Devi8or

Sucks to hear, Voyager is one of the ships I'm considering. My sailing would be a long time from now, so they have plenty of time to get it together before then

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

is your youngest not in school at that time? We are limited to school breaks which do not fall anywhere near early December.

 

What about a cruise for Thanksgiving, followed by Disney?

Yeah they'll be in school still, it's generally not an issue as long as their grades are good. Most of the teachers are doing the majority of their work turn in online now. It's definitely not something we do on a regular basis, maybe once every few years. We haven't been out of alaska since 2019

7 hours ago, cynt said:

I would pick whatever cruise ship sails out of PC just for the convenience factor. I would recommend doing Disney first and then the cruise so you can recuperate from Disney on the cruise. 

 

Remember to keep in mind the overall cost for the vacation not just the cruise cost, particularly rental car logistics. Especially if you do Disney as the 2nd leg of your vacation are you going to feel up to driving back to MCO/FLL after a week at Disney to return the car? Or will you just return car to MCO and fly home from there? Dropping off rental car at a different location is an additional expense. 

 

The time to drive to and from is also a factor. 3 hrs to FLL and about 3.5 hrs to MIA. Not a long drive but still a nice drive. 

 

Also if you fly in and out of MCO you will not necessarily need to rent a car if you stay onsite at Disney. On-site vs off-site at Disney is a whole other debate. LOL! 

 

Rental car logistics and expense is definitely something to consider as you're pricing your vacation.

So it really depends on when the cruise is, I'm kind of shaping it based on that, I'd prefer disney in early December, then cruise, so the Voyager one looks decent. I'd also like to get home a bit before Christmas to avoid too much holiday rush. We've done Disney at the start Of December before and felt like a good time for it

3 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

hippo

 

Please remember that Orlando is a hot, humid hell between April and September. 🙂

We were there a couple of years ago on April 30 and I thought I was gonna at least faint. And we are in GA, so not that far off. Not like Alaska.

 

OH yeah we know, we used to do Disney every other year before covid hit, so we're not pros, but not rookies either lol

3 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

dang, you are so young, and your kids are older than mine! lol

sorry, couldn't help myself.

My wife and I have been together since we were 14, married at 20 and had our first daughter at 23.....just an earlier start than most 😂

2 hours ago, DukeASUGirl said:

Have you thought about Harmony out of Port Canaveral? It's closer to Disney, is a 7-night trip, and is an Oasis-class ship with the bells and whistles.

I don't see Harmony 7 day going out of PC in December 2023 on the search results

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I haven’t been on Mardi Gras, but I have 33 cruises on Carnival so I know their ships and what they offer well. I think in my case I just outgrew Carnival. At this point in my life I prefer cruising on RCI and Celebrity. However, I realize not everyone is looking for the same experience when it comes to cruising. It’s great to have several different cruise lines to choose from, especially when you live in Florida and can easily drive to five ports. 

we're looking for a laid back good time.  My wife and I will both be 40 by then, the kids are older.....I don't drink, we don't really party, but like to hang out.  We'd be more like the trivia crowd than the sexiest man by the pool crowd LOL.  I've always been under the impression that Carnival crowd was a bit young for my liking, but I haven't been on Carnival since In was a kid myself.  

BTW, if you're an Eagles fan, much like myself #FlyEaglesFly!

11 minutes ago, homedepot124 said:

I doubt the 15 and 18 year olds are going to enjoy CATS on Oasis.

Hey, our 15 and 18 years Olds favorite Disney Park is epcot, they're wired different 😂

7 minutes ago, bmc alabama said:

Going to throw a curveball (probably unpopular here).  Take a look at Carnival Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral.  We took it in March and all enjoyed it more than our January Oasis cruise.

 

However, you will have a wonderful time on any ship you take. Maybe go for more days and do the Voyager…

Appreciate the suggestion, we were really pleased with our last RCCL cruise, so that's why I'm looking in that direction. I'll take a look at that one though

1 hour ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Wonder will be the newest Oasis class ship from PC at your time of sailing, but of course you will be paying for "new."

Yeah I see that, the Wonder sailing is over twice the price of the Voyager one, unless it drops drastically, I probably wouldn't consider it. If disney tickets and hotel weren't in the equation, that would be a different story

4 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

You are quite a ways out. Whichever ship you choose, if Disney is still in your plans then PC is the place to be. 

That's definitely one of the factors, but I'm not opposed to driving if it's an overall better experience. But I'd also have to factor how much it takes to get to/from one of those destinations where it be by rental or what

This would be a no brainer if odyssey or Oasis was out of PC 😅

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

And they alternate the 30% off first two pax with 60% off first pax.

