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Would you rather…?? (B2B or 2 diff ship question)

SunsetsNSmiles
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SunsetsNSmiles

SunsetsNSmiles

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Ok, picture it is your 20th wedding anniversary week celebration vacation. Would you rather… 

 

1) Fly into Orlando and go over to Tampa for a 5 night sailing on Serenade to Mexico (with a corner aft JS 😍) followed by debarking and  driving over to port Canaveral to embark on Utopia (ocean balcony room) on the same day for 3 nights weekend sailing

 

OR

 

2) fly into Orlando and do a B2B (7 night total) on Utopia in an ocean balcony.. itinerary is Nassau and perfect day both times

 

thanks for thoughts opinions and advice!! 

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firefly333

firefly333

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15 minutes ago, karena1 said:

Personally, if I am doing a B2B I want it on the same ship so I don't have to pack and unpack again.  I always make sure we have the same cabin on a B2B for that reason.

 

I would stress 2 different ships from 2 different ports. I would worry about fog and other things delaying getting off and driving from tampa to PC. Same day. .. and I love a corner aft. 

 

We were 2 hours late sept 24, boarding arm broke and had to be replaced. Then 2 stowaways had to be found. Allure

 

Carnival breeze we had to stop the night before to rescue 2 fisherman and a dog. We were closest to them and required by law to stop and rescue them. Their boat overturned. We didnt dock until 10 am. Nothing like a loudspeaker announcement at 3 am explaining and waking us up. 

 

I dont want stress when I cruise. Same ship b2b for me.

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SunsetsNSmiles

SunsetsNSmiles

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15 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I would stress 2 different ships from 2 different ports. I would worry about fog and other things delaying getting off and driving from tampa to PC. Same day. .. and I love a corner aft. 

 

We were 2 hours late sept 24, boarding arm broke and had to be replaced. Then 2 stowaways had to be found. Allure

 

Carnival breeze we had to stop the night before to rescue 2 fisherman and a dog. We were closest to them and required by law to stop and rescue them. Their boat overturned. We didnt dock until 10 am. Nothing like a loudspeaker announcement at 3 am explaining and waking us up. 

 

I dont want stress when I cruise. Same ship b2b for me.

 I didn’t even think about that! That does sound like it could be extremely stressful!! I don’t want that either!!

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SunsetsNSmiles

SunsetsNSmiles

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20 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Have you looked at a 7-night sailing rather than a 3N/4N b2b?

M


I have had serenade booked for a super long time already and then when Utopia came out with their itinerary I sporadically booked it as a saw I the dates align. 
 

I don’t mind eating one deposit but I’d like to steer clear of losing the both of them, if that makes sense! 
 

Utopia looks like it has so many things on it we could easily spend a week on it exploring I think! 
 

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Ourusualbeach

Ourusualbeach

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1 hour ago, SunsetsNSmiles said:

Ok, picture it is your 20th wedding anniversary week celebration vacation. Would you rather… 

 

1) Fly into Orlando and go over to Tampa for a 5 night sailing on Serenade to Mexico (with a corner aft JS 😍) followed by debarking and  driving over to port Canaveral to embark on Utopia (ocean balcony room) on the same day for 3 nights weekend sailing

 

OR

 

2) fly into Orlando and do a B2B (7 night total) on Utopia in an ocean balcony.. itinerary is Nassau and perfect day both times

 

thanks for thoughts opinions and advice!! 

Wonder is doing 7 day itineraries out of PC at the same time Utopia is.  Ships nearly identical, better ports and probably cheaper

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SunsetsNSmiles

SunsetsNSmiles

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2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Wonder is doing 7 day itineraries out of PC at the same time Utopia is.  Ships nearly identical, better ports and probably cheaper


I saw that too! If I hadn’t had been so trigger happy with clicking on “book” for both cruises that I have set up, I would def be interested in that one 

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molly361

molly361

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37 minutes ago, SunsetsNSmiles said:


I saw that too! If I hadn’t had been so trigger happy with clicking on “book” for both cruises that I have set up, I would def be interested in that one 

I don't suppose you booked Utopia within the past 24 hours?  They usually have a 24 hour grace period where you can cancel and get your deposit back

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OCSC Mike "Live from...." Rare

OCSC Mike

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46 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Wonder is doing 7 day itineraries out of PC at the same time Utopia is.  Ships nearly identical, better ports and probably cheaper

 

This is exactly why I have 4 Wonder cruises booked and zero Utopias. Every time I had Utopia on hold for a B2B Wonder was significantly cheaper. (Obviously this was meant for the OP as you already know that, lol).

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OCSC Mike "Live from...." Rare

OCSC Mike

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7 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I don't suppose you booked Utopia within the past 24 hours?  They usually have a 24 hour grace period where you can cancel and get your deposit back

 

Also one of many good reasons to use a TA who can often get you a hold of much longer than 24 hours so you have no reason to be impulsive (unless it's a GGG sale, then you should book ASAP, 😉).

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molly361

molly361

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50 minutes ago, SunsetsNSmiles said:


I saw that too! If I hadn’t had been so trigger happy with clicking on “book” for both cruises that I have set up, I would def be interested in that one 

Perhaps the price difference between B2B Utopia and 7 days on Wonder will cover the penalty fees?

