Help-Sunshine/Magic/Oasis/Adventure of the Seas/Getaway

[Cycoguy]

The wife and I are looking to book our first cruise for our 15th anniversary. We are late 30s. Not hard partyiers but like to have a few drinks. We are stuck between 5 options and looking for some cruise expert opinions. The cruises are:

 

Carnival Sunshine, 8 night (Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Marteen)

 

RCCL Adventure of the Seas, 8 night (Labadee, San Juan, St. Marteen and St. Kitts)

 

Carnival Magic, 7 night (Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Grand Cayman)

 

RCCL Oasis of the Seas, 7 night (Labadee, Jamaica and Cozumel)

 

Norwegian Getaway, 7 night (St. Thomas, Tortula-BVI and Nassau)

 

All are the same week. The Sunshine, Adventure and Oasis are basically the same cost. Magic is $600 cheaper. Norwegian is $200 more than the 3 but includes the drink package, dining package and prepaid gratuities (all things we will buy with Carnival or RCCL for about $1200) so in the end the Getaway is about $1000 cheaper in the end.

 

How do I decide? I have read so many reviews and frankly don't know how to decide. We are leaning towards the Adventure but the price on the NCL Getaway is so tempting. Help, please. Thanks!

[hotmamma51]

The wife and I are looking to book our first cruise for our 15th anniversary. We are late 30s. Not hard partyiers but like to have a few drinks. We are stuck between 5 options and looking for some cruise expert opinions. The cruises are:

 

Carnival Sunshine, 8 night (Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Marteen)

 

RCCL Adventure of the Seas, 8 night (Labadee, San Juan, St. Marteen and St. Kitts)

 

Carnival Magic, 7 night (Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Grand Cayman)

 

RCCL Oasis of the Seas, 7 night (Labadee, Jamaica and Cozumel)

 

Norwegian Getaway, 7 night (St. Thomas, Tortula-BVI and Nassau)

 

All are the same week. The Sunshine, Adventure and Oasis are basically the same cost. Magic is $600 cheaper. Norwegian is $200 more than the 3 but includes the drink package, dining package and prepaid gratuities (all things we will buy with Carnival or RCCL for about $1200) so in the end the Getaway is about $1000 cheaper in the end.

 

How do I decide? I have read so many reviews and frankly don't know how to decide. We are leaning towards the Adventure but the price on the NCL Getaway is so tempting. Help, please. Thanks!

 

 

We have cruised on the carnival Sunshine - lovely smaller more intimate ship and you cant go wrong with the Ports. There is a lot to do in San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Marteen. In Grand Turk we usually hang out at the Cruise Port shopping and by the pool in Margaritaville.

We enjoy the size of the balcony on RC Adventure of the Seas. Its perfect for a nice quiet breakfast - ordering room service is free and simple. The size of the ship isn't overwhelming for 1st time cruisers, and as for the Ports your just swapping the beach in Labadee for the one in Grand Turke - I would go to YouTube University to view the difference in the 2 beaches and their activities.

Oasis of the Seas is a much larger ship - but it also triples the number activities on board its ship compared to Carnival Sunshine, and Adventure of the Seas.

We have cruised about 10 times (just RC and carnival) and when deciding which cruise to take, I consider the ports, the size and age of the ship and what month we are traveling - just in case you want to avoid the hurricanes, and children out on summer recess.

Sorry I cant give any information on Norwegian or the ports in Honduras and Belize.

What ever you choose, just know that you will have a blast. Congratulations, and Happy Anniversary

[JoyMouse]

I haven’t been on the other cruise lines, but Adventure is 8 days, just came out of dry dock (refurbished), and has a nice itinerary. It has a lot of the active Royal Caribbean features while still being a traditional cruise.

 

 

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[Getting out there]

Look at the times in each port

[Cycoguy]

So we booked today. None of the 5. We booked an 8 night on Harmony of the Seas. Same dates and itinerary as Adventure except it swapped St. Thomas in for St. Marteen. Same basic price too. Did I do okay?

[LeeW]

So we booked today. None of the 5. We booked an 8 night on Harmony of the Seas. Same dates and itinerary as Adventure except it swapped St. Thomas in for St. Marteen. Same basic price too. Did I do okay?

 

Harmony is essentially the same as Oasis except a couple of large slides in the back. A longer cruise is generally better than shorter since it gives you more time to do the onboard activities (and there are a lot on that ship). Try to book the shows you are interested in online. Some folks really like the monster ships. We prefer smaller since we are not particularly fond of making reservations for everything. Small ships also go to ports the large ones can't go to. Larger ships also cost more, in general. But there is also much more to do on a big ship.

 

There isn't an ok/not ok involved in cruising! Each experience is a bit different, and we have never had a bad cruise. Just don't try to eat everything and do everything and you should have a great time. And if you can't decide on which dessert to eat, have both!

[JoyMouse]

So we booked today. None of the 5. We booked an 8 night on Harmony of the Seas. Same dates and itinerary as Adventure except it swapped St. Thomas in for St. Marteen. Same basic price too. Did I do okay?

 

 

 

Harmony of the Seas for the same price as Adventure of the Seas!!! I’d say you did more than okay. You did great! This ship will have everything. You can try a more traditional ship later.

 

I do my first Oasis class cruise in December 2019, so no tips from me, but here’s a live review from someone that just got off the ship today.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2618647

 

Have fun planning and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[Tyler80]

Cycoguy: Choose wisely. The companies and ships you've listed are all very different and each company has it's own vision of what a cruise vacation should be. While one experience might fit for one group, it could be a nightmare for another. My opinion: An Oasis Class ship will create a great first cruise experience, but it will set the bar high as the ships are full of bells and whistles.