New to cruising. Help me decide which Caribbean cruise is best for me!!?!

I've recently found this forum and I love all the info available here, but I'm a bit overwhelmed!

I've decided to go on a cruise for the first time on my 30th birthday in March. :) My travel companion for this trip is my sister, and I'm trying to figure out which ship would be best for us.

I've narrowed the options to a western Caribbean cruise on either RCI- vision of the seas or Carnival Valor. Which ship is better? The price is the same.

We're likely to book an interior room, are very interested in the shore excursions ( esp. seeing myan ruins), are hoping to find things to do on the ship on cruising days, and would like above average food ( don't care if it's fancy).

Also is it generally the best to book direct so as to get the best deal?

Thanks so much for any help/advice/opinions.:):)

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

I wouldn't worry about which is "best". "Best" is totally subjective- if you asked 10 people you would get 15 different answers. It is your first cruise- you are going to be very impressed by each ship, so, until you develop some experience and interests that are important to you, pick whichever one has longer time in ports, and have a great time.

welcome to cruise critic! we pick a cruise based on ports, cost and perhaps most importantly when we have time to go. food is too subjective. leave unrealistic expectations and entitlement mentality at home and you'll have a blast.

I think you should spend some time checking out the ships and see what appeals to you. Google both ships and look at the pictures that are posted. Does one ship's amenities appeal to you more than the other? Then that might be the answer.

Valor is a "newer" ship than Vision. Valor came out in 2004 whereas Vision came out in 1998. Is that a big deal? Probably not to you since this is your first cruise.

Do they both embark from the same port or is one closer to where you live? That might make a difference, too.

Keep searching for information here on Cruise Critic. There is a wealth of information here to help you make your final decision. And remember that you can always book the other ship later!

These two sail out on the same day and visit the same ports, just in reverse order.

Questions you may ask yourself:

1. Is Tampa or Port Canaveral a better port for you? Maybe you may want to visit Bush gardens in Tampa, or go to the Kennedy Space Center in Port Canaveral area. It is always advised to arrive a day early for the cruise is case of weather or airline delays. Are you flying in or driving?

2. Does the approx min $90 per person extra for RCI make a difference to you? Keep in mind that you get 160 sq ft on RCI and 185 sq ft for a Carnival inside cabin. Personally, I would take the bigger cabin on Carnival and use the $180 savings to cover my gratuities for the week.

Food on either line is very similar.

Good luck, and on either ship, I am sure you will have a great time.

I think RCCL is the better line in general, but a friend of mine did RCCL last year and Carnival this year and said food was a little better on RCCL but other things were about the same. For 1st cruise I think either would work.

Do not fail to check out costs of flights, which can be more than cruise cost.

I would go with Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. We are doing that 8/30/15.

Everyone's advice is right on. Most important points were:

*Where do you live in conjunction with the ports? You can fly right into Tampa and the port is not very far, but Port Canaveral you have to fly into Orlando and that is about an hour ride. Or maybe you live in Orlando and it doesn't matter.

*Which stops are most appealing to you, see which cruise stays at that port the longest.

Both cruise lines are fantastic, I have been on both several times, and would go on both again.

Happy sailing!! Rob

Everyone is giving you good advice. Since you haven't cruised before you will be in awe of both as soon as you step on the ship. My advice: google the ships and see what each offers and see if either of them are more appealing to you, especially since the ports are the same. Someone did make a good point that the Carnival rooms are bigger. Doesn't sound like a big deal until you have 2 women in a room sharing space and storage for a week :)

Also do look at flights first before you book. That can make a huge difference. I mean really, one destination could have a flight that is way more expensive than the other.

What about home ports? Does one home port excite you more than the other? I assume you will fly the day before (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND), what will you do that night? Is one city more exciting than the other?

I've recently found this forum and I love all the info available here, but I'm a bit overwhelmed!

 

I've decided to go on a cruise for the first time on my 30th birthday in March. :) My travel companion for this trip is my sister, and I'm trying to figure out which ship would be best for us.

 

I've narrowed the options to a western Caribbean cruise on either RCI- vision of the seas or Carnival Valor. Which ship is better? The price is the same.

 

We're likely to book an interior room, are very interested in the shore excursions ( esp. seeing myan ruins), are hoping to find things to do on the ship on cruising days, and would like above average food ( don't care if it's fancy).

 

Also is it generally the best to book direct so as to get the best deal?

 

Thanks so much for any help/advice/opinions.:):)

Since no one addressed your last question, I'll say that I prefer to book directly with the cruise line. Especially if you book Early Saver on Carnival where you may want to submit multiple price match requests. A Travel Agent (TA) will sometimes offer extras like OBC or some other perk, but they often charge a cancelation fee above what the cruise line may charge. Most importantly, if you have an issue or problem, the cruise line will only deal with the TA. They will not talk to you and you cannot make certain changes online as you can if you book direct.

Lots of good advice has been given. The only thing I'd add is to suggest that excursion to see Mayan ruins be booked through the ship, not with an independent. Cost is a bit more but given the chance of delays/missing ship, you want the comfort of guarantee to get you back on board.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I would go with RCI.

