Cant Decide, Expert Opinions Please :)

[emdubya]

I am planning to surprise my sweet husband with a cruise for our anniversary this year. I am a teacher so I can only go during our spring break (April). We have previously cruised with Carnival, only once on the Fantasy for five days to Nassau and Freeport. We booked the cruise on a whim, but were immediately in love with cruising! He is military and will be returning from a deployment right before we take this cruise, so I really want something relaxing and fun for just the two of us (kids are staying with grandparents- wooo hooo!!! lol) Im trying to decide between two cruises at the moment. Both are eight nights with seemingly excellent itineraries; additionally, they are ports that we have not visited previously. The first is RCL Independence of the Seas leaving from ft. Lauderdale with stops in St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, Labadi- roughly around $560.00 pp with military discount. The other is Carnvial Breeze departing from Miami with stops in Aruba, Curacao, DR, and Grand Turk for around $644.00 pp. They both seem great, but I cant decide which ship would be best for us... we are TRUE foodies in every sense of the word, and loved the food offered on Carnvial (especially that choc melting cake! Yum-O!) and appreciate the fact that we can order room service after midnight without being charged as my husband felt the need to take advantage of the warm cookies and milk every night upon returning to our cabin! I have heard that the food on RCL is not that great, which is truly disappointing and could be the determining factor. I have also heard that the rooms are smaller, which isnt really that big of a deal. We were very pleased with our service on CCL Fantasy with no complaints to report. Entertainment is important, but as the old adage goes "you cant miss what you've never had..." and I will be the first to admit that the Carnival entertainment was nothing spectacular. So I suppose my priorities are as follows: 1. Itinerary 2. Food 3. Entertainment.

Any advice fellow cruisers?! :)

[leaveitallbehind]

I am just going to give you a short response on a few of your comments where I have direct experience. Obviously I am biased as RCI is our exclusive cruise line.

 

IMO the food is very good on Independence and in addition there are specialty restaurants that are of excellent quality. Food is very subjective and I am not a foodie so I temper my response with that. But if I truly thought the food was bad I would not have cruised with RCI exclusively for 21+ years.

 

Independence is a great ship and that is a great itinerary. (In fact the ship and itinerary are among our favorites). We were on that ship and itinerary last March and are repeating this March.

 

The overall entertainment on board is also very good IMO and there are several different venues to try.

 

I also by far prefer Port Everglades to Miami as a departure port and if all else was equal, that would be a deciding factor.

 

I'm sure there will be equal and legitimate CCL cruisers with their view as well - but this is my (admittedly) biased input.

Edited January 30, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[bonsai3s]

...thank you for your husband's service to our country. I am a fellow veteran.

 

We were on the Indy last month on B2B cruises. The ship was in great condition, service was excellent, activities and entertainment excellent, and food was outstanding. (Café Promenade and Sorrentos are open 24/7. You can get your cookies and milk before heading back to your cabin. :) )

 

Perhaps our only suggestion would be to give the Indy a chance and try it. One thing I know...if you are addicted to cruising...you'll have a great time no matter what ship or itinerary or cruiseline you sail on.

 

Note: During our younger years, we tried every cruise line...some no longer exist...and have narrowed it down to 3. RCCL, Celebrity, and Princess. That said, we have never had a bad cruise.

 

Happy sailing and again, thank you. :)

[taglovestocruise]

I think you would find far fewer family's with very young kids on RCCL. happy cruising

[boulders]

RCCL has many different cabin types. If you want a larger stateroom, you can certainly book one.

 

As for the comment about RCCL not having many young kinds, that one has me completely stumped. There are people of all ages on RCCL, including infants, young children, older children etc etc.

[cb at sea]

I don't think the food on either line is considered "haute cuisine"! Some of Carnivals stuff is better than RCI's , and vice versa. RCI's room service is included, but there is a small charge (the tip) after midnight. Carnival's standard cabins are larger than RCI's, but RCI has LOTS of cabin choices that are larger than standard. Both Carnival and RCI are family friendly lines...there will be lots of kids....especially during Spring Break!

[jmf123]

Hi emdubya, welcome to Cruise Critic! Independence is a great ship and will offer you an incredible cruise. I thought I'd share this recent review (wth lots of photos!) that is posted on the RCI board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1979947.

 

Regarding specialty restaurants, we have enjoyed Chops Grille a few times, and have heard good comments about Giovanni's Table. And the late night service charge for Room Service (between midnight and 5 a.m. is $3.95.

 

I think that (particularly with leaving the kids behind), you would enjoy the adults only Solarium and cantilevered whirlpools. Regarding children, RCI offers Adventure Ocean, for kids 3 to 17. We had over 700 children on our Voyager cruise and you'd never know it. Undoubtedly there will be many families on board at Spring Break.

 

Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale would be my choice- from the airport to ship takes a matter of minutes. Or if you are driving down from NC, you may want to book a hotel that offers complimentary parking during your cruise. You can check the Florida Departures forum here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495. And last, but not least, bringing along a battery-operated candle will add a bit of atmosphere to your stateroom, whether it's an Interior or Suite. Happy anniversary, and enjoy your cruise- whichever you choose! :)

[taglovestocruise]

RCCL has many different cabin types. If you want a larger stateroom, you can certainly book one.

