Which of these two cruises first

[MillbrookMom]

OK, we definitely want to do both of these 2 cruises, but can't decide which to do first. 1 would be a Disney Land and Sea. 3 nights at Disney/4 night Bahamas cruise. The other is a cruise to Bermuda. We are looking at the Norwegian Dawn to Bermuda (7 night cruise). Our boys are currently 9 and 11 (but would be either 10 and 12 or 11 and 13 for the cruises.......depending on which we do first). Which do you think would be a better experience for our first cruise? and why? Thanks

[BRC6C]

I don't think it really matters, I suspect you will all have a great time on either. I guess if I had to choose, I would say Disney first because it's a little shorter so if it turns out someone doesn't like life on ship it's not too long...

[crusinmama06]

I just gave my LONG drawn out opinion about the Disney cruise here...lol

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=701892

 

As far as the Bermuda cruise I just wanted to warn you that you *might* not wanna start out with that for the simple fact that it seems to go through some of the roughest waters.

 

When you go out of Florida, unless there are any weather issues, the sailing is smooth. The cruise to Bermuda seems to be a little rough. I have always wanted to do the RCCL Explorer of the Seas out of New Jersey...but I keep switching to other cruises because I am a little leery of the rougher water.

 

Now I have NO experience with that cruise so I could be wrong. I am only basing my opinion on reveiws that I have read here at CC.

[rebeccalouise]

I do think that kids in that age group will prefer Norwegian. I saw one particularly bored teen (maybe 15) on Disney Wonder. Explorer of the Seas would also be a good choice for the ages you mentioned.

 

As for Bermuda- I did Bermuda out of Baltimore and it was fine but maybe it is worse out of NYC. If was rough out of NYC on Celebrity Constellation to the Caribbean and Carnival Victory to Canada. So yes- there is more motion in the North Atlantic than the Caribbean but not enough to really effect your trip. If there is bad weather or rough seas- there is Bonine- which will fix you right up.

[KerCar]

MillbrookMom,

 

Do you have a specific time of year that you are looking to travel??? The reason I ask is because unlike the Caribbean, Bermuda tends to be a lot cooler in the winter and early spring. So if being able to enjoy the beach is a priority you will want to do the Bermuda cruise from late May through early fall.

 

I've sailed to Bermuda two times via NY/NJ. My most recent cruise out of NYC was on the NCL Spirit (slightly smaller than the Dawn) in early June. The trip down was so smooth you could barely tell you were on a ship.

 

My first trip down was on a smaller older Celebrity ship in late April. The weather was quite lousy leaving NJ and the seas were pretty rough heading down the Atlantic. Several crew members said this was pretty common that time of year due to all the rain we get in the NE early spring. I also think the size and age of the ship played a big part as well.

 

IMO Bermuda is the most family friendly, easy to get around island. I would do a NY Bermuda sailing again in a heartbeat. You will not be disappointed:)

 

Good luck with your decision:D

[SelectSys]

I just gave my LONG drawn out opinion about the Disney cruise here...lol

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=701892

 

Your summary is pretty much spot on regarding the price differential between Disney and other cruise lines. Our first 2 cruises were on Disney. After switching to RCCL, it has been hard to pull the trigger on another Disney cruise because of the price.

 

I still look from time to time and may take another cruise as our family likes Disney and the experience onboard (we went on Magic both times). If I do a Disney cruise again, I would most likely do a 4 day cruise coupled with a trip to the park - maybe even the one with multiple stops at Castaway Cay.