Can't pick first cruise!

[MrsKChicago]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are planning our first cruise this October, and I'm looking for input, since neither of us is really familiar with the Caribbean or cruising in general. Hopefully some of you have opinions or advice.

 

Us: Early 30's, laid back, married couple from Chicago, I'll be about 20-22 weeks pregnant at the time of the cruise, so some of the activities onboard and at ports would be off limits to me. We're looking for a more casual experience, so I'm focusing more on NCL and Carnival. We're foodies, but can live with a non-foodie vacation if everything else is fun, but I am willing to pay for upgraded dining. Looking for relaxation - I think my onboard priorities are pool, decent food, fun shows, silly game shows/trivia, etc. Not really too worried about spa quality. DH will want to check out some of the bars if they look interesting. Probably no gambling this time because I get the impression the casinos are smoky. Two of the three I'm looking at (the two NCL cruises) are over Halloween, and it sounds like they do fun Halloween parties? Anyone experienced one? We'll probably do a balcony cabin so we can have some private downtime if we need it.

 

As for port stops, I'd like a mix of relaxation and exploration. I don't know how much energy I'll have by October, and obviously I can't do things like ziplining, but I would be ok with snorkeling, easy jungle hikes, maybe a beach day or some ruins, and at least a little shopping. It would be nice to get a little variety - maybe one tour/excursion port, then one relax on the beach with a (virgin) margarita port, rather than a lot of the same thing.

 

All three cruises are 7 nights with a few sea days. I'm looking at either Miami-St Maarten-St Thomas-Nassau-Miami on Norwegian Getaway, Houston-Cozumel (have been before)-Belize City, Banana Coast (Honduras)-Houston on Norwegian Jewel, or Port Canaveral-Nassau-St Thomas-St Maarten-Miami on Carnival Liberty. It seems like it's easier to get from airport to hotel to port in Miami than in Houston, not sure what the situation is in Port Canaveral.

 

Any thoughts? Do any of those options sound like they'd be a better fit for us? I'm open to other suggestions, too, but we're pretty set on October because of the cruise lines' pregnancy limitations.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Cruising Golfer]

IMO, The Getaway would be the best for ports that are easy to get around.:cool:

[cb at sea]

You will need a letter from your doctor stating how far along you are, and that you don't have a "high risk" pregnancy. Just so you know!

[MrsKChicago]

You will need a letter from your doctor stating how far along you are, and that you don't have a "high risk" pregnancy. Just so you know!

 

Thanks! I've read over the policies, just need to talk to someone once I pick a specific cruise to figure out where to send the letter and such, and make sure my midwife counts as a doctor.

[MrsKChicago]

I'm looking at Carnival Dream, over Halloween, as well. New Orleans-Montego Bay-Georgetown-Cozumel-New Orleans. Seems like New Orleans is easy to cruise out of, and I know my way around the city pretty well. Any thoughts on the itinerary?

[6rugrats]

No thoughts on the itinerary, but here's the letter you will need to complete:

 

http://www.carnival.com/~/media/CCLUS/Images/pdf/pregnancy-certification-letter-pdf.ashx

[MrsKChicago]

No thoughts on the itinerary, but here's the letter you will need to complete:

 

http://www.carnival.com/~/media/CCLUS/Images/pdf/pregnancy-certification-letter-pdf.ashx

 

Thanks! That makes things a lot easier if we go with Carnival :)

 

Have you cruised pregnant? I'm wondering if there's anything else I need to be aware of, besides potential seasickness being worse (I haven't had morning sickness and I'm not prone to seasickness or motion sickness, so fingers crossed on that not being a problem!).

[Marie51]

I would do the Getaway. It is a newer ship and the ports are easy to get around on your own and there are great beaches.

 

Think twice about hiking or going to ruins.....it is going to be very hot even in October.

