Honeymoon Cruise Itinerary Debate

[jslev9]

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I are currently booked on a seven night European sailing on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas (April 19, 2020) as a honeymoon cruise (with a fully refundable deposit). I just got an email from Carnival with an incredible promo and now I'm second guessing our original itinerary -- we'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

The new sailing we're looking at is a nine night European sailing on the Carnival Radiance (May 21, 2020). Both itineraries include stops at Florence/Pisa, Rome, and Naples. The Royal Caribbean sailing also visits Nice and Portofino plus has one day at sea while the Carnival Victory also stops in Sicily, Marseille, and Palma de Mallorca plus has two days at sea. The fares are within $12 of each other (total, not per person or per night). The Royal Caribbean sailing has a $225 OBC while the Carnival sailing has a $500 OBC plus free drinks while in the casino (OBC and drinks are part of the promo email I received today from the casino club).

 

For us, the pros of saying on the Royal Carnival sailing include sailing closer to our wedding (~3 weeks after the wedding) and having the time to spend a few days in Barcelona before embarking. Pros of the Carnival ship include an extra $275 in OBC, free drinks while playing in the casino, getting an extra day in port and an extra sea day, and sailing on a (basically) brand new ship.

 

Penny for your thoughts?

Edited May 20, 2019 by jslev9

[jbethel11]

12 minutes ago, jslev9 said:

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I are currently booked on a seven night European sailing on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas (April 19, 2020) as a honeymoon cruise (with a fully refundable deposit). I just got an email from Carnival with an incredible promo and now I'm second guessing our original itinerary -- we'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

The new sailing we're looking at is a nine night European sailing on the Carnival Radiance (May 21, 2020). Both itineraries include stops at Florence/Pisa, Rome, and Naples. The Royal Caribbean sailing also visits Nice and Portofino plus has one day at sea while the Carnival Victory also stops in Sicily, Marseille, and Palma de Mallorca plus has two days at sea. The fares are within $12 of each other (total, not per person or per night). The Royal Caribbean sailing has a $225 OBC while the Carnival sailing has a $500 OBC plus free drinks while in the casino (OBC and drinks are part of the promo email I received today from the casino club).

 

For us, the pros of saying on the Royal Carnival sailing include sailing closer to our wedding (~3 weeks after the wedding) and having the time to spend a few days in Barcelona before embarking. Pros of the Carnival ship include an extra $275 in OBC, free drinks while playing in the casino, getting an extra day in port and an extra sea day, and sailing on a (basically) brand new ship.

 

Penny for your thoughts?

I would choose the Carnival Radiance over the Jewel of the Seas any day. Truthfully, I haven't been on either of those ships. However, I have been on the Sunshine, and I enjoyed it so much! The best cruise I've been on so far! Plus, get $275 more and free drinks while in the casino? Hello! I have heard that Barcelona is the pickpocket capital of Europe apparently, though I am not sure how reliable that is! The only negative I can think of is that the casino rate code is non-refundable so you would be out $198 if you decide to cancel.

 

TLDR: Carnival Radiance, the Perks outweigh the Negatives

[Joebucks]

I would pick the Carnival cruise. You will often find that RC usually beats Carnival in the ship department. Yet, I believe the Radiance wins here. Not to mention more OBC, drinks (since it sounds like you gamble), and 2 extra cruise days. Sign me up!

[mikayla73]

Full disclosure, I have been on the Jewel and while I like many aspects of that ship, it is probably my least favorite ship layout of all the cruises we've been on (CCL, DCL, and RCL).

 

It's your honeymoon, so you'd have to say how important the trade offs are for you. Does getting more OBC and free drinks in the casino outweigh the extra time you'd get to spend in Barcelona? Are Nice or Portofino an acceptable trade for Sicily, Marseille, and Palma de Mallorca, plus an extra day at sea?

 

Personally I would do it. For me it is a good trade off no matter what the RCL ship is. I'd try to work it out to come in a day earlier to Barcelona so I could still explore there and see 3 additional cities with an extra day of relaxing at sea. For me a Europe cruise would be more about the places than the ship. The OBC and free drinks would just be a bonus.

[deladane]

As someone who took my honeymoon nearly one year after getting married, I would definitely pick the Carnival cruise!  You get two more days for nearly the same price, and the OBC and free drinks are great perks!  In terms of the dates, I found it really beneficial to have some time between the wedding and the honeymoon.  All the planning and excitement for the wedding was exhausting, and I appreciated having lots of time to recover from that before focusing my attention on the honeymoon.  It will give you a chance to enjoy your wedding and the excitement of being newlyweds, and then you will also have time to look forward to the honeymoon and prepare for Europe.  Either way, I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon!

[xDisconnections]

I’ll go with the unpopular opinion on a Carnival message board and suggest you enjoy the Jewel of the Seas. That would be my choice given the circumstances.

 

It’s your vacation though... don’t let any of us choose for you. You’ll need to weigh the pros/cons on your own to determine which preferences matter more to you.

 

If you pose this same question on the Royal Caribbean board, you’ll see the bias shift uncontrollably.

Edited May 20, 2019 by xDisconnections

[Sauer-kraut]

Marsailles is an industrial port.

[pcvtmom]

Nine is greater than seven! For essentially the same price, you get two extra days.

 

We sailed the Med with Carnival when the Destiny was revamped into the Sunshine.  BEST. Cruise. Ever!  

 

Regardless of your choice...congrats and happy sailing!

[jslev9]

Thanks for all of the feedback! My fiance and I are going to make a decision tonight -- I'll let you know which we end up with!

