Please help us choose a 2016 Carnival, NCL, or RCI cruise

Hello! Overwhelmed with our choices, especially since we are looking at other cruise lines this time around, we are asking for our fellow cruisers help.

We are DH & DW (40’s) & DS (teens). Cruising every 5-6mos, we currently have 3 booked for 2014-2015 & are looking to choose another for Jan/Feb 2016. Our first cruise was with RCI & all others since then have been with Carnival.

Here are 6 choices we are considering, with notes on our Plus, Minus, & Neutral points:

8 Day Southern Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Carnival Sunshine to Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Turk starting at $539pp.

• Pluses: 8 Day cruise, sails from our favorite home port, & we’ve never been to Aruba or Bonaire.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: We’d be sailing this same ship 2 cruises in a row, visiting Grand Turk 3 times in 1 year, & this 8 Day cruise is more expensive than the NCL 7 Day cruises.

7 Day Western Caribbean from Tampa aboard Norwegian Star to Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel starting at $462pp.

• Pluses: Never sailed from Tampa nor on NCL, never been to Harvest Caye nor Costa Maya, Cozumel is our son’s favorite port, & this is currently the cheapest of our choices, tied with the cruise below.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: Our summer visit to Roatan was HOT so hoping for cooler weather in Jan/Feb.
  

7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Key West, Georgetown, Ocho Rios, Great Stirrup Cay starting at $462pp.

• Pluses: Sails from our favorite home port & never sailed NCL. Love Key West, our son hasn’t been there yet, & we’ve never been to Great Stirrup Cay. This is currently the cheapest of our choices, tied with the cruise above.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: We are visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica & Grand Cayman for the 1st time in Spring 2015, but have never been to Ocho Rios.
  

7 Day Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Nassau, St. Thomas, Tortola starting at $496pp.

• Pluses: Sails from our favorite home port & never sailed NCL. Love St. Thomas & have never been to Tortola. Currently the 2nd most affordable.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: Having been numerous times, Nassau is a good ship day for us, making for 2 port days.
  

7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Freedom of the Seas to Port Canaveral, Labadi/Labadee, Falmouth, Caymans/George Town, Cozumel, Port Canaveral starting at $480-536 (depending on dates).

• Pluses: Sails from our favorite home port, haven’t sailed RCI in 10+ years, & never sailed Freedom of the Seas. Never been to Labadi/Labadee & Cozumel is our son’s favorite port.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: We are visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica & Grand Cayman for the 1st time in Spring 2015, but have never been to Falmouth.
  

7 Day Western Caribbean from Tampa aboard Vision of the Seas to Tampa, Key West, Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Tampa starting at $521.

• Pluses: Never sailed from Tampa, haven’t sailed RCI in 10+ years, & never sailed Vision of the Seas. Never been to Costa Maya. Love Key West & our son hasn’t been there yet. Cozumel is our son’s favorite port.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: Having been, we would use Belize as a ship day, making for 3 port days.
  

I will be posting this on all 3 cruise lines forums to cast a larger net. Thanks a million for your input, opinions, experience, & advice!

Great options and prices.

I'd vote for the Sunshine; 8 days beats 7 and I haven't been to Aruba or Bonaire. I really liked the Sunshine on my Med cruise so that was a plus also.

Can't go wrong with any of the choices though:)

Who cares if you sailed the same ship two cruises in a row, as long as you enjoyed the ship. Heck, I did a southern Caribe twice on the same ship within six months on the same itinerary!

I'd do the eight night, as I prefer the southern itinerary, and also have no use for Jamaica. Falmouth is just a pseudo port, unless you take excursions from there.

Obviously an 8 day cruise will probably be more expensive than a 7 day one.

Dreamier, I love that you listed no minuses! With that approach you and your family will have a wonderful cruise no matter which one you pick. :)

I would choose either NCL Spirit, the one that goes to Tortola (one of our favorite places, and an excursion to The Baths on Virgin Gorda is a must do!!), or NCL Star, that goes to Harvest Caye and Roatan. We love Roatan, and Harvest Caye is now being developed as NCL's new private island...I, for one, am very excited about that! We love the freestyle concept on NCL, and the entertainment is way better than Carnival.

