Help Picking Cruise

[Awoodwaring]

This will be our first cruise. We will cruise sometime between June and August. I wanted a balcony, so I am starting to look now. I am assuming prices don't drop much during summer break?

 

Me: like critter activities, snorkeling, beaches, relaxing, hiking, museums, educational tours, etc...oh..and, SOFT BEDS and fluffy pillows!!

Hubby: similar

Dd (12) likes animals, beaches, movies, pools

Ds (14) introvert (his worst vacation would be stuck in a teen room lol...unless they were all playing Minecraft or some other video game), likes animals, body surfing, water slides; mini golf and unlimited chocolate were his 2 requested items for the cruise :)

 

I don't know which cruise would be best for our family:

 

Norwegian Getaway

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Miami, Florida

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: At Sea

Day 4: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

Day 5: Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Day 6: At Sea

Day 7: Nassau, Bahamas

Day 8: Miami, Florida

 

Carnival Glory

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Miami, Florida

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: Cozumel, Mexico

Day 4: Belize City, Belize

Day 5: Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Day 6: George Town, Grand Cayman

Day 7: At Sea

Day 8: Miami, Florida

 

Carnival Breeze

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Miami, Florida

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: At Sea

Day 4: Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Day 5: Basseterre, St. Kitts

Day 6: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Day 7: Grand Turk Island

Day 8: At Sea

Day 9: Miami, Florida

 

Thoughts?

Edited September 5, 2014 by Awoodwaring

[kitty9]

I would pick the Glory itinerary. The ports are the most interesting and offer more things for an active family. I think the other two itineraries feature ports that are more conducive to shopping and one or two island tours.

[t_car]

Totally disagree with previous poster.

Your first cruise is as much the itinerary as the ship itself.

The Glory, though a nice ship, is the oldest of the three.

The Breeze and the Getaway both offer 3 sea days to enjoy.

The amenities for kids are somewhat similar.

With the breeze having an extra day on the cruise and one extra port, it's a great choice. It also has Grand Turk, one of my wife's favourite stops. Beach next to the ship, huge pool to play in and relax.

The Getaway is a much bigger ship and also quite a great choice.

Either of the two is great. Your decision may come down to cost, timing, and availability of cabin choice.

By the way, the cabins on Carnival are the biggest ones going.

 

Have fun on your first cruise, whichever one you choose.

[dancinman66]

By those choices I would be inclined to go with the breeze as day longer and slightly newer nicer facilities

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I would choose the Breeze. Longer cruise and nice ports.

[beachbum53]

Based on itineraries, my choice would be the Breeze first, and the Glory a very close second. Nothing against the Norwegian Getaway, but that itinerary would interest me the least. One thing you may want to do while trying to decide is to go to the "Ports of Call" section on here and read the reviews and comments posted for each of the ports listed on the itineraries. That may help you in deciding which itinerary interests you and your family the most.

[lynnc99]

We just returned from the Getaway. Rates may indeed drop a bit during summer - it's hurricane season, for one thing, and prime time for anything in a resort destination is winter thru spring break. We found that the ship was not booked to capacity during our August cruise - making the trip that much more enjoyable!

 

That said, don't worry about the weather. Our cruise was during the formation of a tropical storm and the Captain just diverted our route a bit west to avoid the storm. No issue at all. These storms are huge systems but move very slowly, so no risk of being "surprised."

 

Our itinerary was a bit different from the one you listed - we had a stop in St. Martins instead of Tortola. Each port could indeed include a lot of shopping (yuck!) but also had beach excursions, snorkeling, and other things available that kids would enjoy. If I had it to do again, I'd research the ports more than I did and set up my own itinerary for desired excursions, but that's another topic!

 

The Getaway itself has many options for the kids. 5 slides, climbing wall, mini golf, teen club, dance parties at night, movies, shows, and family friendly comedy all great for teens. Food choices galore including stuff teens would like. Your quieter son may just be content to curl up with a book on the Waterfront deck or in the nicely appointed library....or even sit with a pepsi up in the Flamingo Grill. The iConcierge app allows you to know where they are if you split up.

 

The Getaway is a brand new ship and we loved every moment. The Freestyle cruising let us make our own schedule and do as much or as little as we wanted at any given moment in time.

