Ideas for $5400 FCC before Aug 2024???

[Eli_6]

So, I still have a $5400 FCC that has been lingering out there. My final deadline is August 2024 to spend it or lose it. I have to have my older son and I on the booking because that is who was on the original booking...so no romantic get aways.  I had planned to do another Europe cruise (BCN to BCN touring Italy May 30 to June 7) but every one in my household is poo-pooing it EXCEPT me.  I even have it deposited.  I thought our Europe cruise this year was one of the best we have ever been on. Stark contrast to last year on Pride. 

 

Hubs reason: Don't like the long flights to Europe and don't want to have to be away from my medical practice for that long because it is too much money lost. (He looses about 8k-10k a week for every week he is gone. No, he doesn't make that much profit but that is basically because he still has to cover overhead of all his employees and doesn't have any money coming in. So, being gone three weeks like we were this year is a big hit financially.)

 

My kids say they are "over" me dragging them to every historical site in Europe.  Legitimately, I get that a 9 and 10 year old (who will be 10 and 11 next year) probably aren't as excited about history as their 42 yo Mom who literally studied medieval history at the graduate level and loves reading historical fiction.  They do love cruising, though.  Their favorite ever cruise was to Alaska.  (Younger son is a huge fisherman...lots of trophies.)

 

But when I search anything from the US, there just seems to be same old, same old that we have done over and over again.  My husband suggested that we do an 8 day Bahamas from Galveston. (Can you tell he prefers not to fly and just wants to drive to Galveston for every.single.cruise?)  However, that just seems like a waste of the money because I don't think there is a room on the ship that costs that much.  And the fine print says you can't use part of it as OBC. It is spend on room or lose it. Plus, I have cruised out of Galveston so many times that I am frankly tired of it. The people who sell wares in Cozumel near the dock area actually remember us now.

 

I even thought about doing a week on the Jubilee and getting one of those super cool aft wrap balconies with the hot tub like we did on the MG....but they aren't 6k like they were a couple of years ago.  Now they are now 11k-12k!!!!  I don't really want to spend 6k over my $5400.

 

Also looked at Greenland, but it is two weeks and lots of sea days. Doesn't seem worth it. 

 

We did Alaska last year so I hate to do that again...although, it was one of our favorite cruises. Hawaii is always during school year as are a lot of the panama canal cruises.  Same with Canada/New England--during school year. 

 

And I don't want to go on any cruise that is going to have a bunch of marijuana smoking and people acting like fools. Drinking and having fun is great.  I can NOT stand the smell of any smoke--especially marijuana smoke.

 

Any other ideas? 

[shof515]

Southern Caribbean that goes to the ABC islands? 

 

 

[Andi Land]

I would pick Panama Canal or Hawaii and have the kids out of school for that time.  I did that when mine were 10 and 12.  We did an end of season Alaska cruise with them but it was not a problem taking them out of school.  I arranged it ahead of time and they were given the assignments to do on board so they could keep up.  It was perfect for sea day work.  

[Andi Land]

Oh, I should add, that Canada New England is one of my all time favorite cruises.  It's a wonderful place to visit.

[Eli_6]

9 minutes ago, Andi Land said:

I would pick Panama Canal or Hawaii and have the kids out of school for that time.  I did that when mine were 10 and 12.  We did an end of season Alaska cruise with them but it was not a problem taking them out of school.  I arranged it ahead of time and they were given the assignments to do on board so they could keep up.  It was perfect for sea day work.  

That is an option because we have more leeway with them being in private school...still, I hate to have them miss like 2 weeks. 

[Joebucks]

Whatever you do, I wouldn't wait around and risk losing it. 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, Andi Land said:

I would pick Panama Canal or Hawaii and have the kids out of school for that time.  I did that when mine were 10 and 12.  We did an end of season Alaska cruise with them but it was not a problem taking them out of school.  I arranged it ahead of time and they were given the assignments to do on board so they could keep up.  It was perfect for sea day work.  

That's what I'm thinking the 14 days panama or to hawaii a balcony would eat up the whole amount.

 

Whichever your kids would rather but hawaii is a lot of fun. But panama canal on my bucket list. Been there and back but not thru the canal. 

