Ray3127

Thanks so much for the additional replies, it has all been very helpful.

We've had a bit of a change in plans that I think actually helps our decision-making. We switched the 'whole family' cruise next March to the Harmony of the Seas, mostly due to the 'Kids Sail Free' promotion. That brought the pricing way down... it is 40% cheaper than the Disney Fantasy for all balcony rooms (instead of oceanview on Fantasy). So we will get to try Royal through that one.

The following December I will plan on either the NCL Escape or a Disney cruise. I'm waiting to see what Disney prices are... they will certainly be more expensive, but I know it fits our family, and since we aren't getting to go on a Disney cruise in the spring, we will be ready for one come December. However, if it is just too expensive we will go with the Escape and be excited about trying another line, as the comments here indicate that it really is a great option for families.

Kim, I can see us trying a Freedom-class RCCL ship in the future as well, especially if we enjoy Harmony (but want a smaller size).

Thanks again for all the help!

We were generally happy with our cruise on NCL. The kids club was great, and the staff was generally excellent. It's very family friendly, and the dress code is relaxed.

 

There were a couple of issues for our family, which might not be a problem for yours. The food in the main dining room was the weakest of all the lines we've sailed. We needed to use specialty restaurants on NCL, but we are happy with the food in the main dining room on the other lines we've sailed. You can select a package for the first and second guest to have some specialty meals included, but kids pay full price in specialty restaurants now (it was half price 3 years ago, which helped a lot). Kids can eat for free off the kids menu in specialty restaurants, but we try to expose our children to a lot of different food on cruises and don't use kids menus. A lot of people are happy with the food in the main dining rooms on NCL, or you might be happy feeding them in the buffet (the ethnic food is usually good there, plus if you try enough things at the buffet you'll eventually find something good). Or you might be happy using kids menus in specialty restaurants, and then it won't be too expensive.

 

Our home port is in NYC, but until our children dropped their naps we can't sail NCL from our home port because on sea days the ship's kids club close for 2 hours for lunch and again for 2 hours for dinner, and if your child naps in the afternoon in between those closures that might mean that you can't use the kids club very often (the kids club is closed 12-2, and 5-7 and if your kid naps from 2-4, it doesn't work out very well) . On the NCL Star, sign in/out could take 10-15 minutes due to the two hour closures since everyone is trying to get their kids back at the same time. On Princess ships which only close one hour for lunch and dinner, it was easier to sign in/out since people weren't all trying to get their kids back at the same time. The kids pool areas were very crowded when the kids club was closed.

 

In general, Princess works better for our family than NCL, but we'd sail with NCL again if we found the right itinerary/price. We generally sailed for itineraries, and not ship amenities so you might find a different line a better fit. In general though, all the mainstream lines seem very family friendly and cruising is a great way to vacation with your family.

Thanks so much for your reply! The details you provided are very helpful. I was wondering about taking kids to the specialty restaurants. At 5 and 2, I think we would stick with the kids menu for free. We can also work their nap schedules around the ship's schedule (the older still takes naps but probably won't by then, and it's hard to say what the younger's will be). But again, helpful information to know!

Since we haven't cruised much the ship is still the destination, and with the young ones we won't be able to do the excursions we would really like to. If it was just my wife and I we would look harder at the itineraries... I realize now that I didn't even include them in my first post! Someday I hope we get there, but as relatively new cruisers with very young kids, it's not a huge concern.

Finally, thanks for the comments about cruising being a great way to vacation with the family. I'm sure some would say leave the kids at home... while that would be fun, a week is a long time, and the point of traveling now for us is to enjoy the time with our kids. So again, thank you.

We overanalyze everything too and especially with the amount of money you’re spending you sort of have to but here is my take on it . We went on the Escape last year was our four-year-old and nine month old . It was really the perfect vacation for us especially given our budget . The extras like the drinks NCL offers is perfect . We felt we got a lot of bang out of our buck and my 4 year-old loved the kids club and did so many activities and even did a show . Sent my son to the nursery three times for two hours each which gave me enough time to sit by the pool and have a drink or two .

 

If it wasn’t for my aunt organizing our next cruise I would do it again on NCL .

 

That being said I have heard great things about Royal Caribbean . Although with the trip that we are doing a lot of the extras like the rock climbing wall or for slightly older kids . At that age you might not get as much bang for your buck on the ship like that .

 

Good luck!!

