I have a 7day 'free' cruise. Which destination?

my casino is giving out free cruises to high tier card members.

I say 'free' because I have to pay $300 to $400 per person in port fees. :(

Destinations:

Alaska (Vancouver/Whittier -> Sun)

Bahamas (Miami )

Bahamas & Florida (New York -> Breakaway or Gem)

Bermuda (Boston ->Dawn)

Canada & NE (New York -> Gem)

Caribbean (Houston , Tampa , Miami or New Orleans )

Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles )

i can drive to NYC and park my car at my parents house so leaving from there is the obvious choice for minimum expenses.

So pro/cons of Bahamas and Canada?

or if you have other suggestions?

Depends on when you are going. Going north (Canada/New England) is fun in the summer when the weather is nice, or in the fall if you want to see the leaves change.

Personally, I like to sail from NYC in the WINTER to get away from the cold weather. The Bahamas cruise stops in Florida, Nassau, and Norwegian's private island, with lots of time to thaw you out and give you a tan before you have to go back to wintertime.

Your choice would depend upon your location, costs of arriving at the port of departure, and which itineraries you would enjoy.

My personal choices would be Alaska, because of the beautiful and ever-changing scenery, and Bermuda. Since we live in Massachusetts, we can get car service to Black Falcon Pier. The ship stays in Bermuda for three days, thus you can really get the flavor of the island.

my casino is giving out free cruises to high tier card members.

I say 'free' because I have to pay $300 to $400 per person in port fees. :(

 

Destinations:

Alaska (Vancouver/Whittier -> Sun)

Bahamas (Miami )

Bahamas & Florida (New York -> Breakaway or Gem)

Bermuda (Boston ->Dawn)

Canada & NE (New York -> Gem)

Caribbean (Houston , Tampa , Miami or New Orleans )

Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles )

 

 

i can drive to NYC and park my car at my parents house so leaving from there is the obvious choice for minimum expenses.

So pro/cons of Bahamas and Canada?

 

or if you have other suggestions?

One more to add to list:

Bermuda (New York -> Breakaway)

Only IF you can ... and you want the most *value* for the *free* cruise ... then I would probably also look at Hawaii ... as Pride of America fares typically run a bit higher than the other itineraries. However ... as the OP mentioned ... you'll also need to look at airfare getting to Honolulu :p

BUT if you can't and have to stick to those listed ... then Alaska would be a good 2nd choice in terms of *value* for cruise fares. However ... you'll also need to get air to the cruise port :(

3rd choice ... BERMUDA ... preferably on Breakaway from NYC as the OP mentioned (if possible) ... otherwise the Dawn is also nice :)

For some reason, you have started three threads about this topic.

Bottom line, you have a discounted cruise. Where should you go?

They offer many different types of ships and many different itineraries because different people like different things. There are people that like every one of these options over the other.

What would you like? Hard for anyone here to say.

One of the other threads gave some good input for you.

Personally, we are not so much a fan of the newer really big ships. But others are. Read some reviews, scan some posts here that compare ships, think about travel to get to the ship, what you like and do not like to do, etc. Your transportation comment leads you towards NYC - might also consider Boston?

Then asks some more specific questions, and you do not need to start three different threads/messages.

Only IF you can ... and you want the most *value* for the *free* cruise ... then I would probably also look at Hawaii ... as Pride of America fares typically run a bit higher than the other itineraries. However ... as the OP mentioned ... you'll also need to look at airfare getting to Honolulu :p

 

BUT if you can't and have to stick to those listed ... then Alaska would be a good 2nd choice in terms of *value* for cruise fares. However ... you'll also need to get air to the cruise port :(

 

3rd choice ... BERMUDA ... preferably on Breakaway from NYC as the OP mentioned (if possible) ... otherwise the Dawn is also nice :)

Hawaii is never an option for a casino cruise, there is no gambling on the ship.

Hawaii is never an option for a casino cruise, there is no gambling on the ship.

LOL ... you're absolutely correct ... I totally missed reading that from the OP ;)

Not only am I very familiar with CAS ... I'm also going on POA this August ... AND I'm a TA :p

Thanks so much for the correction :)

One more to add to list:

 

Bermuda (New York -> Breakaway)

thx but that's not on my list of free cruises. (I asked)

:(

One more to add to list:

 

Bermuda (New York -> Breakaway)

That might not be an option. I also received a complimentary cruise from my local casino and that's not one of the valid choices from which I may select my cruise.

We're planning on booking Getaway for this fall. We had thought about doing Breakaway for Thanksgiving, but then we realized that we wouldn't like the colder weather preventing us from enjoying the outer decks for a few days during the cruise.

I've done both itineraries you mention from NY so, if were choosing between the two it would be Canada because I think the ports are more interesting. Port Canaveral isn't high on my list....not much there to do given the limited amount of time you have. Nassau is just OK and Great Stirrup Cay is a nice beach day but, if seas are rough, they sometimes skip it because tendering isn't safe. So, unless the beaches are a priority, I'd choose Canada.