On the other hand, 8 days is always better than 7. We've been to Aruba and Grand Turk, but not Bonaire. We've also been on the Sunshine, and it is definitely a quirky ship. There were some things we loved about it, and some things we didn't like at all (mainly the Comedy Club, which is tiny!!)

We've never sailed Royal Caribbean, so can't say much about it, except their prices are almost always higher than Carnival and NCL, and the ports are pretty much the same.

I would do Sunshine or Freedom of Seas.....FOS just to experience the ship but Sunshine has 8 days and a fun itinerary. I would NOT base your choice on going to Costa Maya...we did not care for that port at all!!

Great options and prices.

I'd vote for the Sunshine; 8 days beats 7 and I haven't been to Aruba or Bonaire. I really liked the Sunshine on my Med cruise so that was a plus also.

Can't go wrong with any of the choices though

Thankfully it seems we can't go wrong, but it’s just so hard to choose! So glad to hear that you liked the Sunshine. (And a Med cruise?! Ahhh, heavenly!) Thank you for your experience & advice!

Who cares if you sailed the same ship two cruises in a row, as long as you enjoyed the ship.

This IS a concern! We hesitate to book January until we have a good experience aboard Sunshine in September, & we always book way in advance. We do have the consolation of having never been on a cruise or a cruise ship that we haven’t liked!

I'd do the eight night, as I prefer the southern itinerary, and also have no use for Jamaica. Falmouth is just a pseudo port, unless you take excursions from there.

The Labadi/Labadee & Falmouth itinerary does concern us as well. Our first time in Jamaica will be happening in April (Montego Bay). Thank you for pointing out these important considerations!

Dreamier, I love that you listed no minuses! With that approach you and your family will have a wonderful cruise no matter which one you pick.

Thanks for picking up on that! We tend to get through any rough times taking only good memories with us!

I would choose either NCL Spirit, the one that goes to Tortola (one of our favorite places, and an excursion to The Baths on Virgin Gorda is a must do!!), or NCL Star, that goes to Harvest Caye and Roatan. We love Roatan, and Harvest Caye is now being developed as NCL's new private island...I, for one, am very excited about that! We love the freestyle concept on NCL, and the entertainment is way better than Carnival.

Cannot wait to see The Baths & I’m very excited to see the info on the development of Harvest Caye! We are also looking forward to experiencing NCL’s freestyle concept someday & I’ve heard great things about the entertainment as well.

On the other hand, 8 days is always better than 7. We've been to Aruba and Grand Turk, but not Bonaire. We've also been on the Sunshine, and it is definitely a quirky ship. There were some things we loved about it, and some things we didn't like at all (mainly the Comedy Club, which is tiny!!)

Yes, 8 days is better than 7! BUT?! Is 7 days on an awesome ship better than 8 days on a quirky ship?! lol Something to think about, especially since the Comedy Club is where we spend most of our evenings...thank you for that tidbit! (Love your screen name, btw!)

I would do Sunshine or Freedom of Seas.....FOS just to experience the ship but Sunshine has 8 days and a fun itinerary. I would NOT base your choice on going to Costa Maya...we did not care for that port at all!!

Your advice seems to be spot-on with everyone else’s & with our currently forming thoughts on the matter. Thanks a million for taking the time to help us out!

Comparison by the numbers:

NCL Spirit built 1999 refurb 2011 75,000 tons 1966 pass 4 stars

RCI Vision built 1998 refurb 2013 78,000 tons 2435 pass 4 stars

NCL Star built 2001 refurb 2010 91,000 tons 2240 pass 4 stars

CCL Sunshine 1996 refurb 2013 101,000 tons 3,006 pass 4.5 stars

RCI Freedom 2006 refurb 2011 158,000 tons 4375 pass 5 stars

IMHO, it's a 2 horse race between the Freedom of the Seas and the Sunshine. The Freedom is the largest, the newest and the highest rated. It goes to Labadee, which is a great easy beach day as well as GC so you can swim with the sting rays or go to the turtle farm and hell and it stops in Cozumel, which is your son's favorite. While in Falmouth, take a quick walk around the port area and then get back on the ship to explore everything the ship has to offer while many are off of the ship.

