Need help choosing a ship/line. Best for female adults that want to party a little but also nerd-out and relax?

[Aurianna]

We're contemplating taking our friend on a cruise for her 40th birthday

• We're 4 women sharing 1 veranda stateroom (we shared a dorm room 20 years ago... totally the same right...). We're comfortable sharing queen beds.
• 2 of us are married with children. One is in long term relationship. One is single.
• 3 out of 4 of us plan to drink 2-5 cocktails a day. One likely won't drink much at all.
• 2 of us need soda to survive. 2 of us need coffee to survive.
• 1 of us is a Disney diehard. 2 of us are Disney fans. 1 is Disney ambivalent.
• Lots of photo ops and a reasonably priced photo package would be a nice to have.
• Casinos are fun but not a must; we'll avoid if it's really smokey. We'll avoid anywhere smokey.
• We all like to eat. We're big fans of steak houses and being able to find food at any time of day
• 3 out of 4 really enjoy a good spa massage or facial. The other will go along with it.
• We're all nerdy introverts who will like trivia and finding somewhat scenic places on board to just sit and play Cards Against Humanity.
• Birthday girl really likes: Cirque and musical theater. Also into Halloween, Pirates and costumes.
• Ideally we're splitting the trip 3-ways across the non-birthday folks. There's concern anything not on the upfront bill may never get reimbursed so possibly 2-way for any incidentals. A cruise where a lot can be lumped into the original pay-in-full is appetizing

 

 

The weekend is already set in October so these are the cruises that fit our schedule:

 

• Disney Wish (Halloween Theme) - Nassau / Castaway Cay - Out of Port Canavaral
• Royal Caribbean Allure - Nassau / Coco Cay - Out of Miami
• Celebrity Reflection - Nassau / Coco Cay - Out of Fort Lauderdale
• Norwegian Joy - Nassau / Great Stirrup Cay - Out of Miami

 

I know she'd enjoy the Halloween/Pirate events on the Wish, but it's the highest price and there's general concern from the group there will be less for us to do sans kids.All the a la carte drinks without a drink package aren't ideal. The split bathroom though is mighty appealing. Selfishly it's the one I'd like to acquire more loyalty points with but obviously that's a distant afterthought. They have a great photo package.

 

I know the Allure has the diving show and ice show; that's up her alley. Worried we'll have trouble getting our money's worth out of the drink package. Coco Cay looks fun. I've heard the food isn't that good anymore. Also worried since we're so late in the game it will be hard to get show reservations?

 

I don't know much about Celebrity or Norwegian.

I hear Celebrity's food is really good. And I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but it looks like the cheapest by far. The shows do look interesting but I hear entertainment may change after this month. I hear the rooms are dated without many outlets.Love how easy Fort Lauderdale is in general to fly out of and get to port.

 

Norwegian I just added to the list because it looks like right now the drink package is pretty cheap / built into the room fair and supposedly there are swimming pigs??? Not a fan of no dock on the private island. Anyone just love NCL and why?

 

 

 

So.... anyone feel like deciding which cruise is best fit for my rag-tag group?

Edited August 25 by Aurianna

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm following along, because you're likely to get some interesting replies.  My two cents:

 

• Any of the cruise lines and ships you chose are likely to most of your criteria and make your group happy
• In addition, I'd add Carnival and Virgin Voyages, but you might have had reasons that they didn't make the final list.  It's not a big deal; they'll be fine without you, and you'll be fine without them.
• I'm not sure you need a drink package.  Generally, they're priced such that the breakeven point is between 5 and 7 alcoholic drinks per person.  But it seems that not having to worry about the a la carte charges has value to you and your group.  That's OK.  Perhaps a non-alcoholic package is in order, especially if it covers coffee?
• On Disney, the soft drinks are free.  I'm not sure about coffee.
• I think all the ships you mentioned have steakhouses
• I find the cabins on ships more similar to dorm rooms than you might think
• Four ladies in the same non-suite cabin... good luck with that. 🙃
• My initial inclination is that Disney would give you the best shot at a wonderful, OMG experience and be worth the extra cost.  But...
• I think your group could use the help and expertise of a travel agent.  They're experts at helping people/groups who have several options that look good at first glance.  Again, good luck finding one

[Essiesmom]

I agree with Blue that you should add Carnival and VV.  Only problem with VV is they have no photographers at all onboard.  But they do put up photo venues on Scarlet Night for selfies.  Soda is free, as is WiFi.  And there might be a fight over the hammock…

   Another I would suggest is MSC.  Probably for less than the cost of Disney you could be in the Yacht Club and a beverage plan would be included.  
  Carnival will have a great Halloween program, and Celebrity will decorate.  I have no experience with the others at that time.  EM

[leaveitallbehind]

My typical advice with situations such a this is to talk with a travel agent who focusses on cruises as they would be in the best position to listen to your questions and provide the best cruise line options that would fit your concerns, and expectations while also being able to provide the best fares available to address your budget.

