firsttimecruiser9876 Posted June 21, 2018 #1 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Hi guys - need some advice. Looking for a quick cruise, don’t have much vacation time and we have a child that has to stay with grandparents. We could do Elation out of Charleston 4 night (little to no travel time), Elation out of Jax 4 nights (3 hour travel time one way) or 3 night Liberty (6-8 hour travel time one way) (We have to drop off of child in Charleston first - 3 hours away - which is why the travel times are a little weird, but anyway.) I have done the fantasy class - had a good time but terribly rocky one night- and have heard these small ships are so much rockier. So, Question is, is it worth the drive to do the Liberty over the smaller ships? The main reason I would consider is to avoid the rockier ride. Prone to motion sickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mz-s Posted June 21, 2018 #2 Share Posted June 21, 2018 FWIW I felt motion on the Sunshine out of Charleston last year. I don't think the size of the ship makes that much of a difference, until you move up to the huge Oasis of the Seas - size ships. I have also been on the Ecstasy and felt no motion for most of the voyage. So I think it depends more on the weather as anything else. Liberty out of PCFL might be better as far as motion since you're spending less time in the deep, rocky Atlantic compared to Jacksonville, and especially Charleston. Personally I'd do Ecstasy out of Charleston for the shortest drive and take something to help with the motion sickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknoge3k Posted June 21, 2018 #3 Share Posted June 21, 2018 The Fantasy Class ships are fun because they're so small. However if I were going to pick between those, I'd go with the Liberty which is 14 years newer than the Ecstasy and 7 years newer than the Elation. It's also a much larger ship since it's a Conquest Class ship. That's if I were picking based on the ship. If I were picking based on the sailings, I'd go with the Elation since it's 4 days over the 3 days. I don't know how long the Ecstasy sailing is since you didn't mention it. I guess really it depends on where they're going. 4 days is always better though since it's longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siestakeys04 Posted June 21, 2018 #4 Share Posted June 21, 2018 If it's better for you I would sail out of Charleston, I have sailed on small ships and conquest class ships and they both were okay. I had a rocky time on the Valor in November but I didn't get sea sick because I used the seasick bands. For me I like the larger ships but not opposed to a smaller one for ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoDidly Posted June 21, 2018 #5 Share Posted June 21, 2018 First and foremost I love different scenery .If you have done it ,try something different for the experience. Liberty gets a big plus from me because of the big screen. I'm a movie freak and love the corn while watching movies out at sea Always pick a room midship if possible for motion problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisNCruiser Posted June 21, 2018 #6 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I've sailed all three ships; the larger Liberty is great but for a short cruise you'll still have plenty of fun on the smaller ships. Yes they're older but they've been maintained and updated over the years. For your case, I'd recommend the Ecstasy based on the distance. For what it's worth, here's a link to some pictures of the Elation I took last year; we were on the first sailing out of dry dock, and as you'll see it was still being finished. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BtmTtQZPfPNfUuXJ2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A&Jfamily Posted June 22, 2018 #7 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Since it is such a short getaway, time is of the essence and Ecstasy wins for convenience. Not worth the longer drive for a sister ship and the much longer drive for 1 less day of vacation. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted June 22, 2018 #8 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Forget the first 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailinglisa Posted June 22, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 22, 2018 For a three day cruise and a 6 - 8 hour drive each way, as much as I love the Liberty, I would say no to that one. Personally the 4 day cruise out of Charleston would be the one I would choose for your short vacay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schazzy Posted June 22, 2018 #10 Share Posted June 22, 2018 I wouldn't drive to PC for anything less than a 7 day. I'd do a short cruise on a Fantasy class out of Charleston or even Jacksonville anyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandmarnnurse Posted June 22, 2018 #11 Share Posted June 22, 2018 I actually heard that the Elation won the award in the cruise industry as the best refurbished ship for this year. It got plenty of updates and amenities and a fresh new look. Check out a good review with pics from Jamman54. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuizer2 Posted June 23, 2018 #12 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Hi guys - need some advice. Looking for a quick cruise, don’t have much vacation time and we have a child that has to stay with grandparents. We could do Elation out of Charleston 4 night (little to no travel time), Elation out of Jax 4 nights (3 hour travel time one way) or 3 night Liberty (6-8 hour travel time one way) (We have to drop off of child in Charleston first - 3 hours away - which is why the travel times are a little weird, but anyway.) I have done the fantasy class - had a good time but terribly rocky one night- and have heard these small ships are so much rockier. So, Question is, is it worth the drive to do the Liberty over the smaller ships? The main reason I would consider is to avoid the rockier ride. Prone to motion sickness. The Fantasy ships are not "small". If a Fantasy class ship is rocking, the Vista class ships will also be rocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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