bleehow

Thanks everyone for your input!

Greatlakesgirl, I loved your review! It has me sold on going to Kauai, however, my husband is leaning towards the 2 weeks. I guess the debates will start ;). We recently went on a cruise out of Puerto Rico that was port intensive, so I know what you mean about having an "unwind" day

We only started on Carnival bc it was almost half the price of RC when we started cruising. At that time, those were the only 2 out of Galveston. It would be nice to see another cruise line.

I'm leaning towards a cruise of the islands because I the type that wants to see them ALL and as FAST as possible lol. Yeah, I wear my husband out at places like the zoo, where there is so much to see. I've read that island hoping can be time intensive and food & hotels are expensive in Hawaii

dup

On NCL POA: _________________________________On Carnival:

Sat Honolulu (Embark) __________________________LA embark

2 days Maui __________________________________Days 2-5: sea days

Hilo _________________________________________Maui

Kona ________________________________________Honolulu

2 days: Kauai__________________________________Kona

Sat Honolulu (DISEMBARK) _____________________Hilo

_____________________________________________days 10-13: Sea days

____________________________________________Ensenada

___________________________________________LA, disembark

We have never sailed on NCL, so no perks. We will have perks on Carnival

They are about the same price and we will have to fly to Hawaii or to LA, although the hotel rooms in Hawaii are more expensive for the nights before and after the cruise.

From what I read, Pride of America is a lesser enjoyable ship than the Splendor.

We have 2 dogs that have to be boarded, so the extra week on Carnival will result in more $$.

We love sea days, so that is not a problem for us

I guess the main question will be, is Kauai worth it? We can't decide how to see Hawaii :D Thanks in advance

I hope you two have a great time! I know I'm going to get really bashed for this, but I do take plastic sandwich bags with me & the night before a shore day I order PB&J sandwiches. Yes, I break the rules & take them to shore with me. It comes w chips & cookies. That with my own drinks equals a free meal. I've find this on 3 cruises, so let the bashing begin.

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Belize was great! I agree, have an excursion planed. We went to Xuanantunich (or however it's spelt). It's by Guatemala, so we booked through the cruise line. Beautiful country. A coworker went w friends a few months ago & they just walked through the city. They felt safe, but said that there wasn't much to see. Hope you have fun. I would go back soon if I could.

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Hmmmm. Never considered the OV much, probably because I read (before we cruised) that some people booked OV & it turned out to be an awful view that was overlooked. Kinda stuck in my mind that there was so much work to making sure it was a "good" cabin. Save for the last couple of years, I've worked at night do we don't mind the dark hole. Probably bc I'm part vampire. We were surprised that the ship shut down about 2-3 am. I guess at that time we didn't want to go back to the "hole". I'm thinking we will balcony this trip & maybe OV next. Any input on OV that aren't worth it?

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Thanks everyone for all the input. I guess we will be cruising on our 1st balcony (still haven't convinced my husband of that). Has anybody booked a cove balcony? I'm thinking I would love being that close to the water & I like being at the bottom & closer to getting out on port days. However, I've noticed that one can't sit & look out at the ocean. Due to the metal, it's necessary to stand to look out. Guess that'll burn more calories though. Lol

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The past 2 cruises (conquest & magic) have been an inside. Bottom of the boat inside cabin. Yes we are those people that go the cheap way. We added it up before and ALL of our excursions were covered from the amount of the cheapest to a balcony. Well, we plan to go E Carribean and it looks like in the Keys & Nassau, we can just walk to see all the interesting things. This means, theoretically, we can get the balcony, probably a cove one, and still spend the same amount we usually do. I hear once one has had a balcony, one never goes back to an inside. I'm wondering if that is true? We have 5 pets we board, so this expense is the same if not more than the trip itself. I don't want to have an awful time on my next cruises since we "splurged" on this one. Also, has anyone figured out when the best prices are?

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Btw, I've done both Jamaica/Cayman & Honduras/Belize. Think I perfect the later, but it's a cruise, can't go wrong either way. Belize & Jamaica are the same in that you should plan an excursion & get away from the port area.

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I've been on 2 cruises w Carnival. I started w them bc the price was more affordable, so that's what I based my decision on (they've since gone up). I heard that once u start with a line, it's best to stick with them. We've met retiree cruisers that have been on all the lines & they say that pretty much RC & Carn are the same. Foods pretty much the same & so r the ships. Our last cruise we went on the Roatan Honduras route. It was awesome! We booked our own excursion with Victor Bodden bc it's an island & knew that we would get back. We did the zip lining with the monkey business & had a private driver that took us all around the island. Wish we could go back soon! Hope u have an awesome time.

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