 

Just to let you know if you leave from Port Canaveral you will fly into Orlando and then you'll have to get transportation to the port area which is about 45 minutes to an hour. Miami would certainly be easy.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Marie51

[Life is Good Cruising]

I would select the Getaway. It's new, lots to do on board, leaves out of Miami and both St Martin & St.Thomas have some wonderful beaches. Not crazy about Jewel's itinerary and Port Canaveral you'll need to factor in transportation to the ship and back to the airport.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Life is Good Cruising

[luvincruising]

I would select the Getaway. It's new, lots to do on board, leaves out of Miami and both St Martin & St.Thomas have some wonderful beaches. Not crazy about Jewel's itinerary and Port Canaveral you'll need to factor in transportation to the ship and back to the airport.

 

 

:) This has my vote also.

When you make your choice, remember to purchase a comprehensive trip insurance policy. Most policies that I have seen require you to purchase the insurance within 10 - 21 days from your first payment, if you want to cover a pre-existing condition. I use http://www.insuremytrip.com/ & https://www.squaremouth.com/ to review the multitude of available policies. Have fun. Be safe.

[MrsKChicago]

Thanks everyone! I ran the options past DH and we went with the Getaway :) I'm really looking forward to it! Going to look into insurance, and see if I can find one that covers pregnancy complications that don't lead to actual hospitalization, just in case. I'm not normally the travel insurance type, but it seems sensible in this case...

 

Off to find my roll call!

[Cruisin' Chick]

I was close to 20 weeks along for my preggers cruise, 17 years ago (my girl will be turning 17 next week!). We went on a three-day cruise, but not because of my condition, but because hubby didn't want to be away too long (he was waiting to hear about promotional interviews at work, and usually the window to apply isn't long). We just had one port that we've been to before (not a fan of Ensenada). We did the city tour and then went back on board. As it was during the height of college spring break, it was fun watching the college kids stagger back on board (drinking age: 18 years).

 

My ob-gyn was very enthusiastic about my plans as I wasn't having any problems. In fact, my only problem was that I had lost a crown on my remaining wisdom tooth and the temp kept popping off in the meantime, so I had to be careful about eating even soft food (my dentist said it's common for pregnant women to have "loose gums"). The funny thing is that at my last dental exam, he said I've developed a hole in this same crown, and just got the new one put on this afternoon.

 

Avoid soft cheese and certain seafood, and drink a ton of water. There are maternity bathing suits. I even found a longish maternity dress to wear on formal night.

[SeagoingMom]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are planning our first cruise this October, and I'm looking for input, since neither of us is really familiar with the Caribbean or cruising in general. Hopefully some of you have opinions or advice.

 

Us: Early 30's, laid back, married couple from Chicago, I'll be about 20-22 weeks pregnant at the time of the cruise, so some of the activities onboard and at ports would be off limits to me. We're looking for a more casual experience, so I'm focusing more on NCL and Carnival. We're foodies, but can live with a non-foodie vacation if everything else is fun, but I am willing to pay for upgraded dining. Looking for relaxation - I think my onboard priorities are pool, decent food, fun shows, silly game shows/trivia, etc. Not really too worried about spa quality. DH will want to check out some of the bars if they look interesting. Probably no gambling this time because I get the impression the casinos are smoky. Two of the three I'm looking at (the two NCL cruises) are over Halloween, and it sounds like they do fun Halloween parties? Anyone experienced one? We'll probably do a balcony cabin so we can have some private downtime if we need it.

 

As for port stops, I'd like a mix of relaxation and exploration. I don't know how much energy I'll have by October, and obviously I can't do things like ziplining, but I would be ok with snorkeling, easy jungle hikes, maybe a beach day or some ruins, and at least a little shopping. It would be nice to get a little variety - maybe one tour/excursion port, then one relax on the beach with a (virgin) margarita port, rather than a lot of the same thing.

