Opinions wanted

[Lindalou76]

Thanks First and Ten. My philosophy is any cruise is better than no cruise! LOL I just got off the Paradise in May and i'm sure the Elation is pretty similar. I have no real complaints, I feel the food could have been a little better. The buffet was a little lacking........however, I still wasn't overly bothered, I just accepted that it was what it was and proceeded to have an AWESOME time!

[Lindalou76]

One more update....lol Well I didn't make it long before I started questioning my decision. I have now convinced my husband to change to the Valor. It has more food options, is a bigger ship, goes to half moon cay (which i prefer over Freeport), and most of all the balcony. On the 2 cruises he has joined me on we had ocean view, so i really wanted a balcony this time especially since it's our 20 year wedding anniversary. SO.....i changed the booking today. We are now all set on the 4 day out of Port Canaveral. We will have to drive 2 hours further, and there's a greater chance I will miss that class.....however, I will talk to the professor well in advance and my peers will fill me in on what I missed so i'm done stressing about it. It's our anniversary and we deserve to celebrate! lol At the end of the day the cruise fare is not much more since we won't be paying for an excursion like we would have if we went to Freeport, so taking all that into consideration it's about $$250 more. I really think my husband will enjoy this ship more than he did the last one. I will be sure to do a review of the cruise when we get back and post the fun times because i'm having a hard time finding any for that sailing :)

[Computer Nerd]

One more update....lol Well I didn't make it long before I started questioning my decision. I have now convinced my husband to change to the Valor. It has more food options, is a bigger ship, goes to half moon cay (which i prefer over Freeport), and most of all the balcony. On the 2 cruises he has joined me on we had ocean view, so i really wanted a balcony this time especially since it's our 20 year wedding anniversary. SO.....i changed the booking today. We are now all set on the 4 day out of Port Canaveral. We will have to drive 2 hours further, and there's a greater chance I will miss that class.....however, I will talk to the professor well in advance and my peers will fill me in on what I missed so i'm done stressing about it. It's our anniversary and we deserve to celebrate! lol At the end of the day the cruise fare is not much more since we won't be paying for an excursion like we would have if we went to Freeport, so taking all that into consideration it's about $$250 more. I really think my husband will enjoy this ship more than he did the last one. I will be sure to do a review of the cruise when we get back and post the fun times because i'm having a hard time finding any for that sailing :)

 

hope you have a great cruise. valor is a fantastic ship and it will be even better now with guys and the blue iguana.

[jpurdy]

One more update....lol Well I didn't make it long before I started questioning my decision. I have now convinced my husband to change to the Valor. It has more food options, is a bigger ship, goes to half moon cay (which i prefer over Freeport), and most of all the balcony. On the 2 cruises he has joined me on we had ocean view, so i really wanted a balcony this time especially since it's our 20 year wedding anniversary. SO.....i changed the booking today. We are now all set on the 4 day out of Port Canaveral. We will have to drive 2 hours further, and there's a greater chance I will miss that class.....however, I will talk to the professor well in advance and my peers will fill me in on what I missed so i'm done stressing about it. It's our anniversary and we deserve to celebrate! lol At the end of the day the cruise fare is not much more since we won't be paying for an excursion like we would have if we went to Freeport, so taking all that into consideration it's about $$250 more. I really think my husband will enjoy this ship more than he did the last one. I will be sure to do a review of the cruise when we get back and post the fun times because i'm having a hard time finding any for that sailing :)

 

You made a great decision. I would have done the same. Freeport vs. HMC, no brainer.

Not everyone will agree, but you knew in your heart this was the itinerary you wanted. Have a great time.

[Need2Bcruzin]

Great decision!! Newer ship and HMC!!!

Any ship that goes to HMC has my vote. Best anniversary cruise ever!

[pls5286]

Don't forget to consider Jacksonville frequently gets fogged out, especially in fall and spring.

[Lindalou76]

We're very excited! I think we're really going to enjoy having a balcony and the extra food options that the last cruise was lacking. And HMC is defiantly going to be awesome!

