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sles

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My family and I are currently booked on the NYE cruise on the Independence of the Seas. I booked this based on the fact that my sister and her family had already booked that and we wanted to go with her. We have never cruised before and were getting excited.

As we get closer and I start to add up all of the costs (junior suite, airline tickets, & hotel the night before) and seeing how much more it is because of it being around the holidays I am starting to get sticker shock. I know flights MAY come down still, but I am looking at quite the investment for the cruise.

So I started comparing it to other dates and saw how much money we could save and it started to get me thinking of rescheduling. Then I started thinking of the different options for ships and destinations and got a little overwhelmed. 

I had been following the Independence groups on facebook and everyone raves about it and says it is the best ship, etc etc, but I really have no knowledge or comparison. 

So what suggestions would you have for me to look into for a family of 4, (11 year old girl, 7 year old boy) for ship and destination?

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If you still want to travel with family, check the same cruise, but maybe two adjoining non-suite rooms.  It would give you the extra space and another bathroom, and might be less expensive?  Or even a room with bunks?  Just a thought.

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1 minute ago, JennyB said:

maybe two adjoining non-suite rooms

That's a good suggestion.  you can check two promenade view interior rooms.   What drove the Juinor Suite booking?   This is a tough call overall, being that it's a cruise with family.  Are they seasoned cruisers?  If this is your first, it might be good to go with them and learn the ropes so to speak.  If you're looking to re-book over the holidays, the price is going to be at a premium on any ship.  Same with the summer when the kids are out of school.   

You'll get lots of opinions on ships and destinations.  Our family prefers the bigger ships (Oasis-class) and with kids, it's hard to go wrong with them based on all the activities (not that the Independence is a small ship, void of activities, that's not the case either.  Plenty big and plenty to do).    

My personal opinion is to stick with the current plan since it's a holiday trip with family.  Maybe look to switch to a more affordable room(s)?  

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1 hour ago, sles said:

My family and I are currently booked on the NYE cruise on the Independence of the Seas. I booked this based on the fact that my sister and her family had already booked that and we wanted to go with her. We have never cruised before and were getting excited.

As we get closer and I start to add up all of the costs (junior suite, airline tickets, & hotel the night before) and seeing how much more it is because of it being around the holidays I am starting to get sticker shock. I know flights MAY come down still, but I am looking at quite the investment for the cruise.

So I started comparing it to other dates and saw how much money we could save and it started to get me thinking of rescheduling. Then I started thinking of the different options for ships and destinations and got a little overwhelmed. 

I had been following the Independence groups on facebook and everyone raves about it and says it is the best ship, etc etc, but I really have no knowledge or comparison. 

So what suggestions would you have for me to look into for a family of 4, (11 year old girl, 7 year old boy) for ship and destination?

Also if you did pick a different week to go Could you go for a full 7 nights or only 4 nights? If you could do a full 7 nights I would do an Oasis class Ship.. If you could only do 4 nights I would do Navigator of the Seas because I think it got upgraded nicer than Independence did.. Also what other week are you looking at? There are a lot of variables here lol

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So to put a little more context, we are on the 5 Night IoS leaving Dec 28-Jan 2. The cruise is pretty booked, and if I remember going with 2 balcony rooms wasn't that much difference than the JS.  If I move it up 2 weeks I am saving over $2,500 for the exact same options as far as cruise, flights, and hotel. I am just at a tough point with it being holiday weeks. 

I am pretty open to pushing it out to Feb or March, and I am open to destinations. My sister picked this one so we just went for that without really thinking of what ship and where we want to go. Since we haven't been I just don't have a starting point to know where to go. The port in Jamaica doesn't seem that great which is why I am looking at other options.

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I have never travelled south during peak holiday season..the prices are crazy(of course) and to me, I would rather take 2-3 trips for the price of one.

 

Also, it all does add up..the cruise cost advertised is at least 3-400% higher once you add in the flights and drinks and tips and little extras here and there...

 

Not the same as booking at a land vacation south that way at all.

 

As for IOS, yes she's a nice ship..but so are lots of other ships Royal has if your open to looking around for a better deal/

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Like just about any NYE activity premiums are charged and the vacation, travel and tourism industry is no exception as you have discovered.  

The bottom line comes down to the value you place on experiencing this with your sister and family.  

It is less expensive to travel during off-peak times but then you wouldn't be with your family.  

Only you can determine the value of vacationing with your extended family on this occasion.  

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All of the above and remember, the ship choice is very personal and subjective.  I have now been on vision, Voyager, freedom and Oasis class and about to go on majesty.  I have had a great time on all my cruises and so have my kids (during the trips they have been ages 12-19).  The biggest thing is knowing the ship and shutting your expectations...if you want a ton of shows and specially dining, go for bigger ships.  Wonderful service, better prices and being able to see everything go smaller or less recent.   

