First time for me, second for my wife. But trying to sift through the options.

[LTParis]

I have yet to step on a vessel larger than 40', and my wife is just coming off a specialty NKotB cruise on the Carnival Splendor. She enjoyed the cruise so now I am trying to plan a cruise for 2015.

 

But I am just overwhelmed with the options.

 

First I am based about 100 minutes north of the NYC port which would be the closest in mileage to a port. I am willing to drive as far as Baltimore which seems to give me a few more options to cruise from.

 

I am still debating if flying to FL would be worth the expense. I am unsure of the combination flight/hotel/cruise deals out there that would make the price competitive compared coming out of NYC, Bayonne, or Baltimore.

 

Since she has done Carnival once I am not sure how any loyalty programs work withing the cruise line industry. I am a HHonors member which is seems some booking agencies have a couple deals to work with, but again I am just starting to explore this avenue to see what benefits are out there.

 

Destination wise, we are interested in the Caribbean, southern FL, and that general area. I would even be interested in Mexico although my wife seems less enthused.

 

So as a newbie where should I start? I've examined a few various lines and ports. The most interesting seems to be Baltimore. I get a couple more options during the year with NCL and CCL. NYC seems to be pretty limited to CCL, and NCL seems to be more common.

[big al]

I have yet to step on a vessel larger than 40', and my wife is just coming off a specialty NKotB cruise on the Carnival Splendor. She enjoyed the cruise so now I am trying to plan a cruise for 2015.

 

But I am just overwhelmed with the options.

 

First I am based about 100 minutes north of the NYC port which would be the closest in mileage to a port. I am willing to drive as far as Baltimore which seems to give me a few more options to cruise from.

 

I am still debating if flying to FL would be worth the expense. I am unsure of the combination flight/hotel/cruise deals out there that would make the price competitive compared coming out of NYC, Bayonne, or Baltimore.

 

Since she has done Carnival once I am not sure how any loyalty programs work withing the cruise line industry. I am a HHonors member which is seems some booking agencies have a couple deals to work with, but again I am just starting to explore this avenue to see what benefits are out there.

 

Destination wise, we are interested in the Caribbean, southern FL, and that general area. I would even be interested in Mexico although my wife seems less enthused.

 

So as a newbie where should I start? I've examined a few various lines and ports. The most interesting seems to be Baltimore. I get a couple more options during the year with NCL and CCL. NYC seems to be pretty limited to CCL, and NCL seems to be more common.

 

Lots of tough choices...IMO, if you would like to go to the Caribbean on the NEWEST, nicest & biggest ships that have the most perqs- then Port Everglades ( FTL) , Miami, & Port Canaveral are your best options..there are a few ships leaving from Baltimore & NY, but NY are 90% Bermuda or longer ( 7+ nights Caribbean due to how far NY is..) ...as far as what cruise line, you have not mentioned your age, and if there are kids involved...my choices for 1st time cruisers would be the Celebrity Solstice class ships that leave out of FTL and perhaps the nicest one, the Reflection, out of Miami...2nd choice would be the Freedom class & Oasis class ships on Royal Caribbean..they offer a lot of options on dining & entertainment..Oasis & Allure are the biggest ships in the world, but the 7 distinct neighborhoods makes it feel like it's not crowded..Freedom Class ships like the Freedom Of The Seas leaves out of Port Canaveral and the Independence Of The Seas out of PE...IF you like alot of dining options , you may want to consider the new NCL Getaway out of Miami..24 dining options ( some you must $$, but well worth it, IMO) , and they have spectacular entertainment....even the MSC Divina ( Miami) has some great reviews on shows, service and amazing low prices...you must look at what's important to you- if food & style is important, try Celebrity..if you like partying and like the idea of having LOTS of dining options, my choice would be the Getaway, followed by Allure, Oasis, & Freedom...one recommendation: make sure you get a balcony cabin- it makes you feel "CONNECTED" to the sea, to the cruise experience...the salt air, the waves, the sun, the ships going by, the islands you can see, breakfast on your balcony ( a MUST!) are all things you cannot experience in an inside cabin, which I refer to as a "broom closet"...these are my opinions as a cruiser and as a TA....I have done 29 cruises and all but Costa & MSC, and have toured another 45 ships, so I have some knowledge..any more questions, give a shout!

 

Big Al

[LTParis]

I will be 41 next year, my wife 37. We wouldn't mind a nice party or two, but are not huge party people. However if I do party, the DJ better be damn good. I am a IT Director and a DJ (used to be radio DJ, club DJ and now a wedding DJ). So very critical in things like that. My wife was saying the DJ on her cruise was pretty damn bad.

 

We do have two kids which next year they would be 7 and 8. Not sure if a cruise at that age would be right for them. I was thinking closer to 8 and 9 or even 9 and 10.

 

My only real concern with going out of FL would be the additional travel. For us that would be a 3.5 hour flight (if you can get the non-stop) and the cheapest rates from ALb to FTL seem to be $350, plus of course really should fly the day before and grab a hotel, and then there is the shuttle or the car. So unless there are really good flight/car/hotel/cruise packages that might be a bit out of my reach.

Edited June 10, 2014 by LTParis

[cb at sea]

Don't worry about the Florida ports...you have option close to you! By "party" folks mean the passengers being "rowdy"...not ship sponsored "parties"! If you can drive to port, you can pack what you want, and not worry about weight limits!

 

Your kids are the PERFECT age to enjoy the kid's clubs! Most kids LOVE them, and you may have a hard time getting them to do stuff with you!

 

I'm not a fan of Mexico, either....pick Eastern Caribbean, if possible...and preferably, a route that includes one of the cruiseline's private island/beaches...so much fun!

[Alpha84]

My only real concern with going out of FL would be the additional travel. For us that would be a 3.5 hour flight (if you can get the non-stop) and the cheapest rates from ALb to FTL seem to be $350, plus of course really should fly the day before and grab a hotel, and then there is the shuttle or the car. So unless there are really good flight/car/hotel/cruise packages that might be a bit out of my reach.

 

 

Jetblue will begin flying out of ALB to FTL in 2015. That should drive down the prices a bit.