SO overwhelmed by the number of ships to choose from

We have cruised a lot, and our favorite so far is definitely the Oasis class. We sailed the Oasis of the Seas when the kids were 10 and 13, and it was perfect. We really enjoyed the Boardwalk and Central Park neighborhoods. Shows were outstanding (except Cats ;) We always book two connecting cabins through our TA when they are offering free gratuities, dining packages, and obc, so the savings are huge.

I'm trying to get the kids excited about our Disney Fantasy cruise over Spring Break but my son keeps asking about ice skating and rock walls, and all the stuff on our last RCI and NCL cruises. 😂
 
Have to agree with several of the earlier posts. We've been on several RCI cruises and on mostly different class ships. Even now, I still have no idea what it means when someone mentions "Radiance Class" or whatever. I have to go to the link mentioned earlier in the post to see what ships belong to what class. To us, its the itinerary that determines which ship. We've been on the smaller end (Enchantment OTS) up to fairly large (Anthem OTS) and a couple in between. We've enjoyed all of them so far. So, my opinion is pick the cruise based on the itinerary, then if you still have a choice, figure out which ship you'd like.
 
I'm trying to get the kids excited about our Disney Fantasy cruise over Spring Break but my son keeps asking about ice skating and rock walls, and all the stuff on our last RCI and NCL cruises.

see - I really want to do a Dream or Fantasy to try it, but I think my teens will be bored!! It’s too $$$ anyway really

We always book two connecting cabins through our TA when they are offering free gratuities, dining packages, and obc, so the savings are huge.

do they ever do free gratuities on RCI? That would be very attractive with a family of 8.

So, my opinion is pick the cruise based on the itinerary, then if you still have a choice, figure out which ship you'd like.
Anywhere in the Caribbean will work for us, but we want a good number of activities. My oldest got a little bored on Valor. It was fine as it was only 5 days, but I do want a little more activity.
 


Ditto to what others said about recommending Oasis class. My favorite cruise so far is our Symphony cruise followed by Allure. But I'll also add that Voyager class is great too for families....Mariner has Sky Pad, Laser Tag and waterslides, Navigator has different waterslides and Laser Tag, and even Adventure has waterslides. All have rock walls, ice rinks sports court, mini golf, etc. They are good too if you want something not quite as large but a good size.

Also loved Independence..
 
there is a very possible Magic one I’m looking at! Thank you!!!

We've been on Magic once and it was a lot of fun. We had another one booked for this year but had to cancel due to some plans changing, but I wish we were going on it again. My son had a lot of fun on the ship (he was 8), especially the water slides and ropes course.
 
Voyager class is great too for families....
You know - I never gave this class a second glance. I assumed too old. Sounds like RCI does a good job keeping older ships current!

We've been on Magic once and it was a lot of fun.
Carnival has a lot of options. I was always afraid to try them because of stuff on DCL page, but we did Valor in August and had a wonderful experience. We brought games and loved the evening movies. My girls 6 & 9 loved their kids' clubs. Even though it was an older ship, the little two had a fabulous time. The employees were excellent.
 


Boo - Mariner, Navigator and Independence all just have 5N cruises. I really want 7N. But I won't rule them out. They are a great price point, too!!!
 
Carnival has a lot of options. I was always afraid to try them because of stuff on DCL page, but we did Valor in August and had a wonderful experience. We brought games and loved the evening movies. My girls 6 & 9 loved their kids' clubs. Even though it was an older ship, the little two had a fabulous time. The employees were excellent.

My son likes the kids club on Carnival, does not at all on RCL. The kids on Magic all got to go up on stage during the lip sync battle final round, they all got to dance around and wave signs to cheer on their favourite, he had a lot of fun. I like going to the library on ships and playing the games they have there, I'm pretty sure most ships have a library, but we do also at least bring a deck of cards. If your kids enjoyed Valor they would enjoy Magic (or Horizon or Breeze, or Mardi Gras if that fits your time table). My first cruise was on Carnival, I had to cancel a Disney cruise as the CAD dropped and the price became too much. Someday we'll get to try it :)
 
That’s great to hear! If you have done the Mediterranean before I will take any advice or tips you have about excursions or the ship. Our ports are: Cannes, LaSpezia, Civitavecchia, Piraeus, Mykonos, Kusadasi, and Santorini.
We just came off the Jewel of the Seas Suez Canal, repositioning (11/30/19-12/16/19; Rome to Dubai) and have visited other ports on your list over the years with different ships and cruise lines.