 

My cruise in jan 2024 out of Galveston is wait listed and you have to call. Last I heard the only cabin was 6k. It's been sold out since april. You dont want Galveston anyway. Goes to aruba and curacao and Columbia and costa Rica and Panama.  .. but it's also 14 days.

 

I guess a fancy balcony or suite for a week would eat it up too. 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by firefly333

[txcruiser1234]

I'll just throw out Splendor has two not-so-common itineraries next summer - one Singapore to Sydney Jul 21-Aug 5 and the reverse Sydney to Singapore Aug 24-Sep 9 2024 (both Journeys cruises). More sea days than port days, but the one-ways give you lots of pre and post cruise options to explore on your own in those parts of the world. All cabin types are still available, so Carnival is still working to fill those cruises.

 

edit: Still hoping for a Carnival-proper South America deployment one day...

Edited June 21, 2023 by txcruiser1234
feedback for Carnival...

[Elaine5715]

I was able to contact JH who put me in touch with a specialist PVP to transfer my sister's (who was on the cancelled COVID era booking) FCC and OBC credit to me.  I don't know if that process is still a option since the restrictions on who can sail have been lifted.   

[lazydayz]

Since you want to limit the time away and flying time, a good compromise might be a full Panama Crossing. The ports were mostly new to us, and the kids can get any school assignments done on the sea days.  And crossing the Panama Canal was so intriguing, I spent hours out on deck just marveling at it. 

[mkcurran]

There's a Miracle Christmas Cruise in 2024 to the ABC's out of Galveston...

[reeinaz]

I might get a lot of flak for this, but I did a Panama Canal crossing and found it just meh. I definitely appreciate the history and engineering behind it, and I truly think it's a marvel. But all I could think was I'm just watching water rise and fall. I did get a cool pic of the different water levels of the lock and the ocean beyond it though. 

[Colorado Beach Bum]

Jubilee in an suite

[Old Fart Cruisers]

You said "Their favorite ever cruise was to Alaska.  (Younger son is a huge fisherman...lots of trophies.)"  There is a 14-day Alaska cruise on Carnival spirit, departing April 23, 2024 that has an interesting itinerary.  It does all the typical ports plus a few ports that aren't typically included on most Alaskan cruises.  14 days with only three sea days (plus two days cruising fjords):

 

1 - Seattle, WA

2 - At Sea

3 - Ketchikan, AK

4 - Juneau, AK

5 - Skagway, AK

6 - Icy Strait Point, AK

7 - Cruise Hubbard Glacier

8 - Valdez, AK

9 - Seward (Anchorage), AK

10 - At Sea

11 - Sitka, AK

12 - Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord

13 - At Sea

14 - Victoria, Bc, Canada

15 - Seattle, WA

 

We were a little hesitant booking so early in season, but we are going to take our chances with it.  On the plus side, it probably won't have a lot of crowds.  The downside is that it could be colder and some activities may be closed or limited operations.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by Old Fart Cruisers

[Old Fart Cruisers]

17 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

You said "Their favorite ever cruise was to Alaska.  (Younger son is a huge fisherman...lots of trophies.)"  There is a 14-day Alaska cruise on Carnival spirit, departing April 23, 2024 that has an interesting itinerary.  It does all the typical ports plus a few ports that aren't typically included on most Alaskan cruises.  14 days with only three sea days (plus two days cruising fjords):

 

1 - Seattle, WA

2 - At Sea

3 - Ketchikan, AK

4 - Juneau, AK

5 - Skagway, AK

6 - Icy Strait Point, AK

7 - Cruise Hubbard Glacier

8 - Valdez, AK

9 - Seward (Anchorage), AK

10 - At Sea

11 - Sitka, AK

12 - Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord

13 - At Sea

14 - Victoria, Bc, Canada

15 - Seattle, WA

 

We were a little hesitant booking so early in season, but we are going to take our chances with it.  On the plus side, it probably won't have a lot of crowds.  The downside is that it could be colder and some activities may be closed or limited operations.

 

 

 

You and the boys could add the 16-day Tampa to Seattle via the Panama Canal making an awesome 30-day cruise and hubby could join you in Seattle, so he won't have to take off as much time from his practice.  I'm still considering adding that part, but I don't know if I can convince my wife.  We did the Panama Canal (very last cruise before the pandemic shut everything down), so it might be a harder sell.

