Help me find the right cruise

[febandy]

Me & my extended family of 10 Australians are taking the kids to Disney World & we've heard cruises around there are really good value. We have people aged from 76 to 5 going so it would be great to find a cruise that suits most of them. We would be down there at the end of Sept 14 & are looking for a 5-7 day cruise & ideally one that stops in port everyday.

We've all got absolutely NO idea where to start. Any hope would be really appreciated.

[kdawg954]

Me & my extended family of 10 Australians are taking the kids to Disney World & we've heard cruises around there are really good value. We have people aged from 76 to 5 going so it would be great to find a cruise that suits most of them. We would be down there at the end of Sept 14 & are looking for a 5-7 day cruise & ideally one that stops in port everyday.

We've all got absolutely NO idea where to start. Any hope would be really appreciated.

 

You are going to find some great deals on cruises this time of year. School is back in and you will be smack dab in the middle of hurricane season.

 

Either way, budget needs to be established before making this decision. Carnival and Royal Carribbean will be more than half the price of what a Disney ship will be, but the Disney cruises are pretty special.

 

Also, you probably won't find a week long cruise that stops in port "everyday". For week long cruises, you will probably have 3 or 4 port stops.

 

Out of Port Canaveral at the end of September, I'd probably go with the RC Freedom of the Seas on September 28th. Week long cruise, 3 popular western port stops on the 4th largest cruise ship in the world. Very nice ship with something to do for everybody.

 

Carnival Liberty also has quite a nice eastern/southern route around the same time that includes Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk.

[febandy]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Hurricane season :eek::eek: should I be worried about this?

What will the weather be like around this area at the end of September?

Where is the best place to find these deals that you are talking about?

[JohninDC]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Hurricane season :eek::eek: should I be worried about this? Be aware and purchase trip insurance - usually cheaper from insuremytrip dot com instead of through the cruse line

What will the weather be like around this area at the end of September? hot and humid with thunderstorms in the afternoon; sometimes you can get lucky and get a series of very nice days

Where is the best place to find these deals that you are talking about?

 

There is a search function for cruises at the top of this page; on-line I like vacations to go dot com, but there are many others - a simple google search will help. Check out the info you find through the travel agents on the applicable cruise line web page. Since you will likely need 3-4 staterooms it is worth shopping around.

 

Good luck! :)

Edited April 5, 2014 by JohninDC

[HENDRICKSFAN01]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Hurricane season :eek::eek: should I be worried about this?

What will the weather be like around this area at the end of September?

Where is the best place to find these deals that you are talking about?

 

No the captain's will switch coarse to avoid major problems. Cruise critic search function is best way or directly through each lines web site.

[kdawg954]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Hurricane season :eek::eek: should I be worried about this?

What will the weather be like around this area at the end of September?

Where is the best place to find these deals that you are talking about?

 

I wouldn't stress about hurricane season, but it is something that you should be aware of. Like John suggested, a trip as big as you guys are having, you should invest in trip insurance anyways, which will provide somewhat of a piece of mind in case "anything" pops up.

 

We've been quite fortunate in Florida in regards to hurricanes the last few years but the Caribbean/Bahamas is more apt to seeing effects from hurricanes/tropical storms than any other area. Don't worry, these cruise ships are probably more prepared for storm avoidance than anything you can think of and will keep everybody out of harms way if one should happen to pop up during your visit.

 

You can pretty much leave any winter clothes home . . . at most a light sweater/jacket for breezy deck nights on the ship. Florida is known for "muggy nights" . . . meaning if you are used to a cool breeze at night, you will not see that here. Plenty of nights, I've gone to take out the trash and come back drenched in sweat. Hot & humid until we get into the later parts of October. Afternoon T-storms are definitely apart of the scene.

 

I'd start off googling "cruise ship search" and check out a few travel sites for your dates. Look for specials that give you Onboard Credit as well.

[merinski]

Me & my extended family of 10 Australians are taking the kids to Disney World & we've heard cruises around there are really good value. We have people aged from 76 to 5 going so it would be great to find a cruise that suits most of them. We would be down there at the end of Sept 14 & are looking for a 5-7 day cruise & ideally one that stops in port everyday.

We've all got absolutely NO idea where to start. Any hope would be really appreciated.

 

I would suggest a Disney cruise or Princess. Our favorite is Celebrity. If you have expedia cruise ship centers or google it or any travel agent could help.

For value though Princess might be best. You will have a great time!:)

[darienill]

When you start your search, keep in mind that Port Canaveral is you choice departure port. In Florida, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami would require additional hours of travel.

[cruiseapril]

Freedom of the Seas or Enchantment of the Seas from Port Canaveral.

 

Enchantment goes to Bahamas- Freedom to St. Thomas & St. Maarten, as well as CocoCay. There are very few ships which have port stops every day.

[c-cruise]

Well, with 10 of you Port Canaveral is pretty much your best option for a departure port. Tampa could be an option, but not many cruises out of Tampa in Sept. The south Florida ports would be a hassle to get to with that large of a group. Even Port Canaveral is an hour drive from Disney so you will have to consider how you will get 10 people to the port.

 

The only cruises that will be in port every day are the 3 day Bahamas cruises. The 5-7 day itineraries are all going to have some sea days.

 

A Disney cruise is a fantastic experience, but even in the off season they will be by far the most expensive option. Plus you may have had enough Disney since you will just have been at the parks. We did 4 days at the parks last year after a 7 day Disney cruise and it was Disney overload!

 

Your other option from Port Canaveral are Royal Caribbean and Carnival. As long as you stay away from the 3/4 day itineraries on the older ships, either one of these lines would be a great option for your group. Carnival has a couple ships doing 7 and 8 day itineraries so they will have more itinerary options. Royal Caribbean has 1 ship doing alternating eastern and western caribbean itineraries.

 

To begin I would just search any of the major travel sites for your date range and departing from port canaveral and see what appeals to you. When you start looking for specific departure dates and ports you choices generally narrow themselves down significantly on their own. ;)