We've done a few cruises. The most recent, my two children (12 and 15) and myself, NLC Spirit from NYC, returned last Sunday. Not a high point in our lives.

An 8 day Costa a year ago, nice. Sailed from Fort Lauderdale.

An 8 day on Carnival Destiny a couple years ago. We sailed from San Juan with about 1900 locals. Also not a particularly great time; I don't think I'll ever want to sail from San Juan again.

Another couple of Carnivals and Costa prior to these.

Our room of choice is a suite. With the exception of the Spirit, we always get suites. Spirit just didn't have one for us, and since my husband didn't come along for this trip the kids and I decided to rough it. OK, so we're spoiled. The room was depressing. Worse than sardines. I threatened to sleep on the balcony. I would have if it hadn't been so cold, and if it was long enough to fit on.

I've booked through TA's 3 times. The cruise line itself once. The internet twice. I don't care who I book through as long as the service is good and the price fair.

What I want: a nice cruise. A good sized suite without having to sell a child to pay for it. I don't need a garden villa or owners suite, although I would not object at the right price... Someplace warm; I'd like to plan for March 2007 for this particular request. Spring break for the kids. Their schools frown on missing days for vacations, and with the cost per day of school we want our money's worth. Minimum of 8 days; longer would be nice. 8 days is really only 6 anyway - 11 or more sounds good. I don't care about stopping in Nassau. I've memorized the darn place. I don't want to have to fly for hours and hours to get to a ship. In fact, when we're leaving from a Florida port we take an extra couple of days to drive down there instead of flying. (We come from CT) We don't want a ship full of seniors, nor do we want a ship that is full of drunk college students. There has to be enough on board to keep kids entertained. They don't necessarily need a "camp", but it helps to meet other kids. Good food. Buffets are the choice for the kids, hubby and I enjoy nice dining rooms and formal nights as well as buffets. I also don't want a ship that nickels and dimes you to death. I don't want to be told what I am leaving for gratuities. Suggestions are fine, but the final decision should rest with me, not them. If the service is good I will tip accordingly. If it is bad I don't want to get off grumbling about being charged for service I didn't get and having no real say in the matter. Easy on/off. Should come with the suite. Fun places to visit; but not so many ports that there is no time to relax on board. We enjoy sea days just as much as islands.

I guess what we want is a BMW/Mercedes cruise, not a Kia or Hyundai. And I don't meant to sound like a snob; I'd rather pay a little more for quality.

TA's are welcome to help me out here! I have no objections to booking through you; I tried for this last trip, and am still waiting for her to call back with pricing.... Let's see, that's been how many weeks now? We've already sailed.

I'd also like another cruise or two in between, most likely without hubby (work). Probably in November, perhaps a get away in August before school starts as well. Since those will be just the kids and myself I imagine they'll be easier to find on short notice. We could also do the "good" cruise over Christmas/New Years. They have a long vacation then as well.

Any takers? Any suggestions? I tried calling a TA, again, for this. (Different agency, gave up on the first one) I don't want to be told that I don't want this or don't want that. Or feel like I'm being pushed into whatever their current contest is promoting. I want a trip that meets our needs, not one that the agent is making the most money from or winning a prize for booking. And I don't mean to sound insulting either. I hate the "no, that's not what you want" attitude. If they would suggest something rather than tell me what I want it would be different...

For a couple's cruise you may want to consider Celebrity or move on up to something like Crystal, Seaborn, etc.

For a cruise with the family, you may want to consider Princess. A little more upscale than what you have sailed on, but still enough kids on board for children to mingle.

One of the very best cruises we have been on was out of San Juan on Celebrity. Also for a change of pace, you may want to consider a Mexican Riviera cruise out of L.A.

Hi, Just want you to know, I signed up just to answer your questions.

I also am from CT.

You have a lot of requirements. Have you considered buying a boat?

I will be taking my second cruise next week from New York. Leaving on the Noordam on the 25th for 11 days.

Although I haven't done many cruises I think Holland America would fit most if not all of your requirements. The ships are upscale with great food. Holland has started to bring more of the younger set (teens and famalies) into the fold. If you go for an 11 day cruise, you can expect the passengers to be of the type that have the money and the time for a longer cruise. You could read this as Older, but on my last 11 day trip, we had a good mix. We sat with a couple on honeymoon - mid 20's.

