Virgin to cruising!!! Please help!

I know I should probably take the time and sift through all the threads, but honestly I am feeling the time crunch and am panicking. I have never ever been on a cruise but my husband and children want to go on one, so here I am. I have been looking around for the best deal I can find and a lot of the information they are shelling out to me is so confusing. So here is the basic backgroun of my planned trip.

There will be 4 of us- 2 adults and 2 young children(7 & 3). We would like to take a 7 day Bahamma trip either out of NY, NJ or Baltimore. We would like our travel dates to be either the week of April 27th or May 11th. I need a window, oceanview obstructed is fine. I do not need to worry about parking or airfare.

My husband is a police officer and he qualifies for military discount. I tried to call our MWR but the person that works there left early today, so I headed online. ***I found on the Norwegian Cruise line website I could get a cruise for $2588 for either of those weeks...that includes taxes. It was 599 for the two adults and 399 for the kids. It was for an obstructed view. The extras was only a $30 onboard credit. ***I found this same deal as the cruise line website on a TA site, but with a $75 dollar onboard credit. ***Another site seems to offer a lower rate by a couple of dollars.

Now my question is: should I wait out until the MWR person is back, which could be not until next Wed, or should I jump on one of the deals online? Carnival offers a similiar rate, are they are better cruiseline then Norweigian?

Noweigan & Carnival are similar enough that it doesn't matter all that much. Both lines have their fans & detractors. Your family should have a good time on either.

I think NCL offers Nickeloden characters on board some ships that leave from NY. The kids may like that.

Thanks Trish...I am hearing the similiar things from my friends that have cruised. Does one have bigger rooms then the other? Another big difference I am seeing between the two is Norweigan goes to their own private destination while Carnival goes to Freeport, Bahammas. Many people are telling me Freeport is not worth my time?

I am almost wondering if I should do an eastern caribbean cruise vs a Bahamma one. I have never been out of the US

I don't much care for the Bahamas. I'd take my kids to the private island before Freeport for safety if nothing else. The 7 year old can have a bit of controlled freedom on GSC. The best way I can decribe the private islands is contrived . . . if Disney did a day at the beach, this is what it would look like.

I think the Carnival cabin is a bit bigger but I have never sailed Carnival. The NCL cabin is well organized.with a place for everything. I imagine Carnival's is too.

The R/T Bahamas cruises are kind of boring IMHO so the ship itself becomes your destination. You can't really give any of the Florida stops true enjoyment because you aren't there long enough to do justice to Disney or Cape Canaveral. Go there as destinations, not ports.

Check out the family board & really make sure you are comfortable with the children's program on the line you chose. I don't have kids so I can't be much help. I do know there are no lifeguards on NCL which always makes me nervous when I see little kids playing in the pool but no sober parent in sight.

In addition to Trish's advice, check the Ports of Call for your stops. Once you book, join the Roll Call for your cruise. There you will talk to others sailing with you. Often there are discussions of what to do in the ports.

We have an 8 year old and have been on 30+ cruises. This is only my opinion - I would not do a cruise out of the Northeast in March or April. We live in PA so cruising out of a "drivable" port is tempting. We've done it 4 times and have been disappointed every time. To really get a great cruise experience - you need to choose what is the best match for your family. If you depart in March or April - it will most likely be very cold. You will lose at least 1 day each way to enjoy being on deck. Also - very important to note - The Bahamas are not very warm(compared to the Caribbean) in March and April. We've been to the Bahamas in these months. Even though the air temp can be 78-80 degrees - the water is not warm enough to swim.

To really make the best of your first experience, I'd recommend waiting until your budget allows flights to Florida. It's a totally different experience. Ther is just no comparison between the Bahamas and the Caribbean. We've cruised with our children since they were babies. I just can't think of what you would do to even occupy them if swimming on the ship and going to the beach were not options.

As far as ships go - we've been on many CCL and NCL ships - some we definately like more than others. It is difficult to choose one line over the other - there are ships in each line we like. Currently our favorite ship it NCL Epic - fabulous entertainment, great food options and extremely fun water park! They have VERY good prices for all that is offered on this ship.

