Need HELP planning FIRST cruise!!

[Newtocruising74]

My husband and I are taking our very first vacation alone together and doing a 5 night cruise. We have chosen Royal Caribbean's western cruise to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I am overwhelmed!! I have gone through ones of these boards and googled dones of things but would help in answering a few questions!

1. Balcony versus ocean view window. Do we pay the extra for balcony or are their plenty of places to sit outside to eat, drink coffee, etc?? We will be on Brilliance of the Seas.

 

2. How do you decide what excursions?? We like to walk around and explore but also want to do snorkling, relaxing, beach time. Would love to go sailing and even swim with the dolphins, turtles, etc. I am overwhelmed looking at excursions for both places.

 

3. March versus July?? Which would be a better month or about the same??

 

Thank you for any and all advice!!! We just want to make this a wonderful trip for us!!!

[cb at sea]

There are plenty of outdoor spaces (especially on Radiance class ships!) for outside dining....This is the only class of ship that has outdoor Windjammer seating. While having a balcony is great, there's no need to pay more than you're comfortable paying! Don't forget to try the MDR for breakfast....it's very nice, and ultra casual for breakfast and lunch (meaning shorts/flip-flops are fine!)

 

You need a guidebook on your ports, so you can see ALL there is to do in each place. THEN, you can decide HOW to do it! Most things are easy without any excursion at all, like beaches and shopping. But, read the guidebook (libraries have them) and figure out what interests you! If the ship is offering something that you want to see and do, book it! Ship excursions are totally hassle-free....they tell you when and where to meet, and they take it from there. If you want to book an excursion outside of the ship, go to the "Port of Call" boards on this site, and find out which vendors others have used!

 

July will be ungodly hot....March is more pleasant...still hot, but not as humid!

Edited March 27, 2014 by cb at sea

[George C]

Plenty of places to sit outside with coffee , but I would get a balcony as long as it was in your budget.

 

Excellent ports on your trip, we love sting ray city in Grand Caymen and I would highly recommend that, many shore excursions will combine that with snorkling.

 

Cozmuel is a great port we just go downtown and hit bars and resturants, Margeritaville has it own beach and live music.

 

I would do March over July just since there would be less children on board.

 

RCCL is a great line. We are taking our 12th rccl cruise next month

[Cruisin' Chick]

We have never gone on a Royal Caribbean ship, but we have always booked insides or oceanviews. As far as I know, all mass market ships have outdoor areas to enjoy watching the ocean go by.

 

One thing to think about in terms of what time of year is that July falls within hurricane season. So if the specific ports are important to you, you may want to avoid that time of year just in case. If the weather is iffy, the captain will change the itinerary to keep you safe so you could end up going to another part of the Caribbean. There's always the possibility of bad weather or other reasons you can miss a port no matter when, but usually in March the problem is bad weather in cold areas (always a good idea to fly in to your embarkation city at least a day ahead).

[Chudley]

Hi Patty! I need your help planning! Can you stop by the San Pedro thread, please :D

[JimAOk1945]

3. March versus July?? Which would be a better month or about the same??

 

Thank you for any and all advice!!! We just want to make this a wonderful trip for us!!!

 

Here is an excerpt from an article here on Cruise Critic found at the following link:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?id=1358

 

Western Caribbean Cruise Basics

 

Best Time to Go

 

The Western Caribbean is an ideal spot for a getaway any time of the year with temperatures that seldom vary from highs in the 80's to lows in the 70's -- not to mention humidity that stays around 70 percent.

 

The best time to visit is December through March, when it's cold up north and warm, but not stormy, in the Caribbean. Late April and May are shoulder season, when the ships and islands are not as crowded, but the weather is still good.

 

Hurricane season runs June through November, with storms most likely August through October. However, as many families and honeymooners flock to the Caribbean during the summer, prices don't tend to dip, and ships sell out despite storm possibilities.

 

I hope this helps. Happy Sailing!

[138east]

Which RCL ship are you looking at and what exact dates?

