Just off the Valor & already thinking about the next cruise!

[MistyRo76]

Hey all! I just got off the Valor a week ago today from a great sailing to Costa Maya and Cozumel! I am hoping to soon start on a detailed cruise review with pictures. But my hubby had total knee replacement surgery on Halloween, so I've been in caretaker mode this week! Once he's further along in his recovery and more independent, I will try to get that started. But overall, it was a GREAT cruise with a couple firsts, old comforts, and one huge surprise! 🙂

 

Now I am already thinking about the next cruise! My eight-year-old daughter has been BEGGING to go on a cruise for a while now. We took her when she 14 months and 3 years old, but she obviously doesn't really remember them. So, I am thinking of taking her next year over her fall break in October - she has a whole week off for fall break! I am thinking a 5-day cruise may be the sweet spot as it'll be nearly a week gone including travel days. I have narrowed it down to the two following options: 

 

Carnival Sunshine out of Charleston

Ports: Nassau & Half Moon Cay

Two Days at Sea

Cost for a Balcony on Empress Deck $1372.43

PROS - Never been to Charleston before. Would be cool sailing out of there before the port closes to cruise traffic. Driveable - only about 8 hours from where we live. Could go early and have a day to explore. 

CONS - Not the most exciting itinerary. Love HMC, Nassau is meh to me. But maybe it's got more to do there for kids???  

 

 

Carnival Sunrise

Ports: Nassau, Half Moon Cay & Grand Turk

One Day at Sea

Cost for Balcony on Empress Deck $1348.54

PROS - Grand Turk is one of my favorite ports! Sailed out of Miami numerous times - always an easy port to get in/out of, lots of airline options, etc. 

CONS - Only one sea day. I think the kiddo is gonna love the ship and kids programs. Port hours are kind of short (leaving HMC by 3:30, only 6 hours in Grand Turk). 

 

Overall, these are very similar in price, ship (two totally revamped ships with upgraded waterworks, dining, etc.), and itinerary (only missing GT on one). Right now I'm leaning toward the Sunshine out of Charleston, but thought I would check here for any opinions that may sway me the other direction! 🙂

 

Take it away! 

 

[FSHLOT]

The best cure for a cruise :Hangover" is booking another one instantly!! 😀

[MistyRo76]

9 minutes ago, FSHLOT said:

The best cure for a cruise :Hangover" is booking another one instantly!! 😀

Heck yeah it is! 🙂

[grantbob]

Out of those two I would definitely pick the Sunrise. Better ports for sure.

 

We used to take our kids cruising for fall break and they loved it. (Including once on the Triumph that is now the Sunrise) The only issue was having the cruise dates from the ports we wanted to sail out of line up with their break. Sometimes we had to drive a little further to get what we wanted.

 

We are in western KY and usually drive to New Orleans or Mobile. You might check their itineraries. 

[MistyRo76]

1 minute ago, grantbob said:

Out of those two I would definitely pick the Sunrise. Better ports for sure.

 

We used to take our kids cruising for fall break and they loved it. (Including once on the Triumph that is now the Sunrise) The only issue was having the cruise dates from the ports we wanted to sail out of line up with their break. Sometimes we had to drive a little further to get what we wanted.

 

We are in western KY and usually drive to New Orleans or Mobile. You might check their itineraries. 

I'm in Northern KY and just did the Valor out of NOLA. We loved it...but probalby wouldn't book her with the kiddo. Looking for a ship with the upgraded waterworks and don't really want to do a fantasy class ship either. I also prefer to fly to port if pricing isn't too outrageous. Charleston would give us the flexibility to be able to drive it if pricing is high on airfare. But we would definitely not make the drive to Miami! I get companion certificates for flights on Delta through my DL AMEX so hoping I can take advantage of that and only have to pay for one ticket! 

[grantbob]

44 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

I'm in Northern KY and just did the Valor out of NOLA. We loved it...but probalby wouldn't book her with the kiddo. Looking for a ship with the upgraded waterworks and don't really want to do a fantasy class ship either. 

 

We've done both of the ships in NOLA and Glory does have the big waterpark but I dont know if they do shorter sailings than 7 day.

 

If you can get by with only one plane ticket your options are wide open. Might find some great deals from the Florida ports. Hope you guys have a great time whatever you choose!

[Drazil65]

We have done Sunshine out of Charleston several times since it is a close port for us (we drive obliviously) and this would be the cruise I would pick of the 2 posted.  We were on this ship this past May and although she is showing her age we still had a blast.  This is the smallest ship we would cruise on but the serenity deck is a favorite for us.  We had a balcony on Empress deck and it was as we expected, all good.   Which ever you choose, have a great time!

[pcvtmom]

We've done the Sunshine cruise from Charleston numerous times and LOVE the ship! As stated above, the Serenity area is amazing. We also love the Havana bar area at the back of the Lido, for quiet breakfast and lunch. We, too, can drive to port in about 7-8 hours, so it saves the airfare.

[MistyRo76]

17 hours ago, Drazil65 said:

We have done Sunshine out of Charleston several times since it is a close port for us (we drive obliviously) and this would be the cruise I would pick of the 2 posted.  We were on this ship this past May and although she is showing her age we still had a blast.  This is the smallest ship we would cruise on but the serenity deck is a favorite for us.  We had a balcony on Empress deck and it was as we expected, all good.   Which ever you choose, have a great time!

Thank you! I do love the looks of that Serenity area! She looks like a beautiful ship! 

[MistyRo76]

14 minutes ago, pcvtmom said:

We've done the Sunshine cruise from Charleston numerous times and LOVE the ship! As stated above, the Serenity area is amazing. We also love the Havana bar area at the back of the Lido, for quiet breakfast and lunch. We, too, can drive to port in about 7-8 hours, so it saves the airfare.

I just read about that Havana area in @willdra review of this ship! That review is one of the reasons I started looking at this ship/itinerary! Sounds like a nice little hidden gem! 

[mz-s]

I will recommend Sunshine since you can drive there. That is worth a lot these days with as expensive as flights are!

 

If I was flying to Miami I'd go on a newer ship/longer cruise to make the flights worth it.