Where should we go in '25?

[mooline]

Hope this is a fun little post for any who are interested in "playing":

 

We're thinking of another family cruise in early summer 2025, to celebrate several milestones: A 70th birthday, a 55th birthday, a 15th wedding anniversary, an 8th grade graduation and a First Communion. (whew!)

 

There are 6 of us who will ,at that time range in age from 8 to 72. We all cruised Hawaii on POA in June of '23 and had a ball. EVERYbody in our family loved the entire trip. (Our preteen got a little seasick on the final day, though...)

 

All of the adults have already cruised Alaska; and at least 2 of us have done various Caribbean ports as well as Spain, Morocco, and Madeira. Some of the adults have done land trips to Italy, France, and the UK. None of these destinations are out of the question, but they are places some of us have already visited.

 

We'd like to go someplace safe (unfortunately, for us that rules out the Middle East right now, and maybe other places?) We all like to keep moving - in Hawaii, we enjoyed hiking, snorkeling, zip lining, horseback riding, etc.

 

We live in Florida, so beaches are not as exciting as they may be for some others.

 

With the kiddo's seasickness (and others of us have, it but take meds...), I'm thinking little to no long open water sailings (like transatlantic). As much as I'd like to see Antartica, sailing the Cape Horn waters isn't appealing... 🤢

 

Our preteen (who will be nearly 14 by then) is obsessed with everything British; she has even mastered the British accent. And, some of the adults who haven't been there are interested in London and Paris.

 

I've wondered about the Prima's British Isles/Iceland trip as one possibility. We'd also entertain anything where we could book a Garden Villa or something similar, with 3 "real" bedrooms so we can all be together, with sufficient space (we had a Garden Villa for our Alaska cruise). Actually, we'll entertain just about any trip!

 

So... time for you to unleash your thoughts, suggestions, encouragements, and ideas!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[schmoopie17]

You've been a lot of places but noticeably absent from your list is the Panama Canal.

Can leave from Miami and go to L.A. through the canal...or do the turnaround trip.

 

We did that trip and even though I wasn't as enamored with the actual canal as others are, it was still a great trip on the Bliss.

[Ken the cruiser]

How about a visit to Iceland and maybe even Longyearbyen, depending on which itinerary you choose from this link?

 

Cruises on Norwegian Star (ncl.com)

 

[destar]

I think you are pretty much set on the British Isle and Iceland, all you need is the right Itinerary.

If I was going to suggest something, I would say a cruise out of Australia ending in Singapore, I know its a long flight, but that is the trip I'm planning for 2026. I've been researching the Itinerary with Celebrity for that one.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Have you given any thought to French Polynesia?

[complawyer]

1 hour ago, mooline said:

Hope this is a fun little post for any who are interested in "playing":

 

We're thinking of another family cruise in early summer 2025, to celebrate several milestones: A 70th birthday, a 55th birthday, a 15th wedding anniversary, an 8th grade graduation and a First Communion. (whew!)

 

There are 6 of us who will ,at that time range in age from 8 to 72. We all cruised Hawaii on POA in June of '23 and had a ball. EVERYbody in our family loved the entire trip. (Our preteen got a little seasick on the final day, though...)

 

All of the adults have already cruised Alaska; and at least 2 of us have done various Caribbean ports as well as Spain, Morocco, and Madeira. Some of the adults have done land trips to Italy, France, and the UK. None of these destinations are out of the question, but they are places some of us have already visited.

 

We'd like to go someplace safe (unfortunately, for us that rules out the Middle East right now, and maybe other places?) We all like to keep moving - in Hawaii, we enjoyed hiking, snorkeling, zip lining, horseback riding, etc.

 

We live in Florida, so beaches are not as exciting as they may be for some others.

 

With the kiddo's seasickness (and others of us have, it but take meds...), I'm thinking little to no long open water sailings (like transatlantic). As much as I'd like to see Antartica, sailing the Cape Horn waters isn't appealing... 🤢

 

Our preteen (who will be nearly 14 by then) is obsessed with everything British; she has even mastered the British accent. And, some of the adults who haven't been there are interested in London and Paris.

