Can't decide which cruise to do

[mill4023]

I've been getting advice, researching, and narrowing down the choices for a family cruise this fall.

 

It will be my wife and I (40's), my mom, our five kids (5,9,13,15,18) and possibly our 18 yr old's girlfriend. My wife and I have been on two cruises. The Ruby Princess in 2011 without the kids and a 3 day Mexican Riviera on a small Royal Caribbean ship in '98 or '99, when we only had 2 kids.

 

We're on a budget, so definitely leaning towards one of the Carnival options, but I'd love to get opinions on the pros and cons of each of these cruises.

 

I was really focused on the ships at first, thinking the kids would really enjoy pools, slides, and water play areas. But after talking to them, my daughter pointed out that in most cases, we will be in ports for 4 days and only at sea for 2. She also pointed out that we can go to the local water park and do water slides that are much more impressive than these ones. So maybe she has a point and I shouldn't worry so much about that. I just don't want our 5 yr old to be bored on our sea days.

 

As far as the ship, the one's that appeal the most to me are the Epic, the Breeze, and the Allure. As far as ports, the Liberty and the Breeze sound the best. But like I said, we're on a budget, so something like the Allure may end up being out of our price range.

 

What do you all think?

 

Prices are for 9 people in 2 balconies and 1 inside. The balconies are a must for my wife and my mom.

 

Carnival Liberty - Oct 12th or Nov 9th

Miami

Half Moon Cay, St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk

$6000

 

NCL Epic - Nov 9th

Miami

St Maarten, St Thomas, Nassau

$6700

 

Carnival Breeze (8 night) - Oct 12

Miami

St Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, Nassau

$7100

 

Celebrity Reflection - Nov 23

Miami

San Juan, St Thomas, St Maarten

$8400

 

Royal Princess - Nov 10

Ft Lauderdale

Princess Cays, St Thomas, St Maarten

$8900

 

RCL Allure - Oct 13

Ft Lauderdale

Nassau, St Thomas, St Maarten

$9500

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Not sure Carnival would be my first choice at the moment.

 

The kids are going to love any cruise- so don't let that be the deciding factor.

 

The Reflection would be my first choice. Celebrity has wonderful youth programs (the best I've experienced and I've done all the main stream cruise lines).

 

Celebrity ships are really lovely and upscale and offer things for the whole family to enjoy. There aren't waterslides but I doubt once the novelty wears off, that these really make or break a cruise.

 

I'm sure the Allure would really appeal to the kids but I think the adults would like Celebrity better.

 

NCL would not be high on the list for me because their cabins are puny.

[boulders]

If money were no object, I'd definitely take Allure. Second choice would be Reflection or Epic. I swore off Carnival about 5 years ago. Princess is a good line, and my 6 year old loved the kids club, but it wouldn't have the activities for the teenagers. The Reflection sailing is over Thanksgiving, so there will be lots of families on board, so venues will be more crowded than the other dates.

[sprockie]

I would take option 1 - any ship that goes to half moon cay is #1 in my book. It's my favourite port of all time. The most spectacular beach I have ever been to. It can be a totally cost free day and totally enjoyable.

Grand Turk, also wonderful beach, right there at the end of the pier. St. Thomas there is always something to do.

[ltzol]

We loved the Epic. The night time entertainment is top notch and the water slides were a hit with all the kids in our group. We had no problem with the size of the cabin, but we did have a JS.

[Familylovestovacay]

We will soon be going on the Carnival Breeze (March 2) for a family vacay. This will be our 3rd Carnival cruise. My kids now 9 and 6 have never been bored. They are especially looking forward to this upcoming cruise for the slides, the rope course, the mini-golf, the thrill-theatre, the shows, etc. Carnival have great kid programs but my kids never want to participate because they ;)would be apart due to age-groups. And we see this as an opportunity to reconnect as a family and spend quality time together. We plan our day and do include some down time. Yes, we don't do the adult only stuff. But I can get a babysitter and do this at home. The kids have always been happy and we have created some great family memories.

[mill4023]

If money were no object, we probably would have already booked the Allure, but unfortunately, its looking like budget is going to limit our choices to the Liberty, Epic, or Breeze.

 

Based on the reading I've done here, below are the things I'm considering. Please feel free to comment on any of them. Thanks!

 

Liberty

 

Pros: Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk, which would be great cheap beach days. Roomy cabins. Low price would leave us more money for excursions and other stuff.

 

Concerns: Lack of slides and water play areas for the kids, poor reviews of Carnival entertainment, DJ replacing live band on pool deck.

 

Epic

 

Pros: Best slides, fun water play areas, rock climbing, etc. Great entertainment. Live music by the pool.