The Sunshine visits Aruba, which is my favorite port, and the extra day always helps. All in all, I would go with the largest and the newest, but that's just me. I have been lucky enough to cruise the Caribbean 21 times, so the ship is more of the destination for me and the ports are secondary.

I prefer going to the Southern Caribbean over anything that hits Jamaica.

What it really comes down to is how many port days do you want, Sunshine with 8 days & 3 ports you will have a number of sea days (which is pretty easy to do on the Sunshine). I would add one more to look at, the 8 day So.Carib out of San Juan PR, lots of ports that are all amazing (sorry to add to confusion). The others all have some great ports, love Grand Turks (been 3 times & have never left the port area) Cayman is neat, clean,quiet everything you expect from British Territory (really what Jamaica should be).

Which ever way you go, you will have an amazing time I am sure. Enjoy!

IMHO, it's a 2 horse race between the Freedom of the Seas and the Sunshine.

That's also my opinion. Pluses for the Sunshine: 1 more day, more time at sea (if you like sea days), and some new ports. Pluses for the Freedom: without a doubt the best ship on the list, and Labadee is absolutely heaven on earth. If you can swing it, get an overwater cabana in Nellie's Beach.

About the other ships, I don't think you can go wrong with any (all have their pluses), but the NCL Spirit Eastern itinerary would be at the bottom of my list, simply because it goes to Nassau. Also, at 75,000 tons, she's small. The venues and activities, specially for your teens, will not be as varied as on the larger, newer, and more innovative ships.

I prefer going to the Southern Caribbean over anything that hits Jamaica.

What it really comes down to is how many port days do you want, Sunshine with 8 days & 3 ports you will have a number of sea days (which is pretty easy to do on the Sunshine). I would add one more to look at, the 8 day So.Carib out of San Juan PR, lots of ports that are all amazing (sorry to add to confusion). The others all have some great ports, love Grand Turks (been 3 times & have never left the port area) Cayman is neat, clean,quiet everything you expect from British Territory (really what Jamaica should be).

Which ever way you go, you will have an amazing time I am sure. Enjoy!

I'm a port person (sea days drive me nuts), I'd add the San Juan one too. Tons of southern Caribbean ports.

Comparison by the numbers:

 

NCL Spirit built 1999 refurb 2011 75,000 tons 1966 pass 4 stars

RCI Vision built 1998 refurb 2013 78,000 tons 2435 pass 4 stars

NCL Star built 2001 refurb 2010 91,000 tons 2240 pass 4 stars

CCL Sunshine 1996 refurb 2013 101,000 tons 3,006 pass 4.5 stars

RCI Freedom 2006 refurb 2011 158,000 tons 4375 pass 5 stars

 

IMHO, it's a 2 horse race between the Freedom of the Seas and the Sunshine. The Freedom is the largest, the newest and the highest rated. It goes to Labadee, which is a great easy beach day as well as GC so you can swim with the sting rays or go to the turtle farm and hell and it stops in Cozumel, which is your son's favorite. While in Falmouth, take a quick walk around the port area and then get back on the ship to explore everything the ship has to offer while many are off of the ship.

The Sunshine visits Aruba, which is my favorite port, and the extra day always helps. All in all, I would go with the largest and the newest, but that's just me. I have been lucky enough to cruise the Caribbean 21 times, so the ship is more of the destination for me and the ports are secondary.

You are a # person like us…great comparison! Thanks in particular for the refurb dates & the star ratings. Really appreciate all of your suggestions.

I prefer going to the Southern Caribbean over anything that hits Jamaica.

What it really comes down to is how many port days do you want, Sunshine with 8 days & 3 ports you will have a number of sea days (which is pretty easy to do on the Sunshine). I would add one more to look at, the 8 day So.Carib out of San Juan PR, lots of ports that are all amazing (sorry to add to confusion). The others all have some great ports, love Grand Turks (been 3 times & have never left the port area) Cayman is neat, clean, quiet everything you expect from British Territory (really what Jamaica should be).

