Help me decide what ship!

[Coralc]

37 minutes ago, Devi8or said:

 

we're looking for a laid back good time.  My wife and I will both be 40 by then, the kids are older.....I don't drink, we don't really party, but like to hang out.  We'd be more like the trivia crowd than the sexiest man by the pool crowd LOL.  I've always been under the impression that Carnival crowd was a bit young for my liking, but I haven't been on Carnival since In was a kid myself.  

 

 

That's funny. When we were in our 30's we tried Carnival and Princess before settling on Royal Caribbean, as our kind of crowd and people our age. And now the entire crowd seems to be much younger than us.  

[firefly333]

10 hours ago, Devi8or said:

Appreciate the suggestion, we were really pleased with our last RCCL cruise, so that's why I'm looking in that direction. I'll take a look at that one though

I've done a lot of carnival and now wishing I'd stuck with rcl and gotten up there for the perks. Also mardi gras is sailing at 100% full so unless you book a special area like Havana there will be lines. I read 45 minutes to get coffee at the cafe for those with cheers. Lines everywhere. Mardi gras is nice but has lines everywhere. Sold out closer in dates. 

[cynt]

I would pick whatever cruise ship sails out of PC just for the convenience factor. I would recommend doing Disney first and then the cruise so you can recuperate from Disney on the cruise. 

 

Remember to keep in mind the overall cost for the vacation not just the cruise cost, particularly rental car logistics. Especially if you do Disney as the 2nd leg of your vacation are you going to feel up to driving back to MCO/FLL after a week at Disney to return the car? Or will you just return car to MCO and fly home from there? Dropping off rental car at a different location is an additional expense. 

 

The time to drive to and from is also a factor. 3 hrs to FLL and about 3.5 hrs to MIA. Not a long drive but still a nice drive. 

 

Also if you fly in and out of MCO you will not necessarily need to rent a car if you stay onsite at Disney. On-site vs off-site at Disney is a whole other debate. LOL! 

 

Rental car logistics and expense is definitely something to consider as you're pricing your vacation.

Edited April 13, 2022 by cynt

[Itchy&Scratchy]

hippo

 

Please remember that Orlando is a hot, humid hell between April and September. 🙂

We were there a couple of years ago on April 30 and I thought I was gonna at least faint. And we are in GA, so not that far off. Not like Alaska.

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

6 hours ago, Devi8or said:

My wife and I will both be 40 by then, the kids are older.....

dang, you are so young, and your kids are older than mine! lol

sorry, couldn't help myself.

[DukeASUGirl]

Have you thought about Harmony out of Port Canaveral? It's closer to Disney, is a 7-night trip, and is an Oasis-class ship with the bells and whistles.

[Devi8or]

7 hours ago, cynt said:

I would pick whatever cruise ship sails out of PC just for the convenience factor. I would recommend doing Disney first and then the cruise so you can recuperate from Disney on the cruise. 

 

Remember to keep in mind the overall cost for the vacation not just the cruise cost, particularly rental car logistics. Especially if you do Disney as the 2nd leg of your vacation are you going to feel up to driving back to MCO/FLL after a week at Disney to return the car? Or will you just return car to MCO and fly home from there? Dropping off rental car at a different location is an additional expense. 

 

The time to drive to and from is also a factor. 3 hrs to FLL and about 3.5 hrs to MIA. Not a long drive but still a nice drive. 

 

Also if you fly in and out of MCO you will not necessarily need to rent a car if you stay onsite at Disney. On-site vs off-site at Disney is a whole other debate. LOL! 

 

Rental car logistics and expense is definitely something to consider as you're pricing your vacation.

 

So it really depends on when the cruise is, I'm kind of shaping it based on that, I'd prefer disney in early December, then cruise, so the Voyager one looks decent. I'd also like to get home a bit before Christmas to avoid too much holiday rush. We've done Disney at the start Of December before and felt like a good time for it

3 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

hippo

 

Please remember that Orlando is a hot, humid hell between April and September. 🙂

We were there a couple of years ago on April 30 and I thought I was gonna at least faint. And we are in GA, so not that far off. Not like Alaska.

 

OH yeah we know, we used to do Disney every other year before covid hit, so we're not pros, but not rookies either lol

3 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

dang, you are so young, and your kids are older than mine! lol

sorry, couldn't help myself.

My wife and I have been together since we were 14, married at 20 and had our first daughter at 23.....just an earlier start than most 😂

2 hours ago, DukeASUGirl said:

Have you thought about Harmony out of Port Canaveral? It's closer to Disney, is a 7-night trip, and is an Oasis-class ship with the bells and whistles.

I don't see Harmony 7 day going out of PC in December 2023 on the search results

[Itchy&Scratchy]

25 minutes ago, Devi8or said:

I'd prefer disney in early December, then cruise

is your youngest not in school at that time? We are limited to school breaks which do not fall anywhere near early December.

 

What about a cruise for Thanksgiving, followed by Disney?

[DukeASUGirl]

1 hour ago, Devi8or said:

 

 

I don't see Harmony 7 day going out of PC in December 2023 on the search results

My apologies - I didn't catch that you were talking about 2023. 

[DukeASUGirl]

5 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

dang, you are so young, and your kids are older than mine! lol

sorry, couldn't help myself.

Ha, thinking the same!

 

My husband just turned 50 on Monday, and I'll be 45 next month, but our kids are just 10 and 12.

 

FWIW, we did NCL in my 20s and his 30s, and Carnival in both of our 40s (with kids one trip, and just the two of us). Now trying RCI. We had a great time on both lines, and while you can definitely find partying happening on all lines, we had a wonderful time just relaxing and doing chill activities. We never hit the big parties, and preferred the trivia to the rowdy contests. 

[Devi8or]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

is your youngest not in school at that time? We are limited to school breaks which do not fall anywhere near early December.

 

What about a cruise for Thanksgiving, followed by Disney?

Yeah they'll be in school still, it's generally not an issue as long as their grades are good. Most of the teachers are doing the majority of their work turn in online now. It's definitely not something we do on a regular basis, maybe once every few years. We haven't been out of alaska since 2019