 

All three cruises are 7 nights with a few sea days. I'm looking at either Miami-St Maarten-St Thomas-Nassau-Miami on Norwegian Getaway, Houston-Cozumel (have been before)-Belize City, Banana Coast (Honduras)-Houston on Norwegian Jewel, or Port Canaveral-Nassau-St Thomas-St Maarten-Miami on Carnival Liberty. It seems like it's easier to get from airport to hotel to port in Miami than in Houston, not sure what the situation is in Port Canaveral.

 

Any thoughts? Do any of those options sound like they'd be a better fit for us? I'm open to other suggestions, too, but we're pretty set on October because of the cruise lines' pregnancy limitations.

 

Thanks in advance!

"Hopefully some of you have opinions or advice." You are pretty new to Cruise Critic so you won't perhaps understand why I cracked up laughing when I read this! Yes, I believe you will find that a few of us on Cruise Critic -- just a few, maybe -- have opinions or advice!!! :D Most have both. :rolleyes:

 

My advice :cool: is skip the cruise out of Houston -- rather a bother and extra expense to get to the port from the airport -- probably Port Canaveral is, too. I haven't sailed out of Miami, but I assume it's cheap and easy to get to the port, as it is in Fort Lauderdale. Others who have sailed out of Miami will confirm that (or not.)

[MrsKChicago]

I was close to 20 weeks along for my preggers cruise' date=' 17 years ago (my girl will be turning 17 next week!). We went on a three-day cruise, but not because of my condition, but because hubby didn't want to be away too long (he was waiting to hear about promotional interviews at work, and usually the window to apply isn't long). We just had one port that we've been to before (not a fan of Ensenada). We did the city tour and then went back on board. As it was during the height of college spring break, it was fun watching the college kids stagger back on board (drinking age: 18 years).

 

My ob-gyn was very enthusiastic about my plans as I wasn't having any problems. In fact, my only problem was that I had lost a crown on my remaining wisdom tooth and the temp kept popping off in the meantime, so I had to be careful about eating even soft food (my dentist said it's common for pregnant women to have "loose gums"). The funny thing is that at my last dental exam, he said I've developed a hole in this same crown, and just got the new one put on this afternoon.

 

Avoid soft cheese and certain seafood, and drink a ton of water. There are maternity bathing suits. I even found a longish maternity dress to wear on formal night.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the tips. My midwife thought a cruise was a great idea, so I figured I might as well go for it. I've wanted to take a cruise for years, and who knows when we'll have the time and money again? I'm not a big seafood fan, and thankfully the few things I like are safe in the amounts I'd be eating them. I'm probably going to drag a friend maternity shopping sometime in August before all the warm weather stuff is out of the stores :D

[MrsKChicago]

"Hopefully some of you have opinions or advice." You are pretty new to Cruise Critic so you won't perhaps understand why I cracked up laughing when I read this! Yes, I believe you will find that a few of us on Cruise Critic -- just a few, maybe -- have opinions or advice!!! :D Most have both. :rolleyes:

 

 

Haha, fair enough! I guess it was more "Hopefully someone with opinions is bothering to read this thread." :D

[6rugrats]

Thanks everyone! I ran the options past DH and we went with the Getaway :) I'm really looking forward to it! Going to look into insurance, and see if I can find one that covers pregnancy complications that don't lead to actual hospitalization, just in case. I'm not normally the travel insurance type, but it seems sensible in this case...

 

Off to find my roll call!

 

Good idea, but read policies carefully. Many of them won't even cover many pregnancy complications.

[dorisis]

I'm looking at Carnival Dream, over Halloween, as well. New Orleans-Montego Bay-Georgetown-Cozumel-New Orleans. Seems like New Orleans is easy to cruise out of, and I know my way around the city pretty well. Any thoughts on the itinerary?

 

Since it leaves from New Orleans it would be a short flight or a not too long drive. My Travel Agent has a group going on that cruise. The ports are interesting as is NO. But they are really not Caribbean I think you would find the Caribbean more of what newbies expect from ports.