 

Concerns: Smaller cabins. Only 1 real pool as far as I can see, which seems odd for so many people when other smaller ships have more pools. Reports of feeling closed in and separated from the ocean. Fewer ports and less appealing ports (nobody seems to like stopping in Nassau). Worried about the logistics of freestyle dining with a group of 9.

 

Breeze

 

Pros: More interesting itinerary than Epic, but not as appealing as Liberty. Roomy cabins. Better slides than Liberty, but not as good as Epic. Waterworks play area, ropes course.

 

Concerns: Poor reviews of Carnival entertainment, DJ replacing live band on pool deck, low ratings on CC (57% loved it vs much higher on the other two).

[rstout]

Have you considered a ship like the Freedom of the Seas, which offers Caribbean itineraries this fall, and would be more in the $7,200 range?

 

Honestly, if I had my choice, I would not cruise Carnival again. Our kids had a blast on our two Carnival cruises...the slides are fun and you can't complain too much about being on a cruise. I think whatever you choose will be fun. I do like the Carnival itineraries you posted the best. I've heard plusses and minuses about the Epic, but personally I would probably try that because I haven't cruised NCL yet. Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay, I hear, are just awesome, so that is a plus for the Liberty.

 

However, in the end when looking at the three you are considering, if I were you, I would probably go with the Breeze for a good itinerary, a ship with a lot to do, and an 8th night. I've always found fun things to do in Nassau, so I wouldn't worry about that as a port. Check out the port thread for ideas....

[Showtune]

Have you tried calling Royal to see what the prices are on some of the family cabins? For example, the Royal Family suite, Family Balcony, and Family Oceanview. It's possible that with those as one of your options you could get away with only 2 staterooms. I've never sailed with a party as large as yours. so I've never called...

[mill4023]

Have you considered a ship like the Freedom of the Seas, which offers Caribbean itineraries this fall, and would be more in the $7,200 range?

 

Honestly, if I had my choice, I would not cruise Carnival again. Our kids had a blast on our two Carnival cruises...the slides are fun and you can't complain too much about being on a cruise. I think whatever you choose will be fun. I do like the Carnival itineraries you posted the best. I've heard plusses and minuses about the Epic, but personally I would probably try that because I haven't cruised NCL yet. Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay, I hear, are just awesome, so that is a plus for the Liberty.

 

However, in the end when looking at the three you are considering, if I were you, I would probably go with the Breeze for a good itinerary, a ship with a lot to do, and an 8th night. I've always found fun things to do in Nassau, so I wouldn't worry about that as a port. Check out the port thread for ideas....

 

Thanks. I did look at other RCCL ships, but for the dates that would work for us and an Eastern itinerary, they were just about the same price as the Allure. Maybe a tad less, but not much.

 

EDIT: I looked at Freedom, but only the western itinerary works on our dates. You're right that it's not much more than the price of the Breeze. But my wife really wants to do an Eastern.

 

As far as Nassau, I think the problem is that I've read too many reviews on CC. :)

I need to remind myself that a lot of people saying to skip it have probably been on a lot of cruises and been to a lot of great ports. I'm sure you're right and as someone who has only been on one Caribbean cruise, with kids who have never been, I'm sure we can find something fun to do there.

[camberon]

What cruise line did you decide on?

[Essiesmom]

On April 1 they joined the roll call for the Epic. Hasn't posted since then, though visited forum on July 31. EM

[cruisecritiquer]

deleted...........

[mill4023]

On April 1 they joined the roll call for the Epic. Hasn't posted since then, though visited forum on July 31. EM

 

Hey,

I'm still here. :)

After my initial obsessive planning, I had to take a break from the boards.

 

Yes, we will be on the Epic on Nov 11th.

 

We decided we wanted a big new ship with water slides and the Epic was the most affordable for our large family.

We booked 3 mid ship balcony cabins for less than it would have cost us for inside rooms on any of the RCCL ships.

[cruisecritiquer]

Hey,

I'm still here. :)

After my initial obsessive planning, I had to take a break from the boards.

 

Yes, we will be on the Epic on Nov 11th.

 

We decided we wanted a big new ship with water slides and the Epic was the most affordable for our large family.

We booked 3 mid ship balcony cabins for less than it would have cost us for inside rooms on any of the RCCL ships.

 

This year? Do you mean the 9th? We are on that sailing. I probably saw your posts on the roll call. :)

[mill4023]

This year? Do you mean the 9th? We are on that sailing. I probably saw your posts on the roll call. :)

 

Oops, yes, November 9th, this year. I've been thinking 11/9, so I had 11 in my head.