Already Looking for the Next Cruise - Help me Decide!

[MistyRo76]

Just back a week ago from our Sunshine fall break cruise and have started looking for a mom/daughter cruise for my kiddo's next fall break! 🙂

 

Based on our likely fall break week (2024-25 calendar not out yet), I've narrowed it down to two five day cruise options (only looking at shorter cruises right now). 

 

Option 1: 

Carnival Sunrise from Miami

Nassau/Half Moon Cay/Grand Turk

 

Option 2:

Carnival Freedom from Port Canaveral

Amber Cove/Grand Turk

 

Pricing is comparable. We usually book balconies, but at a minimum I would want a window. I also prefer to be on a mid-deck (7 is our favorite deck). If we go with the Freedom, I would probably be tempted to book the bowling alley balcony cabin aft Deck 6 or 7. But for this sailing, the only cabins with windows would be deck 1 or 2. If we go with the Sunrise, I would consider booking the Interior w/ Obstructed Walkway View near the secret deck forward on Deck 7. Kind of seems best of both worlds - access to the secret desk just steps from our cabin, window and $300 cheaper than any balcony I'd consider. With it being me and the kiddo (9 year girl), I think it would be a good option for us! 

 

The itinerary on the Sunrise isn't my fave. We literally just did Nassau and HMC. If we booked this one, we would probably just stay on the ship in Nassau which would probably be very nice. And the addition of Grand Turk is appealing. The Freedom itinerary is good. I like the 2 sea days and I've never been to Amber Cove before. So that would be new for us. 

 

Sunrise has more bells and whistles than Freedom and would be a new to me ship. But I'm sure the kiddo would be happy with either as long as there are waterslides! 

 

Lots to consider! Help me pick! Or give me your insights on the ships! 

Edited October 20, 2023 by MistyRo76

[havanadaydreaming]

Freedom. But its close.  

 

Turk and Amber have nice pools. My adult kiddo didnt like the waterslide, got scratched up. 

 

Loved the pool. Same with Turk, but better pool.. 

[Essiesmom]

For a little variety, look at MSC.  Unfortunately they don’t have 5 day cruises but 3,4,7.  And any combination.  Sailing from both Miami and Port Canaveral.  Prices might surprise you.  EM

[CruizinSusan70]

Will have to agree with EM.  If you're looking at short cruises, what they offer would be an upgrade over your two choices. 

Another option would be a four day out of Port Canaveral on the brand new Utopia of the Seas.

If your two are your only choices, I'd go with the Sunrise since you also have the option to fly into Miami or Ft Lauderdale versus Orlando.

Edited October 21, 2023 by CruizinSusan70

[MistyRo76]

7 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Will have to agree with EM.  If you're looking at short cruises, what they offer would be an upgrade over your two choices. 

Another option would be a four day out of Port Canaveral on the brand new Utopia of the Seas.

If your two are your only choices, I'd go with the Sunrise since you also have the option to fly into Miami or Ft Lauderdale versus Orlando.

I priced out Utopia of the Seas and it’s more for an inside cabin on a 4 day than it would be for a 5 day on Carnival in a balcony cabin on the two options I listed above. So that’s not gonna work for me. It’s the main reason why I haven’t cruised RCCL yet…every time I price it out, it’s way more than what I would pay on Carnival. 

[MistyRo76]

14 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

For a little variety, look at MSC.  Unfortunately they don’t have 5 day cruises but 3,4,7.  And any combination.  Sailing from both Miami and Port Canaveral.  Prices might surprise you.  EM

 

I’m not that familiar with MSC. Do they have good offerings for kids? Will there be a lot of kids onboard? My daughter loved our recent cruise on carnival because of how kid friendly it was from amenities, food, shows/games, general things to do (waterslide, sports square, etc.). 
 

 

[havanadaydreaming]

MSC gets bashed a bit for certain things.   

 

i didnt feel it was as kid friendly as Carnival.  My only issue was slooooooooooooow dinner service in the MDR.  like 2 hours + 

 

easily had the best pizza at sea.  tons of options to boot.   

[MistyRo76]

1 hour ago, havanadaydreaming said:

MSC gets bashed a bit for certain things.   

 

i didnt feel it was as kid friendly as Carnival.  My only issue was slooooooooooooow dinner service in the MDR.  like 2 hours + 

 

easily had the best pizza at sea.  tons of options to boot.   

Thanks! I may check them out at some point in the future. But will probably stick with Carnival for this mom/daughter cruise. 

[Jamman54]

If it was me,  the Freedom. Different itinerary from what you just did. Enjoy which ever cruise you pick! 😎

[Essiesmom]

They have a kids pool, slides, ropes course…kids program.  Special section for kids in the buffet.  On the short cruises I found the guests much the same as Carnival, but dressed a little better.  On the longer cruises there are more non-North Americans and they dress a bit better, even on non gala nights.  EM

[MistyRo76]

So I went ahead a grabbed one of the corner Interior w/ Obstructed Picture Window FWD Deck 7 cabins on the Sunrise. My kiddo loved Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk is one of my fave stops. We’ll probably just stay on the ship while in Nassau unless the kiddo is dying to go off the ship. But I think she’ll enjoy having less crowds in the pool and at Waterworks! So it’ll make it a second de facto day at sea for us! 