Which ever way you go, you will have an amazing time I am sure. Enjoy!

We also prefer Southern Caribbean & enjoy our time at sea almost more than anything. You didn’t add to confusion, you helped quite a lot, so thanks a bunch for your reply!

That's also my opinion. Pluses for the Sunshine: 1 more day, more time at sea (if you like sea days), and some new ports. Pluses for the Freedom: without a doubt the best ship on the list, and Labadee is absolutely heaven on earth. If you can swing it, get an overwater cabana in Nellie's Beach.

 

About the other ships, I don't think you can go wrong with any (all have their pluses), but the NCL Spirit Eastern itinerary would be at the bottom of my list, simply because it goes to Nassau. Also, at 75,000 tons, she's small. The venues and activities, specially for your teens, will not be as varied as on the larger, newer, and more innovative ships.

Love sea days & we’re always looking for new ports. Thankful to hear you say Labadee is heaven on earth as we haven’t done much research/reading on that port. I am making a note about your suggestion for an overwater cabana in Nellie’s Beach. Thanks for all of your insight!

I'm a port person (sea days drive me nuts), I'd add the San Juan one too. Tons of southern Caribbean ports.

Thank you for your help!

We are DH & DW (40’s) & DS (teens). Cruising every 5-6mos, we currently have 3 booked for 2014-2015 & are looking to choose another for Jan/Feb 2016. Our first cruise was with RCI & all others since then have been with Carnival.

 

Here are 6 choices we are considering, with notes on our Plus, Minus, & Neutral points:

 

8 Day Southern Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Carnival Sunshine to Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Turk starting at $539pp.

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Tampa aboard Norwegian Star to Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel starting at $462pp.

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Key West, Georgetown, Ocho Rios, Great Stirrup Cay starting at $462pp.

 

7 Day Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Nassau, St. Thomas, Tortola starting at $496pp.

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Freedom of the Seas to Port Canaveral, Labadi/Labadee, Falmouth, Caymans/George Town, Cozumel, Port Canaveral starting at $480-536 (depending on dates).

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Tampa aboard Vision of the Seas to Tampa, Key West, Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Tampa starting at $521.

 

I too, am planning our January 2016 cruise. And coincidentally, we are DH & DW (early 40s), and DS 13 and DD 12. I have our cruise narrowed down to 4 choices, and two of which are on your list:

1) 7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Key West, Georgetown, Ocho Rios, Great Stirrup Cay starting at $462pp. - Perfect itinerary! However, we sailed the NCL Jewel this past January and it was my kids' least favorite cruise ship to date. They were greatly disappointed in the kids program. We liked the food on the ship and dining choices, but the ship was IMHO, more on the boring side for families. I expect the Spirit to have the same feel. You can read my picture review linked in my signature.

2) 7 day NCL Getaway to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Great Stirrup Cay. This cruise starts at $789 OUCH. There will have to be a "Kids Sail Free" promo for us to take this cruise. But the Getaway looks sweet! I expect the entertainment to be top notch. Also, we like that it ports in Ocho Rios, as Falmouth would add nearly an extra hour of travel time to and from excursions.

3) 6 day Breeze to Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel starting at $369. What a low price and a great ship we have not yet sailed. If we do this cruise, we will tag on a day at Sea World on our way home.

4) 7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Freedom of the Seas to Port Canaveral, Labadi/Labadee, Falmouth, Caymans/George Town, Cozumel, Port Canaveral starting at $480-536. This is a great price for this ship. We really want to try this cruise, but this itinerary is the week after our desired week to cruise. It's not a deal breaker, but it does make a difference.

Our family does not seem to enjoy the older RCI or NCL ships as much as we like the older Carnival ships. Even the older Fantasy class ships on Carnival offer lots of extras for kids and families (waterworks and comedy club). We have already sailed the 8-day southern Caribbean itinerary (Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao) on Carnival Freedom, and we will be sailing the Sunshine this January. Had we not already done these two, I think your choice of the 8-day Sunshine to Aruba, Bonaire, and Grand Turk would probably be our first choice.