Thanks for the validation on the overanalyzing :) Sometimes I think "just pick one"... but when you're spending so much and only have the chance to do this once every year or so (if we're lucky), it's a big decision!

Your NCL comments are very helpful. That sounds like the kind of experience we are shooting for. Questions: it sound like you had no problems with the nursery? And how about the crowds, particularly on the pool/sun decks? I've read that NCL's megaships feel super crowded, especially the pool/sun decks. Did you feel that at all?

RCCL seems like a good fit, too, but as you point out I'm not sure all those extra bells and whistles are needed for our family.

I've hit some AP (analysis paralysis) in considering a cruise for my family for December 2019. That's a long way out, but our dates are limited because my wife and I work in education. So we are resigned to going over Christmas or New Year's, and I know those sailings typically only increase in price the closer they get (and also sell out the fastest).

My wife and I are 30/31, our son will be 5, and our daughter will turn 2 on the cruise (Jan. 1). My wife, son, and I went on the Disney Dream before our daughter was born and loved it. We are sailing with the whole family (16 people in total) in March 2019 on the Fantasy, but for our next cruise we want to branch out. We are really torn on what line to try first, though.

Part of the problem is deciding what we want out of the trip. For example, we love the idea of the Solarium on RCCL/Celebrity... but it would be silly to let that factor in much, because in reality we are going to be with our daughter 99% of the time. If the ship has a nursery, we would likely use it, but not much... maybe a couple hours max.

We are looking at the usual suspects (RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, but also MSC) and I've pored over hundreds (maybe thousands) of posts on Cruise Critic trying to make a decision... but I seem to be more overwhelmed than anything.

Specifically, we are looking for:

- A relaxing, family-friendly atmosphere

- Decent sized room (i.e. not 135 sf interior... 200 sf minimum would be nice)... balcony not required.

- Good pool/sun deck area... a kid-friendly splash pad would be great. I understand some ships have such areas where swim diapers are allowed.

- Kids club for our 5 year old son

- Prefer a relaxed dress code (NCL), but can deal with more stringent one (X) if needed.

- Nursery for 1-2 year old daughter would be nice, but not required as we probably wouldn't use it much.

Here's what I'm coming up with for New Year's cruises December 2019:

- RCCL Harmony: Interior (Central Park view), $5,662... OV Balcony, $6,526

- Celebrity Reflection: Balcony, $5,867 (Concierge: +$400)

- Celebrity Equinox: ~$300 more than Reflection

- NCL Breakaway: Balcony, $4,956

- NCL Escape: Balcony, $5,700

- NCL Encore: ~$100 more than Escape

- MSC Seaside: Interior, $2,790 (Fantastica)... Balcony, $4,570 (Aurea)... Yacht Club Deluxe Suite, $6,110

- MSC Meraviglia: ~$100 more than Seaside, but no Yacht Club availability

Each of these options have their own pros and cons... I'd appreciate any help in sifting through what is best for what we want/need.

- If it was just my wife and I sailing, we'd do a Celebrity cruise. Fits us perfectly. With kids, not sure if it does. They don't need non-stop entertainment, though, and our children are well-behaved.

- Love the 'freestyle' NCL concept, as well as more casual dress. However, we would need a balcony room with them, as the interiors/oceanviews look very small. Escape DOES have a nursery; Breakaway does not. On NCL we are concerned about crowds, especially on the pool deck. I'd really like to try them, but everything I read about the crowds on these ships scares me off.

- RCCL seems to have a little of everything, and Harmony has the splash pad and nursery... but it's also quite pricey for an interior room. I don't like how expensive the kids are.

- MSC obviously has the best price, mostly because of the kids' fares. We could stay in a Yacht Club room for $500 more than an interior on Harmony... or we could save a ton of money and just go interior or oceanview. Of course, MSC's reputation is my biggest concern.

As I said at the top... analysis paralysis... So, if you've cruised with a 5-year old and 2-year old, and have experience sailing on these lines/ships, you can probably help me :)

I look forward to any advice you can provide. Thank you!

Ray

I've posted my thoughts in a couple different posts over the years and on my trip reports too. I believe the difference is that DCL isn't really competing with other cruise lines - they are competing with the prices in their own resorts - namely, WDW which is only 45 minutes to an hour away from Port Canaveral. They have to keep prices similar on a per diem basis or the cruise line would be SWAMPED with customers (you could argue this is already what is going on, thereby inflating the fares). If you price out a 5-person, moderate hotel with meals and tickets, you'll easily get an on-par price comparison with DCL's rates. We stopped going to the parks about 5 years ago when we realized we could get the Disney experience on a cruise ship and be treated like royalty!

