Coldwake

I think this cuts to the heart of the matter, and goes right along with what Mum2Mercury and wrldtrvllr were saying about the "wow" factor. In our case, the newest or biggest ship isn't going to sway my wife, it'll be the little things about a vacation that is easy and we can all have fun as a family (the argument has been made though that Wonder generally will have the most to offer in that regard - minus the conveniences/space of the suite). As for the girls, at 3 and 5 years old, remember this is the age where you buy them a power-wheel car or a fancy play kitchen and in the end they play with the box instead. 😂 If they stay busy and entertained and get to learn and experience new things, that'll be the best treat for Mom and Dad and will allow us to really enjoy our vacation as well.

Well at least now I know I'm not crazy for some of my thoughts. When we did a long weekend at an indoor waterpark/hotel this past winter even that seemed like a long time and we were ready to go home by the end! lol I wonder if some people might be underestimating the advantage the space of 300-400 sq ft, a bathtub, and a bit more separated sleeping area would be. Although the JS gets me the space, while paying a little bit less. (and foregoes the other suite benefits). You make a good point about the GTY. I saw that only 3rd party companies will do the OVB guarantees, as the RCCL website only does the generic balcony guarantees. And the suite isn't so much about the wow factor for my wife (I'll let the cruise as a whole do that), it's more about the space and the conveniences like the ones I mentioned w/ the concierge and stuff. Easier it is to manage the kiddos, the more likely it is she'll be able to relax and enjoy herself. Thank you again everyone for all the great thoughts and suggestions! Feel free to add on any more you can think of!

Well I think the answer is pretty clear! 😂 To answer some of the questions- I've only cruised once before. It was a Princess Cruises (Sun princess when it was brand new in 1999 and 77.5k was a huge ship) and I was a senior in HS. So to say things have changed is an understatement. For Ports of Call for Wonder- Perfect Day at CocoCay , Bahamas Cozumel , Mexico Roatan , Honduras Puerto Costa Maya , Mexico The Perfect Day seems like the absolute best port for young kids. I've been to Cozumel and Costa Maya for all inclusives before, so I'm familiar with potential excursions or things to do there and think I can find good things to do with the kids. Roatan, not as sure. And I guess when I said I wasn't considering any other itinerary's it had more to do with the $$ value for the trip. For example, I figured why pay similar or more for another Oasis class for example when I could do Wonder. But if someone has a better suggestion I would hear it out. I'm stuck with March or April because I want to go during colder weather at home (Milwaukee) but my youngest turns 3 first week of March (putting her in adventure ocean w/ oldest) but also take advantage of kids sale free promotions... which takes out most of March. But also, March madness is one of my favorite times of year (GO Marquette!!) which leaves me with 1st week of March or April as my sailing timeframe. Thank you all for your input!!

If my end goal is to not just have a good time but to get more cruises in the future, maybe "I'm not done yet I don't want to go home" is the exact reaction I should be going for! 😄

Seems unanimous so far! Am I over valuing the suite perks like: priority departures, dinner & show seating, 24 hr free room service, free luggage valet, etc or am I over thinking that the 2 extra days would drag on our energy? (Also sorry, to confirm yes I meant Independence of the Seas)

My wife has always been a skeptic of cruising as a vacation, but I finally convinced her to give it a try! Now I need to make sure this is the best experience possible so this is not a one time event. However, I'm struggling to decide between two options in order to do so. Here's the deal. I decided for sure to do RCL and I know I want to go early April 2024 on either a 5 night on IOS in a grand suite or 7 night on WOS in a guarantee OVB . We are going with our two girls, aged 3 and 5 at the time. Price is very similar between the two and right in line with the budget. The reason I'm going back and forth is this: The 5 nt for IOS with the suite perks makes the traveling easier with the kiddos. With the shorter trip, it is long enough to get settled in and a good taste of what it's like to go on a family cruise, but won't have the feeling of being too long. If anything, it may leave them wanting more. The ports are Nassau and Labadee which I feel both have good options for younger kids. On the down side: we're spending just as much $ for a shorter duration cruise, fewer included dining options, the flights are more $ and fewer direct to FLL/MIA than Orlando, and the ship is older (but amped a few years before COVID). For the 7 nt on WOS, the ship is newer and has many more unique onboard things to do for younger kids (carousel, play space, etc). Newer ship. Easier to travel to Orlando than Miami. Also, adventure ocean seems larger and more robust on WOS. Downsides include having a OVB guarantee instead of the grand suite ( as opposed to IOS- picking the room and the suite benefits would sure be nice with the young kids), I'm worried about the length of cruise with the young kids wearing us out and thus making my wife not want to Cruise again (is this silly??), also size being more overwhelming for a first time cruise for my wife. So please tell me RCL experts and/or parents who cruised with young children... which is the best way to wow my wife and make sure my daughters have a great time?? Side note: I looked at other itineraries for Oasis and Freedom class ships that were amplified or had amped specs- none of them reached the value of the above two for $ spent vs amenities and ports. I also have a small window where kids sale free promotion is active and also the kids are 3 and 5 (and can thus be in adventure ocean together). So these are really the two best options- I'm not considering any others at this point.