Opinions wanted

[Lindalou76]

It is our 20 year wedding anniversary in October and though we are limited to only going on a short cruise I think it's perfect because our honeymoon was a cruise to the Bahamas! We are keeping it simple because we are booked on the Oasis of the Seas in May as well. I can't decide which would be a better cruise so maybe some of y'all can give your opinion. I am having mixed feelings on which would be better; having the extra day on the ship OR being on a slightly newer, slightly larger ship. I had REALLY wanted to go on the Carnival Valor on those same dates (AND goes to Coco Cay instead of Freeport), but since it is out of Port Canaveral I don't think we can because I have class that Monday (the day the ship gets back) and need to be back home by 4pm. Jacksonville is only a 4 1/2 hour drive as where Port Canaveral is about 6 1/2 and i'm not sure how early we can get off the ship. Both cruises are about the same price, but on the elation we would be in an OV room and on the Victory we would have a balcony. I'm still racking my brain to figure out if it will be worth it to miss class that Monday so we have the cruise we want since it's a special anniversary and all.....Oh, decisions, decisions! lol

 

Option 1:

 

3-night out of Port Canaveral on the Carnival Victory. 1 day in Nassau, 1 day at sea.

 

Option 2:

 

4-night out of Jacksonville on the Carnival Elation. 1 day in Freeport, 1 day in Nassau, and 1 day at sea.

 

Not sure it's an option but the Carnival Valor would be a 4-night cruise out of Port Canaveral. 1 day in Nassau, 1 day in Coco Cay and 1 day at sea. Would have a balcony room. This cruise would cost us about $350 more though, so not sure if it's worth it.....

 

Thank you for listening to my ramblings..... :)

Edited June 24, 2016 by Lindalou76

[Computer Nerd]

i would vote for the valor but i only live 90 minutes away from pc. while you should be off the ship by about 0800, that's not guaranteed and you may not make it back by 1600 for class. if you can 'conveniently' come down with the 24 hour flu and skip class that day or handle the stress of close timing, take the valor. so much more on board than a fantasy class ship. otherwise, take option 2. more days on a cruise is always better and shorter drive time.

[Pyrate13]

Only you can make the final decision but since you asked, I would take the Valor. But again, that's just what I would do.

[Doggielover68]

Another vote for valor. Cococay is great and since it is a special occasion, a balcony would be a nice splurge :)

 

 

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[ABQrobin]

I suggest you look closely at prices. We found that many of the 7-day cruises were only a few hundred more than the short ones. When you work in the price of airfare and if you need a hotel for the night before, it seems silly for us to do the 3-4 day cruises.

Just my 2 cents.

[ourcruiseyears]

My vote would definitely be for Valor & Cococay! We have gotten off the ship on Sunday in Port Canaveral & gotten home by dinnertime in Western North Carolina.

[Budget Queen]

I suggest you look closely at prices. We found that many of the 7-day cruises were only a few hundred more than the short ones. When you work in the price of airfare and if you need a hotel for the night before, it seems silly for us to do the 3-4 day cruises.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Their time is limited, (classes) and they aren't flying and likely no hotel either.

[Lindalou76]

We can only do a 3 or 4 night cruise because I am in college and I will be in the middle of my semester in October so a week long cruise is not an option unfortunately. We are looking at a short cruise because I have a few days off for fall-break and since it is our 20-year wedding anniversary I hate to do nothing! I figure a small cruise is better than no cruise! LOL We are also trying to be some-what thrifty since we have the big one (7 days on Oasis) planned for May. Thanks everyone, I am enjoying reading your opinions and still trying to hash out in my head which one we should do.

[Lindalou76]

No flying and no hotel as we are in SC. Though we may need a hotel if we do Port Canaveral since it's an almost 7 hour drive, not sure we would want to drive quite that far the morning of.....Jacksonville would be the best port for us to leave out of since it is only about 4 hours or so away, but I am concerned about that option being the smallest, oldest ship (no balcony, which is not a big deal to me). I can be happy on ANY ship myself (in any room), my husband is a bit more picky! lol He has only been on 2 of the cruises with me and they were both smaller, older ships. My only other option is wait until classes are out in December....prices are comparable, however, I am worried the weather in the Bahamas would not be as favorable. I went once in February and it was so chilly that I sat on the beach wrapped up in a blanket from head to toe drinking coffee! I still had a great time because I was with a few girlfriends, but i would much rather go when the weather is nice and warm!

[OCruisers]

Jacksonville would be the closest for you if that's a consideration. :)

[luv2cruiseeverywhere]

I would go with the Valor. Just did an 8 night on her and it was great. We carried off our own luggage and was off the boat and at Budget car rental around 9 am. I think you would enjoy her upgrades also.