 

Does that make sense?

 

Here's another way to look at it that I think supports the above analysis - DCL's prices are easily 2-3 times the price of a Carnival cruise and sometimes as much as twice RCCL. This has been true for years - they clearly aren't competing with these cruise lines - if they were, the prices would come down.

The other piece that I think is important is supply and demand. Disney only has 4 ships. 4. Lines like Royal, Carnival, Norwegian, etc. have a whole lot more than 4 each. That restricted supply against insatiable demand results in higher prices (both for the cruise line and the WDW parks). And yes, you see pricing parity between the cruise line and parks for exactly the reason discussed by David above... As he says, they aren't competing against those other cruise lines.

I would imagine that, overall, inflation-adjusted prices will decrease across Disney's fleet from 2021-2023 with the new ships, as the new supply decreases the upward pricing pressure. However, it also depends on where those ships sail from relative to the existing fleet. We will see.

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One more quick thing... The nursery is a huge deal, as our daughter won't be 3 until January 2021. Someone mentioned RCL is the only one to offer this--is that right? I thought I read about a nursery program on NCL, too. Any feedback on either of these (if both exist)?

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Thanks to all.

If we want to do X we will follow the dress code and do some slacks! If not, it seems RC is the pick.

I'd welcome additional feedback on RC vs. NCL related to my issues above. Frankly we like the sound of NCL better, except the pool/chair situation. That impacts us every day and would be a serious problem. RCL's pool situation and inclusion of the Solarium sounds much better. We hope to try them both soon, just wanted some validation after my research.

Thanks again!

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I did not see anyone in the dining room in shorts on Celebrity. I don't know how strict they would be if you showed up in them, but I think that maybe you'd feel out of place?

Still interested in feedback on the other two. Is the pool/deck chair situation on NCL really that bad? How much planning is truly required on Oasis class ships?

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We've sailed on Celebrity this past year and almost exclusively with RC on the rest of our cruises. If your connection with the sea is important, an Oceanview balcony on either line will satisfy your needs. If dress code (or lack of) is important, we found that Celebrity and RC are actually more alike than different. Slacks and a collared shirt (polo) will be fine on either line on what RC considers their formal night and Clebrity's "Chic" nights. After many years of packing long gowns and suits, we felt perfectly appropriate in slacks and polo for men and slacks and blouse for women. We didn't wear shorts but we did see shorts at dinner on both lines. RC definitely has more that will appeal to the kids from character parades to the ice shows, character breakfast, etc. The loungers on Celebrity are better. The food in the MDR are very similar. We had been told for years that Celebrity had better food. Everyone has a different opinion but we just didn't find that to be true for us. We loved the treats at al Bacio on Celebrity but missed being able to get a little sandwich at the Promenade Cafe on RC. Celebrity has some nice touches you and your wife might appeciate that would be totally lost on your children, like the wash clothes handed to you in the restrooms which RC doesn't have and a cup of ice cold water as you head back to the ship from a port (although RC has started doing that at some ports too), and the ease at getting a canned drink to go, which RC makes more difficult. You get a fountain drink or practically have to bribe a bartender to get the drink in an unopened can (with the drink package) on RC. The rest of our group missed the drink fountain on the RC ships (also with a drink package). If quiet relaxation is what you are after,Celebrity has more of that than RC. RC has something going on in almost every corner of the ship at almost any hour of the day or night. We found that we missed the activity level. RC ships like Allure have Central Park for quiet relaxation at all times if you are looking for that. As for the smoking, I'm a smoker and outside of the fact that there is a smoking section in the casino on RC, I didn't find any difference in the two lines, even though most people believe Celebrity is more restrictive.Both lines limit smoking to a couple of outdoor sections which are easy to find or easy to avoid. Can't help with NCL as I haven't cruised their line.

Do the 'anytime' dining options on RCL and X work well?

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I know that there are hundreds of threads comparing X, RCL, and NCL. I’ve read A LOT of them and have a decent feel for each line. I know the best way to find out what we like is to simply try them, but that is easier said than done when you live in Nebraska and don’t have an unlimited vacation budget. So I’m trying to make the best decisions I can with the information that I have.

