Western Caribbean honeymoon cruise help!

My fiancé and I are leaning toward a cruise for our honeymoon in December. For budget reasons we would like to depart from Galvaston or Houston, because we can drive there. We've found three lines that offer a 7 day cruise from those ports on the weekend we would like to leave, but now I'm stuck trying to figure out which one to go with.

Option 1) Royal Carribbean, Navigator of the Seas - Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan

Option 2) Norwegian, Norwegian Jewel - Cozumel, Belize City, Trujillo

Option 3) Princess, Emerald Princess - Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan

We are in our mid/late twenties and first time cruisers. We enjoy being active and are looking for fun things to do in addition to lounging by the pool. We are looking forward to eating some great food and spending time together. I want it to feel special, since it is our honeymoon. Some night life would be good, but we don't need anything crazy! Which of these cruises do you think would be best? They are close enough in price that that's not a deciding factor. Thank you!

Personally I would take royal first choice then princess

The royal ships have lots if different things to do and navigator is tops

Ports are also best on those two cruises

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Either Navigator OTS or Emerald Princess would be good choices.

However, Princess is just a notch higher in my book. Food and service, and it is a newer ship I believe.

My fiancé and I are leaning toward a cruise for our honeymoon in December. For budget reasons we would like to depart from Galvaston or Houston, because we can drive there. We've found three lines that offer a 7 day cruise from those ports on the weekend we would like to leave, but now I'm stuck trying to figure out which one to go with.

 

Option 1) Royal Carribbean, Navigator of the Seas - Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan

Option 2) Norwegian, Norwegian Jewel - Cozumel, Belize City, Trujillo

Option 3) Princess, Emerald Princess - Cozumel, Belize City, Roatan

 

We are in our mid/late twenties and first time cruisers. We enjoy being active and are looking for fun things to do in addition to lounging by the pool. We are looking forward to eating some great food and spending time together. I want it to feel special, since it is our honeymoon. Some night life would be good, but we don't need anything crazy! Which of these cruises do you think would be best? They are close enough in price that that's not a deciding factor. Thank you!

For a Honeymoon, make sure you have a balcony cabin , NOT an inside- there's no sense of being at sea in a broom closet...2nd, I have been on all three ships, and all 3 have pluses & minuses:The Navigator is the biggest & has the most perqs-Royal Promenade ( deck 5 where there are shops, bars & parades-very cool!) , Adult Solarium pool area ( adults only), Ice-skating shows with Russian, Canadian & U.S. skaters skating to great music ( don't miss, BTW), new Flowrider surf simulator, Boleros LATIN dancing...food in the main dining room ( MDR) can be average to good to "OK"..Chops or Giavanni's cost a few $$, but great choice for special night of dinner...NCL Jewel has GREAT specialty dining like Teppanyaki, which is a Japanese Hibachi style restaurant & cook the food in front of you..Le Bistro is a very romantic French place with terrific food & ambiance...Cagney's great for steaks..entertainment usually good on NCL..pool areas small & NO adult pool..Emerald Princess is very nice , but average passenger age will be a bit older than RCI or NCL..some say the ship closes down at 10 or 11..very elegant ship with nice public rooms like the Wheelhouse Bar, Explorer's Lounge, Crooner's..nice specialty restaurant called the Crown Grille...I personally would go with the Navigator 1st, then NCL, then Princess only because you are a young couple..I am a cruise agent and have done 29 cruises on RCI, NCL, Princess, Carnival, Disney, HAL & Celebrity..any more questions, give a shout....

Big Al

I agree with Big Al about the broom closet(interior cabin). Spring for a balcony or at least a window cabin. Royal Caribbean would be my first choice.

Thanks for all the advice so far. We could probably swing a balcony for NCL budgetwise, but would need to settle for ocean view for RCI and Princess because they have a much bigger jump in price for the balcony.

I can’t give an educated opinion on options 2 and 3, however I was on that same Navigator itinerary in May. It was my first cruise and it was amazing. I’m addicted now. I am 31 and my boyfriend is 39. We had no trouble keeping busy at any given time. I loved that ship so much that my boyfriend and I are now talking about taking a cruise for our honeymoon as well.