I share many of your concerns, and have found Holland to be a good value.

Please let me know if I can answer anything elso for you.

Naw, buying a boat won't do it. I'd have to cook! And there most likely wouldn't be much in the way of entertainment.

I have thought about Crystal, Princess, Celebrity and HAL. Radisson sounds promising as well. If it were just the hubby and myself it would be easy. I want to make sure the kids enjoy themselves too, and that there are enough activities on board to keep them happy and amused. I don't want to board a ship to find out that it's everything us old folks want - and no kids onboard.

Mr. TP - Noordam sounds great. I'll have to check out the itinerary. While we don't need anything totally exotic, I don't think I can handle the same islands over and over again. My son won't even get off in Nassau anymore. The length sounds much better; 11 days is more like it. And being able to drive to the port is always a plus. One thing that my kids liked about leaving from NYC is that a lot of the kids were 'local'. Closer to us. The morning we were leaving my 15 yr old was online chatting with some school friends. He came running upstairs where I was finishing up the packing to inform me a buddy of his had just told him that he had to get offline soon - the family was heading out for a cruise. Yup, same ship as us! They spend 8 hours a day together in a small private school - you'd think they might have mentioned their vacation plans to each other earlier!

Farmerjohn, your suggestions are great too! My only objection to leaving from LA or San Juan is the time involved in getting there. I suppose for the right trip we'd have to bite the bullet and do the flying again. That just seems to waste so much time and add more headache and hassles. Will the plane be delayed? Do we need to leave a day early? What if our luggage doesn't show up in the baggage carousel?

Carol, I'll check it out...

Thanks guys! Keep the suggestions coming! Looks like Celebrity, Princess or HAL are the winners so far.

What about this one? It does require flying though.

Cruise:
11 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise

Ship:
Galaxy

Guest(s):
4 Adults

Dates: Mon 05-Mar-2007 to Fri 16-Mar-2007

Itinerary:
San Juan, Puerto Rico , At Sea , Oranjestad, Aruba , Willemstad, Curacao , Margarita Island, Venezuela , Bridgetown, Barbados , Castries, St. Lucia , Roseau, Dominica , Basseterre, St. Kitts , Tortola, British Virgin Isl

Stateroom:
Penthouse Deck, Royal Suite
Stateroom #1054


Vacation Total:

Cruise: 9,180.00
Tax: 205.40
TOTAL: 9,385.40

That sounds nice, Does it leave from San Juan?

If so, don't forget the 1900 locals......

Where are you in CT? I'm in Branford.

TP

LOl Mr. TP! San Juan it is. However, I don't think they'll be offering the locals fares of $300 or less like Carnival did/does.

I'm in Bethel. Next to Danbury.

Good point, Heidi528. I guess the not too many of the locals will kick in 10 grand for that trip.
This is going to be a long week waiting for next Sat. Last cruise was on the Rotterdam. Can't wait to try out the newest of the Holland America fleet.

TP

Saturday will be here before you know it! Got room in a suitcase for an extra traveler? LOL. I've been back a week today; need a vacation already.

Going to be real hard to explain that one to the wife, but I'll try

She: Honey, why is your suitcase moving?

He: Don't know dear, - Dam cat must have gotten in while I was packing.....

Hi Heidi,
Our family sounds similar to your in regards to the school situation and what you are desiring. We have been cruising faithfully twice a year with out children, ages 5,10, 12. I do take them out of school if I have to, but I know where you are coming from. In regards to a suggestsion, We've done them all, royal carribean is our favorite, whether alone or with the family. We have been waiting for two years for "freedom of the seas" to be built, it is the most magnificent ship in the world, take a look at it on line. Costa nor Carnival could or would ever compare. Anyways, I reserved a dozen units bc we have lots of friends and family we like to cruise with. Therefore I got a super rate. Most of the available sailings are sold out or highly priced for the next year. My agent still is holding a few until the last of March at my rate, ranging from about 900 p/p incl port and taxes for interior to about $1700 for a junior suite. The sailing is December 3 out of Miami and has a great w. carribean itinerary. Everything about this ship is spectacular. Go to freedomoftheseas.com to check it out. I am not an agent or anyone making anything off of this, I just have them held for my group, and they are left over. If they go back to r/c, they'll either go to the waiting lists or back on the market for more money. Let me know.