We’ve previously been on one cruise: 4 nights on the Disney Dream a little over a year ago. We loved it, but have not cruised since as we grew our family… our daughter was born in January, and now we are ready to get some cruises booked. We will be going on Disney again, but I'm trying to branch out and see what else can work for us, especially given the Disney $ premium.

We are looking at two different ‘types’ of cruises.

1. Just my wife and me. For this, I’d really like to do X except for the one big con I have listed below. We could also do RCL or NCL.

2. The whole family, which includes our two kids (young; 4 years old and 4 months old… so probably 5 and almost 2 years old by the time we cruise), plus potentially other relatives that are family. For this, I’m thinking RCL or NCL.

Celebrity S-Class

Pros: They really seem to fit what my wife and I love about cruising. Relaxed atmosphere, plenty of poolspace (plus the solarium), modern look/feel, very limited smoking on board.

Cons: I can’t wrap my head around the dress code. If I’m going to the Caribbean on vacation, I’m wearing shorts every day. I’d prefer to wear golf-type shorts and a polo, oreven a t-shirt, in the evening. I did this on the Dream and didn’t feel out of place, but it sounds like this isn’t even allowed on X. This is a big deal, as dressing up in this manner for dinner just is not our style. If it is your style, I mean no disrespect... it’s just not ours.

Royal Oasis Class

Pros: Tons of options,new CocoCay looks incredible (would definitely do an itinerary that stops here), decent pool/sun deck options/space, Solarium.

Cons: Doesn’t feel like you’re on a ship (lose the ‘connection to the sea’), have to pre-book/plan alot (not planning so much is one of the major draws of cruising to me)

* Maybe considering a Freedom class ship would take care of these 'cons'?

Norwegian Breakaway/Escape Class

Pros: ‘Freestyle’ concept, dress code fits us, tons of options, ‘Waterfront’ area

Cons: Limited pool/sundeck space, it feels busy, smoke smell permeates lots of areas due to ship design

If the dress code is that serious on X, then unfortunately we have to be out. I don’t mind dressing up abit for one night, but ‘dressing up’ to me seems to be the nightly expectation on X. If there’s no getting around that, then we have to go for RCL or NCL.

So with those pros/cons in mind, what fits us best, both as a couple and as a larger family group?

I'd really like to try them all at some point, just trying to figure out what the next step is for us, and particularly if my concerns listed above are legitimate or overblown. Thanks!

Ray

DCL also has an agreement for a limited number of rooms at their rate. I know this because we were told by DCL that no rooms were available on one occasion when I was then able to get a room using a corporate rate.

 

I agree that AAA' date=' AARP, etc. discounts usually result in higher priced rooms than thru DCL. Corporate rates are often lower than DCL rates....at least in my experience.[/quote']Interesting. Maybe it pays to book it way in advance then, like Pooh and I did. Corporate rates are not available to me, so DCL's contract is the best I can do.

 

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Definitely compare, but I just had the same experience. Basically similar pricing as Pooh got for our March 2019 sailing... Over $100 cheaper through DCL!

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PrincessArlenasDad, thanks for adding to the conversation. And Moki too of course. I had been thinking that the short pre-embarkation shuttle ride would put my mind at ease more than any other option, but I think we will swing for the Hyatt and DCL transfers this time. That will make for a more enjoyable travel day Friday, and gives us a chance to be first into the terminal Saturday.

We will be flying from Omaha on a 'blacked out' work day for my wife (she is a school teacher and can't take days before breaks off), so the earliest flight we can catch will be around 5 on Friday. We will definitely have 1 stop, so the best case arrival for us is 10:30-11:00 at night. The extra cost of just crashing at the airport that night and not having to deal with all the luggage the next morning with a 5 year old and 1 year old will be worth the extra cost. Plus, we've never taken a DCL transfer, and we think it will be a fun way to start our trip (we find the Magical Express very exciting).

Thanks again to all!

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After doing some more thinking and browsing, I'm leaning towards taking a town car from the airport to a hotel out at Canaveral the Friday night we get in, then simply a shuttle/taxi/Uber to the port Saturday morning. The towncar price is comparable to the DCL transfer for our family of 4 (within $10-20), and the Canaveral hotel will certainly be cheaper than the Hyatt at MCO. Nobody has suggested this, but it seems to make sense--let me know if I'm missing something!

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Huey, Dewey and Louie. :)

Although I think these are, by far, the best suggestions of all 😉😂

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We played this game on the drive to Orlando coming off our first cruise last year. It was fun!