[Lindalou76]

I hate being so indecisive, and this rarely happens when it comes to cruising. I think I feel pressured to chose the "right" one because it's our big wedding anniversary and I want everything to go well so we have a great time. We had decided earlier to go with the Jacksonville (Elation) cruise because it's 4 nights just like the Valor one out of Port Canaveral, but I would be able to get back in time for my 4pm class on Monday AND it's only a 4 1/2 drive to port so we could leave that morning instead of the night before, saving us the hotel cost. Overall we would probably save about $200 by having a OV instead of a balcony and the cost of the hotel saved would be spent on a shore excursion in Freeport so we could have a beach day. I saw where HMC had been cancelled several times and I know that would really upset me if that happened so I thought Freeport would be more of a "sure thing". But now i'm afraid it being the oldest/smallest ship, and not being able to have a balcony will put a damper on things. Granted, we just got back in May from taking the Carnival Paradise to Cozumel and I had a great time and we only had an OV room. Although with 2 full days at sea we were a bit bored at the end with what the ship had to offer. The only negative thing I found about the ship besides the overly smokey casino was there weren't alot of food options....the food wasn't bad, but wasn't great and i found my meals repeating themselves. Don't get me wrong though, ANY cruise is better than NO cruise and I was thrilled to go, and would go again if given the option. lol So i'm still hemming and hawing over the Elation or the Victory. I think the Valor is out because i'm too stressed over missing class and the thought of HMC getting cancelled. My husband says we can go in December, on a 4 day on the Valor to the same ports (Freeport & Nassau) but again, if it's cold it won't be much fun. Guess i'll stew it over another day or so and see how I feel. I appreciate everyone's opinions and if anyone has anything to add keep it coming :)

[Pyrate13]

All I can say is we have been on the Valor three times and loved it every time. Our grandson is in college and I know one missed class isn't going to kill him, how about you? Those special anniversaries don't come around every day. Again, just us, you need to do what works for you.

[travelinteach]

I am a college professor. Take the day off of class. Just email your professor and explain the situation ahead of time. Most classes give you 1 miss. Do it!

[Alexintheboro]

Carnival does NOT stop at Coco Cay as the island is owned by Royal Carribean. I assume you are meaning Half Moon Cay which is owned by Holland America, which in turn is owned by Carnival.

[First and Ten]

I loved the Elation

 

 

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Edited June 27, 2016 by First and Ten

[The4Cruisers]

Carnival does NOT stop at Coco Cay as the island is owned by Royal Carribean. I assume you are meaning Half Moon Cay which is owned by Holland America, which in turn is owned by Carnival.

 

Not sure if they still do, but YES CCL has used Coco Cay (Little Stirrup Cay) in the past few years as the replacement for stops in Key West by the Fascination (when she sailed from JaxPort).

[Lindalou76]

Yes, I meant Half Moon Cay. I get excited when I talk or type about cruising and I sometimes say the wrong island name with the wrong ship! Lol.

 

 

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[Florings]

Definitely the 4-day that goes to Half Moon Cay! Romantic and very special, even if it is $350 more.

 

20 year wedding anniversary is worth the extra!

[SkyMaster]

I have to agree with the majority of the others above, and suggest that "Valor" would be EXCELLENT, but having said that, and in reviewing your situation, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with a nice relaxing cruise aboard "Elation", out of Jax. It sounds like that cruise would be less stressful and more affordable, so DO IT! ;)

 

"SKY"

[alabamaprincess]

I would go with option 2, the Elation out of Jacksonville. You won't have to worry about making it back home for your class. I would not drive that far with limited time. Not to mention what if there is a car accident or road construction. You can still have a lovely anniversary on the Elation. If you have a few extra dollars splurge and get a couples massage and buy a cake from the Fun Shops. Hope you have a great anniversary cruise.

[pink roses]

Carnival does NOT stop at Coco Cay as the island is owned by Royal Carribean. I assume you are meaning Half Moon Cay which is owned by Holland America, which in turn is owned by Carnival.

Thanks for clearing that up, that is what I thought but was not for sure. Coco Cay is neat.

[Alexintheboro]

Not sure if they still do, but YES CCL has used Coco Cay (Little Stirrup Cay) in the past few years as the replacement for stops in Key West by the Fascination (when she sailed from JaxPort).

 

I forgot that back in 2013, Carnival paid Royal Carribean royalties in order to port at Coco Cay. :)

[Lindalou76]

Update. Well I booked the Elation out of Jacksonville because after MUCH review my husband said he just didn't want us to drive to Port Canaveral since we'd have to go the night before and pay for a hotel, we can just leave early since it's only about a 4 hour drive. So he thought Jacksonville was the best choice because a: we would save money since no hotel, b: we get an extra day at no additional cost compared to the 3 day victory out of Port C, and c: I won't miss that 4pm class on that Monday that is mildly stressing me out! lol It's our anniversary and I did want a bit nicer ship, but he reminded me we are already booked on the Oasis in May and that is why we should be thrifty with this short one because we are going to splurge big time on that one, and I do agree. We did contemplate getting a jr suite so we'd have a balcony, but it would be an additional $600 though and goodness, that's almost enough to go on a whole separate cruise (our 4 day cost about $800). Anyway, I'm still not sure it's the "right" one, but I have until August 14th to make any changes or cancel without penalty. At least this way we have SOMETHING booked in case prices go up! lol Thank you ALL for your opinion in helping me decide :) If anyone wants to share any thing about the Elation I would love to hear it as it will be my 1st time on this ship.

[First and Ten]

I got off the Elation in May....after reading the reviews, I was seriously worried I was booked on some rust bucket....the wife and I had a GREAT time on the Elation....some of the best cruise entertainment we have ever had....the "cruise snobs" tend not to like this ship because it's more than a week old ( the "I only cruise newer bigger ships" chucklehead crowd) but overall, it was a great quickie vacation for us. Crew is awesome, Alex the CD was great and the ship is in really good shape....I think you will have a blast

 

 

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Edited July 1, 2016 by First and Ten