luczai Posted May 12, 2004 #1 Share Posted May 12, 2004 This is like a math problem, so maybe some of you can help. I have 4 sisters. We live in Kansas, Georgia, New York, Texas, and California. For my middle sister's (New York) 50th birthday on January 10th we were thinking of surprising her with a cruise with all of us. Considering airfare costs, etc. Which departure city makes the most sense? The nearest(to at least one of us) are San Francisco, Galveston, New York, and New Orleans. Should we book a Royal Family Suite for all of us or two cabins? The four of us will be splitting the birthday girl's costs. Any advice would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2004 #2 Share Posted May 12, 2004 You may want to look into which would be the least expensive to fly to which might be totally different from the one which is the nearest. I would not eliminate Florida because it is far away. There are more cruises leaving from there at your time of year and the prices might be cheaper than the other cities you mentioned. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luczai Posted May 13, 2004 Author #3 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Thanks, Don. That makes good sense. I think I may be best off on using a travel agent to help with this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 13, 2004 #4 Share Posted May 13, 2004 The issue of a Family suite vs. two rooms for five women would be a very easy call if the Family Suite only has one bathroom. Go for two rooms especially thinking about getting ready for dinner. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted May 13, 2004 #5 Share Posted May 13, 2004 You won't find many cruises leaving San Francisco or NY in January, so your choices are NO, Galveston or Florida. We did the Family Suite on the Voyager of the Seas and it worked out very well with 5 women. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms really was a nice option. It did work out cheaper to get the Family Suite than two veranda rooms. Darcie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luczai Posted May 13, 2004 Author #6 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Thanks, Darcie. That's what I was thinking. Denise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted May 13, 2004 #7 Share Posted May 13, 2004 When researching my cruises I always found that Florida was the cheapest with cruises even with adding air fare. You didnt mention San Juan as a port that cruises to the Southern Caribbean, like Barbados and/or Aruba. Thats a nice birthday present. Your sister is surely lucky. Have fun planning. Going NOWHERE Miracle, February 13, 2005 Legend, October 22,2004 Voyager August 31,2003 Victory September 22,2002 Regal Empress,June 2001 Sensation,August 2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycruiser1 Posted May 13, 2004 #8 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Family suite is nice if you can afford it. On the other hand, do you know that Carnival has cabins for 5? Or you can book 2 connecting cabins. You can e-mail me tolycarter@aol.com, I'll be glad to give you more details. I live close to Galveston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted May 13, 2004 #9 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Only the older ships have cabins for 5. I think the Spirit and the Conquest only book up to 4 to a cabin as there are no roll-aways onboard these ships. Going NOWHERE Miracle, February 13, 2005 Legend, October 22,2004 Voyager August 31,2003 Victory September 22,2002 Regal Empress,June 2001 Sensation,August 2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luczai Posted May 13, 2004 Author #10 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I think Don had a good point about the two bathrooms. One of my sisters could probably use her own!! We do want to keep costs down but within reason (there IS a diva factor here!). The question is, is it ever cheaper to get something like the Royal Family Suite instead of two staterooms? We would like balcony but might settle for oceanview. Denise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygirl3 Posted May 13, 2004 #11 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I think you'll find flights to Florida in general offer better rates. I'd go with two cabins. The mini-suites are really nice. I surprised my Mom and my sister last September with a cruise on the Grand Princess, and the mini-suite size was perfect. No way I'd have 5 women sharing one bathroom! Have a great cruise. Spending time with just my Mom and sister (leaving all the husbands and kids home) was so memorable. We had the best time, and shared a lot of laughs. caribbeanqueen3@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryPoppinz Posted May 14, 2004 #12 Share Posted May 14, 2004 I also think Florida is your best bet....as long as you're talking about squeezing the birthday trip in well before Spring break. Galveston is also a good choice and will be an ever better choice after Grand Princess makes her home there this fall. Try to get adjoining cabins, so that you can adjoin your balconies, too! "I'm gonna book myself on that Princess Cruise." -- Fox Mulder, X-Files 'Three Words' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mconthehighseas Posted May 14, 2004 #13 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Luczai - Where and how are you planning to surprise your sister? If you want to all show up in NY, and then take her on a cruise, you might want to look at what sails out of NY/NJ. Not a lot of choices, but there are some. You could talk her into visiting the sister in Georgia, but schedule a cruise out of Port Canaveral. When you fly into Orlando, tell her the change in plans. You could do a similar thing for visiting the sister in CA - several ships go out of LA and San Diego. THis way, she will be packed for a trip, but she won't know what kind. Or you could have a conference call with her the day before everyone leaves, and say "Hi Sis! Pack your bags! We're going on VACATION!" Where would your sister like to visit? That might give you a clue as to how to pick an itinerary. Whatever you decide, I think this is a fantastic idea. Counting down to the Rhapsody OTS - 12/05/04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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