Imagination and Wishes/Wish seem highly likely to me. I'd lean 'Wish' because none of the current ships are plural words. If it's Dream instead of Dreams, would Wish make more sense? Just a thought.

I get the thought behind 'Adventure' & 'Discovery', but those don't sound 'Disney' enough to me. Maybe Discovery, but Adventure seems too generic.

The one I haven't seen posted here yet that I think is a slam dunk is Believe.

1. Believe 2. Imagination 3. Wish

Fun discussion!

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What's the earliest you can take a shuttle and get to the ship? We will be flying in fairly late the night before our next cruise, and this Hyatt/DCL transfer option sounds appealing. But we want to try to get on as soon as possible.

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Thanks to all, your replies helped us decide to book the Fantasy. I don't think that 7 nights will feel too long, it will likely be just what we need after over a year of no travel with our baby. We thought the 4 nights on the Dream flew by; we could have stayed for a lot longer. 5 just doesn't seem like enough. Also, coming from Omaha, flying into Orlando is actually a lot easier than flying into Miami. Many more options at much lower costs, with savings that far outweigh the longer trip to/from port.

Eva, your comments were very helpful, too, and I'm sure we will do the Magic some day on a different itinerary that hits some stops Fantasy/Dream don't go to (i.e. Key West). It came down to preferring the longer cruise, lack of intriguing ports on Magic, and a comparable cost per day on a newer ship. Other thoughts: I also agree that the AquaDuck is overhyped; it's a fairly short ride after a typically very long wait. However, I think our son will love it. He was too small to ride on it last time, but will be the perfect size in a year. I am also concerned about the dining options getting repetitive, but having never done a 7-day cruise we will just have to see. We do plan on doing Palo one night, so that may help, though I don't think think we would enjoy Remy (we are very 'meat & potatoes' type of people!).

Moki, thank you for putting things in perspective for me. The older I get, the more I slice and dice these decisions way too much, and sometimes you just have to choose and be happy with it. That's what we have done, and I'm sure we will hit the rest of the Disney ships as our children grow.

Thanks again!

Hello,

My wife and I took our son on the Disney Dream last March (2017) and had the best vacation of our lives. We loved everything about our cruise on the Dream and were so sad leaving the ship... I think all three of us were a little choked up walking off! We got hooked on cruising and couldn't wait to go again. Long story short, we are looking at two options for March 2019. We will have our son, who will have just turned 5 by then, and our new daughter, who will be a little over one year old.

We are looking at 7 nights on the Fantasy or 5 nights on the Magic. The itineraries are:

* Fantasy: Canaveral, At Sea, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, At Sea, Castaway, Canaveral

* Magic: Miami, At Sea, Cozumel, At Sea, Castaway, Miami

Based on our prior experience, we are wanting to do an oceanview room either way. Other notes:

- We prefer Canaveral to Miami, if for no other reason than familiarity with MCO (never flown to MIA) and the Canaveral cruise port. (Advantage Fantasy)

- We felt like 4 nights wasn't enough on the Dream, but are afraid 7 nights might be too many. Maybe 5 is a happy medium, especially for our first big trip with an infant. (Advantage Magic - maybe)

- The Oceanview rooms on the Magic are a little smaller at 214 square feet, compared to 241 square feet on the Fantasy. (Advantage Fantasy)

- The Magic price is roughly $4,700, while the Fantasy is $6,700. While the Fantasy $2,000 more, the cost per day is actually almost identical, and again, the Fantasy offers a larger room at this price point. That extra space for a pack & play seems valuable, but it's still a huge price difference. (Advantage Magic)

- The ports don't impact our decision much; we are there for what the ship has to offer more than anything. From what I gather, Grand Cayman and Falmouth aren't a huge deal anyway, especially when we are traveling with such young children. We would likely treat at least one of these ports as a sea day, if not both. (No advantage?)

- The one port we would really like to hit some time is Key West, but unfortunately this Magic cruise doesn't stop there (its previous voyage does). I'm inclined to wait and sail on the Magic/Wonder when we can hit Key West. (Advantage Fantasy)

- The Fantasy cruise is Saturday-Saturday, while the Magic cruise is Sunday-Friday. Given my wife's work schedule, the earliest we could fly down is Friday evening. From Omaha, NE, there would almost certainly be a stop, which further increases the chances for problems. Doing the Sunday cruise would allow us a full Saturday to get down there. Even if we had flight troubles, we would be less likely to miss the cruise. (Advantage Magic)

- Aquaduck > Aquadunk... my son will love the former, too young for the latter (Advantage Fantasy)

- Smaller crowds are generally better (Advantage Magic)... But we do like new/fancy things (Advantage Fantasy-?)