 

Just in case someone doesnt realize 30% off each of 2 pax is the same sale as 60% off one pax. 

 

The sales are pretty much the same. 

 

The biggest thing as you said ... voyager is cheaper than oasis class. Basically. I booked a great price for little grandeur ..not so much the newer ships. I'm paying just a little more for 19 days on grandeur as 7 days on oasis. 

Yeah, so based on interior prices, which we'll probably use because we don't spend much time in the room, the Voyager is roughly $400 for 8 night, Odyssey is $600 for 7 night, and Oasis is about $700 per night. So I'd have to think if Odyssey and Oasis are worth the extra 2-300 per passenger for less days but potentially better entertainment and overall experience. I know I can't miss either way though

Also, holy crap, 19 days! Crazy lol

7 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

The sales start being all the same. I think the words "up to" $550 off ... doesnt mean that you get that much off. My prices are going up since I booked. I hate to book in advance. I'm a last minute type, but I suspected the covid prices wouldnt last. Book and if prices fall before final payment ask for a adjustment.

 

The sad truth is the newer oasis ships do cost more 😞 they have more choices where to eat and stuff to do.

4 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

useless to you.

yes. Price fluctuates even throughout the day sometimes.... You have to check often. But with RCI - the closer it gets to the sailing, the crazier the price gets. Not in a good way.

Yeah I think the up to $550 is only like $50 in my case if I'm looking at the right one. The only benefit I'm really getting is the 30%

Also, I did mean to ask, in terms of deals, how is this one? Do they get better? I won't have use for KSF since mine will be 15 and 18.  I know I can book then price adjust, but would I be wrong to expect a better sale? 

11 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

You will not find Voyager sailing out of Port Canaveral. Independence, Mariner, Jewel and Harmony. Harmony is a great choice through October and in November the newest ship, Wonder, will replace Harmony at Port Canaveral. The Oasis class ships are quite something and offer much to do. If Disneyworld is in your plans, PC is the only way to go. 

This is way in the future, December 23...looks it does then

I appreciate all the info and helpful people, went to bed with zero replies since I posted so late, didn't think I'd wake up to 33 of them lol

1 minute ago, time4u2go said:

I'd pick Voyager.  Longer cruise, close to Disney, better ports (in my opinion).

That's another thing I need to research, the ports, I haven't been to any on those ships except for Nassau. Our freedom trip was Nassau, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya

If anyone had advice on the ports, I'd love to hear it. Activities closer to the ship the better I would say, beaches, shops etc

8 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We prefer the Oasis class of ships- Of the three, I would go on Oasis.  I believe the Harmony goes out of Port Canaveral also.  Will you and your daughters be  interested in going to Disney at the time of the potential sailing?

Yes, we will either do Disney before or after the cruise for sure. We're from Alaska, so if we're going all the way to Florida, we're knocking it all out lol 

6 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Why  isn't Wonder of the Seas 7 night cruise in your equation of choices for 2023? It sails from Pt. Canaveral 

I think that one was a bit more than I wanted to spend. I started with a base price of the voyager one and increased it twice for those other cruises, so I'm probably gonna stop there lol

6 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Which ship goes where?  That would affect my decision.  Or do they all go to the same places?

 

Voyager goes to Labadee, Puerto Plata, Charlotte Amalie, St Croix

Odyssey goes to Perfect Day, Labadee, Puerto Plata

Oasis goes to Nassau, Perfect Day, Labadee, Falmouth

We have only been to Nassau if that makes a difference

6 hours ago, Jimbo said:

I would also like to know how long ago Freedom did a 6 Nighter, because I can't find anywhere where Freedom did a 6 night cruise, must have been a while ago.

The freedom Cruise was February of 2016 I believe, so quite awhile ago

This is all for December of 2023 if that means anything to anyone lol. My daughter will turn 18 on the 3rd,so this is like a big birthday trip

Sorry, just woke up to a ton of comments! I'm gonna read em here in a few and reply where I need to lol

Hey all, so me and the family are trying to decide on what ship to take on our next cruise.  We've been on Freedom for 6 nights and loved it, but at the end, wished it was longer.  So after researching cruises for my daughter's 18th bday, i've come up with 3 options.

