Which ship? Help quick!

[WanderlustingPenguins]

We are trying to book a cruise tonight with a promo that supposedly ends today so need answers fast!

 

For Christmas we are buying my (then) 8 and 9 year old boys a cruise. We have cruised with RCCL before, the kids have never cruised, so it is all of our first times on Carnival.

 

Right now I am trying to decide between these options:

 

Carnival Valor 4 days to Nassau and Freeport with a sea day- Pro's, closest port to us, good family rating from what I can tell, middle price. Cons, salt water pool- not sure about that. Friend of mine just came back and had a bad time as far as the staff and entertainment. Kids would miss 3 days of school.

 

Carnival Elation 4 days to Freeport and Nassau with a sea day- Pro's, lowest price by about $200 total, least amount of time missed from school, only 2 days. Cons, have read it is older and not as impressive. Don't know much about it otherwise. Further drive to port.

 

Carnival Sensation 5 days to Nassau, Grand Bahama, Turks and Caicos and a sea day (I think)- Pro's, would love to go to the Turks. Longer cruise=more relaxation, seems to have more for the kids. Cons, most expensive ($200 more than Valor, $400 more than Elation,) would require them to miss 5 days of school, not sure if 5 days is too long for a first time cruise for rambunctious boys.

 

Anyway, those are my main considerations. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[Presentation]

Not to toss a monkey into your options, but I see you are from Tampa, FL. Have you considered a Carnival cruise out of Tampa?

 

Tampa really reduces your travel time.

[erinmarie424]

They all have salt water pools. I think Valor has the 2.0 upgrades that the others don't? That would tip the scales for me.

[SadieN]

All Carnival ships have salt water pools.

 

Elation and Sensation are Fantasy class sisters, the Elation is the youngest and most original. Silde into the Lido pool, and another pool 11aft.

 

Cabins will be larger on the Valor and will have a better bathroom layout. Also the Valor has in cabin fridges.

 

We'd either sail the Valor or Elation. Leaning towards the Valor for cabin size, especially with four in the cabin.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[tattoos]

We have sailed on the Valor three times and wouldn't hesitate to book another cruise on her, loved the ship.

 

As far as the Elation is concerned, I have never sailed on her.

 

On the Sensation, surprisingly, we had the greatest overall cruise experience and have sailed on her 5 times. The Sensation is an older ship but the crew elevated the experience and contributed greatly to our enjoyment of this ship plus they have a great water park for children.

 

As far as itinerary is concerned, I would never sail on a ship again that stops in Freeport and Nassau, but that is my feeling and not reflective of other cruisers.

 

You have to make the decision how many days you want to keep your children out of school. Believe me, even after 5 days you'll have to drag your children off the ship.

 

If you're sailing for the itinerary, the Sensation at least stops in Grand Turk which is amazing. If you're sailing for the ship, ease of getting to the port, and price, I would choose the Valor.

[poz222]

Valor has 2.0 (guys burger, dive in theater, cantina etc) slightly bigger rooms... The Sensation has the waterworks slides for ur kids, but no dive in theater and much smaller pool... But grand Turk is great beach... I personally would go for the valor for all around comfort and activities for the kids... I'm not a fan of the Elation, very dated.

[hayleybirk]

Not a fan if elation, not much for the kids to do. I would go with the upgraded ship.

 

As far as ports, research the day pass at Hilton in nassau, i highly recommend that. Grand Turk has a free pool at Margaritaville and public beach.

[winddawn]

We are trying to book a cruise tonight with a promo that supposedly ends today so need answers fast!

 

For Christmas we are buying my (then) 8 and 9 year old boys a cruise. We have cruised with RCCL before, the kids have never cruised, so it is all of our first times on Carnival.

 

Right now I am trying to decide between these options:

 

Carnival Valor 4 days to Nassau and Freeport with a sea day- Pro's, closest port to us, good family rating from what I can tell, middle price. Cons, salt water pool- not sure about that. Friend of mine just came back and had a bad time as far as the staff and entertainment. Kids would miss 3 days of school.

 

Carnival Elation 4 days to Freeport and Nassau with a sea day- Pro's, lowest price by about $200 total, least amount of time missed from school, only 2 days. Cons, have read it is older and not as impressive. Don't know much about it otherwise. Further drive to port.

 

Carnival Sensation 5 days to Nassau, Grand Bahama, Turks and Caicos and a sea day (I think)- Pro's, would love to go to the Turks. Longer cruise=more relaxation, seems to have more for the kids. Cons, most expensive ($200 more than Valor, $400 more than Elation,) would require them to miss 5 days of school, not sure if 5 days is too long for a first time cruise for rambunctious boys.

 

Anyway, those are my main considerations. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

If ship matters most, choose Valor. If itinerary matters most, choose Sensation. Both Nassau and Freeport are least desirable ports. Grand Turk in Turks and Caicos is an awesome port day without additional cost. Elation would be last on my list because the ship is very outdated and needing upgrades and the ports are not desirable.

[dacsmom]

I would pick the Valor, because of the 2.0 upgrades. Why do you think salt water pools are a con? Very few ships have fresh water pools.

[coevan]

"Grand Turk has a free pool at Margaritaville and public beach."

 

Don't forget the $8 beers and $12 margaritas. We like Grand Turk, but never got the allure of Margaritaville, another overpriced, mediocre U.S. chain restaurant.

[WanderlustingPenguins]

Tampa would be perfect but from what I've seen they tend to be longer cruises out of that port, like 5-7 nights usually.

 

If it were just us or the kids were older, I would definitely be looking at the Western Caribbean- Belize, Aruba, Cozumel etc, but with the kids I'm leery with dragging them around strange cities where they may or may not enjoy themselves. I honestly think the boat and snorkeling will be the most fun for them.

 

So I guess to answer some of the questions, the ship and the entertainment it has is probably the priority. As long as we can see some nice clear beaches I'm okay with Nassau. We hungout at Atlantis when we went because we paid for an excursion there.

 

I guess I'm leaning most towards the Valor.

[KCruise9876]

I'm not sure when itineraries change on cruise ships, but I'm sailing out of Tampa in a couple weeks for a 4 day cruise to Cozumel. I believe they also have another option of a 5 day cruise to Cozumel and one other port.

[LMaxwell]

Fantasy-class is a non-starter for me. Many love them, but for a family cruise with kids, nah.

[skrufy]

I would stay away from Freeport , and Nassau, but since Nassau is on all three cruises, I would choose the Sensation. Your kids will have a much better time. Turks is a great beach day. You can almost jump off the ship and onto the beach. Nassau has beaches you can get to, just stay with the crowd, dont wander around alone, its not safe.

[annabell08]

Our first cruise was out of Tampa. 5 days-Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

 

Swam with the stingrays with Native Way in Grand Cayman.

 

Suggest Playa Mia Water Park in Cozumel.

 

Much better ports than Nassau and Freeport.

[WanderlustingPenguins]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! We went with the Valor because I feel like my kids are probably going to enjoy the ship more than anything so that was my priority. Being their first I think it will be a good fit. Maybe when they are a little bit older we will choose something with more exotic ports, when they can actually appreciate it.