Looking for last minute cruise on Dec 28th, any suggestions?

[leftygolfer71]

My GF and I would like to take a 3-5 night cruise leaving out of Miami or Ft Lauderdale on Dec 28th, but I'm overwhelmed by all the different cruise lines out there.

 

Should we stay eastern Caribbean given our short duration?

I've done Carnival for my first and only cruise and was not impressed, so would like to try Royal or Norwegian.

 

Thoughts and help would be greatly appreciated!

Edited December 1, 2015 by leftygolfer71

[kitty9]

Was your first cruise on Carnival one of those short cruises? I ask because those short cruises really don't give you a real idea of what cruising is about. What didn't you like about Carnival? If you can give us an idea, we can give you better suggestions.

[SuiteTraveler]

If you like spas and eating in a different restaurant every night:

NCL Getaway - get a spa cabin - the spa on that ship is fantastic. There are also 5 major water slides - exciting enough for adults, rock climbing wall and ropes course, plus lots of different restaurants (extra fee).

 

If you like athletic activities and large scale athletic shows:

RCCL Allure or Oasis of the Seas. Get an ocean view balcony if possible otherwise, choose a Boardwalk Balcony, unless you can only afford an inside. RCCL's forte is large scale shows such as diving, ice skating, acrobatics and they also run a Broadway show - one ship has Cats and the other has Mama Mia. They have a great comedy club with stand up comedians. They also have many specialty restaurants.

 

On either line, make your dining reservations before hand. On RCCL, make your show reservations online beforehand.

 

I don't think you could go wrong with any of these 3 ships!

[leftygolfer71]

Thank you so much for the quick replies.

 

My first cruise was a 7 day cruise on Carnival. I didn't like the food, didn't think it was very good. I forgot the name of the ship, but it was in 2005. A woman was also drunk and high and was threatening to jump off the ship...:confused:

 

Is there a particular website to search across all cruise lines for departures on Dec 28th? Like a Kayak?

[zoncom]

Those shortie cruises tend to be booze cruises for locals, esp. weekend ones. Google discount cruise agencies for a list. We cannot give any names here. This site shows cruises here also.

[HawksFan74]

If you must leave on the 28th, I only see 4 cruises that fit your criteria:

 

RC Majesty of the Seas - 3 Day Miami to Nassau & CocoCay

Norwegian Sky - 3 Day Miami to Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau

Carnival Ecstasy - 4 Day Miami to Key West & Cozumel

RC Independence of the Seas - 5 Day Ft. Lauderdale to Labadee & Falmouth

 

cruisetimetables.com is a useful site to search specific departure days/ports.

[momoftwinteens]

You might check the NCL Sky. She does three and four days cruises out of Miami. The NCL website currently has her leaving on a three day cruise on December 28, getting back into Miami on New Year's Eve.

My first cruise was on the Sky in 2010 and I loved her. It really woke up my love of cruising.

[HawksFan74]

NCL Getaway - get a spa cabin...

 

RCCL Allure or Oasis of the Seas. Get an ocean view balcony...

While those are great ships, they don't do the 3-5 day itineraries that OP specifically asked about.

[Essiesmom]

Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose your preferred departure ports from the first list. The next screen will have a calendar and you can choose your dates there. It will then tell you who is sailing and their itineraries. EM