As you can see, some of these factors have me leaning Fantasy, while others have me leaning Magic. Are there any other major differences between the ships we should consider? Keep in mind we would like to eventually cruise all of the Disney ships as our kids continue to grow.

Any advice you can provide comparing these two choices will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Ray

Thanks again to all the replies, there has been a ton of great info thrown around, I hope it will help others make informed decisions.

As for San Juan... I did consider sailing out of there briefly, but many of those cruises were more port intensive. Might try that in the future on a Celebrity ship. We will see how we like it for a day this time.

So... (drumroll).... I just got off the phone from booking the Harmony, and we are very excited about it! I know any of these cruises would be awesome for us, but the Harmony seemed like the best fit. However, being from Nebraska I wouldn't mind some country music options, even on a cruise ship 😉.

Also, it's kind of funny that neither ship in the title of this thread was actually chosen. I guess that's how it works sometimes!

Thanks again,

Ray

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Thanks to all for the feedback--it has been very helpful! It sounds like Galveston is not quite the slam dunk I thought it was, and while there are differing opinions on the Solarium we will probably have to try them to see which one we like better. Since the price of the cruises are virtually equal, we will go with the Oasis this time.

To the one who suggested Disney, our first cruise was on the Disney Dream, and we loved it. However, we can't leave our young kids at home and go on a Disney ship... would feel terrible about it.

HOWEVER...

Not to muddy the water, but since we are resigned to traveling all the way to Florida, I did notice the Harmony is sailing on the same dates. It goes out of Ft. Lauderdale and stops at St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. It also comes with a $300 premium. In my limited looking at the Harmony we like (1) how all the pool/deck chairs are mesh instead of the plastic strappy ones, (2) that is has waterslides, and (3) the more modern decor in the staterooms. I understand the solarium doesn't have a pool, but the presence/size of a pool there isn't as important to us. The adults only spa-like quieter feel is what we're after there.

We are new to cruising and have only ever gotten off the ship at Castaway Cay, which was amazing (stayed on the ship at Nassau), so any of the ports we are looking at will be new to us. Since Labadee is the same, it's the difference between Falmouth/Cozumel or St. Maarten/San Juan, in addition to the 3 'pros' I listed above. Is that worth an extra $300 and a trip to Ft. Lauderdale instead of Canaveral?

No different from any other charter they do. Happens all the time. They may offer to price protect. I haven't heard about any possible compensation. This far out I wouldn't count on any.

 

Have you actually tried to book a cabin through big box store? I tried on a site that was showing availability but once you get to a certain part, you can't go any further.

I actually did and was successful. Had to call to complete it though; wouldn't let me move past room selection online. They said it was part of their 'block'. I've since cancelled it and booked a different cruise, but that was within the last week.

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Sorry for the newbie question, but I gather if the sailing is chartered that means a group (of some unknown size) has 'reserved' some part of the ship? Is the general advice to avoid such cruises?

I know it is listed as sold outlet, but I am aware of at least one retail outlet where staterooms are still available. Just trying to determine if we should avoid this particular sailing if it is chartered. Thank you.

Instead of asking strangers which will always give mixed opinions.

Just find out for yourself.

Go on one this year and the other next time...

Thanks for being so helpful! If I could go on a cruise every year, I would! But unfortunately I cannot. And since it's going to be a couple years before we can cruise again, I want to make the best choice. And I asked for feedback specific to my needs, instead of a generic A vs. B. Isn't what these boards are for?

Thanks to those that have provided constructive feedback. It has been very helpful already! Sounds like Oasis is the pick, my only real concern is the solarium not being as pleasant... But everything else seems to tilt toward Oasis, even the departure port.

Thanks again, I'll keep listening!

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If we are resigned to an hour or so of transportation (taxi/limo/Uber) each way anyway from Orlando-Canaveral or Hobby- Galveston, then what's the difference? This isn't the first time I've heard this, just looking for more details. Thanks!

 

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Also consider that flying to Orlando will likely cost us an additional $300ish total.

If it's really worth the extra cost and Galveston is that bad, then we may remove that from the list of Liberty pros.

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