I have to agree with 1 travelmom....either wait for warmer weather, or leave from Fl....I can think of little that would be worse than crusing in cold weather! I vacation for the sun and heat! And, yes....the Caribbean is MUCH better than the Bahamas which are not in the Caribbean at all...they are in the Atlantic!

If you adjust your expectations, you can have a great time. Just keep in mind that there are things to do on a cruise vacation besides using the pools or going to the beach. There are the kids programs which will keep them busy with games and crafts. Those first and last cool days will be good for just exploring the ship and figuring out what you missed. If you have never been outside the US, the Bahamas is a find introduction. A check of the schedules tells me the only option is NCL Gem to the Bahamas - NCL Explorer goes to Bermuda, which will definitely be too cold to swim and is only five days. I am not seeing a Carnival option on those days. Carnival from Baltimore leaves a day later and visits Port Canaveral, which IMO is a wasted port call, as you are too far to really get a good Disney World experience and the kids might be too young to appreciate the Kennedy Space Center. EM

So I just jumped in and booked it. I ended up booking the last week of April-first week of May. The reasoning for us not wanting to wait or go out of Florida didn't have anything to do with money, I am just itching to go on vacation. Also I do not fly, so it is hard for us to go out of Florida, unless I make the drive down there.

We ended up going with the Bahamas and Port Canaveral, even though we were really itching to do the Caribbean. I think we are going to see how we like cruising and if we do like it, take the big Caribbean cruise and hit a lot of the low lying islands without the kids;) My husband is itching to see Atlantis in the Bahamas and the kids want to spend a few hours at Magic Kingdom. I can not believe I did it...I only jumped on it because I did not want the room to get away from me and I can always cancel up until Feb. 1st!

Also I do not fly, so it is hard for us to go out of Florida, unless I make the drive down there.

Have you looked into AMTRAK???

Have you looked into AMTRAK???

No I haven't...that is an option as well in the future:)

Good for you!

Sailing out of NY can be fun. We're leaving Monday. :D

Rethink the Disney thing . . . you have to pay full price for a park pass but spend almost as much time on a bus to get there & back as you will in the park. With Disney lines that doesn't leave much time for rides.

I agree with Trish. I really don't think Disney is a possibility unless you go in a day early. But if you think you'll fly in on the same day as your cruise and be able to go to the park, it's not going to be possible to even do a couple of hours. Plus, they don't give discounts on park tickets for just a couple of hours so you'll pay full price of $89 per person.

 

Rethink the Disney thing . . . you have to pay full price for a park pass but spend almost as much time on a bus to get there & back as you will in the park. With Disney lines that doesn't leave much time for rides.

If it wasn't for my daughter having never been there I would probably reconsider it. My kids really do not ride the rides, I think it will be more just to walk around and take in the scenary. We are going to Disney in 2014 for their vacation. My husband and I already have a pass from 4 years ago that we didn't use. So we just have to buy for my son and daughter. I am thinking of renting a vehicle though to avoid the astronomical shuttle fees. They want 70 for each adult and 40 for each of our kids. I can grab a rental for 50 and throw some gas in it and be on our way:) Ship docks at 12:00 at Port Canaveral. Hoping to get off the ship and into our rental by 1:00. That would put us in Disney by 2:00. We would then have about 6 hours to give us enough time to get back to the boat. Fingers crossed it works out this way.

If it wasn't for my daughter having never been there I would probably reconsider it. My kids really do not ride the rides, I think it will be more just to walk around and take in the scenary. We are going to Disney in 2014 for their vacation. My husband and I already have a pass from 4 years ago that we didn't use. So we just have to buy for my son and daughter. I am thinking of renting a vehicle though to avoid the astronomical shuttle fees. They want 70 for each adult and 40 for each of our kids. I can grab a rental for 50 and throw some gas in it and be on our way:) Ship docks at 12:00 at Port Canaveral. Hoping to get off the ship and into our rental by 1:00. That would put us in Disney by 2:00. We would then have about 6 hours to give us enough time to get back to the boat. Fingers crossed it works out this way.

Your not the only one who will have this idea and there will probably be a line at the rental car agency. And that is assuming you dock on time and are one of the first ones off the ship. And make sure you leave enough time for traffic getting back to the rental car agency and then onto the ship. All aboard is usually a half hour before what it says online.