And, about rooms. I would recommend a balcony as well. With that said though, when originally booking this cruise, I had an interior stateroom. I watched prices fall on an almost daily basis (as our set sail date got closer), and I upgraded us to a Superior Balcony with no additional costs. We’ve now done the same thing for our cruise in January, and I just keep price checking every day….

[quote name=Lexus1224;43474034

And' date=' about rooms. I would recommend a balcony as well. With that said though, when originally booking this cruise, I had an interior stateroom. I watched prices fall on an almost daily basis (as our set sail date got closer), and I upgraded us to a Superior Balcony with no additional costs. We’ve now done the same thing for our cruise in January, and I just keep price checking every day….[/quote]

Wow, that's awesome! So do you suggest I wait longer to book? We would be traveling in December. I just get anxious about not having anything booked, and was hoping to do so this week. I'm now leaning toward biting the bullet and splurging on the balcony on RCI. Should I book an interior and then wait? Do you know what happens if I book a balcony and then the price drops? Can I get a refund or do I just have to live with it?

I don’t know if I can tell you to wait. I’m the same way, I have to have everything booked to feel comfortable. I booked my January cruise while on board the Navigator in May, to take advantage of the deals. Will the price go down? Probably. I’ve seen that once the final payment day is passed, prices tend to lower. If you are comfortable with the price of a balcony now, then book it. You might be able to upgrade even past that. If the price seems somewhat steep, then book an ocean view or interior and watch prices. After having a balcony, I don’t want anything different. But, due to pricing, I had to book an ocean view for January. If prices don’t fall low enough to get an upgrade, I’ll probably just spend the money to get a balcony. Problem with that, though, is that you won’t have much of a selection of rooms. There are pros and cons to booking now or waiting. You just have to figure out what you can or can’t live without…

My girlfriend and I just booked our second trip on the Navigator for November 2nd. We are in are early 20s. First trip we had a inside cabin, this trip we got a window view (the price was cheaper than inside). Plenty of things to do, we were never bored. As far as balcony, I may be cheap, but I can't justify getting one unless it was at a crazy good price. We were never in our room since there was so much going on. Of course I've never had a balcony and this is just my opinion. I would rather take the money saved and do something fun.

I've never had a cruise that dropped in price! December can be a busy cruise time, since kids are out for the holidays....so you may not get a price drop!

Emerald Princess would be our choice -- very nice ship and the itinerary is good. Crooner's is a great place to hang out.

LuLu

It's booked! I found a great deal on a balcony room on Royal Caribbean and jumped on it. It's a couple hundred dollars more than we were originally wanting to spend, but I'm really excited about it and think it will be worth it. Yay!

It's booked! I found a great deal on a balcony room on Royal Caribbean and jumped on it. It's a couple hundred dollars more than we were originally wanting to spend, but I'm really excited about it and think it will be worth it. Yay!

Wonderful! I also would not recommend waiting to book to see if prices drop so I'm glad you did it now. I have never had a price drop in many years of cruising. I booked a cruise in April for this coming October and today the rate is $500/pp more.

Have a wonderful trip....and enjoy that balcony!

My girlfriend and I just booked our second trip on the Navigator for November 2nd. We are in are early 20s. First trip we had a inside cabin, this trip we got a window view (the price was cheaper than inside). Plenty of things to do, we were never bored. As far as balcony, I may be cheap, but I can't justify getting one unless it was at a crazy good price. We were never in our room since there was so much going on. Of course I've never had a balcony and this is just my opinion. I would rather take the money saved and do something fun.

You were never in your cabin because it was a broom closet and there's no reason to go & spend ANY time in an inside cabin...I didn't either ...I hated my cabin..a balcony COMPLETELY changes your cruise & perspective..read my post in the "cabin selection tips" section called "Thanks Cruise Ship Balcony, a commentary"...it has over 20,000 hits and 200 responses...oh, the things you missed out on...BTW, the balcony IS something fun- the dolphins swimming alongside down below..the sunsets..the waves..the salt air..the blue sky...breakfast on your balcony gazing at the Caribbean..the moonlit sky...the stars...the romance...NONE of this you get in an inside FYI...for a honeymoon, I say SPRING for better, and be cheap another time...

Big Al

It's booked! I found a great deal on a balcony room on Royal Caribbean and jumped on it. It's a couple hundred dollars more than we were originally wanting to spend, but I'm really excited about it and think it will be worth it. Yay!