[zookiebird]

Based solely on itinerary I'd go with the Breeze. Haven't been on any of the ships you reference but we tend to prefer Carnival over NCL.

[Travelistasink]

Hey,

 

NCL and Royal Caribbean are best for kids. I don't like Carnival, I find their service and some of their amenities are lacking.

 

This will be our first cruise. We will cruise sometime between June and August. I wanted a balcony, so I am starting to look now. I am assuming prices don't drop much during summer break?

 

Me: like critter activities, snorkeling, beaches, relaxing, hiking, museums, educational tours, etc...oh..and, SOFT BEDS and fluffy pillows!!

Hubby: similar

Dd (12) likes animals, beaches, movies, pools

Ds (14) introvert (his worst vacation would be stuck in a teen room lol...unless they were all playing Minecraft or some other video game), likes animals, body surfing, water slides; mini golf and unlimited chocolate were his 2 requested items for the cruise :)

 

I don't know which cruise would be best for our family:

 

Norwegian Getaway

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Miami, Florida

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: At Sea

Day 4: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

Day 5: Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Day 6: At Sea

Day 7: Nassau, Bahamas

Day 8: Miami, Florida

 

Carnival Glory

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Miami, Florida

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: Cozumel, Mexico

Day 4: Belize City, Belize

Day 5: Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Day 6: George Town, Grand Cayman

Day 7: At Sea

Day 8: Miami, Florida

 

Carnival Breeze

Ports of Call:

Day 1: Miami, Florida

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: At Sea

Day 4: Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Day 5: Basseterre, St. Kitts

Day 6: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Day 7: Grand Turk Island

Day 8: At Sea

Day 9: Miami, Florida

 

Thoughts?

[zoncom]

I would stay away from Mexico,Breeze probably best for children. Nice itin too.

[Travelistasink]

The ship and the crew and service is so important. I agree with staying away from Mexico(if you do go don't wander off go on excursion). I suggest you review all of the cruise ships i.e. google... Carnival Glory review as you really want to get the perspective of those who have been on those particular ships. I tried two Carnival Cruises. While the shows and food were good, we found the service lacking to the point that birds were hanging out on the decks eating the food the attendants had not yet picked up. The news periodically runs stories on how Carnival did not stand behind their customers during one disaster or the other. Maybe some ships are better then others, but I recently tried again with Carnival and was disappointed. Don't take my word for it, google the reviews and see which ships come out on top. Itinerary is important but with 3 days out to sea, cruise ship is equally important.

[jammen]

Ask the family, let everyone decide.

[LoveByrds]

If you family likes huge aquariums, sharks, water parks, lazy river, and water slides you should check out the Atlantis Resort in Nassau. It was the highlight of our entire cruise! We plan to go back with our extended family someday.

Fyi, everyone staying at the comfort suites gets free atlantis tickets.

So I would choose the he ships going to Nassau. :)

[t_car]

If you family likes huge aquariums, sharks, water parks, lazy river, and water slides you should check out the Atlantis Resort in Nassau. It was the highlight of our entire cruise! We plan to go back with our extended family someday.

Fyi, everyone staying at the comfort suites gets free atlantis tickets.

So I would choose the he ships going to Nassau. :)

 

Judging from what the OP enjoys, Nassau is one port to avoid.

Atlantis is Ok if you are into that, but overall this port is over commercialized.

Gret for shopping though and spending money. But as far as other activities, like beaches and snorkeling and such, there are better choices on his list.

 

Go on the Breeze, Best choice by far.

[EatSleepCruise]

For a first cruise, I do agree that the ship is just as important as the ports.

 

Having been to all the ports, minus Grand Turk, I would say that you can find activities and excursions on all of them that wil make the members of your family happy.

 

All three ships will probably offer your family plenty of options to meet everyone's need, especially given when you plan to travel. Time of year is just a big a factor affecting who is on your ship as the ship/brand.

 

Looking at your options, I would suggest the Breeze. Newer ship, plenty of options, and the ports are the best.

 

We went to St. Kitts earlier this year and loved it!

 

We also did a walk in PR in the El Yunque Rainforest on the same cruise and that was also great, and sounds like something most members of your family would like. Or perhaps trying the more rigorous hike excursions offered in the rainforest might even be more your style.

 

Of course, with enough planning you can have a wonderful time on any almost any cruise.