[Lois R]

I am only going to chime in on one of your lines.......and I realize you said you are all 4 friends but all of you in the same cabin? That is going to be really tight........may I suggest 2 cabins? You could be next door to each other or right across the hall from each other......in my opinion, that would be so much nicer. And in my opinion, it is quite a bit different than sharing a dorm.......

 

Sounds like a fun birthday cruise and whatever you decide I hope you all have a good time😀

[MacMadame]

Disney has cabins that hold 4 people more easily than other cruise cabins -- unless you are springing for a suite. We took the kids on a Disney cruise and we all fit into an inside cabin just fine.

 

Speaking of suites, it might be more cost-effective to get one vs. getting two cabins. Depends on the line. And the suite.

[olemissreb]

I can only speak to RCL and Celebrity...although I'll be on my first NCL cruise in March.

 

I cruised RCL twice...once with my family ranging in age from 10 to 69 and loved it. The kids always had something to do while the adults could enjoy sitting in a bar listening to music or even just going off somewhere to read.  The 80s night was a blast for all of us and we all enjoyed the skating show. The 2nd time was just my mom and I (ages 56 and 82 at the time). It was a New England/Canada cruise and we had a blast. Not a whole lot of kids on board. We did get the drink package and between the lattes in the morning, water for excursions, pre-dinner drink, couple glasses of wine at dinner and maybe a drink or two after dinner while listening to music, we definitely got our money's worth.

 

I've also been on Celebrity twice. First time was an anniversary trip with my now ex...we were in our early 40s. It was a great trip. I was active on the Roll Call and so we met a bunch of new people to hang out with. My favorite part was the Martini Bar. The 2nd time was an Alaskan cruise with the family (age range 13 to 76) and again we loved it. They didn't have as much for my 2 boys (13 & 17 at the time) to do, but they still made friends. 

 

My NCL cruise, I'll be cruising with my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend (age range 59 to 63). We chose this cruise because it sails from Puerto Rico (my sister lives in WI so wanted to set sail from a very warm climate) and because it has freestyle dining (our guys aren't big on dressing up). We also loved that there is a racetrack on board (her boyfriend races at Road America every summer and my BF is still a kid at heart!), plus they have the Vibe Beach Club which is an adult only area with a bar. We're not anti-kid, but with all our kids grown, we wanted this to be a little more kid free. My sister is almost 20 years sober, so the free at see package may not be as worth it for her, but for the rest of us it will. I've even upgraded my BF and I so we can drink the higher end bourbons and to get the extra $50 excursion credit for the 2nd passenger. That in itself should help cover the cost of the upgrade. 

 

I'm not a fan of any of those intineraries, but if I was going with my girlfriends, I think I'd go with Celebrity first (more of my age demographic, but more laid back) and then RCL second (more kids possibly, but more lively). 

Edited August 25 by olemissreb

[Aquahound]

I see you're only considering short 3/4 nighters.  With that in mind, I disagree with a couple of the posts above recommending Carnival.  Except for maybe Margaritaville at Sea, Carnival is the very last line I would cruise on for such short cruises.  Been there, and never doing it again.

 

Based on the details you provided, I recommend Celebrity Reflection.  Celebrity is a really nice, chic cruise line with good food, great entertainment, and lots of areas to simply relax.  I'm not sure what shows are currently playing on Reflection, but Celebrity does have Cirque style shows on several of their ships.  

 

As others said, you really should consider adjoining rooms.  Unless you book a suite, 4 adults in a standard cabin is very tight.  Much worse than a dorm room.  

[margeecruiser]

I'll add my thoughts about a single cabin vs 2 adjoining:  2 cabins, even cheaper cabins, get you 2 bathrooms, more storage/closet space/outlets, etc.  4 women trying to get ready at the same time is tight and crowded.

[GeezerCouple]

16 hours ago, Aquahound said:

As others said, you really should consider adjoining rooms. 

 

DEFINITELY preferable, if it is at all affordable.  (Consider all costs, including transportation to the cruise, any supplies, time off, etc... then... how much extra would this add vs 4 sharing one cabin?)

 

IF you do this, make *sure* to ask for "internally connecting" cabins.