Also, since this is your first cruise -- go with the ship's excursions. If something happens and the tour gets back late, the ship will be waiting for you. People who go out independently and don't watch their time end up missing the ship as the ships won't wait for them.

Between those 2 ships, Carnival's will have much larger cabins than Vision.....

As far as excursions, if you do your research (get a guidebook!!), there is NO reason to do ship's excursions, unless you want to. There's nothing wrong with them...but they can be more expensive than private, or DIY things....and DIY is usually VERY easy to do for most things. Like I said...research is key to getting the most from your time ashore!

Thanks so much everyone!!! All these responses have been helpful to me!

I think I'm leaning toward RCI. Mainly because the time spent at the ports is longer than the time allotted by carnival. That's most important to me, since the excursions that I'm interested in are the longer ones. Although I did like carnival more in that the ship was more appealing to me and seemed like it has more to do....

I do think that I'm too chicken to not book an excursion with the cruise line - even though it's extremely marked up. It will be my first trip out of the country and I don't want to worry about getting left behind!

I'm flying down from the northeast, now I just have to play the airfare game ( I hate that part of planning for a vacation)! The fares are about the same for both TPA and MCO right now, but are a bit high in my opinion.

Thanks again for the comments!

I disagree on the advice about travel agents - I got a discount on the published fare and I also got on board credit and chocolate covered strawberries in our stateroom for our honeymoon cruise. That was on top of the regular promotion currently going on, so we also have all inclusive beverage packages.

A good travel agent can save you more than the published rate.

I've recently found this forum and I love all the info available here, but I'm a bit overwhelmed!

 

I've decided to go on a cruise for the first time on my 30th birthday in March. :) My travel companion for this trip is my sister, and I'm trying to figure out which ship would be best for us.

 

I've narrowed the options to a western Caribbean cruise on either RCI- vision of the seas or Carnival Valor. Which ship is better? The price is the same.

 

We're likely to book an interior room, are very interested in the shore excursions ( esp. seeing myan ruins), are hoping to find things to do on the ship on cruising days, and would like above average food ( don't care if it's fancy).

 

Also is it generally the best to book direct so as to get the best deal?

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for any help/advice/opinions.:):)

Cruise agent here...Congrats on your 1st cruise!! Any reason you are looking at the Vision Of The Seas & Valor? RCI has much nicer & newer ships with lots more things to do on sea days than the older Vision..None of the food on mid level cruise lines is fancy, (IMO) except maybe Celebrity is slightly fancier..the new NCL ships ( Getaway, new Escape & Epic) are good choices because NCL has free "specialty dining" packages where you can dine in a different restaurant every night, or free alcohol packages and their entertainment is top notch..Vision will have limited dining & entertainment and so will the Valor..IF I were sending 2 people on their first Caribbean cruise ( which I JUST did- they got off the RCI Independence of The Seas Western Caribb & LOVED IT!!) I would suggest : RCI Freedom Of The Seas ( Port Canaveral), Independence Of The Seas ( Port Everglades) Allure & Oasis Of The Seas ( also Port Ever), NCL Getaway or Escape ( new ship coming Nov. '15) both in Miami, NCL Epic, Carnival Breeze in Miami to name a few..

You didn't mention a few things: what city are you flying from, if any? Being 30, you probably should cruise on Carnival, RCI or NCL..other lines like Princess, Holland America or Celebrity are fine, but tend to attract older passengers.. If you want see the Mayan ruins, you can go to Cozumel, and Belize for that...also, look for deals on balcony cabins- nothing beats seeing the Caribbean sea when you wake up, hanging out there for breakfast on your private balcony, seeing the waves, feeling the wind & smelling the salt air, and so much more..FYI- when you enter your balcony cabin, you are always amazed as to what is waiting for you to see, feel & experience..on the other hand, NOBODY walks into their inside cabin and goes, "wow- fantastic!!"..just read my post under "cabin selection tips" called "5 reasons to book a balcony"..lots of great info & 95% of the posts agree with me..just a thought to enhance your cruise experience..we went on our first cruise 20 years ago in an inside cabin & hated the cabin, loved the cruise..missed all the action others talked about..now, it's a balcony or nothing..I won't spend my vacation in a broom closet, but that's me..you can find great deals on balconies, just keep looking...please answer the question to get a better idea of what cruise line & ship are best for you..finally, cruise agents can sometimes give you hidden discounts you may not be aware of, or have a group reserved ( they block say, 25+ cabins on certain cruises & get discounts), or have on board credits ( OBC) for you, etc..I would check both- call yourself or go online, then call an agent & see what deals they have...any questions, give a shout & good luck & welcome to the wonderful world of cruising & Cruise Critic!!

Big Al

I disagree on the advice about travel agents - I got a discount on the published fare and I also got on board credit and chocolate covered strawberries in our stateroom for our honeymoon cruise. That was on top of the regular promotion currently going on, so we also have all inclusive beverage packages.

 

A good travel agent can save you more than the published rate.

I agree, but it is not always easy to find a good one, some charge extra to cancel or change.