Which Itinerary for first cruise?

[cat9661]

I know this is a Carnival thread but for a first cruise would you go on RC Freedom of the Seas 5 nights to CocoCay and Cozumel or Carnival Valor to Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and Freeport? My husband doesn't drink but enjoys shows and entertainment, not a big bar person. Thanks!

[crewsweeper]

IMO, While Half Moon Cay is a great stop, and once the Valor is out of drydock with the 2.0 upgrades and a bit of needed refurb. that cruise is not worth having to also visit Nassau and Freeport. Cozumel is a better stop. Just saying. Others' mileage may vary.

[ready2cruzagain]

Are they both 5 night cruises? If the price and number of days were the same, I'd go for the one with more sea days. Nassau and Freeport aren't all the spectacular.

^^^^I definitely agree with this.

[kublaieod]

I also agree with earlier post. Half Moon Cay is a highly desired spot but Nassau and Freeport are not. I have been to the latter two and I completely agree, especially Freeport.

 

In addition Cozumel is a great port which is way most west itineraries go there.

[caitmac1]

I'm going to disagree, somewhat. I think it depends on what you want your cruising experience to be like.

 

Sea days are very laid back- there's activities on the ship, but mostly they are spent relaxing. If you want your cruise to be about seeing new places and you like a go-go-go adventurey vacation, pick the cruise with more ports. :P If you want a slower paced vacation, pick fewer ports. (or fewer that you are interested in- that said, I can't imagine NOT checking out every port at least once and skipping them entirely for a sea day if you've never been there.)

 

 

Shipwise, I can't give any advice- I haven't been on an RCCL to compare, but as far as the ports go....

[danacline]

I haven't been on that specific Carnival ship, but have been on RCCL's Freedom of the Seas. I thought it was an awesome ship, with plenty to do. I also agree with the others - Cozumel is a very safe and interesting port, the Bahamas a bit less so.

[skrufy]

I would choose Freedom of the Seas, skip Nassau and Freeport.

[Jenhem31]

I haven't been on Freedom OTS but I've been on its sister Liberty OTS. I'd go with the RC one. It's an awesome ship, entertainment will be better, and there's the Flowrider. We love Cozumel and try to avoid Nassau at all costs.

 

Have a great first cruise!!!!

[RecoveryDude]

Ok, so yes, I agree with previous posters.... Cozumel ROCKS as a cruise port and Nassau/Freeport ... dont. HOWEVER, sometimes the difference between a "sucky port stop" and an "Awesome port stop" is an EXCURSION! ...so my advice would be to check out the available excursions on the cruise website and see if any of the excursions available in either Nassau or Freeport sound cool/exciting! After all, just walking around Nassau/Freeport is bland ... but SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS in Nassau? Wow. Seeing the (overpriced but beautiful) Atlantis in Nassau? ....Also Wow.

 

Yes, HMC is probably one of the prettiest beaches on the world ... and HIGHLY desired cruise stop - if you can go there and like the beach, it will be the highlight of your cruise! (Rent a Cabana! ...You'll thank me later)

 

... but again, a well-placed excursion in a less sought after port can make all the difference.

 

All things being equal, however, my RECOMMENDATION would be to do a Caribbean cruise for your first one, with Cozumel and Grand Cayman as must-see stops. Bahamas is not a nice by far as the Caribbean.

 

I also love sea days, and tend to try to find cruises with MORE sea days. Oh, and I would NEVER suggest doing LESS than 6 days for your FIRST cruise. There is a lot to see/do/discover on the ship and in the ports and you will feel cheated if you do less than 6 days your first time. So if you can afford it, do it. Trust me.

 

I am Platinum with Royal and Gold with Carnival ... so sailed lots on both lines. Even if Valor gets most of the 2.0 upgrades in it's spring 2016 drydock, the RCCL ship is probably a better ship with more stuff to "do" while onboard. Some say food is better on RCCL, some say Carnival - I prefer Carnivals food, (Esp the Melting Choc Cake)!

