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I need help! not professionally lol oh ok I lied, I need both ;o)

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cruisinmama

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Ok, I hope I can explain what I am confused about. I have planned a Cruise before all online and was hoping to have an easier time this time using a TA ( if a decent one was in my area) and hope to avoid the problems I had last time.

Anywho..I want to take my SO on a Cruise he has never been and I want to get him hooked on them like me and want to keep it a secret.

So this is where I need help, I found two I like, all involve lots of planning just not sure what to go with;

RCI Western Caribbean from FLL mid October can fly in and out from FLL and avoid p/u and drop off stuff to try and get to Miami and then back to FLL.

NCI Southern Caribbean from New York mid October

So here is my problem. we can either fly from Canada or the US as it's anywhere from a 3-4hour drive to any airport for us. With FLL we can fly Westjet as they are our cheaper airline but they do not go to NY at that time of year so thus have to find carrier from Canada or US that will be a better deal.

My problem is do I go with FLL as we fly in and out anyway from that airport and would use the same Hotel and such we used last time. I would try Miami again if I had trust worthy transportation as the one I used last time dropped us in the middle of the night at the wrong Hotel and we didn't know until we went inside and saw the name of the Hotel we walked at 1:30 am to the right Hotel

or I like the New York one as it's different but flying there is a pain depending on where I go from and then no clue about Hotels and such and have never been on NCL and when I did enquire from a TA she said NCL is more money onboard for everything. She has never Cruised before so the questions I had she didn't know

I'm trying to pay for this myself and SO birthday is in October but can go in September as it gives me time to save .. I want to fly in a day ahead and possible two days after. \But depending how I plan things some Cruise lines fly in and out same day which I won't do ever again..lesson learnt!!

I know New York will be more money but just not sure what I am looking at as most online air and hotel won't go that far ahead.

I did think of Alaska but would have to wait until June of 2011 as summer traveling for us is too busy and that is way too long to wait

Also we did Western Caribbean at Christmas that one year and had nice weather but not sure whether NY would be more of a gamble.

I am so open to ideas and suggestions I am not set on these Cruises either just logistics w/air and money I picked these .TIA :biggrin:

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Mama,

Go with NY and go Carnival. We do nothing but . Great trips and so easy at the cruise terminal. You can use NY as a vacation also. Stay a day before and see the sights. Had some bad times on NCL out of NY.

Just my 2 cents :biggrin:

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Mama,

Go with NY and go Carnival. We do nothing but . Great trips and so easy at the cruise terminal. You can use NY as a vacation also. Stay a day before and see the sights. Had some bad times on NCL out of NY.

Just my 2 cents :biggrin:

Thanks Tim..I never looked at Carnival have to say that was the 1st thing that TA said don't do Carnival..I have no reason not to try them just a cruiser of RCI and thought the 7 day with NCL would be a nice 1st cruise for him. Shall look into them now and see what I can find. Did you have a Hotel you liked near the Port? or other Hotel you have tried?

Thanks :biggrin:

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East coast in October? Could be cold. Could be rainy. Then again, Florida could be hurricane season. So, I feel your pain/confusion.

I'm not a fan of NCL so I will not comment on that. You didn't mention the age of your SO. Carnival tends to attrack a younger crowd because it was always known as the Fun (i.e., party) ship. Plus it truly is cheaper. RCL (when we went) was an older group (not ancient mind you, but not the mix that we have seen on other lines).

Hmm, I guess I didn't really answer any of your ponderings.

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East coast in October? Could be cold. Could be rainy. Then again, Florida could be hurricane season. So, I feel your pain/confusion.

I'm not a fan of NCL so I will not comment on that. You didn't mention the age of your SO. Carnival tends to attrack a younger crowd because it was always known as the Fun (i.e., party) ship. Plus it truly is cheaper. RCL (when we went) was an older group (not ancient mind you, but not the mix that we have seen on other lines).

Hmm, I guess I didn't really answer any of your ponderings.

Thanks for your thoughts

LOL...sorry had to laugh at your first line We are in Manitoba and usually we are not bitter cold in October but with the -40 or -50 weather coming it will be balmy for us on the east coast..lol..

I said I had never tried Carnival to this TA maybe that's why she said stay away from Carnival we are older not Spring Break material :biggrin: I know my SO would love NY but he loves the heat too reason I keep thinking FLL but thought once we got away from NY we would be seeing some warmth..

I dunno :wacko:

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Ann,

I'm 51 and my DW is 45. There are all mixed ages on Carnival. YES!, they are known as the "FUN SHIPS" don't you want to have fun? If you prefer a cruise were everyone is over 70, which happened to us on NCL to Canada, then go for it.

All children on Carnival ships are put in either the Circle C for youngins or the teenage area for, well, teenagers. We have yet to have a bad time on ANY Carnival ship. I tell people, don't listen to what you have heard, try it. We are going on the new" DREAM "ship on Nov 13, 2 weeks , for a 2 day cruise to nowhere, then in May we are going on the "Miracle" to the Bahamas. This past April, we did the Miracle to Bermuda.

Go to Carnival.com, look for John Heald's blog. I read it on a daily basis, it's filled with alot of the happenings.

OK, we have never sailed on RCI, we have thought about it. The price is a little higher on RCI. And getting to Bayonne adds more $$ we would rather have on the ship.