 

 

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[momonthego17]

We took a cruise out of Jacksonville to Nassau in January and it was pretty chilly. I think the odds are in your favor for great weather in October. Have a great cruise and happy anniversary!!

[Lindalou76]

We've never had guys burgers, the blue iguana cantina or fish n chips on any cruise so we are excited to try that. Even if we don't like them all I think it's nice to have some extra choices outside of the normal places availalbe (MDR, buffet, pizza place and deli). Those of you who have done the steak house is it worth the $35 each? I'm thinking about that as well just because we've never done it before. lol A cruise with a lot of 1st's! :)

[momonthego17]

We've never had guys burgers, the blue iguana cantina or fish n chips on any cruise so we are excited to try that. Even if we don't like them all I think it's nice to have some extra choices outside of the normal places availalbe (MDR, buffet, pizza place and deli). Those of you who have done the steak house is it worth the $35 each? I'm thinking about that as well just because we've never done it before. lol A cruise with a lot of 1st's! :)

 

I love fish n chips for their bouillabaisse and ceviche! Fish n chips is only open till early afternoon (2:30-3:00?) so be mindful of that. The battered fish is a bit greasy.

Blue Iguana is great for breakfast burritos! Lunch items are great too, I bet but I've only had the bfast items.

Guys is great (some say a little greasy) but I enjoyed the selection of toppings.

Have you had pizza pirate? My fav is the prosciutto and arugula. So good!

 

Steakhouse is great for service, food and ambience! Worth the extra $35 I think. You can't order multiple entrees like in the MDR, but you will be full.

If you want a really unique experience, do Chef's Table. It's $75 per person, includes champagne with appetizers (tour of the galley) and wine with dinner (usually in a different, private room). Many courses, the executive chef explains and answers questions, and the service is great! DH and I did this our last cruise in May and it was worth it!

[RecoveryDude]

I would skip class and go on the Valor. Seriously, you wont miss much, and these days if you email your professor in advance and explain it's a special anniversary, he will understand.

 

3 days is NOT ENOUGH on a cruise, and quite frankly I would rather NOT GO than take a 3 day cruise. In fact, I really think 4 is also not enough, lol. for me 6 is pretty much the minimum, and I prefer 7-8 days really.

 

either way it's a vacation and you will have fun so stop stressing. . . life is too short to stress about "which vacation" to take lol

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

[Lindalou76]

Jeff, we are booked on the 4 day Valor......so I did finally make a decision. lol I have been on one or two 3-day cruises and I didn't mind them. I was with girlfriends, and though they were short cruises, we all had a BLAST! I'd rather do a 3 day cruise than no cruise anytime!!!! lol However, I will enjoy the 4 day much better just because an extra day is super nice. I think the longest cruise i've been on so far is 5 days (been on 6 cruises). I have a little one so we are going kid-free so 4 days is enough for us. We are booked on the Oasis in May so that will be our first 7 day cruise. I am a bit worried about being separated from the kids that long, but i'm sure they won't even notice. We were gone for 6 days last time and they weren't upset at all. Not sure if that's good or bad! haha I do want to start taking them with us soon but the baby is only 2 1/2 years old and VERY active and I just don't think it will be an enjoyable experience quite yet. I'm hoping when she hits about 4 that it will be doable. I do enjoy cruising with just my husband because we rarely get a lot of good quality time alone, so it's super nice to have a few days of just me & him to relax and enjoy ourselves.

[Computer Nerd]

You made a great decision. I would have done the same. Freeport vs. HMC, no brainer.

Not everyone will agree, but you knew in your heart this was the itinerary you wanted. Have a great time.

 

now let's just hope they don't cancel hmc due to high winds. :eek: :D

[Computer Nerd]

We've never had guys burgers, the blue iguana cantina or fish n chips on any cruise so we are excited to try that. Even if we don't like them all I think it's nice to have some extra choices outside of the normal places availalbe (MDR, buffet, pizza place and deli). Those of you who have done the steak house is it worth the $35 each? I'm thinking about that as well just because we've never done it before. lol A cruise with a lot of 1st's! :)

 

yes, the steakhouse is worth it. great service and great food. if you go the first night of the cruise you get a free bottle of wine as well.