USCgirl57 Posted January 27, 2015 #1 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hello all! My BF and I are looking to plan our second cruise, the first being the Carnival Dream back in May of 2013. I am in charge of basically every aspect of the planning and I am looking for some opinions and suggestions to help me make my decision. Due to job restrictions we can only cruise in August and September. We are also on a loose budget (but a budget nonetheless) and found that carnival was our best bet last go 'round. We love meeting other people our age (23 - 28) and having a good time. We don't really care about things like rock climbing, water slides, etc. but we would love to book on a bigger ship which I'm sure would include those amenities. As far as our ideal vacation, we don't mind the "party" or "lively" atmosphere and rather enjoy it. We both drink, and like to spend some time in the casino. Ports don't matter as much as I have been to many of them on past cruises with my family. My BF doesn't have much of an opinion on that either. Looking for another caribbean cruise most likely whether it be eastern, southern, or western. We would like to sail from FL, but could easily fly to other ports along the east coast. Thanks ahead of time for your ideas and suggestions!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruzaholic41 Posted January 27, 2015 #2 Share Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) Bigger than Carnival Dream? In that case, I think Oasis or Allure of the Seas are the best options. NCL Breakaway and Getaway are also options, but they can't touch the entertainment on Oasis and Allure. Edited January 27, 2015 by Cruzaholic41 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCgirl57 Posted January 27, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Taking a look at the Getaway now. Looks like we could get a room for a little cheaper than the Allure or Oasis, although I hope to plan a trip on one of those ships sometime in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauer-kraut Posted January 28, 2015 #4 Share Posted January 28, 2015 IF you book NCL before the end of the month you get a free Ultimate Beverage Package, so all your drinks are free!! So might want to consider this and BOOK NOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friend100 Posted January 28, 2015 #5 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Royal Princess has a 10-night sailing on Sep 21 out of Fort Lauderdale going to Southern Caribbean. Lovely itinerary. New ship. You may want to check that one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted January 28, 2015 #6 Share Posted January 28, 2015 At you age you would have lots of fun on the Royal Caribbean ships -- Oasis or Allure. :D LuLu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfountain1 Posted January 28, 2015 #7 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) My GF and I sailed on the Allure recently and found it to be boring. Its big, its impressive, and the entertainment options for mid-20 somethings was seriously lacking. Carnival entertainment (piano bars, stand up, night clubs and overall atmosphere) it much better then RCL for our age group in my opinion. If you like the idea of an intimate cruise, getting to know people and having genuine fun I would stick to Carnival. If you want the feeling of being on a floating Mall of America, the Allure is more your speed. The best thing about the Allure was the "Blue Planet" show, top notch. Edited January 28, 2015 by gfountain1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janetz Posted January 28, 2015 #8 Share Posted January 28, 2015 RC Freedom of The Seas. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big al Posted January 28, 2015 #9 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hello all! My BF and I are looking to plan our second cruise, the first being the Carnival Dream back in May of 2013. I am in charge of basically every aspect of the planning and I am looking for some opinions and suggestions to help me make my decision. Due to job restrictions we can only cruise in August and September. We are also on a loose budget (but a budget nonetheless) and found that carnival was our best bet last go 'round. We love meeting other people our age (23 - 28) and having a good time. We don't really care about things like rock climbing, water slides, etc. but we would love to book on a bigger ship which I'm sure would include those amenities. As far as our ideal vacation, we don't mind the "party" or "lively" atmosphere and rather enjoy it. We both drink, and like to spend some time in the casino. Ports don't matter as much as I have been to many of them on past cruises with my family. My BF doesn't have much of an opinion on that either. Looking for another caribbean cruise most likely whether it be eastern, southern, or western. We would like to sail from FL, but could easily fly to other ports along the east coast. Thanks ahead of time for your ideas and suggestions!! Cruise agent here..at your age with what you like, I would look at Norwegian's Getaway ( Miami), RCI's Freedom Of The Seas ( Port Canaveral ) and the Oasis ( Port Everglades)..Celebrity, Princess & Holland America either don't sail on those months or IMO, they tend to attract a more mature crowd..the Getaway has THE most restaurants including a Japanese Steakhouse ( Teppanyaki), Le Bistro ( French- fantastic!) , Moderno's ( Brazilian Steakhouse), Cagney's ( Amer. Steak), and 22 more! Some are free, some have a fee between $20-30..they also have Legally Blonde show ( friends told me just off the ship it was terrific!) and the Illusionarium Dinner show ( also said it was fantastic & dinner is surf & turf for $29 pp), in other words you will not be bored on the Getaway..the friends who just got off this past Saturday have been on Oasis & Allure, and said the Getaway had more things to do & better food options..BTW, the Getaway also has a 24/7 Irish Pub called "O'Sheehan's" which has FREE fish & chips or wings every night!! Lots of slides & Adult Vibe Beach Club is amazing ( you must pay $299 for both for whole week, but friends said it made the cruise..)..Freedom Of The Seas great ship- Royal Promenade, Wine Bar, British Pub, adult Solarium Pool, good choice, not nearly as many things to do or eat as the Getaway..Oasis has more to do, great shows like the diving show in the Aquatheater, Come Fly With Me ( cirque type show), ice-skating show Frozen In Time, Boardwalk area, Central Park fantastic..cabins & balconies bigger on both RCI ships..any more info, let me know, I've cruised Freedom ships 3x & Oasis ships 3x & Getaway as well...any of these beat Carnival IMO except maybe The Breeze in Miami... Big Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOVINCRUIZIN Posted January 28, 2015 #10 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Don't discount Carnival Breeze (or, for a smaller option, Carnival Splendor - my favorite ship). I love the comedy shows on Carnival. There is only an occassional show on RC, but almost nightly on Carnival. And the casino perks on Carnival are superior to RC. We docked nect to Getaway, but have not been on a NCL ship. It was definitely lively and have read great things about their casino program and would consider them for myself. Happy planning:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getaway_goddess Posted January 28, 2015 #11 Share Posted January 28, 2015 My boyfriend and I are 25 and 28 and we just booked the NCL Getaway for September 5th! It was a great price for such an incredible, new ship and we're super excited because of all of the great restaurants and shows on board! Would be great to meet some other 20somethings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCgirl57 Posted January 29, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted January 29, 2015 We were looking at the Getaway for sept. 5th as well!! Thanks everyone else for the ideas! I appreciate it! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorisis Posted January 29, 2015 #13 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Bigger than Carnival Dream? In that case, I think Oasis or Allure of the Seas are the best options. NCL Breakaway and Getaway are also options, but they can't touch the entertainment on Oasis and Allure. Also Quantum which has even more things to do onboard and entertainment is terrific on all 3. You may not even want to get off the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelkel2 Posted January 29, 2015 #14 Share Posted January 29, 2015 My husband and I are the same age group as you and similar likes as you considering what you just wrote. We just booked the Carnival Breeze out of Miami for the 8 night southern. If you don't want to go that long or the 8 night is too expensive (budget) the Breeze alternates to a 6 night route as well. The Breeze is a lovely choice because although I think size wise it may be just about the same as the dream (maybe a tad bigger, not positive) it has all the upgrades because it's the newest in the fleet. Guys burgers, red frog pub, red frog rum bar, blue iguana, etc.. the 2.0 upgrades people have come to love. Plus a night in Miami before the cruise is amazing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOVINCRUIZIN Posted January 29, 2015 #15 Share Posted January 29, 2015 We just did the 8 and 6 B2B. Love the ship - didn;t love the people on the 6 day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folk Singer Posted January 29, 2015 #16 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Bigger than Carnival Dream? In that case, I think Oasis or Allure of the Seas are the best options. NCL Breakaway and Getaway are also options, but they can't touch the entertainment on Oasis and Allure. That is True. RCCL has the best Shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOVINCRUIZIN Posted January 30, 2015 #17 Share Posted January 30, 2015 That is True. RCCL has the best Shows. I generally agree (and love the ice shows). But Carnival has a better venue for comedy, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getaway_goddess Posted January 30, 2015 #18 Share Posted January 30, 2015 We were looking at the Getaway for sept. 5th as well!! Thanks everyone else for the ideas! I appreciate it! :) If you end up going with Getaway on Sept 5 let me know :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now