 

Enjoy and have fun whatever you decide!

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

Edited October 15, 2015 by RecoveryDude

[cruiseonthebrain]

Absolutely agree!

 

Are they both 5 night cruises? If the price and number of days were the same, I'd go for the one with more sea days. Nassau and Freeport aren't all the spectacular.

[cruiser fanatic]

Do the Freedom of the Seas. HMC is beautiful but Nassau and Freeport are dumps.

[Tapi]

If you want your cruise to be about seeing new places and you like a go-go-go adventurey vacation, pick the cruise with more ports....

 

 

I'll agree with your statement, but only if the ports are worthwhile. Nassau and Freeport are not. I would pick a sea day any day over a port day in Nassau. In fact, any time that I see an itinerary with Nassau in it, I completely overlook it, not even caring about how nice the shop may be.

 

And even though a lot of people consider Freeport to be a bigger dump than Nassau, I secretly like it more simply because it's not as overrun by tourists. It just has a more laid back vibe, but still, I wouldn't choose any of these two Bahamian ports over Cozumel.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Tapi

[cb at sea]

Get a guidebook on ALL of those ports...and see which YOU"D prefer!

[OCruisers]

I know this is a Carnival thread but for a first cruise would you go on RC Freedom of the Seas 5 nights to CocoCay and Cozumel or Carnival Valor to Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and Freeport? My husband doesn't drink but enjoys shows and entertainment, not a big bar person. Thanks!

 

Freedom OTS would be the so best choice for what your DH wants. :)

 

LuLu

[esdoorn]

My wife and I are doing a 5 day cruise on the Sensation in March 2016 that goes to Grand Turk, HMC and Nassau.

 

Going to relax at Margaritaville in Grand Turk, rented a Cabana for our day at HMC and doing the swimming with the dolphins in Nassau.

[joeyancho]

RCCL has the most spectacular ships afloat.

[Keith1010]

I would go with the first one. Better ports.

 

Keith

[innervlsrtxcl]

I have been to the latter two and I completely agree, especially Freeport.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

RCCL has the most spectacular ships afloat.

 

A ship does not a cruise make...there are other things more important than the physical, much more.

 

For a first time cruiser....port days where someone tries to do everything can be pretty exhausting, a nice balance of sea days and ports can be optimum for a newbie. Also, tender ports can be "troublesome" in that sea conditions can cancel a cruise ship from visiting...its probably good to do the first cruise where tenders aren't involved to alleviate some major disappointment. The Bahamas "suck" in my opinion...lots of much nicer places to visit, and short cruises aren't the best introduction to cruising. There is a BIG difference between 5 and 7 day cruises...if the OP can swing the price I wouldn't even think about doing anything less than 7 days.

[Cruise life]

One nice thing about a first cruise is there are no expectations, nothing to compare to, at least in terms of the ship. If you do beach vacations often and are particular about your beaches, you may start comparing those areas.

That said, either one would be a great first cruise; be aware that a lot of people that take a newer, bigger ship with more bells and whistles tend to not enjoy "downgrading" the next time.

BIll has been on RC once long ago. He is happy with CCL's ships, although lately we have considered branching out because it has been over 10 years since we sailed another line.

Nassau gets a lot of bad press by frequent cruisers, but seeing Atlantis for the first time as you sail into port is pretty spectacular. Bill would go anywhere else besides Nassau- I can always find something fun there (I was very concerned about crime in Nassau a couple years ago, but the city was full of tourists and we were fine). Besides Atlantis over on Paradise Island, there is the Ardastra Zoo with dancing flamingos and the top-rated Pirate Museum, along with the extensive history and walking tour, in the city itself.

I lean toward staying closer to the states for a first cruise since you have no idea how you will feel. Flying home won't be such a big deal from Nassau than from Cozumel, even though Coz is actually not that far, either.

GL with your decision; maybe you will love cruising so much you will book another on board:)