help picking ship and ports

[Cricket551]

Talked the hubby into another cruise :D This will not be till next april, and will just be the husband and I. We have been on the Valor in 08 and the Fantasy 2014.

 

The ships I'm looking at are 7 day Dream out of New Orleans, ports Roaton (our favorite port so far) Belize and Cozumel, plus 3 sea days. This is basicly the same intinary we did on the Valor in 08. Its about a 10 hour drive to this port. The cost for 2 is $1244 this includes everything, with our stateroom being interior on verandah deck (another favorite, at least on the fanstasy class)

 

The second is 7 day Fantasy out of Charleston South Carolina. This port is only about an 8 hour drive for us. The ports are Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Halfmoon Cay with 3 sea days. We have not been to any of these ports!! The price is $1248 this includes everything with the verhanda stateroom.

 

So basicaly the Fantasy is $4 more. Both have 3 ports and 3 sea days, price is similar, driving distance is a couple hours longer to New Orleans but not a big deal. I like the idea of new ports but I also like the idea of trying the Dream for all of the upgrades.

 

We like the Fantasy, hubby likes the fact its doesnt feel crowded. I do not know anything about the Dream. I would love to hear what others thoughts are. The final decision is mine to make I just want to make the right one;) any help making this decision would be appreciated

[hbrote]

I'd suggest you try a Conquest class ship. Depending on the time of year it will not feel crowed either and they have a lot more to offer. We also enjoy a smaller ship but not "Fantasy Class" ships. As you can see most of are cruises have been on the Freedom, Valor, Liberty which are all Conquest class. What ever you choose enjoy your trip. By the way my wife is from Kentucky and spend a bit of time in Louisville.

[firespud]

My husband is like yours. He likes the smaller, fantasy class ships, but we do not care for most of the itineraries. We have cruised on the fantasy class ships, the conquest class, and most recently on the Dream last April. We are booked again this April on the Valor for the 3rd time. This class ship seems to fit us the best. Good itineraries and good size ship. We did enjoy the Dream last year, but it just felt a little too large for my husband. I am happy with any of them - hey I'm on a cruise!!! Have you checked into the ships going out of Port Canaveral? I know that is a bit further drive for you but it looks like they have some good itineraries for next April. May be a little more in price. I know making a decision on a cruise is tough.

[crisstyd]

I would do the Dream out of New Orleans. We have traveled out of that port a few times and are going on the Dream again out of New Orleans in June. Decided to try the Freedom out of Galveston next week since we have never tried that port.

 

I usually get discounts because we travel so much, but to me it seems a bit high for an inside cabin on both cruises. I know you selected the Verandah deck. Are you planning to book it now? Can you wait a little while to see if specials open up?

[Cricket551]

Thankyou all for answering so quickly . I probably won't book until they do another $50 deposit unless there's some other great sale that comes up!! I'll have to look at Port Canaveral, I have not looked at their selections. we live about an hour and a half from Louisville when my husband got out of the military we settled here in Kentucky. I'm sure whatever I decide we will have a great time! :D

[A2Mich]

Thankyou all for answering so quickly . I probably won't book until they do another $50 deposit unless there's some other great sale that comes up!! I'll have to look at Port Canaveral, I have not looked at their selections. we live about an hour and a half from Louisville when my husband got out of the military we settled here in Kentucky. I'm sure whatever I decide we will have a great time! :D

 

 

Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason that you are limiting yourself to just Carnival? We used to always cruise Carnival because we always thought it was cheaper. Well, we found out that is not always the case. We have a RCI cruise booked for less than what a comparable Carny cruise would have cost. We have not sailed with RCI before, so we are trying something new, and if we don't like them, we can always come back to Carnival next time. I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other, but just suggesting to keep your eyes and minds open to something different. Now, if you've found such an incredible price or whatever, I completely understand!

[Cricket551]

I have no problem trying something new, to be honest just didnt think about it. Well that and I assumed Carnival would have the cheaper prices!! I know next to nothing about other cruise lines, not that I know a whole lot about Carnival either. I guess I could find out on their site where their ports are located? What ships would you or anyone suggested? Thank you all for your helpful suggestions

[A2Mich]

I've had no problems with Carnival in the past. We thought we would give Royal Caribbean a try. We sailed previously on Princess too. We have young children so are trying to stay with family oriented lines, but just cannot afford Disney and would have to book 2 cabins on NCL or a suite as we have a family of 5.

 

I was just suggesting trying something different if your schedule and budget allows. You may find other cruises that you enjoy more. We are booked on Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral, but you can also book RCI out of TX as well. Will depend on what ports you are willing to get to. Variety is the spice of life!

[SNJCruisers]

If you're locked into just the 2 choices you mentioned, I would choose the Dream. After 18 cruises on Carnival the only way I would ever sail on a Fantasy class ship would be if it was free and all I had to pay were taxes. That being said, I would look into an NCL cruise because of the current promotion that they have running that they stole from Celebrity. When you choose an oceanview or better cabin, you get their alcoholic drinks package included. If you like to drink, it will save you a ton of money. They also give you the choice to eat all of your dinners in one of their specialty restaurants if you do not drink heavily. When all is said and done, your Carnival choice could be a better economic choice, but when you factor in the fact of what they offer plus the fact that their entertainment with the exception of the comedy clubs is much better than what Carnival offers, it is worth looking into. I could not make any specific ship choices because I don't know the logistics and I am on my phone not my PC. Good luck

[Trnkk]

cricket551,

 

Check out this post...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2163276 you never know might get lucky, good luck!!