NCL from NYC in October or March??

[jmae2002]

Hi everyone! First time cruiser here and we are debating between 2 different cruises. We are a family of 4 (2 kids .....2 and 6 years old) and would like to cruise out of NYC (to avoid airfare.....since we can drive there).

 

We are currently debating between 2 different cruises, both aboard the Breakaway. One is in March (Orlando, Bahamas) and the other is this October (Bermuda).

 

They are both around the same price, but these are the factors that we are considering:

 

March

 

- I'm afraid we would lose a few days to really cold weather

- Not a fan of waiting to embark with a 2 year old outside in March

- Orlando might be too cool for beach weather and there is not enough time at port to do a theme park

However:

- Its a good price for a march vacation and the waters "should" be relatively calm??

 

October

 

- My little guy won't be 3 year (he turns 3 in Nov), so I'm not sure they would let him in the splash academy

- My husband is afraid of sea sickness (he gets motion sickness) and I'm afraid the waters would be rough at this time of year

- I'm afraid that there would not be much to do in Bermuda with the kids?

 

 

Can anyone weigh-in? Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Edited May 21, 2015 by jmae2002

[RSLeesburg]

We have done both cruises, except on Grandeur out of Baltimore, with our little guy. He was 3 (one month shy of 4) when we went to Baltimore, and 5 when we went to PC and Bahamas.

 

First, I would recommend waiting till your son is old enough to enjoy kids camp, or sail on a ship that has nursery (e.g., RCI Liberty of the Seas out of Bayonne, NJ). Even if your son only goes one or two nights, it will be worth it to have a dinner alone.

 

Second, I loved Bermuda as first cruise. We did hit rough waters on way out to Bermuda, but we also hit rough waters one day on our Thanksgiving cruise to Bahamas.

 

Third, I would definitely try to sail when kids are in school. Better prices and the pools and camp will not be overcrowded.

 

I would check Liberty's itineraries out of Bayonne in Sep and Oct. she has water park, nursery, kids club, great entertainment, and goes to Bermuda (although just a 5 night cruise). You can still drive to port, but don't need to wait till March.

[GolfMom321]

We did the Norwegian Gem out of NYC in late March. It was COLD the first day, but once we got down to about the Carolinas it warmed up. The pool was in full use by the 2nd full day (and a good bit the first full day), and the Bahamas was great.

 

It is definitely too short a time in port to go to Disney. But you will want more than one day there anyway, so make that a seperate trip.

 

I agree that waiting til your little one is 3 is a good idea.

[jmae2002]

Thank-you both for your replies!

 

Golfmom - Do you know how strict Splash Academy is about ages (do they verify?)..........my son will be 1 month shy of his third birthday for the October cruise, but he actually looks more like a 3-4 year old (he is very tall).

[CPT Trips]

The document(s) you need to travel will have his birthdate, so they can verify easily.

[Lerin]

Go when your little one is 3.

Yes, they will check.

No, they will not bend the rules.

[RSLeesburg]

Oops... Just realized I wrote Baltimore instead of Bermuda :). We sailed to Bermuda when our son was 3. One other thing about Bermuda, the waters there get cold in the late season, so you don't want to go there too late in the year.