[ninjacat123]

Does a B2B count for using up that FCC?  Or does it have to be on one cruise only?

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, mkcurran said:

There's a Miracle Christmas Cruise in 2024 to the ABC's out of Galveston...

I was think since she has a deadline to use it or lose it by august 2024 .. xmas 2024 might be too late.

[Eli_6]

2 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

Does a B2B count for using up that FCC?  Or does it have to be on one cruise only?

One cruise only.

[Eli_6]

And we did the locks in Holland/Amsterdam. I know Panama Canal is supposed to be better, but I have to admit that going to Panama to catch big fish would probably appeal more to my kids than the crossing. They didn't even come out on deck in Amsterdam...probably a good thing because we got mooned by people on the shore. 😂

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

You said "Their favorite ever cruise was to Alaska.  (Younger son is a huge fisherman...lots of trophies.)"  There is a 14-day Alaska cruise on Carnival spirit, departing April 23, 2024 that has an interesting itinerary.  It does all the typical ports plus a few ports that aren't typically included on most Alaskan cruises.  14 days with only three sea days (plus two days cruising fjords):

 

1 - Seattle, WA

2 - At Sea

3 - Ketchikan, AK

4 - Juneau, AK

5 - Skagway, AK

6 - Icy Strait Point, AK

7 - Cruise Hubbard Glacier

8 - Valdez, AK

9 - Seward (Anchorage), AK

10 - At Sea

11 - Sitka, AK

12 - Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord

13 - At Sea

14 - Victoria, Bc, Canada

15 - Seattle, WA

 

We were a little hesitant booking so early in season, but we are going to take our chances with it.  On the plus side, it probably won't have a lot of crowds.  The downside is that it could be colder and some activities may be closed or limited operations.

 

 

I saw that cruise and thought it looked amazing. My only reservation was if it was too much like what we just did last summer since we just did the Alaskan cruise.  And it being 2 weeks.

[Eli_6]

6 hours ago, txcruiser1234 said:

I'll just throw out Splendor has two not-so-common itineraries next summer - one Singapore to Sydney Jul 21-Aug 5 and the reverse Sydney to Singapore Aug 24-Sep 9 2024 (both Journeys cruises). More sea days than port days, but the one-ways give you lots of pre and post cruise options to explore on your own in those parts of the world. All cabin types are still available, so Carnival is still working to fill those cruises.

 

edit: Still hoping for a Carnival-proper South America deployment one day...

I would love a South American cruise.  Have not been there at all.

[lazydayz]

3 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

And we did the locks in Holland/Amsterdam. I know Panama Canal is supposed to be better, but I have to admit that going to Panama to catch big fish would probably appeal more to my kids than the crossing. They didn't even come out on deck in Amsterdam...probably a good thing because we got mooned by people on the shore. 😂

 

The Panama Canal locks are a sight to behold and it takes hours.  Son could likely go fishing in Columbia or Cabo.  

[kdr69]

Can you spread that FCC out over a couple 7 day cruises?  Maybe thats an option?  Then you will have cruises booked well into the future lol.

[Drazil65]

Singapore to Sydney Jul 21-Aug 5 and the reverse Sydney to Singapore Aug 24-Sep 9 2024 

 

Now that is a very long flight and you might have issues with your hubby with flying that long.  

 

If you have not done the ABC island cruise yet (or have) that may be good one for some island fun and outdoor activities, DH and DS said some of the best snorkeling there and DH did some diving.  Beautiful islands and plenty of outdoor activity (deep sea fishing clear bottom kayaking near the mangroves, great snorkeling and so much marine life etc).  

 

We took DS out of school for vaca when he was that age and many times asked his teachers for some catch up work to take (no more than an hr a day and not every day) and a couple of teachers allowed him to write a book report with pix about the trip for credit once we were back.  It worked out fine at that age.  

Edited June 22, 2023 by Drazil65

[Eli_6]

On 6/22/2023 at 6:40 AM, kdr69 said:

Can you spread that FCC out over a couple 7 day cruises?  Maybe thats an option?  Then you will have cruises booked well into the future lol.

I don't think so.