So what's next?

We're at that point of not knowing what to do next…

Could it be I've hit my limit?

Trying to plan the next family cruise…

Wife, 5-6 year old daughter, and a kid to be who'll likely be 1 or so by the time we go.

Islands we've done most REPEATEDLY:

Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Mo Bay, Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados, Nassau, Freeport.

Alaska just doesn't seem right for us as a family, and while we'd love to the Med with only taking kid out of a school a week, and travel time it just doesn't seem worth it at all.

I never thought I'd say it, but I think I've had my fill of cruising the cairbbean until some new islands/ports pop up.

We could do Bermuda, but the one time I sailed out of the East coast through the gulf stream, the ship rocked so much, I vowed never ever again. But maybe it was the time of year. The ships there don't look too appealing either.

Am I missing something? Anything else you suggest? I'm ready to book something!

Go North young man! (sorry couldn't resist:p). Seriously, the NE/Northeast itins are fascinating looking - on my bucket list one day. I would go up to Boston and give it a whirl - Maine is beautiful mid-September and daytime temps are just about perfect;)

Go North young man! (sorry couldn't resist:p). Seriously, the NE/Northeast itins are fascinating looking - on my bucket list one day. I would go up to Boston and give it a whirl - Maine is beautiful mid-September and daytime temps are just about perfect;)

New England is awesome in the Fall.

We're at that point of not knowing what to do next…

 

Could it be I've hit my limit?

 

Trying to plan the next family cruise…

 

Wife, 5-6 year old daughter, and a kid to be who'll likely be 1 or so by the time we go.

 

Islands we've done most REPEATEDLY:

 

Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Mo Bay, Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados, Nassau, Freeport.

 

Alaska just doesn't seem right for us as a family, and while we'd love to the Med with only taking kid out of a school a week, and travel time it just doesn't seem worth it at all.

 

I never thought I'd say it, but I think I've had my fill of cruising the cairbbean until some new islands/ports pop up.

 

We could do Bermuda, but the one time I sailed out of the East coast through the gulf stream, the ship rocked so much, I vowed never ever again. But maybe it was the time of year. The ships there don't look too appealing either.

 

Am I missing something? Anything else you suggest? I'm ready to book something!

Don't rule Alaska out. I never thought that I would enjoy Alaska as much as I did. Yes, most of the folks on my sailing were in their late 60's but the ship was still great and Alaska, fantastic.

Hawaii.

Have you thought about a Panama Canal transit? Going through the locks is an amazing experience! Of course, the infant wouldn't get much out of it, but a young grade-schooler would probably enjoy the trip. Even if you decide not to go now -- in a few years, your kids would be able to appreciate the history of the Canal, and understand the engineering principles behind it. Also, the wildlife on Lake Gatun is spectacular (exotic birds, crocodiles, etc). Just outside the Miraflores Locks, we saw more pelicans in one spot that we had ever encountered. :cool:

Oh, and don't rule out Alaska, just yet! That's another one that your kids would get a lot out of, once they are a little older.;)

We're at that point of not knowing what to do next…

 

Could it be I've hit my limit?

 

Trying to plan the next family cruise…

 

Wife, 5-6 year old daughter, and a kid to be who'll likely be 1 or so by the time we go.

 

Islands we've done most REPEATEDLY:

 

Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Mo Bay, Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados, Nassau, Freeport.

 

Alaska just doesn't seem right for us as a family, and while we'd love to the Med with only taking kid out of a school a week, and travel time it just doesn't seem worth it at all.

 

I never thought I'd say it, but I think I've had my fill of cruising the cairbbean until some new islands/ports pop up.

 

We could do Bermuda, but the one time I sailed out of the East coast through the gulf stream, the ship rocked so much, I vowed never ever again. But maybe it was the time of year. The ships there don't look too appealing either.

 

Am I missing something? Anything else you suggest? I'm ready to book something!

What about booking a Bermuda cruise on the Quantum?

I hear you on the Caribbean.

Try Bermuda earlier in the season, usually the current/rocking is worse in Sept/Oct.

Canada/NE is nice. We did it in late June and it was still a little chilly, so I wait & do it in July/August. (Not sure when RC offers their trips as we did it on another line)

Personally I'd wait until the kids are older to do the Med or Alaska. We did the Med this summer with teens & I can't imagine doing it with little ones (for me it would be tough, but everyone is different)

I agree with the suggestion to take a New England cruise. We went in September from Baltimore--it was a very good cruise.

Bermuda is an excellent place to take children. It is clean, safe and has an excellent transportation system.

Although we live 3 hrs from Baltimore we drove to Bayonne to visit Bermuda. Cruises from there have 3 full days on the island. From Baltimore it is one full day and two half days.

I hear you on the Caribbean.

 

Try Bermuda earlier in the season, usually the current/rocking is worse in Sept/Oct.

 

Canada/NE is nice. We did it in late June and it was still a little chilly, so I wait & do it in July/August. (Not sure when RC offers their trips as we did it on another line)

 

Personally I'd wait until the kids are older to do the Med or Alaska. We did the Med this summer with teens & I can't imagine doing it with little ones (for me it would be tough, but everyone is different)

I just sailed on the Explorer to Bermuda at the end of September. No issues with the sea's. It was a great cruise and I'd love to do it again.

