First Family Cruise - Miracle 5 day Cabo vs Radiance 4 day Ensenada

[Itried4498]

45 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

My guess is that most people aren't that uncomfortable in that type of weather (Cozumel's average high in April is 87 degrees, BTW), or else Caribbean and Cozumel port stops wouldn't be as popular as they are from April - October.

 

Warmer weather doesn't bother most kids  What bothered mine was taking a Spring cruise where the water at the beach was cold and they needed a jacket on deck,  which was the case on our West Coast Mexican cruise.

Logical fallacy.  That’s like saying the crowds, lines and high prices at Disney World don’t bother many people or else it wouldn’t be as popular as it is.  
 

Temperatures rise in April and are near 90 by the end of the month at either Cabo or Cuzmel.  You won’t need a jacket at either destination.  Ensenada is not a beach destination, although you can travel to and get a day pass at a beach resort 30-40 minutes away for a much better price than pretty much anywhere.  No jacket required as long as the sun’s out, unless you’re overly sensitive.

 

Again I write this only because some people’s preferences are turning into facts that are impeding the OP’s decision.  

[pc_load_letter]

Meh, I prefer Radiance over Panorama.

[miles2go2go]

Thanks for all the comments, sorry was away a while. Thanks for asking about passports, We are not US citizens, but already confirmed with the Mexico embassy in Seattle that there is no need for Mexico visas if we do a cruise. Actually that is one of the reasons I want to stick with Mexico compared to Bahamas/other Caribbean ports.

 

I am mostly deciding between the Breeze and the Radiance for now. Have been checking out some video reviews of both, and I am not sure what it is, but somehow felt the vibe in the Breeze to be more appealing for us. Somehow the videos I have seen of the Miracle don't seem to excite me or my kids that much

We are only going for the Balcony/ocean view rooms, definitely not planning on a suite. 

 

 

[SunshineGal2022]

22 minutes ago, miles2go2go said:

I am mostly deciding between the Breeze and the Radiance for now. Have been checking out some video reviews of both, and I am not sure what it is, but somehow felt the vibe in the Breeze to be more appealing for us. Somehow the videos I have seen of the Miracle don't seem to excite me or my kids that much

We are only going for the Balcony/ocean view rooms, definitely not planning on a suite. 

 

 

I am not sure if this would help. :)

https://cruisespotlight.com/compare/carnival-breeze-vs-carnival-radiance/

 

If you head to Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific is a nice day trip not far from the cruise port.  

 

Definitely look at the Seuss at Sea events for your little ones!  You can probably grab some Dr.Seuss shirts at Target during Dr.Seuss' bday week.  

 

[Itried4498]

35 minutes ago, miles2go2go said:

Thanks for all the comments, sorry was away a while. Thanks for asking about passports, We are not US citizens, but already confirmed with the Mexico embassy in Seattle that there is no need for Mexico visas if we do a cruise. Actually that is one of the reasons I want to stick with Mexico compared to Bahamas/other Caribbean ports.

 

I am mostly deciding between the Breeze and the Radiance for now. Have been checking out some video reviews of both, and I am not sure what it is, but somehow felt the vibe in the Breeze to be more appealing for us. Somehow the videos I have seen of the Miracle don't seem to excite me or my kids that much

We are only going for the Balcony/ocean view rooms, definitely not planning on a suite. 

 

 

 

YouTube videos aren't going to be the best gauge as the narration and depiction is entirely up to the poster.  A gay middle aged male traveling solo on the Miracle from San Francisco to Alaska in the summer, isn't going to have the same experience as a family traveling from LA to Cabo during spring break.  And quite frankly, there aren't a lot of recent Miracle videos posted, especially after they updated most of the furniture several weeks ago.

 

Carnival sells a brand, so the food, entertainment and activities won't vary much between ships.  90%+ of what's on the Mardi Gras... is on the Miracle, Radiance and Dream.  The menus will be the same as most activities, etc.  Obviously who's cooking the food, or the enthusiasm of the person leading the entertainment, will dictate the experience.

 

 I'd probably focus more on cost and convenience.  A perfect holiday can become a nightmare if cost gets out of control, and that's really easy in the cruise world.  $120 each way in additional checked baggage fees, $40 each way in snacks & beverages on the plane, $150 for a hotel room the day before the cruise, $80 each way for an Uber to/from the port, $6.50 each for virgin kids fufu drinks, $100 for food & beverage in Mexico, $60pp for an excursion, etc. may not seem like much... but it QUICKLY adds up.  

 

(BTW - I recommend against purchasing excursions.  When we toured Hilo last week, it would've cost our family over $800 for a "deluxe tour" to the volcano,  but we saw the exact same sights by spending about $150 on a car rental + park entrance.  Well worth trading the convenience for ~60 minutes getting/returning the car, plus we were able to stop at the stores of our choice rather than spending 45 minutes at a "sponsored" stop that pays the tour company.  If you must do an excursion, most everything can be bought in Mexico (sometimes in advance) for far less... same tours, same operators.)  

[Madhatter12]

I live in the Los Angeles area. I’ve done 3 4day cruises out of Long Beach and 7 day and my next cruise is seven day cruise in May out of Long Beach. I would recommend you looking into the seven day cruise on the panorama.
 

There is more things for the kids to do on that ship, then on the other two ships. Catalina island is a nice place to stop at to get a nice lunch. Walk around the beach area. Do a little bit shopping or rent a golf cart and drive around the island. Ensenada is my least favourite port I’ve ever been to and I do not like the Bahamas that much either.Between a four day or a five day cruise or a seven day cruise, I would pick the seven day cruise over the five day cruise.

my kids were seven and eight. The first time they went on the cruise and we did a four day out of Long Beach on the inspiration. they spent most of the time in club ocean. my two boys are now turning 13 and 15, so really the ship that we go on is not as important as it was when they were younger. they just hang around with the other teenagers of their age group in the older kids clubs.