We found out the hard way, a long time ago (at a hotel, but it's the same on a cruise ship) that sometimes "adjoining" or "adjacent" rooms in interpreted to be a request for "two rooms that are next to each other".  But "internally connecting rooms" have an interior door on a common wall.  No need to go into a hallway to access the other cabin.  And you can just leave the common door open, if desired, and make it almost like a little suite.  And you've got the second bathroom, which some smaller "suites" don't always have.

 

Indeed, there are some ships that have deck plans that include something like a balcony cabin that with an interior door to a non-balcony cabin that is much less expensive. 🙂  (That's especially convenient for a family, btw!  Put the children in the non-balcony cabin at night, etc.)

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

GC

[Capt_BJ]

some comments for consideration: <I'm guessing a 3 or 4 night out of south florida ..

 

1) when you put Disney in a comparison with NCL things get difficult FAST as the price difference is HUGE as is the quality of darn near everything. <we stopped sailing NCL several years back .... too nickle and dime> <wife did 3 ladies in a standard room on NCL and the experience resulted in the never again rule!>

 

2) dunno about others but with RCCL everyone in the cabin must buy the drink pkg, or no one <there are exceptions if you can find a friendly rep but ALL is the rule>. We found the pkg a reasonable deal when it was no more than $50 a day, our last RCCL trip the pkg had gone WAY beyond this making it no great deal vs pay as you go

 

3) the easy way to keep 'incidentals' accountable if for each of you to attach your OWN credit card to the ship pass and buy your own stuff, This has been possible on everyone of our cruises. <we often pay basic fare for family/guests but tell them booze/excursions etc they are on their own.>

 

4) No way I'd do 4 adults in a standard room. Can't recall ever having a room that had two queens like a hotel. A basic room 'for 4' on Disney is one big bed sometimes can be split to singles, a fold down sofa (single) and a pull down bunkbed (weight restrictions). On RCCL again a 'big' that's splitable and a fold out couch ... Dau sailed RCCL with total 4 20 somethings. Room was two single lower and two single upper ....

 

you experiences may vary .... unsolicited two cents

Edited August 27 by Capt_BJ

[Water_Baby_]

We sail mostly on Celebrity. Pros for you. 
- no smoking in the casino. No smoking in cabins, on balconies or anywhere indoors

- There is often an acrobat in evening shows (circus theme)

- a couple of good options for steak in specialty dining. 
- few kids

 

Reflection is an older ship. There will not be a zillion plugs & only one good place for a blow dryer. But an option for getting ready in the evening is the big change room up in the Solarium. It’s not uncommon for people to shower & dress there. 
 

You could pre-purchase specialty dining and photo packages. And have everyone put some money on the shipboard account in advance. 

[donaldsc]

On 8/25/2024 at 7:24 AM, Lois R said:

I am only going to chime in on one of your lines.......and I realize you said you are all 4 friends but all of you in the same cabin? That is going to be really tight........may I suggest 2 cabins? You could be next door to each other or right across the hall from each other......in my opinion, that would be so much nicer. And in my opinion, it is quite a bit different than sharing a dorm.......

 

Sounds like a fun birthday cruise and whatever you decide I hope you all have a good time😀

 

Extending this comment - if you go w 2 cabins get adjoining cabins w a door between them.  Tht way you have a bit of privacy if you want it and essentially 1 large cabin for togetherness.  That worked when we did a cruise with my brother - 4 adults and 4 kids.  Everyone shared the cabins during the day and during the night the 4 kids slept in 1 cabin and the adults continued solizing in the other. 

 

Also you did not say if you  were going w a balcony.  If you go w 2 balcony cabins make sure that the balcony divider between the 2 cabins can be opened.

 

I will add and this is just me speaking that I hate anything to do with Disney so you would not catch me dead on any Disney ship.  Then again you guys appear to be Disney nuts.

 

DON

Edited August 28 by donaldsc

[DarrenM]

On 8/25/2024 at 5:34 AM, Aurianna said:

We're contemplating taking our friend on a cruise for her 40th birthday

• We're 4 women sharing 1 veranda stateroom (we shared a dorm room 20 years ago... totally the same right...). We're comfortable sharing queen beds.
• 2 of us are married with children. One is in long term relationship. One is single.
• 3 out of 4 of us plan to drink 2-5 cocktails a day. One likely won't drink much at all.
• 2 of us need soda to survive. 2 of us need coffee to survive.
• 1 of us is a Disney diehard. 2 of us are Disney fans. 1 is Disney ambivalent.
• Lots of photo ops and a reasonably priced photo package would be a nice to have.
• Casinos are fun but not a must; we'll avoid if it's really smokey. We'll avoid anywhere smokey.
• We all like to eat. We're big fans of steak houses and being able to find food at any time of day
• 3 out of 4 really enjoy a good spa massage or facial. The other will go along with it.
• We're all nerdy introverts who will like trivia and finding somewhat scenic places on board to just sit and play Cards Against Humanity.
• Birthday girl really likes: Cirque and musical theater. Also into Halloween, Pirates and costumes.
• Ideally we're splitting the trip 3-ways across the non-birthday folks. There's concern anything not on the upfront bill may never get reimbursed so possibly 2-way for any incidentals. A cruise where a lot can be lumped into the original pay-in-full is appetizing