 

I've wondered about the Prima's British Isles/Iceland trip as one possibility. We'd also entertain anything where we could book a Garden Villa or something similar, with 3 "real" bedrooms so we can all be together, with sufficient space (we had a Garden Villa for our Alaska cruise). Actually, we'll entertain just about any trip!

 

So... time for you to unleash your thoughts, suggestions, encouragements, and ideas!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

prima has a cruise from southampton to reykjavich (probably misspelled, as i dont speak Islandic )

however, if you want to do this the simplest wat possible, log into ncl, and fill in the prompts. it'll ask you the year you wish to sail, the amount of days you want, and the port you want to depart from and it will list  the ships and cabins available

 

good luck!

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, mooline said:

Hope this is a fun little post for any who are interested in "playing":

 

We're thinking of another family cruise in early summer 2025, to celebrate several milestones: A 70th birthday, a 55th birthday, a 15th wedding anniversary, an 8th grade graduation and a First Communion. (whew!)

 

There are 6 of us who will ,at that time range in age from 8 to 72. We all cruised Hawaii on POA in June of '23 and had a ball. EVERYbody in our family loved the entire trip. (Our preteen got a little seasick on the final day, though...)

 

All of the adults have already cruised Alaska; and at least 2 of us have done various Caribbean ports as well as Spain, Morocco, and Madeira. Some of the adults have done land trips to Italy, France, and the UK. None of these destinations are out of the question, but they are places some of us have already visited.

 

We'd like to go someplace safe (unfortunately, for us that rules out the Middle East right now, and maybe other places?) We all like to keep moving - in Hawaii, we enjoyed hiking, snorkeling, zip lining, horseback riding, etc.

 

We live in Florida, so beaches are not as exciting as they may be for some others.

 

With the kiddo's seasickness (and others of us have, it but take meds...), I'm thinking little to no long open water sailings (like transatlantic). As much as I'd like to see Antartica, sailing the Cape Horn waters isn't appealing... 🤢

 

Our preteen (who will be nearly 14 by then) is obsessed with everything British; she has even mastered the British accent. And, some of the adults who haven't been there are interested in London and Paris.

 

I've wondered about the Prima's British Isles/Iceland trip as one possibility. We'd also entertain anything where we could book a Garden Villa or something similar, with 3 "real" bedrooms so we can all be together, with sufficient space (we had a Garden Villa for our Alaska cruise). Actually, we'll entertain just about any trip!

 

So... time for you to unleash your thoughts, suggestions, encouragements, and ideas!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

One word:

 

HAWAII

[gravitar]

We live in south Florida and have a 14 day Transatlantic (I know you're not looking for T/A) cruise booked on the Star. Departs from Lisbon and ends in Rio de Janeiro. November 20 to December 4 2025. Non stop flights available on both ends

Edited December 30, 2023 by gravitar

[AKR2011]

I did a great B2B last summer - Bermuda and Canada / New England. I almost booked that for August 2025 on The Getaway out of NYC. Pre-cruise you get a great city, Bermuda is more than beaches and lots to do in three days, and the second leg is port heavy and very fun!

Edited December 30, 2023 by AKR2011

[Pitzel]

I second (or third?) the suggestion for Iceland. It is an amazing place and there are lots of different things to see and do. We went in August 2017 and saw glaciers, waterfalls, black beaches, puffins, whales, and so much more!

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, Pitzel said:

I second (or third?) the suggestion for Iceland. It is an amazing place and there are lots of different things to see and do. We went in August 2017 and saw glaciers, waterfalls, black beaches, puffins, whales, and so much more!

And the Prima London (Southampton) to Reykjavik cruise which the OP mentioned also includes 3 stops in Norway, another fantastic country to visit. 

 

We did this cruise last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it despite 2 missed ports. Hopefully, well before their planned cruise, the dock at Isafjordur will be finished. The stop in Belgium was cancelled due to an extremely low tide and won't happen again. There is also a stop in Amsterdam which is another very, very interesting port.

[BigRedFan]

Iceland would be wonderful if all the kids are interested in spectacular scenery.

