kim

[sargenet]

I have taken some first time cruisers on Carnival and then changed over to RCCL for others. It has depended on my family. Some of my family members were smokers. A set of grandparents. We did Carnival because they are much more liberal with smoking in the cabin and lots of places on board! They had a nice time. My step-daughters were 12 and 14 on that cruise. They had been on RCCL before that and they stated they liked RCCL much better than Carnival. The 12 year old ended up always checking herself out then wanting to hang with the grandparents because she was not happy with the program as much as she was RCCL.

 

For my non-smoking family we went on RCCL. We are non-smokers so it was a better fit for us also.

 

I have enjoyed all my cruises on Carnival...but I do prefer RCCL over the other lines I have cruised on. My son is now 7. We took a break from cruising once we had him (except for a 3 day HAL cruise). When making my decision on what cruise line, I picked RCCL and will be sailing them in less than 2 weeks.

 

Too bad the ships can't switch itineraries! I think your family would enjoy Labadee. I think for first time cruisers a "private island" is a nice break from a port visit. They can just unwind and not have to worry about taking a shore excursion....

[sailinglisa]

I am having a terrible time trying to decide...please help!

 

I am planning an "extended family/friends" vacation , a really big group of about 20 people for January 2012.

 

Mosyt in this group are not experienced cruisers...many are 1st timers. The majority of the children will be "tween" girls ....

 

The dilemma:

 

Freedom of the Seas:

Ports-

Labadee

Falmouth , Jamaica

Grand Cayman

Cozumel

 

Carnival Dream

Ports

Cozumel

Belize City

Roatan

Costa Maya

 

 

My immediate family and I have been to almost all the port on the Freedom itinerary(except for Falmouth).I like Carnival´s itinerary better. However , many of the others in the group haven´t been anywhere in the Caribbean.

 

I lean towards RCI , as my feeling is that it is a notch above Carnival. However , I have never sailed on Carnival , so I may be wrong.

 

Since many of the people in the group have never sailed , and many of them won´t have many future opportunities to do so , i want to offer the best overall experience for everyone.I will be planning everything , but I don´t want to put my needs first.

 

Help!I´ve read the threads here about FOS vs the Dream , but didn´t get a lot of info.

 

Kim

 

To me, this one is easy. Stick with what you know. Do the Freedom. While the ports on the Dream itinerary are more interesting to you, the majority of your group (by your own admission) has never been to the Caribbean. And you know the RCCL product.

 

There have been some bad reviews of the Dream (warranted or not I do not know), but I have been on Princess, Carnival, Celebrity and RCCL. I prefer Princess, but I do prefer RCCL over Carnival by a whisker.

[mary_228]

One thing that has kept me from sailing on Carnival is the lengths to which the line tries to create a party mood. According to my TA, the waitstaff dances on top of the wait stations in the dining room during dinner. If you enjoy Celebrity, I can imagine that the antics of the Carnival waitstaff will not enhance your meals. While the children might like it, I feel it is demeaning to the workers. To each his own, of course. By the same token, I was quite surprised by the singing waiters on RCL, and felt embarrased for them. But you have been on that line and know whether it suits you.

[brazilgirl]

Waiters dancing and singing....not really my speed. I do appreciate a more sedate atmosphere.The negative reviews of the Dream are a bit daunting.

 

Why , oh why , can´t an S class ship sail from Port Canaveral???

 

Anyone heard the latest on Falmouth , Jamaica.? This seems to be a drawback.

 

Kim

[Marie51]

I am also in the process of planning a family vacation and I am looking at the FOS and the Carnival Dream. We want to leave out of Pt Canaveral.

I am leaning toward the Freedom of the Seas because it will have the WOW factor, there have been some negative reviews of the Dream, and in the past I have found Carnival ships smokey and I really don't care for the waiters dancing on tables in the dining room. I find it disruptive at dinner.

 

The price is actually about the same so I'm pretty sure we will go with FOS.

[crusinmama06]

If the price is about the same, then it would be a no-brainer for me. I would jump on the Freedom. ;) You knew I would say that though. :p

 

Nothing has beaten our experiences on Freedom and Indy. You can't get much more WOW than those ships, unless you were jumping on Oasis/Allure. :D

 

My kids were just looking at the pictures again last night and asking if we can get back on them. I am trying to explain that we need to do other ship classes. I feel like I am losing this battle.

[brazilgirl]

Well , Michele , true love is true love!!!I continue on my quest for a decision , I ´ve given myself til Monday to decide!