[mz-s]

I think Sunrise is a good plan, they fixed some of the issues with Sunshine although they did cheapen the conversion a bit, namely the Serenity area.

 

When I'm flying I'm going to pick Miami over Port Canaveral most every time. Flying into MCO and dealing with transportation to Port Canaveral is a drag.

[May1cruiser]

 i would encourage freedom if she is going to Amber Cove. Their pool is huge and a fun area. We tend to try new ports whenever possible. Both ships will have friendly crew and will be a fun vacation. 

[MistyRo76]

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

I think Sunrise is a good plan, they fixed some of the issues with Sunshine although they did cheapen the conversion a bit, namely the Serenity area.

 

When I'm flying I'm going to pick Miami over Port Canaveral most every time. Flying into MCO and dealing with transportation to Port Canaveral is a drag.

 

That’s a good point about getting from Orlando to PC. Though I do have a good friend who lives in the area who would probably let us crash with them and maybe even drive us to port. It’s still a hassle! 
 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

13 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

I priced out Utopia of the Seas and it’s more for an inside cabin on a 4 day than it would be for a 5 day on Carnival in a balcony cabin on the two options I listed above. So that’s not gonna work for me. It’s the main reason why I haven’t cruised RCCL yet…every time I price it out, it’s way more than what I would pay on Carnival. 

But you're talking about a brand new ship versus an old rust bucket.  You need to always compare an apple to an apple. Plus only you can decide if a balcony is a must or not.  We cruise primarily inside on the newest ships on various lines.

[MistyRo76]

11 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

But you're talking about a brand new ship versus an old rust bucket.  You need to always compare an apple to an apple. Plus only you can decide if a balcony is a must or not.  We cruise primarily inside on the newest ships on various lines.

New vs. old ship isn’t really a determining factor for me. We just sailed the Sunshine, which is one of the oldest ships in the Carnival fleet and we had a wonderful time. I have a set budget in mind for this trip and want to get the most bang for my buck. It’s not worth the extra $300-400 I’d pay for a lesser cabin just to sail on a new ship. But appreciate your feedback nonetheless. 

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

New vs. old ship isn’t really a determining factor for me. We just sailed the Sunshine, which is one of the oldest ships in the Carnival fleet and we had a wonderful time. I have a set budget in mind for this trip and want to get the most bang for my buck. It’s not worth the extra $300-400 I’d pay for a lesser cabin just to sail on a new ship. But appreciate your feedback nonetheless. 

Thought you were set on a balcony cabin, but the 4J interior is a great value.  On cruiseshipdeckplans there is a link to a YouTube video of cabin 7205. 

[1stresponder2086]

On 10/20/2023 at 2:18 PM, MistyRo76 said:

Just back a week ago from our Sunshine fall break cruise and have started looking for a mom/daughter cruise for my kiddo's next fall break! 🙂

 

Based on our likely fall break week (2024-25 calendar not out yet), I've narrowed it down to two five day cruise options (only looking at shorter cruises right now). 

 

Option 1: 

Carnival Sunrise from Miami

Nassau/Half Moon Cay/Grand Turk

 

Option 2:

Carnival Freedom from Port Canaveral

Amber Cove/Grand Turk

 

Pricing is comparable. We usually book balconies, but at a minimum I would want a window. I also prefer to be on a mid-deck (7 is our favorite deck). If we go with the Freedom, I would probably be tempted to book the bowling alley balcony cabin aft Deck 6 or 7. But for this sailing, the only cabins with windows would be deck 1 or 2. If we go with the Sunrise, I would consider booking the Interior w/ Obstructed Walkway View near the secret deck forward on Deck 7. Kind of seems best of both worlds - access to the secret desk just steps from our cabin, window and $300 cheaper than any balcony I'd consider. With it being me and the kiddo (9 year girl), I think it would be a good option for us! 

 

The itinerary on the Sunrise isn't my fave. We literally just did Nassau and HMC. If we booked this one, we would probably just stay on the ship in Nassau which would probably be very nice. And the addition of Grand Turk is appealing. The Freedom itinerary is good. I like the 2 sea days and I've never been to Amber Cove before. So that would be new for us. 

 

Sunrise has more bells and whistles than Freedom and would be a new to me ship. But I'm sure the kiddo would be happy with either as long as there are waterslides! 

 

Lots to consider! Help me pick! Or give me your insights on the ships! 

You can choose.  You know best

[MistyRo76]

7 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Thought you were set on a balcony cabin, but the 4J interior is a great value.  On cruiseshipdeckplans there is a link to a YouTube video of cabin 7205. 

Yes…I’ve seen that video! I’ve cruised in that same corner 4J on other ships before but it’s been a while. If it was me, hubby and kiddo, we would definitely get a balcony. But just me and the kid can get by without one. We’ll be too busy to spend much time on it. So the 4J really gives us the best of both worlds being able step onto the secret deck when we want see us pulling into port or catch a sunset and we have a window for some light and save several hundred dollars in the process!