1. 8 Nights on the voyager (out of Port Canaveral)

     +Closer to Disney

     +Longer trip

     +Cheapest trip

     -Older ship (although renovated)

     -Smaller than the Freedom we were previously on

2. 6 Nights on the Odyssey (out of Ft Lauderdale)

     +Medium to Disney

     +New Ship

     +/-Medium Price

     -Shorter trip

3. 7 Nights on the Oasis (out of Miami)

     +Medium trip length

     +Giant Ship

     -Most Expensive trip

     -Farther from Disney

So we're a party of 4.  Me, the wife. and our 2 daughters (15 and 18 at time of potential sailing).  Kids/teen clubs are a non issue, my kids refuse to go to them.  In terms of best overall experience, what would you guys think?  We like to do the shows and use the various activities/shows on board including pools.  I'm worried that 6 nights is too short and feel like I'd be stepping down going to the Voyager from the previous Freedom sailing.  Is it worth sacrificing a day or two to jump into a bigger ship?  The price is higher, but not by a ton, and I'd have to drive to/from Miami or Ft Lauderdale to Disney either before or after the sailing.  Specialty dining isn't an issue either, we usually do Main Dining room and whatever places are included

any opinions would help, I'm honestly torn, and the family seems to not care either way LOL

Jason

on our last trip, I was able to ask the room attendant for a cord and water, he just left it in my room when we were walking around the ship, but as others have said, you can request it ahead of time too

We were on this sailing also. GREAT ship and trip overall. We enjoy the Windjammer for most of our meals and thought it had the best variety and food of any cruise we’ve been on. So many assistants walking around with drinks, coffee, danish in the morning, cookies at other times. Of course, it does get busy at times, but we never had to make several loops around to find a table. Officer types were always present and helping find tables. Loved the scooped ice cream available every night with toppings nearby. Ship in pretty good shape, although carpeting is showing wear and tear in some places.

 

Dined in Sabor and Giovanni’s. Both were very good, despite non-stellar service in Giovanni’s. We have not experienced poor service in specialty restaurants before, so this was new. Just didn’t leave any extra tip above that which was included when we prepaid online.

 

Agree with slow elevators at times. Production shows were excellent... vocalists make such a difference when they are top notch. Topi’s dancing on the last night was so good!

 

Smoking in casino area made us bypass that area by going up a deck when we needed to go to the other end of the ship. That’s one big reason we are taking more cruises on Celebrity.

 

Wifi was the main issue for us. Had balcony cabins on deck 7 close to aft and wifi kept dropping and we could not get back on. Visited the internet “expert”on deck six, just one deck below us, and he wasn’t very helpful or personable.

 

Overall, an excellent cruise...

 

 

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Topi's dance routine absolutely slayed me....that took some serious talent LOL

The cigarette smoke odor mentioned in the OP was real both above and around the casino. A real turn off which discouraged us from trying Sabor or Schooner's.

 

I'm not a big fan of the towel animals, but I have to admit this time they brought out a smile in me due to our attendant's careful use of my sunglasses. One example ..

Yeah the smoke definitely lingered it's way into any area near the casino. The photo area is right outside it and smells bad, the stairs leading up to the Schooner bar as well

We were also on Feb 25 sailing and agree with your review. We had a great vacation! Our waiter in MTD was amazing and catered to our kids 9 & 16. He brought us at least one extra meal we didn’t order because he wanted us to try it every night, also dessert. He brought our 9 yr old 6 cookies every night for her to take back to the room for snack later. We had no issue finding deck chairs, pools were not over crowded (ship was sold out). We really like Topi as CD. The other cruise activity staff were great also! Quest was fun! Embarkation was a breeze, we were on by 11:30. Windjammer we only ate at for a couple breakfasts, we prefer the dining room, but lines were fine when we ate there. We avoided walking thru casino when possible due to smoke. Our kids loved Adventure Ocean and the teen activities.

 

 

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Thanks for checking in, glad you guys had a good trip as well

We were able to use wifi at the ports in certain places to catch up on any news we might have missed. By ports I mean from restaurants beaches, Cozumel port etc.... Not from the ship

Did you make Grand Cayman, what did you do?

Yes we did Grand Cayman. Didn't have any preset plans so we just hopped a bus/van from the port to 7 Mile Beach. Very easy to get one, beach was nice. It was a bit crowded, but was fun overall for the kids

Thanks for the summary Bob, seems like you got a lot more done than I did LOL

Honestly, it surprised me that the second formal night was on day 5. I am used to it being on day 6.

 

Thanks for posting the menus as I will probably adjust my existing specialty restaurant reservations for our Oasis May 20 cruise based on these menus.

 

My thanks, again, to all who posted.

 

And, like the poster above, would appreciate confirmation that day 5, not day 6, was the second formal night.

second formal night on our 6 night Freedom that ended 3/3 was on the FIFTH night