I agree with others, don't rule Alaska out. I honestly didn't think I would want to take a cruise there...maybe a land vacation when I was retirement age. My first Alaska cruise, 2 years ago, I was 39. I couldn't believe how ACTIVE the excursions. Hikes, rafting, dog mushing, etc. I loved it so much we went 2 years in a row. If we didn't have other things this last summer, we would have gone back again.

There is a lot for kids as well. I would recommend taking a 2nd look at the excursions, you may be very surprised. If you have an extra few days, I highly recommend the trip to Denali as well.

I agree with others, don't rule Alaska out. I honestly didn't think I would want to take a cruise there...maybe a land vacation when I was retirement age. My first Alaska cruise, 2 years ago, I was 39. I couldn't believe how ACTIVE the excursions. Hikes, rafting, dog mushing, etc. I loved it so much we went 2 years in a row. If we didn't have other things this last summer, we would have gone back again.

 

There is a lot for kids as well. I would recommend taking a 2nd look at the excursions, you may be very surprised. If you have an extra few days, I highly recommend the trip to Denali as well.

This is a video from my Alaska trip, I bet your kids would love to see this in person:

I would leave the kids home and take another Southern Caribbean itinerary, just the 2 of you so you can do some more adventurous things you cant do with young ones. There are some great islands missing from your list, such as St Lucia, Aruba, Curacao, even Martinique....You asked, I gave my opinion :)

Yes...you CAN "hit your limit"...so don't feel bad! Go elsewhere...come back to cruising in a bit! While cruising is great, it's not the ONLY way to vacation!

OP I agree you may have "hit your limit" for now on the Caribbean, when the kids are older you might be ready for islands again.

If not Alaska or Hawaii, how about the East coast up to Halifax, that would be a complete change of scenery.

We have not been on a Caribbean cruise and I can't see that changing any time soon. We have been to the Caribbean so many times we just don't have any interest. Maybe that will change one of these days. :)

Hawaii.

:D:D:DCan you tell this gets my vote? :D:D

I'm in tapatalk right now so I can't see your history or where you live. For us, just getting out of a cold Buffalo winter is enough. I've been on 13 cruises, and been to Cozumel ten times. There are so many excursion options that I still look forward to the stop. We've even repeated a few activities there.

So, for me, the cruise is not so much about the itinerary as it is about other elements: different ships, different people, great weather, even some of the sameness is nice. The familiar elements allow me to relax and feel comfortable.

I guess if you can get into that aspect of the experience you can enjoy cruises in perpetuity. If the joy of cruising for you comes mostly from the new and different, you will run out of options at some point.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, please excuse all the typos.

Islands we've done most REPEATEDLY:

Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, Mo Bay, Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados, Nassau, Freeport

I never thought I'd say it, but I think I've had my fill of cruising the cairbbean until some new islands/ports pop up.

 

Am I missing something? Anything else you suggest? I'm ready to book something!

Yes, I think you're missing something awesome! Do you like latin American Culture (ie. Salsa & Merengue)? Can you (or your family) speak any Spanish?

I just came off the Vision on a "Culturally Enriching Cruise". Look at my cruising history in my signature... Approx 20 cruises, this cruise is in my top 3 trips. The staff/crew assembled currently on this ship are one of the best ever, Giovannis/Chops/MDR were all outstanding, the ship is basically brand new after the re-furb and looks great.

Best of all... although only 300 of the 1900 passengers were USA/or English speaking as 1st language, most everyone speaks English. There were hardly any differences other than 2 of the entertainers were primarily Spanish speaking. MDR seatings were 7pm & 9pm ( a little later than normal), and much of the music is latino based.... ie. pool deck everyday was awesome live bands, waaaay better than most of the Caribbean bands I have witnessed. The Centrum band had min 10 coupes dancing in every song (unlike the elevator music played on some, not all, of the other itineraries).

In your list of ports, you hadn't mentioned a single port that this ship currently calls on: Colon, Cartagena, Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao. Post-cruise I stayed 2 nights in Panama City and hired MyFriendMario Tours to show me around.

Go online and chk the pricing of some of the sailings :D. If you book they're last sailing in April you can also back-2-back on the 3 day repositioning back to Fort Lauderdale for peanuts.

This is the last season of this itinerary as the Vision is not going back and there are no plans for a replacement vessel to repeat this itinerary at all for now.

Good luck!

A Panama Canal cruise would be a good option. :)

LuLu

~~~~

Take a break from cruising and enjoy parts of the US with the kids. Once they get older, go back to cruising.

Yes...you CAN "hit your limit"...so don't feel bad! Go elsewhere...come back to cruising in a bit! While cruising is great, it's not the ONLY way to vacation!

I believe it takes a lot to 'hit your limit' -- unless of course you have done EVERY excursion at every port that a ship cruising the Caribbean has available.

Here's another vote for Canada/New England. We've done this on both Royal Caribbean and on Princess. The highlight of this cruise is Quebec City. We're usually loyal to RCI, but Princess offers the better options on this route.

Now a days it's about the ships not just the ports . Don't know what ships you've been on. You never have to leave oasis or allure to get cruise/resort experience

Wrong thread

Now a days it's about the ships not just the ports . Don't know what ships you've been on. You never have to leave oasis or allure to get cruise/resort experience

For some that might be the case. But throughout a cruise itinerary, there are probably SOME (or a few) excursions to take to add to the enjoyment.

I know when I go on Allure in June, I am looking forward to Snorkeling with Turtles excursion; there could be one or two others at other ports to take in, as well as enjoy the magnificent Allure City, that will be the host town.