Help me choose an RC cruise
 

Never cruised before and we should have gone last year on Harmony for a Caribbean cruise after our Disney holiday so now we have cruise credits to use by next year. I turn 40 next year so we could do a Med cruise April/May time near my birthday or tab it onto our Universal stay next October and do a Caribbean cruise. Alternatively for the same price as a Med cruise in May, we could fly to Bridgetown and do a 7 night cruise on Grandeur over Easter holidays. I’ll have my 9 and 18 year old with me and my partner. Would anybody have a destination preference? Is Grandeur going to keep them entertained or should I stick to a larger ship like Harmony? Thank you, completely clueless when it comes to cruises!

So personally I would do the Caribbean just because 1. you are guaranteed the weather pretty much and 2. you probably include a stop at RCs private island which looks wonderful. I haven't been on either ship unfortunately so can't really comment on how much entertainment etc is onboard.

We love Royal Caribbean, have sailed on several of their ships and honesty cant fault them. Many of them have been revamped with the water slides etc which kids love. The newer ships like Harmony really take some beating. We are booked on Anthem of the Seas for May 2022 out of Southampton, after having so many holidays cancelled we decided to book something that didnt involve all the moving parts of flights, hotels etc.

Grandeur is an older ship and we personally like the bigger, newer ones, but thats personal preference, however the newer ones have more for children and that also means they attract a different demographic, more families and more kid friendly activities.

We have visited Florida several times and cruised out of Port Canaveral or Miami, and that would always be my preference for the weather and beautiful destinations. We like Royal Caribbean ships from the Freedom Class and above, looking at the ships sailing from Florida next October it would be Harmony (definite yes) or Mariner (too old and small for us). If Harmony proved expensive I would opt for the med in the spring instead, depending on the ship.

These are all just my opinions, Im sure you will have a fab time whatever you decide!

If you are living in the UK why not fly to Europe and take a med cruise either from Barcelona or Rome/Venice.

Not sure about your 18 year old, on European cruises they could have a beer where as US cruises it's 21.

We did Harmony last year I loved it thought it was a great ship. Great fun cruising watching the sea go by. We did inside cabin twice and then balcony twice.

Did you feel you got the use out of the balcony? Or would you save the £200 and stay inside cabin? Sorry, just clueless for this type of holiday!

Personally I would pay the £200 for a balcony every time. For us, a balcony is our own little haven to have coffee Ora breakfast in the morning and we get lots of use out of it. There is nothing we could spend £200 on which would be better spent. It’s certainly personal preference though.

Balcony definitely worth it and I would agree the newer ships are something special. We really love Anthem (and those in that class) but I would be happy with anything from Freedom class upwards.

We’ve been on Harmony and Freedom. Harmony is a great ship with something for everyone. Freedom is lovely but smaller and maybe less to interest the younger ones. Grandeur is, I think, below freedom in terms of class so I wouldn’t go for that option.

I wouldn’t bother with a balcony - we are literally only in our cabin to wash and sleep but I appreciate that most people have a different view.

Four of our cruises have been from Port Canaveral in September/October and we have loved every one. The private island Coco Cay is fabulous so I’d recommend that as a stop.

We did our first cruise at the start of December 2019 it was amazing we were on harmony and had a Central Park balcony room. 7 nights Caribbean cruise would definitely do it again amazing ship and experience. 😊

These are my thoughts (in no particular order):

Grandeur - Caribbean Cruise at Easter option

1. Since this will be your first cruise, I wouldn't necessarily rule out the smaller ships. Our first cruise was on a Vision class ship (not Grandeur, but same size etc) and we spent quite a lot of time just staring at the sea!

2. This is just my personal opinion but the Oasis class ships (Harmony) don't feel as "connected" to the sea as some of the other ships. So depending on your personal preferences you may prefer a smaller ship where you feel more connected to the sea? Especially with it being your first cruise.

3. If you intend to get off the ship in the ports, on a 7 night cruise there isn't as much time as you think there is (or had hoped there would be!) for exploring the ship. Grandeur has a rock climbing wall, pools, jacuzzis and the children's / teen areas. On top of this there will be all the activities / quizzes / shows. I would suggest there would be ample to do on a 7 night cruise - though obviously I don't know what your children's interests are.

4. If you rule out Grandeur for Harmony, how many of the additional activities that are on Harmony are you realistically going to have chance to do?

Caribbean Itineraries

I don't know the exact itineraries you are looking at for Grandeur vs Harmony but as I understand it Grandeur does Southern Caribbean and Harmony does Northern Caribbean. Harmony is usually restricted to bigger ports as it is a very big ship so choice is limited. I would say that the destinations on Harmony's itineraries will be lovely, but some can feel a little sanitised / commercial. Some of the Southern Caribbean islands I find are more charming as you get more of a flavour of the true Caribbean. However, this is just my opinion and some people don't want to watch the locals chasing a pig down the road to the local abbatoir! (yes, that did happen - St Vincent I think it was).

Med Cruise

I do love a Med Cruise. Seem to have been to most Med ports now. However, there is such a variety on offer - if you say which you are considering I can give more targeted advice/ rant. :grin:

General

We have a cruising addiction! However, we do still choose cruises mainly based on the ports / itinerary. I would say you need to have a fair idea of whether this is the case for you: Ship vs itinerary as this can answer a lot of questions.

Anyway, you've probably fallen asleep now so I'll be off. :wavey:

Feel free to ask more questions!