I too, am planning our January 2016 cruise. And coincidentally, we are DH & DW (early 40s), and DS 13 and DD 12. I have our cruise narrowed down to 4 choices, and two of which are on your list:

 

1) 7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Key West, Georgetown, Ocho Rios, Great Stirrup Cay starting at $462pp. - Perfect itinerary! However, we sailed the NCL Jewel this past January and it was my kids' least favorite cruise ship to date. They were greatly disappointed in the kids program. We liked the food on the ship and dining choices, but the ship was IMHO, more on the boring side for families. I expect the Spirit to have the same feel. You can read my picture review linked in my signature.

 

2) 7 day NCL Getaway to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Great Stirrup Cay. This cruise starts at $789 OUCH. There will have to be a "Kids Sail Free" promo for us to take this cruise. But the Getaway looks sweet! I expect the entertainment to be top notch. Also, we like that it ports in Ocho Rios, as Falmouth would add nearly an extra hour of travel time to and from excursions.

 

3) 6 day Breeze to Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel starting at $369. What a low price and a great ship we have not yet sailed. If we do this cruise, we will tag on a day at Sea World on our way home.

 

4) 7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Freedom of the Seas to Port Canaveral, Labadi/Labadee, Falmouth, Caymans/George Town, Cozumel, Port Canaveral starting at $480-536. This is a great price for this ship. We really want to try this cruise, but this itinerary is the week after our desired week to cruise. It's not a deal breaker, but it does make a difference.

 

 

Our family does not seem to enjoy the older RCI or NCL ships as much as we like the older Carnival ships. Even the older Fantasy class ships on Carnival offer lots of extras for kids and families (waterworks and comedy club). We have already sailed the 8-day southern Caribbean itinerary (Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao) on Carnival Freedom, and we will be sailing the Sunshine this January. Had we not already done these two, I think your choice of the 8-day Sunshine to Aruba, Bonaire, and Grand Turk would probably be our first choice.

It’s been fun to share our dilemma with you! What a nice dilemma to have, huh?!

Really enjoyed looking through your Jewel pics! I agree, the Spirit has an ideal itinerary but we are now leaning toward saving our first NCL experience for a newer/bigger ship. We’ve seen a NYC sailing to Bermuda that really struck our fancy, but not for Jan/Feb! Brrr!

Really took note of your comment about how your family doesn’t enjoy the older RCI or NCL ships as much as even the Carnival Fantasy class. We took DS & DD on Fantasy earlier this year &, even though they still had a great time, it is their least favorite ship in recent memory.

DH & I have done more talking & realize that the end of February would be most ideal. That particular sailing for Freedom of the Seas has already gone up substantially. We’ll have to keep watching for a deal like the one I initially noted.

Earlier today we took another look at the Carnival cruises available for the end-of-Feb/first-of-March & saw that Sunshine has an 8 day to Aruba, Curacao, & Grand Turk for the first full week of March but I know we would not enjoy going during a spring break week. Hmmm...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your choices…we’ll be excited to hear what you decide so please come back & let us know the winner!

Dreamier-

Here's my question to you. Did you like the Sunshine? Did your kids like the Sunshine as well?

I mean if you liked the ship, who cares if you were on the ship before. I would care more about the itinerary. The 8 day southern route sounds lovely and with it being affordable I would so go with that.

I was once offered some advice when i was trying to choose and I didn't take it.

The Eastern and Southern Routes are usually so much more expensive than the Western routes and if you can go that direction for cheaper you should.

We didn't follow this advice and now we are paying a LOT more money for an Eastern route this trip.

Plus, I would much rather be on vacation for 8 days vs. 7!

Good luck with your choice!!!

Here's my question to you. Did you like the Sunshine? Did your kids like the Sunshine as well?

I mean if you liked the ship, who cares if you were on the ship before. I would care more about the itinerary. The 8 day southern route sounds lovely and with it being affordable I would so go with that.

I was once offered some advice when i was trying to choose and I didn't take it.

The Eastern and Southern Routes are usually so much more expensive than the Western routes and if you can go that direction for cheaper you should.