 

 

The weekend is already set in October so these are the cruises that fit our schedule:

 

• Disney Wish (Halloween Theme) - Nassau / Castaway Cay - Out of Port Canavaral
• Royal Caribbean Allure - Nassau / Coco Cay - Out of Miami
• Celebrity Reflection - Nassau / Coco Cay - Out of Fort Lauderdale
• Norwegian Joy - Nassau / Great Stirrup Cay - Out of Miami

 

I know she'd enjoy the Halloween/Pirate events on the Wish, but it's the highest price and there's general concern from the group there will be less for us to do sans kids.All the a la carte drinks without a drink package aren't ideal. The split bathroom though is mighty appealing. Selfishly it's the one I'd like to acquire more loyalty points with but obviously that's a distant afterthought. They have a great photo package.

 

I know the Allure has the diving show and ice show; that's up her alley. Worried we'll have trouble getting our money's worth out of the drink package. Coco Cay looks fun. I've heard the food isn't that good anymore. Also worried since we're so late in the game it will be hard to get show reservations?

 

I don't know much about Celebrity or Norwegian.

I hear Celebrity's food is really good. And I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but it looks like the cheapest by far. The shows do look interesting but I hear entertainment may change after this month. I hear the rooms are dated without many outlets.Love how easy Fort Lauderdale is in general to fly out of and get to port.

 

Norwegian I just added to the list because it looks like right now the drink package is pretty cheap / built into the room fair and supposedly there are swimming pigs??? Not a fan of no dock on the private island. Anyone just love NCL and why?

 

 

 

So.... anyone feel like deciding which cruise is best fit for my rag-tag group?

All I can tell you is Celebrity Reflection is my favourite ship I have been on.

 

Food is excellent, Plenty of bars, plenty of trivia, shows really good (Not my thing but partner liked them), food available all day and nearly all night, Buffet excellent, speciality restaurants excellent, and you can party between the 4 of you and nobody will stop you. Premium drinks package a must. 

 

Not many little creatures on board either, which is another bonus. No smoking in the Casino (Not sure these days how any respectful human would think it OK to smoke inside a public place, but thats just my view)

 

No idea about destinations, only done Europe.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

[Aurianna]

Thanks all for the input!

 

A few things: initially planned to share a stateroom because when I priced out 2 on Disney rooms it was pretty much double the cost and that's just not in the budget for this group. We shared a dorm room together for 9 months so I figured we could manage a slightly smaller room for 3 days... but after all the suggestions to book 2 I did decide to price it out on RCCL and Celebrity and it was, believe it or not, actually a couple dollars cheaper to get adjoining rooms????

 

As far as their not being ideal itineraries... it is what it is. It's the weekend we have available.

 

We didn't look at Carnival, perhaps because I'm being close-minded. In the past I haven't heard it has the best reputation, and with my last two cruises being Disney and Princess, I was worried about the comparisons I'd be making the entire time.

 

We ended up making the choice on Sunday so I didn't see everyone's great Celebrity recommendations. As I had trouble finding out as much about Celebrity shows (Elysium, if that's even playing on it that night, looked a little slower than I imagine the Aquatheater and Ice show on RCCL would be), because I'd been on an Oasis class before and knew it was nice, and because birthday girl is lively and might enjoy rock climbing / ziplining / surfing, we did end up going with the Allure.

 

But man... I'm such a Disney girl and already little things are popping up and I'm like "on Disney we wouldn't have to pay extra for the adults section of the private island," "on Disney we wouldn't have to buy a soda package...". But I know two bathrooms and a bit of extra space having two rooms will be excellente.

 

One of the parties isn't a drinker. So we did drink package for a room of two, and then in the other room of two we just did the soda package and I'll do drinks ala carte. The amount of drinks I'd need to drink to reach the price it would have for us to have the package on our side would be enough to down a small horse so I imagine we're better off.

 

But thanks again all for recs. I'll keep Celebrity in mind in the future. Celebrity was actually my very first cruise... but I imagine a lot has changed in nearly 30 years, for both the line and myself 🙂

 

Edited August 30 by Aurianna