RP From NW: Cruises

I've been on 10 cruises in my life. So far I've been on Norweigian, Disney, Princess, Carnival and Celebrity. IMO, Norweigian is the most flexible. They have 'freestyle dining' which means that unlike other cruise lines, you get to go to dinner whenever you want (just as if you would be in a restaurant in your hometown). This has its upsides and downsides. It has upsides because you are able to try all of the different restaurants they have on the ship (e.g. they usually have about 8 restaurants on Norweigian ships). The bad part is that you will probably have to make reservations (in the same way you would at home).

$900 for a 10 day cruise is AMAZING - basically unheard of! I recently did a 7 day that I paid $1200 for and it only went to the Bahamas and Florida (from NY). My FH doesn't fly so we are looking into cruising options for our Honeymoon.

Carnival is more kid-friendly, but depending on the time of year will determine how many kids are actually on your ship. Celebrity and Princess were more 'classy' - but IMO, not as much 'fun' - you had to make your own fun by going to the spa, hanging out poolside, etc. On Norweigian, Disney and Carnival, you cannot escape the 'fun.' It really depends on what type of mood you're looking for. If you want something romantic and classy, I say go more towards the Celebrity/Princess route. If you just want to have a good time, go Norweigian or Carnival.

My parents recently went on a Cunard ship and they said it was quite stuffy - they spent the entire time in the spa b/c there was literally nothing else to do on the ship. Their $500pp cruise wound up costing them close to $1000pp b/c of all the time they spent in the spa.

My aunt raves about Royal Caribbean, but I have yet to be on one of their ships. Their prices are usually a bit more expensive than the others so I assume you get what you pay for. Another aunt loves Costa cruise lines (though I think they only do European cruises).

FM me for more info - but it seems to me like you have a great deal!

If you're leaving out of NY, definitely go with Carnival (never cruised with NCL) over Royal Caribbean. Carnival is now doing a 'your time dining' so you're not locked into the formal dinner times, although I do like the formal time. The pier is also organized and clean and convenient.

The reason I say avoid Royal Caribbean is b/c their NY cruise port is actually 'Cape Liberty, NJ' aka Bayone, NJ; the worlds most inconvenient cruise port to get to. Parking is super $$$$ and taking mass transit is a HUGE mistake (we did that a few years ago...it took subway to NJ transit to light rail to taxi just to get there). I also find RC nickel and dimes you.

My only other suggestion is that while yes, $900 is an INSANELY good price I'd avoid getting an inside room, even if that means increasing the cost a little bit. You'll have an overall more enjoyable experience.

Oh yes, one last thing....take me with you!!!!!

I've done the 7 day NCL Eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami, so I bet once you take away the travel time from NY, it's the same itinerary.

I don't think you'll get bored - coming from NY you'll have more sea days which are nice because you can really just hang out on the ship. That's the one thing I didn't like about our cruise - we only had 2 sea days, so didn't feel i had enough time to just relax.

I've done two NCL cruises and really like that line. However, that's the only line i've been on so can't really compare. We took the Jewel and the Pearl - both are new and pretty modern.

Feel free to FM me if you have any other questions.

I LOVE cruises. FH & I went on a European cruise and I could honestly say it was the BEST trip of my life. I've been to other cruises (all on Celebrity) and I LOVED them all. It's definitely not boring!!

$900 is a good price... is that for an inside cabin?