Please help me plan my cruise for next summer.

[20SomethingJeff]

My DW and I have been on 5 cruises now and 7 days is just not long enough. We are considering Europe next summer on the Freedom, but we are afraid we will miss the beaches and fun of the Caribbean. The only time we can cruise is during the summer so if we are going to go for more than 7 days we are considering a back to back on either the Glory or Triumph. We have sailed on both before, and enjoyed both ships.

 

What do you experts think about the back to back vs. Europe?

Anyone ever done a back to back?

[jw4jg1mg2eg1]

I've never done either. BUT, I think I would choose the back to back. I never get to see & experience everything in 7 days..lol...14 would fix that problem for me.:D

[jw4jg1mg2eg1]

sorry..double post

[GoinCruisin]

My DW and I have been on 5 cruises now and 7 days is just not long enough. We are considering Europe next summer on the Freedom, but we are afraid we will miss the beaches and fun of the Caribbean. The only time we can cruise is during the summer so if we are going to go for more than 7 days we are considering a back to back on either the Glory or Triumph. We have sailed on both before, and enjoyed both ships.

 

What do you experts think about the back to back vs. Europe?

Anyone ever done a back to back?

 

What about a 12 day to Hawaii??

[Tightlinerods]

There have been some recent threads about Back 2 Backs where they went to the eastern and then western carribian out of Florida.....

 

That way different shows and ships....

 

 

John

[RJ7591]

There have been some recent threads about Back 2 Backs where they went to the eastern and then western carribian out of Florida.....

 

That way different shows and ships....

 

 

John

 

We've never done a back to back but our last cruise was on Glory and we met a couple who were finishing one up. They had done the Eastern and Western Carribean and said they loved it!! All the crew seemed to know who they were, they were mentioned several times by the cruise director and at the art auctions. You could tell they were having a great experience.

 

Now with that said, a good friend of mine did a Mediterrainian Cruise and loved it as well. It was her first cruise though and she was a little disappointed in not having enough time to fully enjoy the ports. She's planning an Alaskan cruise now so cruising is definitely something she'll continue but says Europe is something she prefers to do by land.

 

Since you're used to cruising and know what to expect I think you'll be happy with whichever you choose. We'll all be looking forward to hearing what you decide! :)

[20SomethingJeff]

I am still not decided. DW and I both talked about it might get boring the second week on a back to back after we have had the menu and seen the shows.

 

At the same time is a few hours in Barcelona enough?

 

One would be very relaxing and the other an incredible adventure.

 

Anybody else have an opinion.

 

Jeff

[Snowball]

You could do a back to back, but on two different ships that depart from the same city on the same day. For instance (and this is not factual itinerary information) you could go on the Triumph from Saturday to Saturday on their eastern itinerary out of Miami, then disembark from that ship at the end of the week and board the Valor for their western itinerary. You could even switch lines if you wanted to - for instance, do Carnival one week and RCI the next.

 

Just another option that you may not have considered.

 

Happy planning!!!

[big_duck]

I don't know what your schedule is like, but Elation is doing a 15 day Canal transit repo cruise in late May.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=PCV&itinCode=PC3&shipCode=EL&durDays=15&subRegionCode=T

[caribbean dreams]

You can do a back to back on Liberty in the summer, a 6 day then an 8 day.

[Luanne21]

We did a back to back last Christmas. Two ships out of Galveston. It was so much fun, but was so tired when we got home. We made the mistake of doing the Conquest first, so the Elation seemed really small.:)

[Sue L]

Even though I am going against the flow, I would choose Europe in a heartbeat. If you have never been to europe, a cruise gives you a good overview of several cities/countries but you have no time to really tour a place. In each place you will only be able to fit in one main attraction like say the Vatican and Rome is a place you could spend a week or more touring around.

 

If you do go to europe try to go a couple of days early not only to be able to get over your jetlag, but you can see your embarkation city more thoroughly.

 

Also have you ever considered doing Alaska? Many of the different lines have a wide variety of Alaskan cruises from 7-14 days.

 

Have fun planning.

[20SomethingJeff]

You guys have been a big help. I will keep you posted about what we decide. Please keep the advice coming!!!

 

Jeff

[20SomethingJeff]

You can do a back to back on Liberty in the summer, a 6 day then an 8 day.

 

I noticed that trip yesterday. It goes to places I have not gone to on the previous 5, Costa Maya, Costa Rica, and Colon Panama, not to mention Freeport Bahamas.

 

The price is good too!

 

Jeff

[TCF]

Most of the lines have their repositioning cruises from the winter runs in the Caribbean to the summer Alaska runs. They usually run from Florida to Seattle and/or Vancouver, Canada. The one we were looking at is 19 daysand the prices looked pretty good.:)

We went with a 10 day to the Panama, but just a RT Ft. Lauderdale.

We also want to take the Med cruise at some point...but like others I have not seen an itinerary that gives you time to really get into some of the cities and areas on the itinerary...especially if you are a history nut like us. I'm sorry but eight hours is just not enough time to see Rome or Venice or Athens...not when you are dealing with 2000+ years of history.:eek:

If you have already seen southern Europe by land then the cruise would be great.:D

Just some thoughts,

Tom:)