Civitavecchia is your gateway to Rome ... but the port is at least 45-minutes bus ride into the city. If it is your first visit to Rome, your best bet would be one of the ship's excursions, likely a full day tour (7+ hours). Read the excursion menu carefully, determine which tour meets your interests best, and book early.

Kusadasi is your gateway to Biblical city of Ephesus. Again, book a ship's tour!

Piraeus is Athens. The port is very close to the big sites, museums and shopping. Take a ship's tour or make private arrangements. While there is always concern with private arrangements for getting back to the ship on time ... you'll never be terribly far from the port. We did a ship's tour last month ... but felt we could have been successful on our own.

Santorini: We booked a ship's tour for our visit last month that included walking through two old villages, a visit to a distillery, return to the main center with a one-way tram ticket back down to the old port. I'm don't drink but found the entire tour very pleasant. Loved it! Can't wait to return. One could easily visit the city center and shopping w/out a ship's tour ... but I'm glad we booked the tour.

Edited to add: One curious thing to consider, one might have difficulty guesstimating the impact of jet-lag. For me, on the recent trip, it hit hard on day 4, Piraeus/Athens. I was a woozy mess. Just as glad, I suppose that we under the shepherded care of a ship's excursion ... as I wasn't thinking clearly. It hits each of us differently ... just keep that in mind and be patient with one another.
 
Last edited:
We just came off the Jewel of the Seas Suez Canal, repositioning (11/30/19-12/16/19; Rome to Dubai) and have visited other ports on your list over the years with different ships and cruise lines.

Civitavecchia is your gateway to Rome ... but the port is at least 45-minutes bus ride into the city. If it is your first visit to Rome, your best bet would be one of the ship's excursions, likely a full day tour (7+ hours). Read the excursion menu carefully, determine which tour meets your interests best, and book early.

Kusadasi is your gateway to Biblical city of Ephesus. Again, book a ship's tour!

Piraeus is Athens. The port is very close to the big sites, museums and shopping. Take a ship's tour or make private arrangements. While there is always concern with private arrangements for getting back to the ship on time ... you'll never be terribly far from the port. We did a ship's tour last month ... but felt we could have been successful on our own.

Santorini: We booked a ship's tour for our visit last month that included walking through two old villages, a visit to a distillery, return to the main center with a one-way tram ticket back down to the old port. I'm don't drink but found the entire tour very pleasant. Loved it! Can't wait to return. One could easily visit the city center and shopping w/out a ship's tour ... but I'm glad we booked the tour.

Edited to add: One curious thing to consider, one might have difficulty guesstimating the impact of jet-lag. For me, on the recent trip, it hit hard on day 4, Piraeus/Athens. I was a woozy mess. Just as glad, I suppose that we under the shepherded care of a ship's excursion ... as I wasn't thinking clearly. It hits each of us differently ... just keep that in mind and be patient with one another.
Thank you so much for the detailed advice. We are going to spend 4 days in Barcelona before we leave - hopefully that will help with jet-lag.
 
Thank you so much for the detailed advice. We are going to spend 4 days in Barcelona before we leave - hopefully that will help with jet-lag.
Oh, I 😍 Barcelona! What a fun and whimsical city. Do spend time searching out Gaudi's handiwork ... from the Parc Guell, Palau Guell, Casa Batllo and so much more. Take in Tapas on the waterfront ... tour the maritime museum ... ride the Funicular de Montjuïc. Oh, so much to do and see! Enjoy!
 
Boo - Mariner, Navigator and Independence all just have 5N cruises. I really want 7N. But I won't rule them out. They are a great price point, too!!!

Did you look at Liberty? It does Western Caribbean 7 night sailings out of Galveston. Same class as Independence. We're doing this itinerary in November.
 
Oh, I 😍 Barcelona! What a fun and whimsical city. Do spend time searching out Gaudi's handiwork ... from the Parc Guell, Palau Guell, Casa Batllo and so much more. Take in Tapas on the waterfront ... tour the maritime museum ... ride the Funicular de Montjuïc. Oh, so much to do and see! Enjoy!
All of this. Plus a trip to Montserrat.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top