Look at some of the Africa itineraries;  South Africa has incredible wild animal excursions and the kids would love them.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I also vote for Iceland/ Norway.  We did the Prima sailing this summer.  Iceland was stunning.  We arrived two days before. It's a beautiful country.  Norway was definitely the highlight of the trip.  It's comparable to the beauty of Alaska, but on much grander level.  We also stopped in Amsterdam and Bruges.  Highly recommend.  

 

There's also Greece.  We are looking at a Mediterranean cruise for '25.

[mooline]

THANK YOU all so much!! There are so many awesome suggestions here...definitely have my work cut out to research these.

 

A few specific responses/questions:

 

@destar, not necessarily set on British Isles and Iceland, though it's surely of interest. We're open to everything at this point!

 

@PhillyTravelBug, @ontheweb, @Pitzel, @complawyer and @Ken the cruiser: is there any chance of seeing snow (on the ground, not necessarily falling) on any of the Iceland itineraries in early June (or even late May)? How about Northern Lights (I know, never guaranteed...) And, for the Star itineraries (and maybe even the Prima) how are the open water crossings? Typically rough or not necessarily?

 

@BigRedFan South Africa is a fascinating suggestion. Everyone in the family loves animals and a wildlife expedition would be fascinating!

 

@Silver Sweethearts, so nice to see your name! I hope all is well with you and that your beautiful island is recovering. Yes, French Polynesia would be neat and we could add Hawaii again I believe  🙂

 

Thanks again to all - please keep these great suggestions coming!

 

 

[Pitzel]

Unfortunately, the Northern Lights are generally only visible from September to April (during the darker months of the year) in Iceland. 

[mooline]

Oh well! One can hope!  🙂

 

[ontheweb]

29 minutes ago, mooline said:

THANK YOU all so much!! There are so many awesome suggestions here...definitely have my work cut out to research these.

 

A few specific responses/questions:

 

@destar, not necessarily set on British Isles and Iceland, though it's surely of interest. We're open to everything at this point!

 

@PhillyTravelBug, @ontheweb, @Pitzel, @complawyer and @Ken the cruiser: is there any chance of seeing snow (on the ground, not necessarily falling) on any of the Iceland itineraries in early June (or even late May)? How about Northern Lights (I know, never guaranteed...) And, for the Star itineraries (and maybe even the Prima) how are the open water crossings? Typically rough or not necessarily?

 

@BigRedFan South Africa is a fascinating suggestion. Everyone in the family loves animals and a wildlife expedition would be fascinating!

 

@Silver Sweethearts, so nice to see your name! I hope all is well with you and that your beautiful island is recovering. Yes, French Polynesia would be neat and we could add Hawaii again I believe  🙂

 

Thanks again to all - please keep these great suggestions coming!

 

 

No Northern lights that time of the year. We did not have rough seas at all, but of course there is no guarantee of that.

[dexddd]

My thoughts would be Northern Europe and if you did Prima there are two top categories of Haven that sleep 8 and 6 respectively.  But at a price of a new car. I will say while ship was upscale feeling,  I'm not really interested in sailing it again.  Plus the Haven pool area is open air and in cold weather not suitable.

 

Other would be FP on Paul Gauguin.  All inclusive pricing.  Would do a ten or eleven day as it then goes to some remote places.  Pure heaven.  Very quiet.  They have two private islands which are fantastic.  Snorkeling fabulous.  Food was very good and everyone on board super relaxed.

[PhillyTravelBug]

6 hours ago, mooline said:

THANK YOU all so much!! There are so many awesome suggestions here...definitely have my work cut out to research these.

 

A few specific responses/questions:

 

@destar, not necessarily set on British Isles and Iceland, though it's surely of interest. We're open to everything at this point!

 

@PhillyTravelBug, @ontheweb, @Pitzel, @complawyer and @Ken the cruiser: is there any chance of seeing snow (on the ground, not necessarily falling) on any of the Iceland itineraries in early June (or even late May)? How about Northern Lights (I know, never guaranteed...) And, for the Star itineraries (and maybe even the Prima) how are the open water crossings? Typically rough or not necessarily?

 

@BigRedFan South Africa is a fascinating suggestion. Everyone in the family loves animals and a wildlife expedition would be fascinating!