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Mum2Mercury

Mum2Mercury

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3 hours ago, SunsetsNSmiles said:

Ok, picture it is your 20th wedding anniversary week celebration vacation. Would you rather… 

 

1) Fly into Orlando and go over to Tampa for a 5 night sailing on Serenade to Mexico (with a corner aft JS 😍) followed by debarking and  driving over to port Canaveral to embark on Utopia (ocean balcony room) on the same day for 3 nights weekend sailing

 

OR

 

2) fly into Orlando and do a B2B (7 night total) on Utopia in an ocean balcony.. itinerary is Nassau and perfect day both times

 

thanks for thoughts opinions and advice!! 

Hmmm, thinking it through: 

Option 1: 

- Why fly into Orlando?  Why not fly into Tampa and save yourself the cost (and time) of renting a car /driving to Tampa?  

- I'd be a little stressed making that drive between two ports.  Sure, on paper it works out fine:  Make sure you're among the first to disembark, you should be able to start driving by 8:00, and that'd put you in Port Canaveral about 10:30.  I tried to search for Utopia's sailing time -- failed.  Most of Royal's ship sail away around 4:00, and you MUST be onboard 90 minutes ahead of time (that's some maritime law).  So you'd have a buffer of about four hours, and you'd probably be just fine -- yeah, that sounds okay, but I'd still prefer not to be pushed to make the drive.  

- Sailing two different lines seems like a good idea -- two different menus, two different sets of shows.  

- You'd essentially lose a day of cruising to the drive.  

- You'd have to completely pack up everything.  Moving from one room to another on the same ship isn't ideal.  Moving from ship to ship I'd consider "work".  

- The junior suite would not be a motivating factor for me.  

- You don't say which Mexican ports you'd visit, but I'd choose literally any port over Nassau.  I assume you'd get one day at Coco Cay with Option 1?  I do love Coco Cay.  

Option 2:  

- From a logistical point of view, this option is much preferable.  You'd remain in one port /on one ship. 

- You wouldn't "lose a day" to the drive.  You'd still be on the ship, and you'd have use of most facilities for the "in between day".  In fact, you'd essentially have the place to yourself.  

- Since Utopia is going to be a mega-ship, you won't find yourself bored of the amenities after the first cruise.  You'll still have new places to eat, etc.  The shows, though, might be repetative. 

- You'd have two visits to Nassau.  Ick.  But you'd have two days at Coco Cay, which most people on this board love.  

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SunsetsNSmiles

SunsetsNSmiles

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12 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Hmmm, thinking it through: 

Option 1: 

- Why fly into Orlando?  Why not fly into Tampa and save yourself the cost (and time) of renting a car /driving to Tampa?  

- I'd be a little stressed making that drive between two ports.  Sure, on paper it works out fine:  Make sure you're among the first to disembark, you should be able to start driving by 8:00, and that'd put you in Port Canaveral about 10:30.  I tried to search for Utopia's sailing time -- failed.  Most of Royal's ship sail away around 4:00, and you MUST be onboard 90 minutes ahead of time (that's some maritime law).  So you'd have a buffer of about four hours, and you'd probably be just fine -- yeah, that sounds okay, but I'd still prefer not to be pushed to make the drive.  

- Sailing two different lines seems like a good idea -- two different menus, two different sets of shows.  

- You'd essentially lose a day of cruising to the drive.  

- You'd have to completely pack up everything.  Moving from one room to another on the same ship isn't ideal.  Moving from ship to ship I'd consider "work".  

- The junior suite would not be a motivating factor for me.  

- You don't say which Mexican ports you'd visit, but I'd choose literally any port over Nassau.  I assume you'd get one day at Coco Cay with Option 1?  I do love Coco Cay.  

Option 2:  

- From a logistical point of view, this option is much preferable.  You'd remain in one port /on one ship. 

- You wouldn't "lose a day" to the drive.  You'd still be on the ship, and you'd have use of most facilities for the "in between day".  In fact, you'd essentially have the place to yourself.  

- Since Utopia is going to be a mega-ship, you won't find yourself bored of the amenities after the first cruise.  You'll still have new places to eat, etc.  The shows, though, might be repetative. 

- You'd have two visits to Nassau.  Ick.  But you'd have two days at Coco Cay, which most people on this board love.  

Thanks for helping me so much think this through! 
I live rural so it’s hard for me to find a direct route to Tampa. I don’t have to drive as far for a flight to Orlando. 
the stops are Cozumel and costa Maya. I agree with you about Nassau - I look at that as staying on board probably. But if we get the drink package that will work to our benefit financially. Also 2 days at Coco Cay would be great and no extra expenses as well! 
I am getting way more weary as well about the travel between two ships. I don’t want to be stressed about making boarding call! 

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Tree_skier "Live from...." Rare

Tree_skier

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4 hours ago, SunsetsNSmiles said:

Ok, picture it is your 20th wedding anniversary week celebration vacation. Would you rather… 

 

1) Fly into Orlando and go over to Tampa for a 5 night sailing on Serenade to Mexico (with a corner aft JS 😍) followed by debarking and  driving over to port Canaveral to embark on Utopia (ocean balcony room) on the same day for 3 nights weekend sailing

 

OR

 

2) fly into Orlando and do a B2B (7 night total) on Utopia in an ocean balcony.. itinerary is Nassau and perfect day both times

 

thanks for thoughts opinions and advice!! 

Utopia for the whole 7 days without a hesitation.  Not having to pack up is the answer.

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