Ship vs Ports

[BuzzWinny]

Hi. Never cruised but researched the hell out of it just before the pop virus took over. As a Florida res. I am getting ready to book. Hoping to get a good Black Friday Matters sale. My question, though, is who wins the ship vs port decision?  Do I think: it doesn't matter the ship because I will be at port most of the time, or does the ship matter more because I have the choice of a better ship if I don't like the port (i.e. Labadie (I used to work in Haiti and know the place))? Basically it boils down to an Oasis class to pretty much the same ports vs Radiance class for RCI. I am leaning towards RCI but have checked NCL and the choices look bleak compared to RCI. 

[rkacruiser]

Since this will be your first cruise, I think the ports might be more important than which ship.  But, if the ports are basically the same, then your choice boils down to which you think is the "better" ship.  The Oasis Class of ships are larger than the Radiance Class.  I have no opinion as to which I would consider better.  I have not sailed on  a ship of either Class.  

[dolittle]

I think for a first timer I would go with the best ship (not the biggest) . I.M.H.O Royal is s good choice for a first timer it is what most people think a cruise is like and they do a good job . Ports in the Caribbean are more alike than most would like to admit. Also I would not assume that a ''black Friday '' price will be the best price. Good luck

[Flatbush Flyer]

When you really think about it, this question is somewhat of a “no-brainer.”

For example, take two identical (or very similar) itineraries. The antiquities and other allures of the ports remain the same. All that may really be different (especially on a port intensive cruise) is your dining, sleeping and service experience - basically,  the ship is your “home away from home” when comparing two lines. This is why premium/luxury cruising is so popular among seasoned travelers.

“More expensive” you ask? Not necessarily. Instead of cabin prices , compare the bottom line costs of everything from beverages to airfare.....

[navybankerteacher]

What makes anyone think that cruise lines will attempt to match the "door busting" price cuts of mega retailers?   If you recognize that the ports will be the same, the choice should be based on the shipboard experience.  Do some research, read what CC posters have to say about the ships/lines you might consider, and remember that, in the mass market, lower price usually means lower quality.

[shipgeeks]

If price is a consideration, you might also ask yourself what type of cabin to book.  A myth around here is that only a balcony cabin should be considered.  But if you plan to spend a lot of time exploring ports, and doing things on the ship, then perhaps an inside, or oceanview, at a lower price, would be a good decision.  Once you are out of your cabin, virtually all of the meals, activities, etc. are equally available.

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

if you plan to spend a lot of time exploring ports, and doing things on the ship, then perhaps an inside, or oceanview, at a lower price, would be a good decision

 

Good advice for a new cruiser; for many cruises, I was perfectly happy with an oceanview cabin and had one inside cabin for a 4 day cruise.  I learned from that I wouldn't be pleased having an inside for longer than that.  

 

I am not hard to please.  I can go from outside to balcony to suites of various types and back again and have never second guessed myself as to "why did you choose this cabin"?  Knowing what one is buying is maybe the key?  

[BuzzWinny]

Thanks for your inputs. I agree that the ship choice carries more weight than the itinerary, for me. Looking at Odyssey of the seas and will try the big ship first.

[taglovestocruise]

On 11/22/2021 at 6:42 AM, BuzzWinny said:

Thanks for your inputs. I agree that the ship choice carries more weight than the itinerary, for me. Looking at Odyssey of the seas and will try the big ship first.

Oasis class is much larger than Odyssey and have much more to do. More entertainment venues, more eating venues and many more people. happy first cruise

[cruiseaholic777]

The ship is more important than the ports. You will spend more time on the ship (that is a fact). I always pick my ship first and then I pick what itinerary I like best. Have a great cruise.

[donaldsc]

I regard the ship as a big bus that gets me to interesting places to visit.  Based on this logic, if I have to make a decision on ship over port or port over ship, I will always pick the port.

 

DON

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

I regard the ship as a big bus that gets me to interesting places to visit.  Based on this logic, if I have to make a decision on ship over port or port over ship, I will always pick the port.

 

DON

While I agree that port selection is a primary factor in choosing a cruise, the reality is that you can find similar itineraries in some world regions like The Med and The Caribbean across a wide variety of cruise lines. And when you do find them, the only real difference is the shipboard experience. The Colosseum in Rome remains the same no matter how you get there. 

But the shipboard experience including food quality, cabin amenities, service and the passengers themselves (e.g., load limits and demographics) can make an extreme difference. And particularly when the cruise is longer than 1-2 weeks, your “home away from home” can make all the difference in the world.

 

So, IMO (and practice), I always check first to see if my preferred line has the itinerary/ports I  desire. And, as I have so often posted here, when I then compare the “bottom line” daily cost of that ship’s trip to other lines with a similar itinerary,  I often find my choice to be a far better value for the quality experience delivered.

[Hlitner]

The answers depend on the individual, age, wants, etc.  So, for example, at our age (70s) and level of travel experience DW and I would be unlikely to ever cruise on an Oasis Class vessel unless we were taking our young grandchildren :).  But for a first-time cruiser or young couple/family we think that RCI and their mega ships offer an amazing experience with something to please just about everyone.  As to comparing to the mega ships of NCL there are those who might argue it depends on how much you want to spend.  If you can afford the Haven Suites on NCL you might find that a better choice.  Otherwise we would probably opt for RCI.   As to Radiance Class (we used to love those ships) vs Oasis Class I think most first-time cruisers would be more "wowed" with the Oasis Class vessels.

 

Hank

[sergel02]

For anyone else considering this, I’d usually pick a port over the ship unless there is a particular ship I want to go on (I like trying out the new ones), but if the ports are similar no the time they are in port the same, I’d go with whatever ships is nicer, newer, or floats your boat.

[john watson]

I think you should look at the cruise line.  This can be researched and then you can go into details.

 

Regards John

 

[Bajanswife]

We recently chose and booked our first cruise. Our first decision was general region, and that was based on interest, cost/ease of getting there etc. Since we are from Barbados (and still live there), we weren't interested in the other islands close to us because we have been to many of them already. We considered Alaska, and might do it one day, but it was pretty far for us to go to try out cruising. We weren't looking at Europe or anywhere that far at this time. So we were left with Western Caribbean/Mexico. Florida ports are easiest for us to fly to, so we decided to look at all cruises that went from a Florida port over to the Western Caribbean region, with at least one Mexican or Central American port. Then we looked at spring dates. We know how unpredictable travel can be in the Hurricane Season, so we ruled that out (at least for our first time cruise), and winter and summer seasons are generally busier and more expensive. Based on all these parameters we then did some searches on Cruise Critic, Expedia etc. to check what cruises qualified and the approximate cost of each (I had a spreadsheet lol). The most cost effective cruises were the older Carnival ships, and I was going to choose one of them, but then this is where the ship choice took over - my husband thought we should splash out for our first cruise and choose an amazing ship with lots to do on sea days. The Carnival Mardi Gras ended up ticking all our boxes at a price we could manage. It took a fair amount of time and research to arrive at that choice. If we decide to cruise again the decision will likely start with region again (probably Alaska) because I'm not sure we'd want to do Caribbean ports again for obvious reasons. I don't see us falling in love with cruising and wanting only cruises from now on, regardless of where they go - we both still work full time and have a bunch of land based vacations still on our list. There's only so much vacation time (and money)!