[Shaded Lady]

Also consider the weather- 30 days later will mean a lot more pleasant weather in those ports and in the Mediterranean!

[mamiamjo]

The only downside for the Radiance is the fact that it's further from your Wedding Date. If you don't mind the extra wait then I would  definitely choose the Carnival Cruise

Edited May 21, 2019 by mamiamjo

[JFontaine]

20 hours ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Marsailles is an industrial port.

It’s also a half hour from Aix-en-Provence, one of the most charming towns in Europe, if not the world. 

[jslev9]

Hi all,

 

Just wanted to follow up and say we ended up switching to the Carnival sailing! The longer cruise, plus the extra OBC, were too hard to turn down. Plus, with the sailing leaving mid-week instead of a Saturday and being over Memorial Day weekend, we're able to spend the extra days pre-sailing in Barcelona that we originally thought we'd have to give up by taking a longer cruise.

 

Thanks for all of your advice and helping us think everything through!

 

P.S. For those who mentioned that I must be a large gambler, I'm actually not. Heck, I haven't even been on a Carnival ship in over  two years. I (and the agent I booked the cruise with over the phone) have no idea why I received the players club offer but the agent did confirm it's valid for my VIFP number.

[jbethel11]

3 minutes ago, jslev9 said:

Hi all,

 

Just wanted to follow up and say we ended up switching to the Carnival sailing! The longer cruise, plus the extra OBC, were too hard to turn down. Plus, with the sailing leaving mid-week instead of a Saturday and being over Memorial Day weekend, we're able to spend the extra days pre-sailing in Barcelona that we originally thought we'd have to give up by taking a longer cruise.

 

Thanks for all of your advice and helping us think everything through!

 

P.S. For those who mentioned that I must be a large gambler, I'm actually not. Heck, I haven't even been on a Carnival ship in over  two years. I (and the agent I booked the cruise with over the phone) have no idea why I received the players club offer but the agent did confirm it's valid for my VIFP number.

Great! Have a great cruise!

 

P.S. What VIFP level are you? How does one get selected for this "players club rate".

[jslev9]

Just now, jbethel11 said:

Great! Have a great cruise!

 

P.S. What VIFP level are you? How does one get selected for this "players club rate".

 

Thanks! I'm currently a "red" level sailer with 11 nights on Carnival over two cruises (a three night cruise in Feb 2017 and an eight night cruise in Dec 2004). The phone agent and I *truly* have no idea how or why I was selected for this promo but I triple checked with her that I was eligible and my email confirmation also specifically mentions the promo.

[OceansOfTravels]

I would pick the Radiance as well .Not only would you get two more days at sea, but you would avoid Portofino, which is so touristy and expensive. There is a free bus from the ship to the city in Marseilles, so you could do a cheap day there, or book a day trip to Avignon. Palma is also very pretty, and Palermo offers a lot of interesting excursions. Plus, the Radiance is newer and will likely be cleaner and have more bells and whistles. Hope you make the change!

[ejincali]

On 5/20/2019 at 8:51 PM, JFontaine said:

It’s also a half hour from Aix-en-Provence, one of the most charming towns in Europe, if not the world. 

Yes!  Went to Aix on a port call in Marseille.  What a great place!  Was there for the Saturday morning market.

[Reva_Dearchi]

On 5/22/2019 at 11:52 PM, jslev9 said:

 

Thanks! I'm currently a "red" level sailer with 11 nights on Carnival over two cruises (a three night cruise in Feb 2017 and an eight night cruise in Dec 2004). The phone agent and I *truly* have no idea how or why I was selected for this promo but I triple checked with her that I was eligible and my email confirmation also specifically mentions the promo.

Welcome aboard!  Check out our roll call board for the May 21-30th sailing on the Radiance! 

[jslev9]

4 hours ago, Reva_Dearchi said:

Welcome aboard!  Check out our roll call board for the May 21-30th sailing on the Radiance! 

 

I'm already there 🙂

[LuckyStar]

On 5/19/2019 at 6:40 PM, jslev9 said:

Hi all,

 

My fiancé and I are currently booked on a seven night European sailing on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas (April 19, 2020) as a honeymoon cruise (with a fully refundable deposit). I just got an email from Carnival with an incredible promo and now I'm second guessing our original itinerary -- we'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

The new sailing we're looking at is a nine night European sailing on the Carnival Radiance (May 21, 2020). Both itineraries include stops at Florence/Pisa, Rome, and Naples. The Royal Caribbean sailing also visits Nice and Portofino plus has one day at sea while the Carnival Victory also stops in Sicily, Marseille, and Palma de Mallorca plus has two days at sea. The fares are within $12 of each other (total, not per person or per night). The Royal Caribbean sailing has a $225 OBC while the Carnival sailing has a $500 OBC plus free drinks while in the casino (OBC and drinks are part of the promo email I received today from the casino club).

 

For us, the pros of saying on the Royal Carnival sailing include sailing closer to our wedding (~3 weeks after the wedding) and having the time to spend a few days in Barcelona before embarking. Pros of the Carnival ship include an extra $275 in OBC, free drinks while playing in the casino, getting an extra day in port and an extra sea day, and sailing on a (basically) brand new ship.

 

Penny for your thoughts?

Wow. Sounds wonderful!  Both have great itineraries. Two more days for $12 more?  Heck yeah!

[ctkathchick]

On 5/20/2019 at 12:05 AM, Sauer-kraut said:

Marsailles is an industrial port.

Yes but you can take an excursion anywhere