Honestly, esp if your going there in 2014, I would skip it. It's not worth the risk of missing your ship and spending that amount of money for a few hours to just walk around

The Disney option is ok if you want to do only one park. We've been to Florida once on a cruise from NY/NJ, and we had a good six hours in the park, most of which was standing in line, or watching the parades. With that said, a cruise stop to PC, does not leave much time to do many rides. We've been to Disney several times during vacation, so we knew what to expect by the short time there. Happy Sailing!!!

Thanks...I am starting to rethink the Disney excursion and may just rent a car and site see.

I can not believe how expensive Atlantis is...thinking about doing the Comfort Inn booking and go that route. Anyone else try that?

I know I should probably take the time and sift through all the threads, but honestly I am feeling the time crunch and am panicking. I have never ever been on a cruise but my husband and children want to go on one, so here I am. I have been looking around for the best deal I can find and a lot of the information they are shelling out to me is so confusing. So here is the basic backgroun of my planned trip.

 

There will be 4 of us- 2 adults and 2 young children(7 & 3). We would like to take a 7 day Bahamma trip either out of NY, NJ or Baltimore. We would like our travel dates to be either the week of April 27th or May 11th. I need a window, oceanview obstructed is fine. I do not need to worry about parking or airfare.

 

My husband is a police officer and he qualifies for military discount. I tried to call our MWR but the person that works there left early today, so I headed online. ***I found on the Norwegian Cruise line website I could get a cruise for $2588 for either of those weeks...that includes taxes. It was 599 for the two adults and 399 for the kids. It was for an obstructed view. The extras was only a $30 onboard credit. ***I found this same deal as the cruise line website on a TA site, but with a $75 dollar onboard credit. ***Another site seems to offer a lower rate by a couple of dollars.

 

Now my question is: should I wait out until the MWR person is back, which could be not until next Wed, or should I jump on one of the deals online? Carnival offers a similiar rate, are they are better cruiseline then Norweigian?

If I recall your MWR person will be able to get the same Military rates as a Travel Agent(you said you husband is Law Enforcement -Is he also prior military - than he could qualify under that as well) They are not always available for every sailing, however between either Military or Law Enforcement you should be able to get something. Both cruise lines will be great, I would base my preference on sailing date, and ports of call. Pools + Ice Cream =Happy Kids = Happy parents.

SORRY I JUST NOTICED THAT YOU HAD ALREADY BOOKED. WAS NORWEIGAN NOT ABLE TO QUOTE YOU A MILITARY/LAW ENFORCEMENT RATE? Did you tell them you wanted that rate? Hope they were able to give it to you in the end. Happy Cruising

If I recall your MWR person will be able to get the same Military rates as a Travel Agent(you said you husband is Law Enforcement -Is he also prior military - than he could qualify under that as well) They are not always available for every sailing, however between either Military or Law Enforcement you should be able to get something. Both cruise lines will be great, I would base my preference on sailing date, and ports of call. Pools + Ice Cream =Happy Kids = Happy parents.

WAS NORWEIGAN NOT ABLE TO QUOTE YOU A MILITARY/LAW ENFORCEMENT RATE?

Our MWR quoted me a military/law enforcement rate which is only $40 cheaper and $70 more onboard credit. I thought about calling Norweigan and seeing if they would match it.

I see. You are going to have a wonderful time on the cruise. What a wonderful way to spend a family vacation. From one LE fam to another - Happy New Year - be safe.

NCL should be able to give you the military/law enforcement rate. The rate you had mentioned was the WAVE 2013 rate available to everyone. That is why I asked. I would call them - they may be able to issue you a OBC for the difference.

Your not the only one who will have this idea and there will probably be a line at the rental car agency. And that is assuming you dock on time and are one of the first ones off the ship. And make sure you leave enough time for traffic getting back to the rental car agency and then onto the ship. All aboard is usually a half hour before what it says online.

 

Honestly, esp if your going there in 2014, I would skip it. It's not worth the risk of missing your ship and spending that amount of money for a few hours to just walk around

I think the Kennedy Space Center is awesome and it would be enjoyed by all except maybe the 3 yr old... I thought it was going to be boring but found it to be very interesting and that is back when my son was about 10.