Need Advice!

[SusieV]

I love cruising and my husband and I are big Celebrity fans. We've sailed on both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and much prefer the service on Celebrity.

 

However, this summer I will be trying something new and need some help deciding what to choose. My friends and I have a tradition of some kind of trip/get together every year, and this year it was suggested we take a 3-4 night cruise instead of a road trip (although we'd drive to the port).

 

Normally I am not a party person and I'm more into food and service, but my husband isn't going and I'll be hanging out with my friends, so that changes what I'm looking for a little. Fun instead of romance! We're all in our mid twenties. What cruiseline would you recommend? Cost is a major factor, and the port must be driveable from Ontario (we were thinking probably out of Florida).

 

We're planning on going end of April/beginning of May if we can make it work for everyone. Please share your comments and suggestions!

[Arwenmark]

So you are saying you think Florida is drivable out of Ontario? That is one heck of a long and expensive drive. Where were you thinking of going as far as the cruise is concerned?

[SusieV]

Florida is 20 hours... the road trip will be fun.

 

We don't really care where we go. I'm trying to choose the best line for my friends, who have never cruised.

[lov2sailtoo]

RCL has a few ships going out of Ft.Lauderdale and Miami, I think I saw a 7day on the Navigator out of Miami in April. We were on the Navigator last July, it is a huge ship full of fun places to go while on board, bars etc. There were a lot of people in their 20's, 30's.

[SusieV]

We can't do a longer sailing, we only have a little time. I see that Majesty and Sovereign are out of FL at that time of year.

[miami]

Florida is 20 hours... the road trip will be fun.

 

We don't really care where we go. I'm trying to choose the best line for my friends, who have never cruised.

 

 

You must drive really fast..... 20 hours from Canada to Florida. I have driven from just outside NYC to Orlando and it took 18 hours.

[SusieV]

Well, I'm driving with two twentysomething guys, that says it all :)

 

Right now we're looking at RCI's Sovereign of the Seas 4 nights to the Bahamas at the end of April. I've cruised RCI once about ten years ago when I was a teen and liked it but never as an adult- my husband and I are big Celebrity fans.

 

I think the atmosphere on RCI will be more suitable for a friends' group trip than Celebrity though (as well as easier on the pocketbook!). I'm not a Carnival fan and I don't think my friends would be, either.

[wrp96]

Have you looked at the 5-night Bermuda sailings on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne, NJ (NYC)? It's still a shorter cruise but because the drive is a lot shorter than to Florida you could get an extra day of cruising. They start in the middle of May.

 

You might also look at the 5 night Bermuda sailings out of Baltimore on Granduer of the Seas.

[SusieV]

Thanks for the suggestions but we need to go at the end of April, and both of the cruises you mentioned are a little out of the price range for the group.

[wrp96]

In that case, instead of the Majesty or Sovereign, I would look at the Enchantment of the Seas out of Ft. Lauderdale. She does 4 and 5 night cruises, is newer than Majesty and Sovereign and has a lot of features of the newer ships, like a specialty restaurant and an adults only solarium. Also, she has larger rooms than Majesty or Sovereign.