Cruise Planning
My mom and I go on a cruise at least once a year. In the past 8 years, I have gone on over 10 or more cruises. I have been on two cruise lines, went out of three ports, and completed a couple of different itineraries. Today I am going to discuss my past cruises and some advice on how to book a cruise that is perfect for you.
The question I get asked the most by friends looking to go on a cruise is what cruise line should I use. I personally have only even sailed with Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Other than Norwegian, those seem to be the most common within driving distance for us. The reason I have never been on a Norwegian cruise is because they do not offer sailings when I am looking unless I want to travel to Miami, which I don’t.
So Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean?
I like them both. But that doesn’t help you, right? Let me tell you what I like and dislike about both and see if that helps any.
Carnival – I think Carnival is great for the younger and wilder crowds. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure middle-aged cruisers enjoy it too, but I find Carnival to have more of a party atmosphere than Royal Caribbean. You can find more bars with activities going on, all the ships have adult only Serenity Deck, and there are adult only shows almost every night. This isn’t to say a child will be exposed to anything inappropriate, however. It’s just that I see many more young people and Spring Breakers on my Carnival cruises than Royal Caribbean.
The food is much better on Carnival than Royal Caribbean. If you are hungry, you can always find something to eat. The Warm Chocolate Melting Cake in the Main Dining Room...OMG...it is amazing! On the basic ships, they have the Main Dining Room, Lido Buffet, Sandwich Shop, and Pizza Shop. You can also order room service. The last Carnival cruise I went on had a Tasting Bar that offered food from some of the specialty restaurants found on the newer ships or renovated ships. Plenty of food options and most, if not all, are amazing.
Carnival is typically much cheaper per day than Royal Caribbean. Now some would say this is because Carnival has had some bad publicity in the past few years. Maybe this is true, but when you look at the comparison of the number of bad cruises you’ve heard about vs. the number of good cruises you don’t hear about, I think the odds are in your favor.
Lastly, a few more things that I find Carnival is a step above Royal Caribbean on. The entertainment is better. There is always something going on. The rooms are slightly better. Portholes are considered inside rooms on Carnival cruises. Carnival has a better private island.
Now the bad in regards to Carnival...the short 3 and 4-day itineraries are not appealing. You will not find a stop to a private island on these short cruises, which is one of my favorite things to do. If you pay for the unlimited sodas, the wait staff in the MDR doesn’t pay you much attention. We ALWAYS struggle to get our first drink, let alone any refills. It’s like if they aren’t getting any money from me, they don’t want to serve me. Lastly, the adult only areas can get over crowded. If you don’t get to the Serenity area before 9 am, forget it! On our last 5-day cruise, we only got to sit there twice. Once was the first day when we were still at port, and the other was a piece of luck that my aunt got us a spot on a sea day.
Royal Caribbean – After all the good of Carnival, it probably seems I have nothing good to say about Royal Caribbean, but I do! I find Royal Caribbean to be much more relaxing and low key. You still have some bars if you want to get a drink and dance, but I don’t feel that that is what the cruise is all about. I know I can easily find a place on deck to sit and read and not be overwhelmed with loud music.
While the food isn’t amazing, the service is top notch! Whenever we eat dinner, the actual wait staff serves sodas, not the bar staff. Every night, even as part of My Time Dining, they remember what we wanted to drink and had it delivered within minutes of sitting down. They also have better bread, or so my mom thinks. I also find that their room service menu is more appetizing than Carnival.
While Royal Caribbean is usually more expensive than Carnival, you can almost always guarantee a private island stop. And on that private island, everything but souvenirs and alcohol are free. On Carnival cruises, you have to usually pay for a good beach day at Nassau or Freeport. While the private island is not as nice as Carnival, I still want to stop at one, so I find myself taking Royal Caribbean for that reason.
A couple of other things about Royal Caribbean I like...the spa seems nicer to me than on Carnival. I like the overall layout of the ship better. And I like the itineraries offered more.
The bad parts of Royal Caribbean are mostly opposites of the good for Carnival. The food is just ok. You can’t always find what you want. The Pizza bar as weird hours, and the soft serve ice cream machine is always out of order. Royal Caribbean is more expensive typically than Carnival. Lastly, you can sometimes get bored and struggle to find things to do. This isn’t always a bad thing on short cruises, but sea days can be boring.
Overall – I prefer Carnival for 5+ days and Royal Caribbean for 4- days. The reason: the private island. I want to stop at a private island. I love just having that beach day with only those people on the ship, not people from 5 other ships. If the 3 and 4-day trips Carnival has stopped at Half Moon Cay, I would be on them in a heart beat!
How long of a cruise?
This really depends on you and who you are going with. I find 4 days to be the perfect length, but we typically take 3 days. The reason is I can take off less at work doing the 3-day cruise since it is typically over the weekend. If vacation time wasn’t an issue, I would do the 4-day cruises every time. We do the 5-day cruise to get our Half Moon Cay fix, but that extra day is always just a little too long to be away from my husband. My husband doesn’t like cruises, and neither does my dad. So mom and I cruise together. We do hope to one day do a 7-day cruise, but I think we will have to force the men to tag along!