We didn't follow this advice and now we are paying a LOT more money for an Eastern route this trip.

Plus, I would much rather be on vacation for 8 days vs. 7!

Good luck with your choice!!!

We are sailing Sunshine for the first time in September 2015 & will be booking this 2016 cruise long before then. We love to sail new ships with new itineraries as often as possible. I agree with you 100% that we should take the 8 Day Southern if it is the most affordable deal in comparison to a Western route. Even if we go a bit later & that increases the price a bit (which is what we are now looking at), the 8 Day Southern is still a great deal. Thanks so much for your advice & good luck wishes!

UPDATE:

DH & I have been reading all 3 threads with great interest! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply. You have helped us immensely!

We have decided to save NCL for another time. Breakaway from NYC to Bermuda in late summer/early fall sounds perfect. We’ll take a peek at the late summer/early fall 2016 fares when they’re released.

We have also brainstormed our initial dates, which were based on lowest prices for those ships/itineraries. With our time window narrowed & bumped from Feb 19 until the 1st week of March, we were able to make a quick list based on all of your feedback!

RCI Freedom of the Seas 7 Day Western Feb 28.

• Now at the top of our list as long as we can get the total price (stateroom, taxes/fees, gratuities) for the same or better as the Sunshine 8 Day Southern below.

If not...

Carnival Sunshine 8 Day Southern Caribbean Mar 5.

• Concerns... Will we like the ship when we are on her Sep 2015 & therefore enjoy going on her again the very next cruise? And will this fall during spring break time?
  
• However... The 8 Day itinerary of Aruba, Curacao, & Grand Turk may trump all!
  
• The original Sunshine 8 Day we were looking at included Bonaire in the place of Curacao. Curacao wouldn’t be a “bad” trade-off, would it? (We will probably do a land &/or sea tour at either.)

Carnival Valor 7 Day Western Caribbean Feb 20; Port Canaveral, Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, & Costa Maya.

• New on the list, this is a good option due the affordability.
  
• We loved Conquest & since then have been looking at the Conquest-class ships sailing out of Port Canaveral.
  
• We have not been to Costa Maya & were at these other ports during a very hot, humid, stormy season. It would be nice to have another opportunity to visit during a cooler time of year.

So that is the latest. We both thank you all again for the brainstorming, will keep reading your replies, & will definitely keep you posted on our decision!

With our time window narrowed & bumped from Feb 19 until the 1st week of March...

CORRECTION: With our time window narrowed & bumped TO Feb 19 through the 1st week of March...

For shiggles, I decided to check out the current prices from a large online agency. They currently have the valor @ 479 and the Sunshine @ 739 pp. This is for an inside cabin and before taxes.

But...the Freedom of the Seas has inside @ 640 with 100 OBC per cabin and the best deal is OV cabins @ 679 with 500 in OBC per cabin. I would hop all over that deal. Google vacations.

For shiggles, I decided to check out the current prices from a large online agency. They currently have the valor @ 479 and the Sunshine @ 739 pp. This is for an inside cabin and before taxes.

 

But...the Freedom of the Seas has inside @ 640 with 100 OBC per cabin and the best deal is OV cabins @ 679 with 500 in OBC per cabin. I would hop all over that deal. Google vacations.

I can't thank you enough for bringing this up & sharing what you found. We haven't booked with anyone but Carnival since '04/'05 & for that we have an awesome PVP, book Early Saver way in advance, & have been fortunate to take advantage of numerous price drops for every cruise. I have no clue how to go about getting the best deal with RCI. We are leaving for a cruise next week so I figured I'd wait & start researching & asking questions then, but since you've brought it up... Care to share any tips/tricks on getting the lowest/best price for that RCI Freedom of the Seas cruise? It was $480 on Friday but was $640 by Sunday. Again, thanks a million! (Added: For health reasons, we always book an interior stateroom, located closest centrally to all that we're interested in on board that particular ship.)

I would vote the Sunshine as it is 8 days and visiting places I have never been....or the 7 day Norwegian Spirit. I have been on that ship and really enjoyed it. Good Luck with your choice!