melsmom303 Posted July 29, 2019 #1 Share Posted July 29, 2019 ok so we want to take cruise in october i have been going back and forth for days and still cant decide .first choice carnival paradise 500 dollar onboard credit from casino 5 nite, carnival valor 5 nite 500 dollar onboard credit. or carnival magic sail with john herald special cruise 6 nite but only 50 dollar onboard credit, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 29, 2019 #2 Share Posted July 29, 2019 (edited) You didn’t provide too many details, like ports for example, but based on the ships, I would pick Magic, Glory and Paradise in that order. Edited July 29, 2019 by PhillyFan33579 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xitappers2bx Posted July 29, 2019 #3 Share Posted July 29, 2019 If the $500 OBC isn't expiring, then whichever itinerary pleases you is a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melsmom303 Posted July 29, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted July 29, 2019 paradise ports are grand caymen and cozumel valor is cozumel and progresso and magic is grand turk amber cove and half moon keys. we are more about the cruise itself and not so much the ports although we do get off and enjoy them. i know the magic is the nicest boat i just cant get over losing that 500 onboard credit that is only for certain cruises it called a hot streak bonus offer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanadaydreaming Posted July 29, 2019 #5 Share Posted July 29, 2019 it would be hard to pass up a $500 obc if all other costs are equal. magic is probably nicest ship and longest itinerary, so it's got that going for it. valor seems like the most "meh" itinerary. tough call! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvercrikhix Posted July 29, 2019 #6 Share Posted July 29, 2019 $500 OBC makes for a heck of a fun time! One of those 2 cruises is your clear winner! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightOne Posted July 29, 2019 #7 Share Posted July 29, 2019 2 hours ago, melsmom303 said: ok so we want to take cruise in october i have been going back and forth for days and still cant decide .first choice carnival paradise 500 dollar onboard credit from casino 5 nite, carnival valor 5 nite 500 dollar onboard credit. or carnival magic sail with john herald special cruise 6 nite but only 50 dollar onboard credit, What is the difference in travel costs to get to NOLA vs Tampa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaded Lady Posted July 29, 2019 #8 Share Posted July 29, 2019 Just now, NightOne said: What is the difference in travel costs to get to NOLA vs Tampa? That was going to be my question- is one of the ports easier to get to for you? if you have to fly that might affect your decision... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseGal999 Posted July 29, 2019 #9 Share Posted July 29, 2019 2 hours ago, melsmom303 said: ok so we want to take cruise in october i have been going back and forth for days and still cant decide .first choice carnival paradise 500 dollar onboard credit from casino 5 nite, carnival valor 5 nite 500 dollar onboard credit. or carnival magic sail with john herald special cruise 6 nite but only 50 dollar onboard credit, I'd go for the $500 credit ... I don't know those ships .. I am cruising on Valor 8/31st ... but do you mean John Heald ... Carnival Executive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melsmom303 Posted July 29, 2019 Author #10 Share Posted July 29, 2019 more costly to fly to new orleans i just realized i could choose the elation also amber cove and grand turk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightOne Posted July 29, 2019 #11 Share Posted July 29, 2019 Just now, melsmom303 said: more costly to fly to new orleans i just realized i could choose the elation also amber cove and grand turk First, take the $500 in casino cash so that eliminates the Magic. Now the differences are the ships and ports. The Valor is 100 feet longer and has 850 more passengers on it. Valor has: Steakhouse Seafood Shack BBQ Mongolian Wok Cooking demonstration Basketball court Redfrog Pub Alchemy Bar Sports Bar Dive In Movies Cherry On Top Jogging Track and Paradise and Elation do not have any of those. Paradise/Elation have a beer station though. Fantasy class ships are cozy and easy to get around so look at the list above and see if that stuff is important to your or not. Ports ranked (my opinion): 1. Cozumel 2. Grand Cayman 3. Grand Turk 4. Amber Cove 5. Progreso So based on these factors and the cheaper cost to the embarkation port I personally would choose Paradise. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melsmom303 Posted July 29, 2019 Author #12 Share Posted July 29, 2019 im between paradise and elation lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightOne Posted July 29, 2019 #13 Share Posted July 29, 2019 2 minutes ago, melsmom303 said: im between paradise and elation lol Tampa vs Orlando thoughts: Tampa is like 10 minutes to cruise port whereas Orlando is about 1 hour to cruise port Are you coming in the day before? Check hotel prices and availability. Elation: Grand Turk is a beach day for most people. They've been fighting a seaweed problem there so your mileage may vary. Amber Cove is a pool day in private port area for most. Paradise: Grand Cayman's 7 mile beach will be better than Grand Turk beach but it is still a beach day UNLESS you want to go to Stingray City or Turtle Farm. Cozumel has a million things to do and thus would trump Amber Cove big time! If you don't care about the ports then weigh the travel logistics and prices more heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbethel11 Posted July 29, 2019 #14 Share Posted July 29, 2019 I would choose Paradise, as it has been recently refurbished and looks more modern compared to the Elation. I also would love to visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel, so bingo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Saint Greg Posted July 29, 2019 #15 Share Posted July 29, 2019 1. Magic 