Girls R&R Need your expert advice (a little long)

[Ches94]

I am sure this question has been asked ad nausem (sp? :) ), but my DH bravely went through a liver transplant in May and is rewarding my faithful support by telling me I can plan a girls cruise with two of my good work friends.

 

I have cruised once (loved it!) the other two gals have never cruised but love to travel. We all three love to read books and sip coffee outside, so I think a balcony is a must, but can you guys suggest a great ship/intenerary for a 3-4 night cruise? Our ages are 33, 53, and 55 (funny how my two best buddies are my mom's age!).

 

By the way, my husband is doing BEAUTIFULLY, please support organ donation!:) :)

[Ches94]

Help me out here guys!:)

[Cruzfrek]

It depends on where you live (i live closest to NY ports). It also depends if you like warmer climates as opposed to cooler ones...I am going to Halifax/Nova Scotia in August for the 2nd time...because my family doesnt love extreme heat...Generally speaking thats an 'older' group because its not as fun and exotic as the caribbean (sp). I have heard that Bermuda is a nice place to go to play golf (not sure if thats a girly thing) and relax at the beach but becareful of going in Sept. when the rates are low b/c of hurricanes. Hope this helps...

[Cinderose]

Try the Paradise

[luv2cruz64]

I'm assuming that you're looking for a Carnival ship. Most of their short cruises are on the older, smaller ships. Of these the Fantasy was recently refurbished. You can check it out on any # of online travel companies or the Carnival home page. Hope this helps. PS-not sure if the Fantasy has balconies though!

[GoinCruisin]

Ches, you might want to give a thread more than 20 minutes before getting antsy ;) It's the weekend and many people are out and about enjoying themselves :D

 

As for ships, my favorite is the Sensation.. any cruise is a good cruise though. Narrow down where you want to cruise from, where you want to go, etc. Keep in mind that there are no balcony cabins on the older ships... the only cabins that have balconies are the suites... so you are going to pay more than you would on a newer ship... good luck and have fun! Glad your DH is doing well!!

[voyagerfl]

The 3 or 4 day cruises are on the older ships and only have Balcony's in the Suites. (The ships are still in wonderful condition and have the same great service they were just built before the big balcony craze)

 

That said.....I think a nice cruise 4 night cruise out of Tampa would be good.

It gives you 2 days at sea and one day in Cozumel.

[celticd1]

I think we need more to go on. For instance, do you prefer to leave from a certain port? How about shore excursions, are you more into beaches or shopping or history? When do you plan to sail?

 

If it was for myself and girlfriends, I would check out the Inspiration 4 day western (leaves from Tampa, day at sea, Cozumel, day at sea, back to Tampa) or the Fascination out of Miami with 2 port stops, Key West and either Cozumel or Calica. I like these because the ports are fun with a variety of things to do and because they don't go to the Bahamas (didn't care for it). Either one would give your friends a little taste of cruising and relaxing!

 

Hope this helps! Glad to hear your DH is doing great, what a sweetheart to tell you to go on a cruise! (Are you reading this CelticTim?? :p ) Have a great time!

[Ches94]

Whoops, I guess it is a little hard sometimes to remember that I am not at work on the weekend! Sorry for the impatience.

 

Here is a little more info: we are not really close to any ports (except Galveston but that is still about 10+ hours), so I think we will fly. I had forgotten that on the older ships the balconies are only in the suites. We can only do 3-4 nights since DH will be taking care of DS's ages 3&5.

 

So in a nut shell, if relaxation, warm beautiful water, white sandy beaches, and a comfortable room are what we seek what do you suggest?

 

I think though GoinCruisin puts it best that any cruise is a good cruise!

[GoinCruisin]

Whoops, I guess it is a little hard sometimes to remember that I am not at work on the weekend! Sorry for the impatience.

 

Here is a little more info: we are not really close to any ports (except Galveston but that is still about 10+ hours), so I think we will fly. I had forgotten that on the older ships the balconies are only in the suites. We can only do 3-4 nights since DH will be taking care of DS's ages 3&5.

 

So in a nut shell, if relaxation, warm beautiful water, white sandy beaches, and a comfortable room are what we seek what do you suggest?

 

I think though GoinCruisin puts it best that any cruise is a good cruise!

 

Where are you coming from? If it makes no difference, you may want to base it on which port will be the least expensive to get to. I know for me, lately, air to NOLA has been outrageous, but I can fly to Tampa or Miami cheap. Perhaps look at airfare for the time frame you want to go and narrow it down by the more reasonable fares???

[Ches94]

Thanks GoinCruisin. Since some of the airfares are at least as much as the cruise fare, this may be a big deciding factor. We live in OK-a little landlocked (not much of a lake fan-if something is going to bite me in the nether region I want to see it coming:D ).

 

I appreciate ya'lls time!

[suncoastgirl]

You could also try to sail from Port Canaveral. You can usually find some cheap fares to Orlando but then you must take a transfer to the port. You can get a cab in Tampa from the airport for around $20. There are usually lots of deals/cheap flights to Tampa or Miami. Check out some of the not so large airlines; they usually have less expensive fares.