 

As for the comment about RCCL not having many young kinds, that one has me completely stumped. There are people of all ages on RCCL, including infants, young children, older children etc etc.

 

Don't be stumped, only comparing RCCL to CCL, CCL has a greater percentage of triple and quad cabins, when both ship sell out of all triples and quads there are more kids on Carnival. happy cruising

[emdubya]

Thank you all so much! Everyone seems to agree that RCL seems to be the way to go, so I have decided to book Independence of the Seas! :) Im excited! I guess the only question I have now is should we go with a promenade window at 1244.00 or the balcony at 2022.00? I feel like I could make better use of the 800.00, but the idea of having a balcony and some peace and quiet time away from everyone is very alluring! I worry about noise with a promenade window as well... is worth the 800.00?!

[jmf123]

Congrats on your decision! Given that it's your anniversary celebration and it sounds like it's within the budget, I would go with the balcony. Eight days to enjoy it, having fresh air, a place to relax early morning with coffee delivered from room service, etc. Personally, I wouldn't care for a stateroom that overlooks the Royal Promenade, that's just me.

 

Perhaps you could surprise your DH and not reveal that you booked a balcony? Just check-in on sailing day, and let him open the door to discover that it's a balcony stateroom!

 

You may want to check out the Royal Caribbean board here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83. Oh, and don't forget to join Crown & Anchor once you've sailed, (Royal Caribbean's loyalty program). ;)

[lifes-a-beach]

please allow me to add my welcome to cruise critic and especially my thanks to you and your husband for his service to our country and your support of that service.

[dorisis]

Thank you all so much! Everyone seems to agree that RCL seems to be the way to go, so I have decided to book Independence of the Seas! :) Im excited! I guess the only question I have now is should we go with a promenade window at 1244.00 or the balcony at 2022.00? I feel like I could make better use of the 800.00, but the idea of having a balcony and some peace and quiet time away from everyone is very alluring! I worry about noise with a promenade window as well... is worth the 800.00?!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I am sure you will enjoy Independence OTS. especially the Solarium. I am a cheapskate so would take the oceanview and use the money saved for a special treat on board.

[CountessP]

Totally agree with everyone that you should go with RCL. Haven't been on the Independence, but have been on the Freedom, which is similar, and they are awesome ships.

 

Am responding to your question regarding promenade vs balcony cabin. I can tell you that we booked promenade and would not do it again. My main problem with those cabins is that they have no privacy. You see directly into the cabin across from you unless you close the curtains. Yes, it was nice to periodically look down into the promenade, but you had to have clothes on! Great people watching and fun during the parade, but you had to have clothes on! I don't understand why they didn't mirror those cabins so that you could look out without anyone looking in. I would never book it again. So, if you can afford it, splurge on a balcony.

 

You both deserve it. We also thank you for your service. So glad he got home safe.

[trish1c]

Whatever you decide, buy the cruise insurance! I can't tell you how many military spouses come on here after having booked a cruise without it & freak because the government changed their loved one's return home date.

[navybankerteacher]

I think you made the right decision: Fort Lauderdale beats Miami as embarkation port, RCI will probably have fewer children than CCl (after all, if you are happy to leave your children at home, do you want to share with a lot of other people's), I think the itinerary is better. Food and entertainment are subjective, but I would say the lines are about equal.

 

If your budget can stand it, definitely go with the balcony - it may spoil you for future cruises, but what's wrong with spoiling yourself?

[awhfy]

Thank your honey for their service. Get the balcony & definitely buy the cruise insurance. Coming back from a deployment, the ability to get out of (any) room & relax looking out over the water is truly priceless. Enjoy your time together

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mistycruiser]

As someone else mentioned be sure to get insurance. My son-in-law's deployment got delayed because of the Syria situation and he and my daughter missed the cruise however because of insurance they were refunded 100 %. USAA's travel insurance covers military deployment changes so you may want to look into insurance through them. :)

[skandls]

There is a lot of info on the ports you will be visiting. Have fun doing the research and save a few bucks by see what you can DYI vs the cruise line excursions.

 

Food is subjective. I have found the food on the mass market cruise lines have become mediocre. The number of people they feed at each meals is huge. The Indy has choices - you do not have to order room service - the Café Promenade has food 24 hrs a day. Sorrento's also has a nice selection of lite bites (but you can get as much as you want). If its in the budget have a special dinner in Giovanni's or Chops.

 

Don't miss the ice show on the Indy. Also the Love and Marriage and Quest are usually good for some fun laughs.

 

If its in the budget another vote for the balcony cabin. The privacy and fresh air are very nice.

[shipgeeks]

IMO, balconies are highly overrated. We had one once, and never cared to use it. However, how about an oceanview (rather than promenade view) cabin? That would give you ocean and sky views, and more quiet and privacy than the promenade view.

Have a wonderful cruise!

[blackpool belle]

Never having been to the Caribbean I have no experience of the ports of call but I have cruised on both the Indy & the Carnival Breeze and the Indy wins hands down.