 

@Silver Sweethearts, so nice to see your name! I hope all is well with you and that your beautiful island is recovering. Yes, French Polynesia would be neat and we could add Hawaii again I believe  🙂

 

Thanks again to all - please keep these great suggestions coming!

 

 

I went in the middle of August. No snow or northern lights. But we did see snow in Norway in Geiranger on top of the mountains

Edited December 30, 2023 by PhillyTravelBug

[FLAHAM]

I suggest the Star out of New York to Halifax, St. John’s, St. Pierre-Miquelon (French islands), Greenland (3 stops) and Iceland (3 stops).  Follow up with a few days in London.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, FLAHAM said:

I suggest the Star out of New York to Halifax, St. John’s, St. Pierre-Miquelon (French islands), Greenland (3 stops) and Iceland (3 stops).  Follow up with a few days in London.

Sounds like an excellent itinerary except no Norway. Also, I have read of ports in Greenland often being missed due to weather.

[CruiseMH]

I would clearly vote for Norway.

Iceland is fantastic but there is a realistic possibility of not docking due to high winds.

 

 

[9tee2Sea]

On 12/29/2023 at 1:09 PM, mooline said:

Hope this is a fun little post for any who are interested in "playing":

 

We're thinking of another family cruise in early summer 2025, to celebrate several milestones: A 70th birthday, a 55th birthday, a 15th wedding anniversary, an 8th grade graduation and a First Communion. (whew!)

 

There are 6 of us who will ,at that time range in age from 8 to 72. We all cruised Hawaii on POA in June of '23 and had a ball. EVERYbody in our family loved the entire trip. (Our preteen got a little seasick on the final day, though...)

 

All of the adults have already cruised Alaska; and at least 2 of us have done various Caribbean ports as well as Spain, Morocco, and Madeira. Some of the adults have done land trips to Italy, France, and the UK. None of these destinations are out of the question, but they are places some of us have already visited.

 

We'd like to go someplace safe (unfortunately, for us that rules out the Middle East right now, and maybe other places?) We all like to keep moving - in Hawaii, we enjoyed hiking, snorkeling, zip lining, horseback riding, etc.

 

We live in Florida, so beaches are not as exciting as they may be for some others.

 

With the kiddo's seasickness (and others of us have, it but take meds...), I'm thinking little to no long open water sailings (like transatlantic). As much as I'd like to see Antartica, sailing the Cape Horn waters isn't appealing... 🤢

 

Our preteen (who will be nearly 14 by then) is obsessed with everything British; she has even mastered the British accent. And, some of the adults who haven't been there are interested in London and Paris.

 

I've wondered about the Prima's British Isles/Iceland trip as one possibility. We'd also entertain anything where we could book a Garden Villa or something similar, with 3 "real" bedrooms so we can all be together, with sufficient space (we had a Garden Villa for our Alaska cruise). Actually, we'll entertain just about any trip!

 

So... time for you to unleash your thoughts, suggestions, encouragements, and ideas!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

If folks are enamored with UK, why not do a cruise around Britain.  Cruise out of Dover ( lots of war history), and just cruise around the Island.  Has many interesting stops.

[ontheweb]

26 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

If folks are enamored with UK, why not do a cruise around Britain.  Cruise out of Dover ( lots of war history), and just cruise around the Island.  Has many interesting stops.

And if you do a British Isles cruise, try August and make sure you have Edinburg on the itinerary for the Scottish Military Tattoo. We had an overnight, which meant we could do it and not worry about getting back or having to buy an excursion through the cruise line. You do still have to buy the tickets in advance.

 

There are various ports used for Edinburg. Our ship docked in Rosyth.

[itsnotjustme]

On 12/29/2023 at 4:09 PM, mooline said:

British Isles/Iceland trip as one possibility

This involves sailing what can be very rough waters between Scotland and Iceland.  We did and loved it, but we had about 36 hours of 40' swells.  Not good for someone prone to seasickness.

 

I would recommend a general Northern Europe/British Isles trip going to say Brugge, Amsterdam, Le Havre, England, Scottland and Ireland.