First cruise which ship: Vision vs Adventure vs Enchantment

[broadwaybaby123]

Vision and Enchantment are smaller ships, which might be a plus for the group.  My mom and I used to work with autistic children and know that crowds can be overwhelming.  Smaller ships won't have as many crowds because they can't hold as many people.

 

That said, since this is your first cruise, you might want to consider taking one of the shorter itineraries to see if you even like the concept of cruising.  Not everyone can manage being on a ship for a week without getting nervous (although for those of us experienced cruisers, that's not an issue).  That's part of the reason my first cruise was to Bermuda: 2 days down, a day and a half back, and one or two nights in Bermuda.

[Thoenix]

6 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Vision and Enchantment are smaller ships, which might be a plus for the group.  My mom and I used to work with autistic children and know that crowds can be overwhelming.  Smaller ships won't have as many crowds because they can't hold as many people.

 

That said, since this is your first cruise, you might want to consider taking one of the shorter itineraries to see if you even like the concept of cruising.  Not everyone can manage being on a ship for a week without getting nervous (although for those of us experienced cruisers, that's not an issue).  That's part of the reason my first cruise was to Bermuda: 2 days down, a day and a half back, and one or two nights in Bermuda.

With one friend coming across the ocean and the other two in the Midwest, the plane tickets alone don't make it worth it to fly to a port for a very short cruise. 

[leen50]

On 9/11/2023 at 4:55 PM, Thoenix said:

Do you think that the Baltimore port would be less chaotic and/or that Vision would have fewer people on it?  Just trying to figure out what all factors I ought to be considering.  Decisions are so hard!!

Baltimore is a Very Easy terminal to navigate as is the parking. I prefer Vision to Enchantment. FYI, if only 1 of you likes wine, 1 bottle per person is permitted. The Max may be 2 per cabin. Screw top is best. Ask for a wine glass at any bar and pour your wine before dinner etc. No one cares where it came from.

Enjoy!

[ofhs93]

On 9/11/2023 at 4:55 PM, Thoenix said:

Do you think that the Baltimore port would be less chaotic and/or that Vision would have fewer people on it?  Just trying to figure out what all factors I ought to be considering.  Decisions are so hard!!

Yes to both questions. Your location also factors in. If you are all in the mid Atlantic then not having to go through the hassle of flying to Fla and all the added stress that can add on should be considered.

 

Oops..just had a chance to read through the thread...not local to Baltimore...but still likely the easiest port and location from the Midwest.

Edited September 25, 2023 by ofhs93

[ofhs93]

On 9/11/2023 at 8:20 PM, CntPAcruiser said:

Vision is a nice small ship, and Baltimore is a relatively uncomplicated port. The one major drawback would be sailing in the Atlantic if you are not experienced cruisers and think that rougher seas might bother you. All things being equal, I'd jump on eight nights in a heartbeat. We'll be on Vision at the end of October and are hoping the sea gods will be kind to us on our way to Bermuda and the Bahamas, and back. 

 

Another advantage is that if you find you enjoyed your cruise, most other ships you might choose for the second one will be larger and may have more to offer. Sometimes people cruise on the biggest ship first and find anything after that a letdown. 

We'll be on the same sailing! So looking forward to this. It's our 25th anniversary and our honeymoon was on a 7 day RCL to Bermuda. We have not had a chance to cruise back to Bermuda since then. 3 sons and seemingly a lifetime later...we are very much looking forward to the time alone and visiting the beauty of Bermuda again 🙂

[CntPAcruiser]

6 minutes ago, ofhs93 said:

We'll be on the same sailing! So looking forward to this. It's our 25th anniversary and our honeymoon was on a 7 day RCL to Bermuda. We have not had a chance to cruise back to Bermuda since then. 3 sons and seemingly a lifetime later...we are very much looking forward to the time alone and visiting the beauty of Bermuda again 🙂

 

How lovely! Are you on the roll call?

[ofhs93]

Just now, CntPAcruiser said:

 

How lovely! Are you on the roll call?

We are not...I guess I need to do that...it's been a few years since we have cruised lol. *Waves from the Scranton area*

[CntPAcruiser]

17 minutes ago, ofhs93 said:

We are not...I guess I need to do that...it's been a few years since we have cruised lol. *Waves from the Scranton area*

If you want, of course. There are no more meet & mingles, but the roll call has a few unofficial meets going on. And we are signing up for a slot pull as well.

[topanga49er]

On 9/12/2023 at 2:49 PM, Thoenix said:

I'm taking in everyone's input very carefully. I want this to be the best experience for the three of us because we're hoping to be longterm cruising buddies. It's an affordable vacation with certain predictable rhythms that accommodates people as we age. But I'm not going to lie, getting 1/3 of the way to platinum (1/8 to diamond!) in one trip is definitely something that has value to me. The loyalty program really is amazing in terms of making things much more affordable, longterm. I'm very very impressed by the quality of their loyalty program. You just don't see loyalty programs like this anymore. 

Thoenix, if you really want to research, go to cruisedeckplans.com.  There you can see the actual deck by deck schematics and actually find pictures of the room you may be staying in.  They have every cruise line, every ship.  It's awesome!

 

[Thoenix]

1 minute ago, topanga49er said:

Thoenix, if you really want to research, go to cruisedeckplans.com.  There you can see the actual deck by deck schematics and actually find pictures of the room you may be staying in.  They have every cruise line, every ship.  It's awesome!

 

Oh trust me.  I spend hours on there.  They have such good schematics and then when you add in a youtube walkthrough, it's excellent for putting the pieces together.