[trish1c]

Balcony v OV is a personal preference, shaped in part by your budget. We get the OV because we don't use the balcony enough to justify the extra costs. I don't think the balcony doors have a good seal. They whistle when the ship is moving fast & that annoys me. We have never had problems finding outside spaces to sit (unless you want to sit right next to the pool which is always crowded)

 

March v July -- we prefer to go away when it's cold out here. I can go outside at my own house & swim in July so we'd rather vacation then.

 

Excursions are based on price & interests. We sometimes both make a list of our top 3-4 things. Anything that makes both lists gets serious consideration. You can't do everything. We try to pick stuff that you can't go at home. For example we can go to a beach, zipline & sail at home. We prefer to see unique things on vacation.

 

Remember once you get hooked, you can always go back. :)

[kitty9]

March is best, imho. July is hurricane/tropical storm season that could impact your cruise.

[A2Mich]

March also MAY be cheaper than July, with the exception of spring break, which will drive the price higher. You might also consider saving a little bit of money by booking an inside cabin, unless you think you'll spend a lot of time in your cabin and needing a window.

[Ron_L]

I'm a chronic over-researcher, so I may not be the best person to give advice, but here goes...

 

We prefer early December or mid to late April. As mentioned, it's cold at home, so getting away to the Caribbean is a welcome break, and our daughter is older and out of school, so we prefer to travel when there are fewer kids on board. Nothing against kids, but we've had to travel at school breaks in the past, so prefer to avoid them if we can.

 

I look at the options for the timeframe we want to travel and break down the ships, port and departure cities, including airfare. For us, new ports and the chance to try a new line or ship will get bonus points :D. Once I have it narrowed down to a few choices then I look at the roll call threads here and look at Trip Advisor and the Ports of Call forums here to see what there is to do in the ports. By the time we decide to book I have a pretty good idea of what we want to do in the ports and have a healthy list of bookmarks to do further research on.

 

After booking I look in more detail at the roll call thread and my bookmarks and narrow down each port to a couple of choices, typically based on our preferences and any group activities that the roll call group is doing. From there we can make our final decisions and book excursions and begin looking forward to the trip!

 

Did I mention that I am a chronic over-researcher? :D

[J123Olen]

We have booked both balcony, view, inside cabins. For me, while the balcony was nice.... we used it so little it is not worth the extra cost. We much prefer lounging on an open deck. For our next cruise, booked an inside cabin. Of course, I know ppl who only use a private balcony to avoid the crowds. Personal choice, as we love ppl watching and the occasional chit chat with other passengers. You will find much good advice on the "ports of call" pages here on cruise critic. We mostly go on our own, find a public or day pass resort -- many of whom have activities included. We do cruise ship tours if something seems really fun/different (Water river tubing in Jamaica).... good luck. Don't stress it, cruising is too much fun to worry...

[coolplex]

Plenty of places to sit outside with coffee , but I would get a balcony as long as it was in your budget.

 

Excellent ports on your trip, we love sting ray city in Grand Caymen and I would highly recommend that, many shore excursions will combine that with snorkling.

 

Cozmuel is a great port we just go downtown and hit bars and resturants, Margeritaville has it own beach and live music.

 

I would do March over July just since there would be less children on board.

 

RCCL is a great line. We are taking our 12th rccl cruise next month

 

July is HURRICANE SEASON!

[Kroozen]

One thing to keep in mind if you're thinking about getting an ocean view cabin...You can't see ANYTHING at night. In my opinion, they're only nice during the day if you want to look outside, but once it gets dark, there's nothing to see. Like I said, that's just my opinion...I'm sure others will disagree. As far as outside seating areas, there are plenty of places you can sit outside. One my favorite places to sit on every ship I've been on is the promenade deck, which wraps all the way around the outside of the ship. You're under other decks so you're not in direct sunlight, and if it's rainy, you'll stay perfectly dry.

 

[wassup4565]

I vote for March too, for all the same reasons.

 

As to the cabin - whether balcony, oceanview or inside - depends on your budget and preferences. Of course it's lovely to lounge around in your own private space on your balcony. But to be honest,there are many places on the ship where you can do the same. The difference is, on a balcony you can wear your jammies at both ends of the day, while eating your room service, while being outdoors. If that's important (and it is to me) you need your own balcony.