Jump to content

Help! Which ship/itinerary for thanksgiving week 2019??


jules316
 Share

Recommended Posts

Cant decide. Any tips or suggestions? We've done Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel twice so we know that itinerary. But other than that best ship? other islands?etc. Sailing with our 2 kids 19 and 14 and another family with a 13 year old that are first time cruisers!! So excited to share the experience with them! 

 

Carnival Breeze 7 nights from Port Canaveral

Cozumel Plus, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya

 

Carnival Magic 8 nights form Fort Lauderdale

St Maarten, St Kitts, San Juan, Grand Turk

 

Carnival Horizon 6 nights Miami

Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

 

My kids really want Horizon but I never sailed out of Miami and it's the shortest cruise. Who wants to get off early?! I like the length of the Magic cruise and the itinerary but I've never flown to or sailed out of FLL.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another vote for the Magic's itinerary. Not sure why there would be a concern over Ft. Lauderdale as the embarkation port. Flying into FLL is no different than flying into any other airport.  If you're wondering about facilities, look at the Florida departures board.

 

Can't help wondering why you are limiting your choices to only Carnival. Have you ruled out RCCL and Norwegian for some reason?

Edited by mom says
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, mom says said:

Another vote for the Magic's itinerary. Not sure why there would be a concern over Ft. Lauderdale as the embarkation port. Flying into FLL is no different than flying into any other airport.  If you're wondering about facilities, look at the Florida departures board.

 

Can't help wondering why you are limiting your choices to only Carnival. Have you ruled out RCCL and Norwegian for some reason?

Yes, price. Carnival comes in MUCH cheaper than NCL and RCL. Also, I’ve cruised them all and I no issues with Carnival. It’s my kids favorite line. As far as airports I just haven’t flown anywhere other than orlando. Always cruised out of Port Canaveral. Wasn’t sure if it was far from the airport or any other issue I may be unaware of. That’s all.

Edited by jules316
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, jules316 said:

 As far as airports I just haven’t flown anywhere other than orlando. Always cruised out of Port Canaveral. Wasn’t sure if it was far from the airport or any other issue I may be unaware of. That’s all.

Have no concerns about getting from the Fort Lauderdale airport to Port Everglades.  They are almost contiguous; there is a highway separating a western edge of the port from the eastern edge of the airport.  Transportation (taxi, uber, lyft) are readily available at the airport and the port.  For more information on the port, see www.porteverglades.net.  Click on the map to see the location of the port relative to the airport.  As others have recommended, check out the Florida Departures Board (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/386-florida-departures/) where there is lots of local information on hotels, transportation, and attractions.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, jules316 said:

Yes, price. Carnival comes in MUCH cheaper than NCL and RCL. Also, I’ve cruised them all and I no issues with Carnival. It’s my kids favorite line. As far as airports I just haven’t flown anywhere other than orlando. Always cruised out of Port Canaveral. Wasn’t sure if it was far from the airport or any other issue I may be unaware of. That’s all.

 

Make sure when you compare prices that you compare apples to apples. With NCL perks usually NCL ends up being substantially less than Carnival in the end. You have to compare the bottom line after the cruise to know how it will work out, especially when NCL is offering the friends and family sail free deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/27/2018 at 7:49 AM, zqvol said:

 

Make sure when you compare prices that you compare apples to apples. With NCL perks usually NCL ends up being substantially less than Carnival in the end. You have to compare the bottom line after the cruise to know how it will work out, especially when NCL is offering the friends and family sail free deal.

The only perk that really changes things would be friends and family deal which is not offered on that sailing since it’s Thanksgiving week. I’ve been checking for months. As far as the free drink package, we would have to drink about 6 drinks each per day and my husband is not a big drinker so the additional $400 (gratuity) that is added to cruise fair is not worth it. Unless someone can tell me otherwise I dont see the value in that. We also don’t do specialty dining at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, jules316 said:

The only perk that really changes things would be friends and family deal which is not offered on that sailing since it’s Thanksgiving week. I’ve been checking for months. As far as the free drink package, we would have to drink about 6 drinks each per day and my husband is not a big drinker so the additional $400 (gratuity) that is added to cruise fair is not worth it. Unless someone can tell me otherwise I dont see the value in that. We also don’t do specialty dining at all.

 

Only the first two in the cabin get the perks. Your kids don't get the drink package and thus don't pay the gratuity on it, so you are only talking $200, which amounts to about 2 .5 drinks per adult per day.  I just wanted to make sure that you are aware of that. I have found lately that I come about substantially less expensive on NCL than any other line, but that may not be the case for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/28/2018 at 7:51 PM, zqvol said:

 

Only the first two in the cabin get the perks. Your kids don't get the drink package and thus don't pay the gratuity on it, so you are only talking $200, which amounts to about 2 .5 drinks per adult per day.  I just wanted to make sure that you are aware of that. I have found lately that I come about substantially less expensive on NCL than any other line, but that may not be the case for you.

Yes you are right. It comes to $277 for gratuity. I do think we would each drink 2 a day, me Aubrey 3-4 so it may be worth it. It is still considerably more to sail ncl vs carnival unless we do NY port which we could drive to and sail the Bliss. I just don’t really want to do NY because it’s cold in November and the itinerary is only Bahamas and fL. I just can’t decide! Lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally understand leaning toward the 8 night itinerary if everything else about pricing works out.  Like you, we have sailed several lines and like them all, and also comparison shop for each vacation and choose the best value ratio each time, which is often (but not always) Carnival, depending on what we are looking for.

 

I think you will find both Fort Lauderdale and Miami more convenient ports to their respective airports than Port Canaveral. However I would ask whether you have already compared airfare at all (did you check 2018 airfares during Thanksgiving?) 

 

Anyway, I notice no one is cheering for Horizon here, even though it's what the kids want. That makes things complicated, right? Obvs, as the paying parent you decide.  But we went on Oasis of the Seas this past March, because hubby and daughter WANTED to.  It was not the cheapest cruise available, though with an inside guarantee cabin we kept it in a range that did not give cheapo mom, I mean me, Kmom, a stress attack.  On their first cruise the previous year, on Carnival Triumph, we had docked at Cozumel and saw Harmony of the Seas over at the next pier, and they were immediately obsessed with trying an Oasis class ship. And it was fabulous!  I barely remember the ports on that cruise (except Labadee which dramatically exceeded my expectations) because the ship itself was the primary attraction and did not disappoint.

 

So, if my family wanted to go on the nearly-new Carnival Horizon, I would absolutely accept a one or two day shorter cruise to get them on it for a similar price.  The Vista class ships are definitely at a higher price point, but frankly they look absolutely wonderful to me and I get the difference.  I also get "bucket list" sort of thinking and if we can manage it, I prefer the choice that will make everyone happy as it's a better investment for me overall.

 

Of course as I'm sure you know, Dream class is only slightly smaller and older than Vista class, so it's not like you can go far wrong with any of these choices, and our "helpful opinions" only hold so much water, as it were.  Only you can decide in the end! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...