First cruise-can't decide

[Curlsrus]

I am planning my family's first cruise for summer 2015 and I cannot decide on a ship. We are a family of 3-myself (late 30's), son (13) and niece (also 13). I have sailed on RCCL Majesty of the Seas twice, but that was sometime ago.

 

The ships I am researching are Liberty, Sunshine and Enchantment (RCCL). Here are my reservations about each ship:

 

1)Liberty is 7 days and I am worried that maybe too much for the kids as first time cruisers.

2) Sunshine is only 5 days but it is an all Bahamas itinerary and I would prefer some variety.

3) Enchantment doesnt have the waterslides, dedicated tween space and the cabins are smaller.

 

We enjoy meeting new people, good food and lots of activities. And I would prefer a ship with really good night life, since I hardly ever get to go out dancing anymore.

 

Which ship would you choose and why? Thanks!

[Stallion]

Your kids won't want to get off. Skip the Bahamas and go for the Gold on a 7 Day cruise. Hey the Breeze would be a compromise-they have those alternating 6 or 8 day cruises-and its brand new

[msmagpie83]

I would go for the liberty... It has 2.0 updates and is a great ship. I took my daughter on her first ship when she was 3 and it was a 7 night, she did great.

[MrBanana1240]

Liberty all the way. 2.0, so the food is good and the organization is great.

 

Any 7 day carnival Caribbean cruise either goes to Cozumel, Grand cayman, St.Thomas or Grand Turk, all breathtaking and amazing. So you can't go wrong with the destinations either.

 

7 days?!? That's too short! They'll never want to get off!

 

Hope this helps, and you'll enjoy any cruise you take!

 

 

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[Ceezers]

Liberty...we took our 13, 11, 9 and 7 year olds last November. They loved it!

[cruisinqt]

I have two teen daughters and they insist on 7 day cruises. :) Believe me, your teens won't get bored. There's swimming, the 240 ft water slide, the spa, the arcade, numerous shows, shopping, 24/7 ice cream, 24/7 pizza, and that's not including the ports and the fun stuff you do there. And Camp Carnival is a great place to meet friends their age and hang out. They have Wii, Xbox, trivia games, slumber parties, ice cream parties, craft making, and painting, to name a few of the activities for teens. And Carnival has late night adult comedy shows that I'm sure you will love, along with the night clubs and piano bars that are always going strong well into the wee hours of the morning. I think there will be plenty to keep you and your teens happy on a 7 day cruise. I vote for the Liberty too. ;)

[dolphin2012]

We did the magic to grand cayman jamaica and cozmuel with teenager for 7 day and never got bored. THe above post is correct on all the stuff to do.. the slides were great on the magic and also had mini golf , dance parties and the ports were all fun.. we loved swimming with the stingrays... great times and memories...

[Tapi]

Definitely the Liberty. Believe me, 7 days is not "too long". I started cruising when I was a small child and I didn't even know that there were cruises shorter than 7 nights until I became an adult.

 

The Bahamas are meh. I wouldn't go there unless I had time constraints, which is why we sailed on the Enchantment of the Seas last month. It was a wonderful little cruise (feel free to click on my review below. It has photos of the cabins if you're wondering how "small" they truly are). We were combining it with a stay in central Florida, and had one week to do it all. Also I had credit card points to redeem, which is why we chose this cruise to start with. But given the option, I would've gone for a longer cruise to some place OTHER than the Bahamas.

 

 

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Edited August 5, 2014 by Tapi

[Velvetwater]

Liberty for sure!

[Momma1980]

Another vote for Liberty!

[SkyMaster]

ABSOLUTELY LIBERTY! Liberty has the best of both worlds. She offers the 2.0 food upgrades, (Guys Burger Joint, etc.) but retains the 1.0 BIG SHOWS with the 10 piece show band, 16 dancers, and two production singers, etc. OUTSTANDING entertainment.

Seven days too long???? :eek: WAY TOO SHORT when you're sailing on such a great ship. :cool:

 

"SKY"

[aaron3219]

Me and my wife are split on cruise length.

 

She thinks 5 days is more than enough. I think 7 isn't enough....

 

Go for the 7! No one will get bored, unless you get bored having a blast every day! Then go for the 5.

[lovingCCL]

I just took my daughter's on a 5 day cruise in January. They LOVED it and were so sad to get off after 5 days. Definitely I would go with Liberty.

[Curlsrus]

Thank you so much for the replies. I am really leaning toward the Liberty. The cruise I am interested in goes to Grand Turk, Nassau, St Thomas and San Juan. All ports (with the exception of Nassau) I would be excited to visit.

 

Now I'm worried we may not have enough time to experience all that the ship has to offer:)

 

$2695 is the rate for an oceanview cabin for 3 - is that a good rate? The last time I cruised I got my oceanview cabin for $199:p

 

Also how is cruising on July 4th? Traditionally we visit our towns carnival during the day and fireworks in the evening, but I was wondering if Carnival does anything special for July 4th.

[Tapi]

 

Also how is cruising on July 4th?

 

 

We sailed during the 4th of July week this year (actually disembarking on the 4th). It was barely mentioned, and there were no special activities (we actually forgot that it was the 4th of July :eek:). Interestingly, they did celebrate Canada day, and put up Canadian flags throughout the atrium. It was the main focal point for the 70's party (we were on a Royal ship). The Cruise Director kept making references to Canada Day and jokingly invited everybody to join him at one of the lounges to listen to some Bryan Adams (and other Canadian singers). He did mention that he was Canadian, so maybe that had something to do with why there was so much emphasis on Canada Day but not on the 4th of July.

 

 

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Edited August 5, 2014 by Tapi

[Star24K]

Hands down take the 7 day cruise over the 5 day. It gives you more time to relax and enjoy your vacation. The few short cruises I have taken seems like you have to rush to fit it all in.

[Rogueperson]

To date, the Carnival Liberty stands as my favorite cruise of all time. Something about it pulled every aspect together and relaxed me like never before. I vote Liberty.

 

Also, as first cruises go, anything less than 6 nights is a travesty. Less than that, you won't have time to acclimate yourself to the cruise lifestyle before you have to leave. Also, the shorter the cruise, the drunker the cruise for the most part regardless of line. Longer than 10 nights, you're skewing your population to less kids and an older population unless its over a holiday. I have a 10 night scheduled over New Years this year. The ship has fluctuated back and forth between sold out and available. I'll report how many kids are onboard, but the last cruise last year said they had over 800 kids.

 

Good luck with your choice.

[cruisinqt]

I used to be a little bored in Nassau until our last visit. We did a Segway tour and had a blast! :) There are two different Segway tours offered by local tour operators, one in the city and one in the country. The one in the country is hands down the best, no concrete everywhere, just beautiful scenery. We were taken out to a ranch and got to see the beautiful countryside and play at the beach. Definitely one of my all time favorite tours. And it was just $69 per person. :D And we had no experience with segway's but did just fine on them. Most ships charge well over $100 pp for this type of tour. I can't remember their name but I did a review of it on the Nassau boards. Just do a search on Segway tours and it will pop up. Now you can look forward to every port on the Liberty cruise. Lol No reason not to cruise her now. :) We cruise every summer with our kids and $2695 is normal for 3 for the summer for an ocean view or balcony. It would be a little high if it were for an inside. But if you're doing early saver rates they will match any price drops. I've had $800 in price drops so far. Gotta love that. :p