Neaco, sounds intriguing! I'll check it out; not familiar with junior suites, but I know each ship calls their suites something different. I'll get back to you...

Checked it out; it's a "member cruise"? Meaning? I see there are no suites available for this sailing. And the prices for sailings that are available are much higher than what you've quoted. However, the date isn't great - before vacation, and I'm not terribly impressed with what little I can see of the room. Looks like a glorified balcony room to me. Not a suite. Thanks though!

quote:

Originally posted by Heidi528:
Our room of choice is a suite.

Heidi, considering the ages of your kids, have you considered getting two rooms instead of one?

This gives you a lot of flexibility, and a lot of privacy when you want it! You could get a suite or large balcony room for you and your husband, and get a nearby or even connecting room for the kids. If a connecting room, the kids could have a balcony room, too, or if they're in a nearby room, it could be a different or less expensive type of room. I've sent clients on cruises in this type of arrangement, and both they and their kids have been very happy. It's more expensive than having the kids as the 3rd and 4th person in your room, but there are many advantages, too...

Sandy

Sandy, great point. I did do that once with when we brought my oldest along; we had a suite and got her a balcony. With just the 4 of us, we keep the kids with us. Sometimes they're almost free. I never thought about a cheap inside room across the hall.

They're gone most of the time anyway, don't take up a lot of space, and there are some great activities on the ship that guarantee both kids will be absent at a certain time...

Heidi, if you're booking far in advance, it should be no problem getting two rooms of different categories that are near each other.

As for the kids being absent at a "certain time," don't count on it unless you double lock the door from the inside! Then be prepared to explain why!!

If the kids are in a separate room, you'll sleep better, since you can't worry about why they haven't come back to the room yet...

Sandy

I've only been on 6 crusies...5 of which I travelled in a suite.....the Best....Holland America. the service is fantastic, good food...and i'm a vegetarian and when i made the reservation, i asked them to purchase vege meat products...they did!....my least favorite....Caranival

Sandy, good advice now that they are getting older. Dumb question: if we were to book a suite, and give them an inside across the hall, would both rooms have the same steward?

HAL sounds nice Carmen. Haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure we will!

Heidi, I'm not sure how the steward(ess)s are assigned to rooms. Sometimes suites have their own stewards, who don't take care of non-suites. It'll depend on the way that particular cruise line handles things.

In any case, you'll be able to meet and chat with the steward for the other room, even if it's not the same as for your room. S/he'll understand if you have any special requests, etc., even if s/he is not your room steward per se.

Sandy

Not sure this would meet you requirements but I was on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Star Princess this February with my teenage daughter. (I have the same situation with the school that you have). The cruise was a seven day cruise, but we extended the vacation by spending extra time in Florida. At the time we went there were about 300 teenagers on board. The youth councilors were excellent. There is a supervised off limits zone, no parents allowed, for the kids to go to just hang out or participate in activities. There is a small video arcade, cyber golf, and two good size pools where the children can hang out with friends, (and two adult only pools). My daughter especially liked the airbrushed tattoos. The number of things that children and adults can do on a Princess cruise are way to many to list here. My daughter is a very picky eater, but we never had a problem finding food that she would like. She was able to get pizza without sauce, double cheese and double pepperoni. At dinner if she didn’t like the main choices, our waiter would bring her out three plates of different kinds of fruit as an appetizer, french fries with blue cheese dressing (a Buffalo NY thing) and fettuccini alfrado for a main course. Which are three of her favorite things to eat. Point being that the crew went out of their way to make sure enjoyed all her meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had a great time at the ports. We went snorkeling in the Princess Cays, to the turtle farm and swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman, a dolphin swim and climbed the Dunn’s river waterfall in Jamaica, and had a relaxing day shopping in Cozumel. I have only been on Princess cruises so I can’t compare cabins to other cruises. But from what I heard from other passengers the Princess cabins are larger than on some other cruise lines. I have always enjoyed my Princess cruises and my daughter had, in her own words, “a mega good time.”