2. Valor 3. Paradise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomhower Posted July 29, 2019 #16 Share Posted July 29, 2019 7 minutes ago, jbethel11 said: I would choose Paradise, as it has been recently refurbished and looks more modern compared to the Elation. I also would love to visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel, so bingo! The Elation has had the exact same updates done and was more recent. They are essentially identical ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbethel11 Posted July 29, 2019 #17 Share Posted July 29, 2019 8 minutes ago, boomhower said: The Elation has had the exact same updates done and was more recent. They are essentially identical ships. Please provide your source as to when these ships were updated. According to my source, Carnival Elation was renovated in 2017, while Carnival Paradise was renovated in 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 29, 2019 #18 Share Posted July 29, 2019 1 hour ago, NightOne said: First, take the $500 in casino cash so that eliminates the Magic. Now the differences are the ships and ports. The Valor is 100 feet longer and has 850 more passengers on it. Valor has: Steakhouse Seafood Shack BBQ Mongolian Wok Cooking demonstration Basketball court Redfrog Pub Alchemy Bar Sports Bar Dive In Movies Cherry On Top Jogging Track and Paradise and Elation do not have any of those. Paradise/Elation have a beer station though. Fantasy class ships are cozy and easy to get around so look at the list above and see if that stuff is important to your or not. Ports ranked (my opinion): 1. Cozumel 2. Grand Cayman 3. Grand Turk 4. Amber Cove 5. Progreso So based on these factors and the cheaper cost to the embarkation port I personally would choose Paradise. 🙂 I would have picked Valor based on your post. You caught me by surprise when you picked Paradise at the end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 29, 2019 #19 Share Posted July 29, 2019 9 minutes ago, amyotravel said: I would for sure throw out this cruise since you lose all the OBC. It will just be a madhouse of people throwing themselves at him, anyway. Unless for some reason you are a mega fan, I see no reason. I have been on a JH blog cruise before by coincidence (Magic in Feb 2018). It was no big deal other than there were a lot of Diamonds and Platinums on the ship. Not that I was looking for him, but I never saw JH once the entire cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyotravel Posted July 29, 2019 #20 Share Posted July 29, 2019 1 minute ago, PhillyFan33579 said: I have been on a JH blog cruise before by coincidence (Magic in Feb 2018). It was no big deal other than there were a lot of Diamonds and Platinums on the ship. Not that I was looking for him, but I never saw JH once the entire cruise. If you were specifically wanting to cruise with him it might be crazy trying to get to him 😉 Luckily, this was not your intent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightOne Posted July 29, 2019 #21 Share Posted July 29, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said: I would have picked Valor based on your post. You caught me by surprise when you picked Paradise at the end. So steakhouse and seafood shack are upcharge venues that are not a must in my book. Basketball court and jogging track are not something I use. Valor has more bars but there is no shortage of places to get a drink on any ship. So it really comes down to dive-in movies and the candy store. You can bring your own candy onboard if you must have it so now it is just the movie by the pool. Not a huge difference for me. BTW, my next cruise is actually on ... Valor 🙂 🙂 🙂 Edited July 29, 2019 by NightOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbethel11 Posted July 29, 2019 #22 Share Posted July 29, 2019 1 minute ago, NightOne said: So steakhouse and seafood shack are upcharge venues that are not a must in my book. Basketball court and jogging track are not something I use. Valor has more bars but there is no shortage of places to get a drink on any ship. So it really comes down to dive-in movies and the candy store. You can bring your own candy onboard if you must have it so now it is just the movie by the pool. Not a huge difference for me. BTW, my next cruise is actually on ... Valor 🙂 🙂 🙂 I personally do not like repeating cruise ships so I would definitely choose the Paradise in your shoes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunonfire Posted July 29, 2019 #23 Share Posted July 29, 2019 2 hours ago, melsmom303 said: im between paradise and elation lol 14 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said: Did you look at the Legend out of Tampa? My son is receiving the $500 obc for our January cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melsmom303 Posted July 29, 2019 Author #24 Share Posted July 29, 2019 lol as far as jon herald it was just one of my vifp offers. i have been on the valor back in 2009 would not mind going on her again but flights to new orleans are a little pricy i really really wanna go on the carnival dream i would get 500 onboard credit for that one too but have not heard good things about cruising out of gavelston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoplayerla Posted July 30, 2019 #25 Share Posted July 30, 2019 4 hours ago, melsmom303 said: lol as far as jon herald it was just one of my vifp offers. i have been on the valor back in 2009 would not mind going on her again but flights to new orleans are a little pricy i really really wanna go on the carnival dream i would get 500 onboard credit for that one too but have not heard good things about cruising out of gavelston Melsmom, We just sailed on the Dream in May for the 6th time (I believe). We did not have any problems. It was our 2nd time to sail from Galveston and are leaving from there again in January. Seems to be much more organized than New Orleans, in our opinion. Whatever you decide, it is still a cruise, kind of hard to mess that up. 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now