Plan our vacation! Help!

[cruisequeen4ever]

You can never go wrong with the Caribbean out of Florida! I personally would recommend springing for a 6 or 7 day cruise in order to maximize your ports and get the newer ships. My favorite Caribbean ports that are offered on short cruises are Grand Turk and St Maarten. Traveling in the winter will be a nice respite. Good luck planning, and have fun!

 

 

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[Banditswife]

Are you more confused now than when you 1st posted, skyguitar? Everyone will have an opinion, but you'll have to decide what fits you & your family best. $5000 might be a tight budget for a family of 4 when you consider airfare, gratuities, cruise fare, excursions etc.

 

This is my personal opinion: go for the Mexican Riviera out of Long Beach or San Diego. You would save the airfare, you could do a 6-7 day. This would give you an idea of whether you even like cruising without breaking the bank. I agree about the larger ship-more activities for the kids & water slides. Cabo San Lucas is beautiful, Puerto Vallarta is a good one too. We just came back from a long cruise that included 4 Mexican ports & loved every one of them. But again, only you can decide what is best for your family. Good luck in your choice & enjoy your 1st cruise.

[dolphin2012]

Since we live in Texas the Galveston cruises are a great port for us. We just did the Breeze in june and its a great ship for kids. It has all the extras and mores spots to eat. The grand cayman, Jamaica , and Cozumel ports are all fun and good. We swam with the stingrays in Grand Cayman, and did a beach in Jamaica , Cozumel had some ruins that was interesting. It has beautiful beaches too. Its really not about the ports as much as what each ship has to offer. There are kid camps and movies at nite to keep them busy on the ship. It has a rope course, putt putt golf, basketball, water slides, pools, just to name a few things to do. Of course ordering free room service and watching a movie in your own room is a blast too. My daughter started cruising at 9 and was hooked. I agree to fly in the day before and enjoy Galveston too. Good luck its going to be fun.

[stefs111]

Definitely do a 6 or 7 nite.

 

Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral.

 

Fly in at least the day before and stay at a hotel close to port.

 

Grand Cayman is where I had my best excursion, the swimming with the stingrays!!

You can book yourself, read about Grand Cayman on the port boards and there will be

places recommended. This is perfect for the kids. They stop and do snorkeling too.

 

Cozumel, go to Chakenab (sp?) it is a taxi ride away from the ship.

 

Grand Turk, free beach at the dock, very beautiful water and beach.

 

Don't plan to do too much in one week, you will get worn out. Take time to relax and enjoy the ship. Sunshine, Magic, Breeze, Vista great choices.

[momof3cruisers]

Hi all,

 

Yes we do all have passport. Is Mexican Riviera cruise comparable to Western Caribbean cruise in terms of beach and fun excursion? Or is there really no comparison?

 

Thanks again!

 

IMO there is no comparison between Caribbean beaches and beaches on the Pacific in Mexico. Been to the beach in CA? Pretty much the same. With your budget, going to the Caribbean is very doable. But I'd suggest at least six days with the amount of traveling you have to do.

[dadof2boys]

Skyguitar:

 

We have two boys, ages 6 and 8. The Breeze is their favorite ship. It sails out of Galveston. We live in North County San Diego and have always had great luck getting reasonable flights to Houston.

 

The prices in Jan. And Feb. will be off season (better for you) Do a 7 night. Mexican Riviera doesn't compare to the Caribbean. Based on ship alone, it doesn't compare. The Breeze is the second newest ship in the fleet and the Miracle is well...old.

 

Your boys will love the water slides, ropes course, mini golf, giant arcade, thrill theatre, the list goes on.

 

If you have any other questions, just ask, everyone here is super knowledgeable.

 

If you have any questions the pertain to traveling with kids, let me know. Our boys have been on about 10 cruises and we've experienced it all (in regard to the ups and downs of traveling with two kiddos.)

 

 

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[louanne93]

Are you more confused now than when you 1st posted, skyguitar? Everyone will have an opinion, but you'll have to decide what fits you & your family best. $5000 might be a tight budget for a family of 4 when you consider airfare, gratuities, cruise fare, excursions etc.

 

This is my personal opinion: go for the Mexican Riviera out of Long Beach or San Diego. You would save the airfare, you could do a 6-7 day. This would give you an idea of whether you even like cruising without breaking the bank. I agree about the larger ship-more activities for the kids & water slides. Cabo San Lucas is beautiful, Puerto Vallarta is a good one too. We just came back from a long cruise that included 4 Mexican ports & loved every one of them. But again, only you can decide what is best for your family. Good luck in your choice & enjoy your 1st cruise.

 

Agreed! To see if you will even like cruising, I would stick close to home.

[easypeasy55]

I don't know how much flights are from California to Florida but with children that age, Disney cruise would be my first choice. You can get an inside cabin with a virtual window for 4 for a little over $3,000. My next choice would be Breeze or the Vista. You all will have so much fun no matter what you choose. Enjoy!!