Congratulations!! Great choice...now read my commentary on the "cabin selection tips" section:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1947393

Read it carefully, and either print it OR take note & take with you..look at all the AMAZING responses I got!!You have just made your honeymoon a REAL honeymoon!!

Big Al

You were never in your cabin because it was a broom closet and there's no reason to go & spend ANY time in an inside cabin...I didn't either ...I hated my cabin..a balcony COMPLETELY changes your cruise & perspective..read my post in the "cabin selection tips" section called "Thanks Cruise Ship Balcony, a commentary"...it has over 20,000 hits and 200 responses...oh, the things you missed out on...BTW, the balcony IS something fun- the dolphins swimming alongside down below..the sunsets..the waves..the salt air..the blue sky...breakfast on your balcony gazing at the Caribbean..the moonlit sky...the stars...the romance...NONE of this you get in an inside FYI...for a honeymoon, I say SPRING for better, and be cheap another time...

 

Big Al

Eh, to each their own. I don't take a vacation to stay in a room, but yeah the ocean would be great right outside your room.

Congrats! I'm glad you booked now rather than later...

Personally, my wife and I did an interior room for our honeymoon on another Voyager class ship on Royal Caribbean (that's what Navigator is) and we loved it. It is small but with the money we saved on the room we had more to spend on souvenirs, drinks, specialty restaurants onboard, and small stuff in port. Plus, Navigator was just recently refurbished and they have a new virtual balcony room. If you'd like I can post a link about the virtual balcony. They're pretty cool.

Congratulations on your choices, Bridetobe! Navigator is a great ship, and you were able to get a balcony for a terrific price. You are going to have a blast!

Dont forget to head over to the boards for your ports of call--you'll get some wonderful ideas about things to see and do, as well as interesting excursions.

Good luck! :D

Also, you may want to check the "Roll Calls" section and see if there is a "Meet & Greet (sometimes called "Meet & Mingle")" meeting set up..here's what it is: someone starts a thread on the RCI ( or whatever cruise line & ship) section under roll calls, and posts a thread with the CRUISE DATE of the ship & sailing...this will be a meeting/ gathering of the people here on Cruise Critic who have been in communication for months, sometimes over a year out..example: Cruise Critic ( CC) is sponsoring a M & G / M & M for the Navigator Of The Seas on Dec. 6, 2014..they will choose a location like the Viking Crown Lounge on deck 14 and hold this meeting at 10:30 AM on the 1st sea day ( say, Dec. 8)..you must sign up for this meeting on the official cruise critic thread for M & Greets..there is usually some refreshments, appetizers, and maybe a Rep from RCI and even a CC rep to run the meeting..you then meet all or some of the people from the Roll Calls thread that you may have been communicating with..it's fun for some, others have no interest.. I have been to 5 or 6..some are better attended than others...you don't have to go...just a suggestion..I think for newbies ( 1st time cruisers) it can be fun- you can exchange ideas with veteran cruisers or share your thoughts on the cruise so far...any questions, let us know,Im sure all here will chime in with help or opinions....if you post the date of your cruise, we can send you the link if you have trouble finding it...

Big Al

You were never in your cabin because it was a broom closet and there's no reason to go & spend ANY time in an inside cabin...I didn't either ...I hated my cabin..a balcony COMPLETELY changes your cruise & perspective..read my post in the "cabin selection tips" section called "Thanks Cruise Ship Balcony, a commentary"...it has over 20,000 hits and 200 responses...oh, the things you missed out on...BTW, the balcony IS something fun- the dolphins swimming alongside down below..the sunsets..the waves..the salt air..the blue sky...breakfast on your balcony gazing at the Caribbean..the moonlit sky...the stars...the romance...NONE of this you get in an inside FYI...for a honeymoon, I say SPRING for better, and be cheap another time...

 

 

 

Big Al

I couldn't agree more! I'm happy for the OP that they booked a balcony! I have never sailed without one & don't plan to either. I'm land locked in the Midwest & treasure my personal space with views & breeze of the ocean while I am on a cruise. Breakfast on my balcony, yep, that's my favorite way to start a wonderful day cruising.

OP: I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon cruise! It could possibly be the first cruise of many :)

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