Navigator or Brilliance? January or April 2014? Please help me decide!

[bus man]

Hi there! We're a family of 4, including two kids who will be 7 and 5 in 2014. Thus far we've had one cruise as a family, on the Disney Magic, and we want to go again. Sadly, a repeat of DCL is not in our budget.

 

We want to visit Grand Cayman (Turtle Farm, Stingray City) and Cozumel (dolphin swim), so I've narrowed our choices to two itineraries (both of which include these ports) during two months:

 

1. Navigator (from Galveston), 7 nights, April 13th (which is the kids' spring break)

2. Brilliance (from Tampa), 5 nights, either January 18th (MLK weekend) or April 12th.

 

The kids would miss 2 days of school in January, and none in April. (DW hates for the kids to miss school, and won't consider any cruise where they'd miss more than 2 days. We can't afford the summer cruises.) However, the January cruise is over $800 cheaper than the comparable one in April, and about $1,500 less than the Navigator cruise.

 

Obviously, 7 nights is better than 5. But on the other hand, cheaper is better. I worry about traveling in January, when our flights might be disrupted by snow. But I also worry about possibly rowdy spring break crowds in April. (Or is that more of a March thing, when the college kids are out on break?)

 

Which of these three cruises would you recommend, and why? Thanks so much!

[will773]

Mid-April is too late to be college spring break!

 

Anyway, you've already been on the Radiance, so you know what the layout of the Brilliance will be. You should determine whether or not that kind of ship is a good fit for your family, or if you want a big ship with lots of options for your kids and go with the Navigator. Tough decision...

[Coralc]

Navigator will have more stuff for your kids. In line skating, ice skating, Johnny Rockets...etc.