Talk to me about ships.

[Tracey.kinney425]

My 1st cruise got cancelled and my same itinerary isn't available except for when I can't go. We are 2 women in our 40s, (best friends), no kids going. What ship would you recommend for us? Im leaning towards something newer because I think it will have more to do/options.

[crusinpsychRN]

Where are you cruising from and to?

[Thebosn1]

1 hour ago, Tracey.kinney425 said:

My 1st cruise got cancelled and my same itinerary isn't available except for when I can't go. We are 2 women in our 40s, (best friends), no kids going. What ship would you recommend for us? Im leaning towards something newer because I think it will have more to do/options.

Hard to say without knowing what you are actually looking for.  The Vista class ships are great IMO, and I sail without kids as well.  I LOVE the Havana cabins, no kids under 12 and the area is like your own little neighborhood for the entire cruise.  I actually have one booked on Horizon for next spring.  

[Tracey.kinney425]

9 minutes ago, Thebosn1 said:

Hard to say without knowing what you are actually looking for.  The Vista class ships are great IMO, and I sail without kids as well.  I LOVE the Havana cabins, no kids under 12 and the area is like your own little neighborhood for the entire cruise.  I actually have one booked on Horizon for next spring.  

 

Looks like my friend is leaning towards the Breeze. I did a ship compassion and they seem very similar, missing some specialty restaurants and the sky ride 😞 we like to have fun, aren't super serious, not crazy adventurous, just looking to relax, have fun and make memories.

[Saint Greg]

I prefer Dream class (Dream, Breeze, Magic) or Vista class (Vista, Horizon, Panorama).  Once you get up to the Dream class you have Ocean Plaza, the Lanai, more food options. On Vista class they have all of that but even more food options, better internet, better TVs, ship cams and A/C in the rooms. If you want to book Havana or Family Harbor areas those are only on Vista class. 

 

I detail the differences a little better here: https://saintgregtravel.com/dream-class-vs-vista-class/

 

 

[Saint Greg]

3 minutes ago, Tracey.kinney425 said:

 

Looks like my friend is leaning towards the Breeze. I did a ship compassion and they seem very similar, missing some specialty restaurants and the sky ride 😞 we like to have fun, aren't super serious, not crazy adventurous, just looking to relax, have fun and make memories.

 

Breeze is my favorite of the dream class. I think it's a great choice. I'm a little torn between that and the Vista class. I don't use Havana or Family Harbor so those Vista class features don't  bother me. The comedy club and main lounge are larger on Breeze.  Breeze has a dedicated night club. The alchemy bar is larger on Breeze. The lanai goes all the way around the ship on Breeze where part of it is reserved for Havana guests on Vista. Breeze has the larger atrium with glass elevators where Vista class doesn't.  

 

I like the rooms a little better in Vista class. I like the internet better on vista class. I like the additional specialty restaurants on Vista class. Other than that I'd go with Breeze.

[SDPadreFan]

I think time is as important as the cruise ship. If at all possible - go when schools are in session. Nothing can ruin a first cruise experience faster than a ton of families with kids, or a bunch of college age (pretend adults). Nothing wrong with those populations - but on a first cruise - it can definitely color your experience (and not in a good way). Once you have a cruise or two under your belt, then you are better prepared for what a Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or summertime cruise can throw at you. Guess there is also a school break in Jan/Feb in the northeast but not sure of the dates.

[WhiteOptima]

I too like the Dream class(Red Frog Pub was a nice addition) but if we like the itinerary on a Vista class the Havana area is a must.  We did Havana and our friends did balcony and pools were packed as was Serenity deck.  We headed back to our oasis!  

Getting a seat at the Alchemy bar on Vista and Horizon was tough but had no problem on Fascination.

 

 

 

[Organized Chaos]

2 hours ago, Tracey.kinney425 said:

Looks like my friend is leaning towards the Breeze. I did a ship compassion and they seem very similar, missing some specialty restaurants and the sky ride 😞 we like to have fun, aren't super serious, not crazy adventurous, just looking to relax, have fun and make memories.

 

We just did the Horizon earlier this month. Our first time on any of the Vista class ships. Probably the worst part about those ships is the smaller comedy club (Limelight Lounge) and smaller main theater (Liquid Lounge). And their layout of seats. Because decent seating is so sought after, people start arriving really early. We're talking 30 minutes in most cases, sometimes more. We found that trying to manage our time in order to get to those two venues early, just to get a decent seat, often interfered with other things. It was nice having additional food & entertainment on the larger ship, but I don't think any of it was must-have for us. I only did the Sky Ride once, which was fun. I wanted to do it one more time to do the opposite side, but the lines were always too long. If I had done it twice, that would've been enough for me. I did the ropes course twice...once for each route you can take. After that, I was over it. Overall, I didn't hate that ship, but didn't love it either. We aren't eager to go on a Vista class again anytime soon, but wouldn't rule it out in the future. We have yet to do a Dream class ship yet. We're eager to try one. Probably the Breeze because I've heard nothing but good things about it.

[Tracey.kinney425]

1 hour ago, SDPadreFan said:

I think time is as important as the cruise ship. If at all possible - go when schools are in session. Nothing can ruin a first cruise experience faster than a ton of families with kids, or a bunch of college age (pretend adults). Nothing wrong with those populations - but on a first cruise - it can definitely color your experience (and not in a good way). Once you have a cruise or two under your belt, then you are better prepared for what a Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or summertime cruise can throw at you. Guess there is also a school break in Jan/Feb in the northeast but not sure of the dates.

All the kids is a concern with the end of August cruise. Where's my middle aged cruise on a fun ship 😂😂😂. Love my kids but sometimes parents want a week with no kids in sight lol

[BeachDiva101]

I love the Breeze!!  Sailed on her January 2014 when she was pretty new.  Western Caribbean.  Had a blast!  Have fun!

[SDPadreFan]

On a Dream class ship - a way to mitigate the kids issue is to book a Cloud 9 Spa stateroom (inside, balcony, or suite). While Spa staterooms are not exclusive of kids (that I'm aware of) they aren't generally considered a family type stateroom. You will have spa privileges and be right next to the (adults only) Serenity area. One note is that the Spa Balconies on deck 12 are uncovered and so have full sun (deck 11 is better).

 

On a Vista class ship - there are 2 ways to mitigate the kids issue. They have Cloud 9 Spa staterooms + they also have Havana staterooms (which are somewhat age restricted).

 

Research, research, research. Some Havana cabins have privacy issues (I believe) and the Havana bar does turn into a Latin Dance Club at night so there could be noise issues with some staterooms. Same with the Spa staterooms. No shade balconies (some) and sharing a common wall/deck with the fitness center might cause problems. But hey, half the fun is in the trip planning 🙂.