Where to cruise?
I have only been to two general places, Mexico and the Bahamas. I am going to be brutally honest. I hated Mexico. I have only been on one cruise there, and it was to Cozumel. It was enough for me. I can’t pinpoint one thing that I hated, but the overall experience was not appealing. We did a beach day excursion and the food offered was awful. In Mexico I expect to be served Mexican food. No, they had American food buffet which wasn’t any good. And again, it goes back to the fact I want a private island included on my itinerary. This was my first cruise and didn’t know any better, but now I do.
I prefer going to the Bahamas. Nassau is just ok. I have been there so many times though. On our first few trips, we would shop on Bay Street and the flea market, then make our way to Atlantis. We would do some gambling there and some shopping, and then call it a day. After about five trips there, that got boring. Now we do the Atlantis Aquaventure Excursion if we are there long enough. Otherwise we keep to our old plan. The Aquaventure package is quite expensive, but it’s a lot of fun. Especially if your cruise is at port by 9 am and you get a full day there. The water parks close out 5, so if you don’t get there until noon, it’s no really worth it.
I thoroughly dislike Freeport. I have been twice. My first time there we purchased an all-inclusive resort excursion. It was just ok. It was quite a long drive there, and I felt we didn’t get our money’s worth. The second time we went we did not even get off the ship. It isn’t like Nassau where things are within walking distance. You have to take a cab or bus anywhere you want to go. I have heard they added a Senor Frogs since I have last been there, but that to me isn’t appealing enough. There is a small flea market, but again, it wasn’t worth my time to get off the ship. Apparently I was not the only person who felt this way since the boat was pretty crowded this day.
Royal Caribbean’s private island is CoCo Cay. It was the first private island I ever traveled to. It is really nice. If you go to the opposite side of the island, you feel like you are one of only a few people there. We typically pay for the clamshell/umbrella excursion, but it isn’t really required. The first time doing this, we were spoiled because it included a private buffet lunch by the cabanas. Since then, the clamshells moved and no longer include the private lunch. I doubt we will do it again now that we know this. There are plenty of chairs and shades around, so it may not be worth $50 for a clamshell. The cabanas are nice, but they are not on the actual beach. They just overlook the water. To me, that is not worth the money, but they do include a private buffet lunch which is MUCH better than the general lunch served to everyone else. Speaking of, lunch is included. It is a buffet lunch that includes, burgers, hotdogs, and chicken. It is not super great. It isn’t horrible and will serve its purpose, but I usually eat as soon as I get back on the ship!
Carnival also has started using CoCo Cay, but they call it Little Stirrup Cay. However, the private island I love is Half Moon Cay. It is shared by Carnival and Holland America. It is a long stretched of island and includes a lot of the same amenities as CoCo Cay. You can also find plenty of chairs and shade, there are clamshells and cabanas for rent, and a lunch buffet that is included. You will also find shops and a waterslide for the kids to play on. There is also a small chapel for weddings and vow renewals. My personal favorite here is the cabana rental. They now have two cabanas: the small ones that include food and drinks for 4 people and the two-story cabanas. (There is also one huge family cabana that houses like 18 people and even has a butler.) We have only rented the small cabana since it is usually only 2 or 4 of us. It includes 8 sodas, 2 1-liter bottles of water, a fridge, a cooler full of ice, chips, dips, veggies, fruits, snorkel gear, and floating mats. You also have a table with four chairs, two lounge chairs, a shower, and it is air-conditioned. The only problem is you can’t pick your cabana until you get on the boat. I suggest picking one as far down the island as you can (Cabana 11-15). Not as many people walk down there to lie out, so it is really peaceful and serene. And not to worry, there is a tram that drops you off near your cabana!
When to go?
We like to go in December or January. We like to get away from the cold and travel somewhere tropical. With hurricane season June-September, I never recommend then. Every time I have gone in March (three times), the seas are really rough and can cause seasickness. I recommend sometime between October and January.
What port to cruise from?
We typically cruise out of Port Canaveral. The main reason for this is we prefer to spend a couple of days Disney World too. It is fairly easy to navigate and we feel safe leaving our cars there. We have also cruised out of Jacksonville and New Orleans. New Orleans was an ok experience, but since the majority of cruises that sail from there go to Mexico, we have not experienced it but the one time. Jacksonville is a nice port. It only has one cruise ship there, the Carnival Fascination. It was probably the easiest port we have encountered.
How to book?
The first place I always look is http://www.vacationstogo.com. You will need to create an account to use this website. I search whatever it is I am looking for. Typically my search is the month of January, 3-6 Night Cruises, and Port Canaveral. You can choose the options that are right for you. The reason I do this is it now gives you every cruise available. You can see all cruise lines here and the prices that Vacations To Go offers. Now I have only actually used Vacations To Go twice. Once I have decided a cruise, I go to the cruise line’s website and see what is the better deal. I prefer to book though the cruise line if possible, but sometimes it isn’t the cheapest option.
I hope this at least gives you a basic idea of cruise planning. Happy Planning!