Check out the Hilton hotels in NY city, or the "W" hotel, they are very nice. I recommend the Hilton on 6th near Radio City Music hall.

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i'd go to ny.  i did and had a great time.  ny believe it or not is pretty easy to get around in.  i had a great time and stayed safe.  hotel was only $75.00 a night and it was not a piece a crap.  it was and innovative.  it was a joy to stay there.  check out expedia and others like it that's where i got my get advice and price.  good luck.

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Ann,

I'm 51 and my DW is 45. There are all mixed ages on Carnival. YES!, they are known as the "FUN SHIPS" don't you want to have fun? If you prefer a cruise were everyone is over 70, which happened to us on NCL to Canada, then go for it.

All children on Carnival ships are put in either the Circle C for youngins or the teenage area for, well, teenagers. We have yet to have a bad time on ANY Carnival ship. I tell people, don't listen to what you have heard, try it. We are going on the new" DREAM "ship on Nov 13, 2 weeks , for a 2 day cruise to nowhere, then in May we are going on the "Miracle" to the Bahamas. This past April, we did the Miracle to Bermuda.

Go to Carnival.com, look for John Heald's blog. I read it on a daily basis, it's filled with alot of the happenings.

OK, we have never sailed on RCI, we have thought about it. The price is a little higher on RCI. And getting to Bayonne adds more $$ we would rather have on the ship.

Check out the Hilton hotels in NY city, or the "W" hotel, they are very nice. I recommend the Hilton on 6th near Radio City Music hall.

Thanks for the great comments...I want to try Carnival but wasn't sure for SO 1st Cruise if I should know what I mean?? I'm debating the air which will bite me no matter which way I go thinking East will be more..I know he'd love NY but know he'd love FLL...just going to research my fingers off. I shall check out that John Heald's blog....Oh decision decision :unsure:  Thanks again!!

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Ann, we've done many Carnival cruises and loved them all. Then , when the kids got older, we tried RCI and have done many cruises with RCI and loved them also. The differences for us , Wayne is 59 and I'm 57, are that on Carnival, in the evening, there was always so much more to do than on RCI. On Carnival , if you enjoy dancing or listening to music in the evening, there are many choices for lounges. ON RCI, we are a bit bored in the evening. The disco is too loud for us and we don't enjoy the strobe lights . There is also a Latin lounge on some of the RCI ships but we don't do Latin , not yet anyway. On Carnival, we were always able to find a lounge with 50 's , 60's , 70's , 80's kind of music to dance to. Also, on Carnival, there was usually a late , adult show. On RCI, there was an adult show maybe one night. Then again, I'm comparing our 4 nights on RCI to 4 nights on Carnival. On longer cruises, you probably get more of that. We found the Vegas type shows, which we love, far superior on Carnval.

As far as the kids go, there aren't tons of kids on Carnival ifyou go when the kids are in school.

On the other hand, we enjoy the buffet setup on RCI better than on Carnival. The Windjammer Cafe, where we ate our meals, has those panoramic windows and views- didn't get much better than that. The views were better than going to the dining room. On Carnival, though, you can eat 24 hours a day, food is always available, between the 24 hour pizzeria and the nightly midnight buffets. On the smaller RCI ships, there is a place to eat certain off hours, not around the clock , and we didn't find it appetizing, wheras on the larger Navigator class ships , there is a cafe on Main Street that is wonderful.

So, we enjoy both. But, if we want the entertainment in the evening, we feel Carnival is better than RCI.l If you're not that into the shows or dancing, we would pick RCiI.

Just my opinion, Ann. Let us know what you end up doing.

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Ann, we've done many Carnival cruises and loved them all. Then , when the kids got older, we tried RCI and have done many cruises with RCI and loved them also. The differences for us , Wayne is 59 and I'm 57, are that on Carnival, in the evening, there was always so much more to do than on RCI. On Carnival , if you enjoy dancing or listening to music in the evening, there are many choices for lounges. ON RCI, we are a bit bored in the evening. The disco is too loud for us and we don't enjoy the strobe lights . There is also a Latin lounge on some of the RCI ships but we don't do Latin , not yet anyway. On Carnival, we were always able to find a lounge with 50 's , 60's , 70's , 80's kind of music to dance to. Also, on Carnival, there was usually a late , adult show. On RCI, there was an adult show maybe one night. Then again, I'm comparing our 4 nights on RCI to 4 nights on Carnival. On longer cruises, you probably get more of that. We found the Vegas type shows, which we love, far superior on Carnval.

As far as the kids go, there aren't tons of kids on Carnival ifyou go when the kids are in school.

On the other hand, we enjoy the buffet setup on RCI better than on Carnival. The Windjammer Cafe, where we ate our meals, has those panoramic windows and views- didn't get much better than that. The views were better than going to the dining room. On Carnival, though, you can eat 24 hours a day, food is always available, between the 24 hour pizzeria and the nightly midnight buffets. On the smaller RCI ships, there is a place to eat certain off hours, not around the clock , and we didn't find it appetizing, wheras on the larger Navigator class ships , there is a cafe on Main Street that is wonderful.

So, we enjoy both. But, if we want the entertainment in the evening, we feel Carnival is better than RCI.l If you're not that into the shows or dancing, we would pick RCiI.

Just my opinion, Ann. Let us know what you end up doing.

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