   We always have to go spring break.  Prices are insane and so are flights.  We go with smaller rooms (last march interior on allure) and try for less expensive dining, hitting pre-cruise sales and looking at not ship excursions.  If the family trip isn't your main reason, then don't go over Xmas and pull your kids out of school. 

   Have a great trip whatever you do!!! Jane

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Going for a different date would certainly keep cost down.  We love an Oasis class but those get really pricy for a family too.  To me the best value is the Freedom class ships.  You get quite a bit of activities without the sticker shock of an Oasis class ship.  All school vacations will have a surge in pricing but not like the holiday sailings.

My suggestion is to pick the ship first and then the ports especially it being your first time.  You will be on a ship much longer than the maybe 8 hours in port.  You can find something to do in all ports and if not you can chose to keep it a ship day.  What works for us may be different than you but a must have for my family is the water slides.  If you can afford a Harmony or Symphony then go for it but if not Independence is a great ship too.  

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4 minutes ago, melski94 said:

Going for a different date would certainly keep cost down.  We love an Oasis class but those get really pricy for a family too.  To me the best value is the Freedom class ships.  You get quite a bit of activities without the sticker shock of an Oasis class ship.  All school vacations will have a surge in pricing but not like the holiday sailings.

My suggestion is to pick the ship first and then the ports especially it being your first time.  You will be on a ship much longer than the maybe 8 hours in port.  You can find something to do in all ports and if not you can chose to keep it a ship day.  What works for us may be different than you but a must have for my family is the water slides.  If you can afford a Harmony or Symphony then go for it but if not Independence is a great ship too.  

I agree... Freedom class is the sweet spot of affordability but some of the oasis class amenities.  Jane

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3 hours ago, melski94 said:

Going for a different date would certainly keep cost down.  We love an Oasis class but those get really pricy for a family too.  To me the best value is the Freedom class ships.  You get quite a bit of activities without the sticker shock of an Oasis class ship.  All school vacations will have a surge in pricing but not like the holiday sailings.

My suggestion is to pick the ship first and then the ports especially it being your first time.  You will be on a ship much longer than the maybe 8 hours in port.  You can find something to do in all ports and if not you can chose to keep it a ship day.  What works for us may be different than you but a must have for my family is the water slides.  If you can afford a Harmony or Symphony then go for it but if not Independence is a great ship too.  

Depends on when you go.. I have found some awesome deals for Allure lately mostly because I think people are nervous about the Azipod issues.. I saw some dates where inside rooms were going for $550 a person.. Too me thats a steal on Allure.. So really it just depends on when you go and if you can find a deal.. 

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Independence is a great ship and perfect for your kids ..waterslides, laser tag, rock wall, ice rink, amazing shows, great size.

As others have said, it depends on how important it is to travel with your family vs going on your own.  Only you can answer that.  But yes you are travelling at premium time .  Even if you got ok price on cruise flights will be super expensive. On the flip side, a cruise would be a wonderful place to celebrate the holidays.

We travel at our March break so kids don't miss school but not sure we'd do xmas as everything is raised in price  But only you can decide your travel plans and budget.

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On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 8:37 AM, sles said:

My family and I are currently booked on the NYE cruise on the Independence of the Seas. I booked this based on the fact that my sister and her family had already booked that and we wanted to go with her. We have never cruised before and were getting excited.

As we get closer and I start to add up all of the costs (junior suite, airline tickets, & hotel the night before) and seeing how much more it is because of it being around the holidays I am starting to get sticker shock. I know flights MAY come down still, but I am looking at quite the investment for the cruise.

So I started comparing it to other dates and saw how much money we could save and it started to get me thinking of rescheduling. Then I started thinking of the different options for ships and destinations and got a little overwhelmed. 

I had been following the Independence groups on facebook and everyone raves about it and says it is the best ship, etc etc, but I really have no knowledge or comparison. 

So what suggestions would you have for me to look into for a family of 4, (11 year old girl, 7 year old boy) for ship and destination?

Not sure where your from, but we switched from Allure to Indy for the Christmas cruise. 5 days vs 7 was huge for our family of 4. Still expensive because its the Holidays, but we knew that. A huge savings we are making is that we live in MA and we are driving a rental vs airfair. A mini van is a fraction of the cost vs a 5k airfair! Plus we can hit some other locations on our way home. Just a thought.........

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On a budget for a trip at premium time we took an ocean view with two drop down bunks. Sounds crowded but with so much going on with ship and shore activities its in the end only some place to shut your eyes for a few hours...

 

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