That might not be an option. I also received a complimentary cruise from my local casino and that's not one of the valid choices from which I may select my cruise.

 

We're planning on booking Getaway for this fall. We had thought about doing Breakaway for Thanksgiving, but then we realized that we wouldn't like the colder weather preventing us from enjoying the outer decks for a few days during the cruise.

They do vary.

We have been on 2 of these cruises through Foxwoods and receive a third a couple of weeks ago.

The first one was the Eastern Carribean cruise on the Epic. We had a great time but the airfare and hotel rooms were an additional expense. We flew in a day early, just in case there were any problems with flight delays or cancellations (this was in December) and we had to stay in a hotel on the day we returned from our cruise because our flight was cancelled due to weather.

The second one was the Bahamas/Florida cruise on the Breakaway in March. We were able to drive instead of fly but we did stay the night before on the other side of the Lincoln Tunnel in NJ. We really like this ship, the décor was beautiful and there was lots to do. In Florida, we went to Universal Studios for the day but the stop at Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled.

If you gamble in the casino, give CAS a call a couple of weeks after your return and ask for a quote on another cruise for a future date. When I called, they offered me a comped cruise on the Breakaway in October in a balcony cabin (the offers from Foxwoods was for an inside cabin) so I jumped on it.

Whether you book using your free cruise certificate or directly through CAS, it will cost you just over $300 (the Breakaway was $310 in March and $320 in October) per person, not bad for a week that includes accommodations, meals and entertainment. We also received a card for free drinks while playing in the casino.

The only answer is where do YOU want to go.

I think the first thing you need to consider is how much your airfare is to these destinations & how much you are willing to pay for same.

Personally the Bahamas & Bahamas & Florida ones did not appeal to me.

But I did do the Canadian one on the Gem (going into drydock in November I believe) was great as is the ship & the ports were interesting.

I'd go to Bermuda. I know its out of Boston but if you can drive to NYC you may be close enough to Boston. Also Amtrack is option. We used that with a repo that ended back in Boston. Worked out great as train station very close to port

Another vote for New England/Canada. Ports are more interesting than any offering in the Caribbean for me.

If you can do a Fall cruise, the foliage is absolutely stunning. Photos I took of the countryside look like postcards (some even in the pouring rain).

However, if you are wanting beautiful beaches, then one of the Caribbean cruises might be better for you.

Only you can make the final decision as to what is best for you. Have a great cruise no matter what you decide.

I always put the word "free" in quotes, too.

But they are still highly discounted when you compare them to full fare ones.

Maybe we are playing their game wrong, but we don't play on the on-board slots much so we never get any good deals directly from CAS.

As for destination, Bermuda doesn't hold much allure for us, somit would have to be the New England one.

I always put the word "free" in quotes, too.

 

But they are still highly discounted when you compare them to full fare ones.

 

Maybe we are playing their game wrong, but we don't play on the on-board slots much so we never get any good deals directly from CAS.

 

As for destination, Bermuda doesn't hold much allure for us, somit would have to be the New England one.

Blasphemy ;)

I also agree with the Canada/New England. I think out of all of your options it will be the most "different" of experience vs what I would assume your normal cruise choices would be.

I just got back from my "free" cruise (I'm a TA and it was a sales incentive) and we also chose to leave from NYC because we could drive (12 hours vs. 24 to Miami) and since we booked last minute airfare was sky high.

Have you ever cruised before? Depends upon what you want out of the cruise, and what you enjoy doing. If you are a beach person, Florida/Bahamas out of NY is best/cheapest deal for you. We are not beach people, so we have vowed never to do that trip again, but have enjoyed it in the past. Casino "free" cruises are the best,, We get them all the time, or we just call CAS for cabins. ENJOY- no cruise can be bad

Safe sailing

my casino is giving out free cruises to high tier card members.

I say 'free' because I have to pay $300 to $400 per person in port fees. :(

 

Destinations:

Alaska (Vancouver/Whittier -> Sun)

Bahamas (Miami )

Bahamas & Florida (New York -> Breakaway or Gem)

Bermuda (Boston ->Dawn)

Canada & NE (New York -> Gem)

Caribbean (Houston , Tampa , Miami or New Orleans )

Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles )

 

 

i can drive to NYC and park my car at my parents house so leaving from there is the obvious choice for minimum expenses.

So pro/cons of Bahamas and Canada?

 

or if you have other suggestions?

We took the Canada cruise on the Gem 2013 end of September/early October. Nice time to go without summer crowds. I like the Gem.

One more to add to list:

 

Bermuda (New York -> Breakaway)

wow, a lot has to do with your personal likes and dislikes and what you expect to get from your cruise vacation. Also, have you cruised before and where did you go? .

Top 3 for me would be:

Alaska, if you haven't seen that part of our wonderful country and realize it will be more port intensive than most cruises.

NE and Canada; one of the best experiences we have had, but again, not like some picture a cruise.

Caribbean, if you haven't cruised often or picture cruising as sunshine, fun and the tropics.