Vision vs Navigator for 1st Anniversary?

[April-in-NC]

DH and I want to take a vacation for our first anniversary in January and I found two itineraries that are almost the same... Can anyone chime in?

 

Vision Ports: Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel and Costa Maya with two sea days.

Navigator Ports: Roatan, Belize City, Cozumel and three sea days.

 

My price spreadsheet (including cost estimates for everything I can possibly think about) has these coming in within $300 of each other so really not worth that being the deciding factor.

 

Our first vacation together was on Freedom (western) and that was his first cruise so he will likely compare anything to Freedom. As long as we have the ocean/pool and a bar he is happy though... :)

 

Vision Pros: one more port, easier to get to the port, non-stop flight available on Southwest, less likely to be delayed by fog

 

Vision Cons: Older & smaller ship (no Flo-Rider), one less sea day

 

Navigator Pros: Newer/bigger ship, slightly less expensive cabin, one more sea day (DH likes sea days)

 

Navigator Cons: getting to the pier isn't cheap or easy, possible issues with fog, inefficient embarkation/debarkation process.

 

I've wanted to visit Roatan and Belize City for several years now, so the itinerary is the primary concern. I'm thrilled that there is another option than Galveston out there that still gets us to both ports without going on Carnival.

 

Please let me know if there is anything else I should consider in making our decisions. We aren't too picky overall, we will just be happy to escape the snow and cold in Ohio while we celebrate our anniversary.

[Clarea]

I have basically the same situation, and have chosen Navigator. I realize the transportation to/from Galveston stinks, but I want to do Navigator once, since all the changes. The stateroom size will also be larger on Navigator.

[Lexus1224]

I was on the Navigator last month and was beyond impressed. It’s a beautiful ship with an even more amazing staff. I really don’t have any complaints. And, as far as Galveston, I didn’t run into any trouble there as well. I was on the pool deck with a drink in hand within an hour of arriving at port. Disembarkation went even smoother. We chose to carry our luggage off ourselves, and were on our shuttle bus in no time. All around, it was a great vacation.

[dplusd]

When considering the ships...Navigator wins hands down. She's beautiful after the dry dock earlier this year and the only ship with the new Sabor restaurant, which is outstanding. The Navigator cons listed by the OP are right on...mainly the transportation from Houston airports and the risk of fog, which is quite high in January.

 

Personally, if I was going to fly to a port anyway, I would choose one of the nicer ships out of Florida. The ONLY reason I sail from Galveston or Houston is the ease of driving to the port from my home in Dallas.

[April-in-NC]

When considering the ships...Navigator wins hands down. She's beautiful after the dry dock earlier this year and the only ship with the new Sabor restaurant, which is outstanding. The Navigator cons listed by the OP are right on...mainly the transportation from Houston airports and the risk of fog, which is quite high in January.

 

Personally, if I was going to fly to a port anyway, I would choose one of the nicer ships out of Florida. The ONLY reason I sail from Galveston or Houston is the ease of driving to the port from my home in Dallas.

 

I thought about trying Oasis/Allure, but this will hopefully be our last vacation before starting a family so I wanted to do an itinerary that was a little more "exotic" and adventurous before settling in for (God willing) more family oriented vacations for years to come.