Please help us choose a 2016 Carnival, NCL, or RCI cruise

[mrobstad]

I love Cosa Maya for the free beautiful beach and massages on the beach, also cheap. I used to love Roatan, but read that port of call thread....I think an NCL worker was killed there a few months ago....there MGHT be travel advisories out..l.

 

 

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[dreamier]

I love Cosa Maya for the free beautiful beach and massages on the beach, also cheap. I used to love Roatan, but read that port of call thread....I think an NCL worker was killed there a few months ago....there MGHT be travel advisories out..l.

 

 

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Your time in Costa Maya reminds us of ours in Progresso. Not a port for everyone, but we enjoyed ourselves!

 

The news out of Roatan is heartbreaking. I hope that in time issues are resolved, more for the resident's sake than ours.

 

I've got some reading about Costa Maya to do. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[mrobstad]

I've not been to Progresso, so I'll put that on my bucket list!

 

 

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[American Bear]

Hello! Overwhelmed with our choices, especially since we are looking at other cruise lines this time around, we are asking for our fellow cruisers help.

 

We are DH & DW (40’s) & DS (teens). Cruising every 5-6mos, we currently have 3 booked for 2014-2015 & are looking to choose another for Jan/Feb 2016. Our first cruise was with RCI & all others since then have been with Carnival.

 

Here are 6 choices we are considering, with notes on our Plus, Minus, & Neutral points:

 

8 Day Southern Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Carnival Sunshine to Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Turk starting at $539pp.

• Pluses: 8 Day cruise, sails from our favorite home port, & we’ve never been to Aruba or Bonaire.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: We’d be sailing this same ship 2 cruises in a row, visiting Grand Turk 3 times in 1 year, & this 8 Day cruise is more expensive than the NCL 7 Day cruises.

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Tampa aboard Norwegian Star to Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel starting at $462pp.

• Pluses: Never sailed from Tampa nor on NCL, never been to Harvest Caye nor Costa Maya, Cozumel is our son’s favorite port, & this is currently the cheapest of our choices, tied with the cruise below.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: Our summer visit to Roatan was HOT so hoping for cooler weather in Jan/Feb.
  

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Key West, Georgetown, Ocho Rios, Great Stirrup Cay starting at $462pp.

• Pluses: Sails from our favorite home port & never sailed NCL. Love Key West, our son hasn’t been there yet, & we’ve never been to Great Stirrup Cay. This is currently the cheapest of our choices, tied with the cruise above.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: We are visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica & Grand Cayman for the 1st time in Spring 2015, but have never been to Ocho Rios.
  

 

7 Day Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Norwegian Spirit to Nassau, St. Thomas, Tortola starting at $496pp.

• Pluses: Sails from our favorite home port & never sailed NCL. Love St. Thomas & have never been to Tortola. Currently the 2nd most affordable.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: Having been numerous times, Nassau is a good ship day for us, making for 2 port days.
  

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral aboard Freedom of the Seas to Port Canaveral, Labadi/Labadee, Falmouth, Caymans/George Town, Cozumel, Port Canaveral starting at $480-536 (depending on dates).

• Pluses: Sails from our favorite home port, haven’t sailed RCI in 10+ years, & never sailed Freedom of the Seas. Never been to Labadi/Labadee & Cozumel is our son’s favorite port.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: We are visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica & Grand Cayman for the 1st time in Spring 2015, but have never been to Falmouth.
  

 

7 Day Western Caribbean from Tampa aboard Vision of the Seas to Tampa, Key West, Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Tampa starting at $521.

• Pluses: Never sailed from Tampa, haven’t sailed RCI in 10+ years, & never sailed Vision of the Seas. Never been to Costa Maya. Love Key West & our son hasn’t been there yet. Cozumel is our son’s favorite port.
  
• Minuses: None.
  
• Neutral: Having been, we would use Belize as a ship day, making for 3 port days.
  

 

I will be posting this on all 3 cruise lines forums to cast a larger net. Thanks a million for your input, opinions, experience, & advice!

 

 

 

With prices being equal, we see it this way,,,

The best ship, with the most to do, and the best entertainment from your list is the RCL Freedom!

Carnival has better free food overall, and RCL/NCL have better pay food options!

If you're out of state, and are flying, you'd most likely fly into Orlando for Port Canaveral, and could always add a few days at one of the resorts there too!

All of the cruises you listed have itineraries with what we'd call a dead port, one we could do without, so there equal that way to us!

The rest is really the personal stuff you're looking for in a cruise that would make it best for you!

Which ever you chose, have a fun time!:D

[dreamier]

I've not been to Progresso, so I'll put that on my bucket list!

 

Great plan! We shopped the flea market, bought a hand-made hammock & hand-made/painted gourd maracas, took the double-deck bus tour, walked to a supermercado (grocery) up the road & stocked up on drinks/snacks, ate lunch in an open-air restaurant overlooking the beach (Le Saint Bonnet...FRESH fish & other native Yucatan dishes), had massages on the beach, then settled in for fresh mangoes & beer while the kids road a banana boat. Nothing booked ahead & all for seriously next to nothing in cost, everything was just so inexpensive. It's one of our favorite port experiences ever. After going there you will also get to say that you were on the longest pier in the world!

 

With prices being equal, we see it this way,,,

The best ship, with the most to do, and the best entertainment from your list is the RCL Freedom!

Carnival has better free food overall, and RCL/NCL have better pay food options!

If you're out of state, and are flying, you'd most likely fly into Orlando for Port Canaveral, and could always add a few days at one of the resorts there too!

All of the cruises you listed have itineraries with what we'd call a dead port, one we could do without, so there equal that way to us!

The rest is really the personal stuff you're looking for in a cruise that would make it best for you!

Which ever you chose, have a fun time!:D

 

Thanks a million for your thoughts! As long as RCI FOS is offering a comparable price, that is the one we'll be going with. Sunshine & now Valor are currently our 2nd & 3rd choices.

[Tee & Chilli]

Freedom and Liberty are sister ships. The ice show is great. Parties and parades in the promenade. Ice skating rink and flow rider is popular for kids and adults.

 

I will not sail Carnival Sunshine again. It wasn't anything spectacular. The play list shows are awful. The singers were not good and the music was so loud people were walking out. The balconies are tiny and barely enough room to stretch your legs.

[dreamier]

Freedom and Liberty are sister ships. The ice show is great. Parties and parades in the promenade. Ice skating rink and flow rider is popular for kids and adults.

 

I will not sail Carnival Sunshine again. It wasn't anything spectacular. The play list shows are awful. The singers were not good and the music was so loud people were walking out. The balconies are tiny and barely enough room to stretch your legs.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience on Freedom/Liberty! I now remember seeing something showing the parties/parades in the promenade...looked so festive! DS is interested in skating the ice rink. The ice show would be super fun as we've not been to one of those since he was born. He'd be amazed!

 

Thankfully the things you mentioned about Sunshine don't affect our personal cruising style. We're going next September with an open mind & a new stateroom location we've not tried before!