Mrs. Regular Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Hey all, I just made a decision to cruise over my birthday week in July, YAY!! Now I need your HALP! I'll be going with just my husband and this would be our second cruise (we last went to the Mediterranean in fall 2017 and fell in love with cruising). I have a couple options and need some experienced cruisers to weigh in. I want to cruise out of the northeast and go south, so my choices are out of Cape Liberty on Oasis 7 night to Florida, Perfect Day, and Nassau, 7 night Empress to Bermuda or 5 night Adventure to Bermuda. I could also go down to Baltimore and do a 5 night Bermuda on Grandeur. Pros - Both ports in driving distance from home. All of them are itineraries I am excited about. I already have the same itinerary Oasis is taking booked for Feb 2021 on Anthem but this would be an opportunity to do an Oasis class ship at an Oasis class price but without also having to pay for airfare. Cons - I would rather go to Bermuda but the Empress is not an appealing ship to me and I'd rather cruise on the Grandeur if given the choice. I've cruised on the Rhapsody and loved it so I know I will like the Grandeur. The G and E are cheaper than Adventure or Oasis (I'd have to go with an Oasis interior guarantee to stay in budget) and the week the G is sailing her 5 night itinerary is the week that works best with my summer schedule. So what it's coming down to is I could do Oasis on the same length sailing (but on an itinerary I'll be doing next year) in an inside room for around the same price as the sailing to Bermuda (that my husband and I would be a little more excited about) in a suite on Empress or a balcony room on a shorter sailing from Baltimore. I'm just torn. Part of me looks at price and thinks go with Grandeur but the other part of me is drawn to the razzle dazzle of Oasis or Adventure. I also would want to account for extras like spa or workouts, room service, and esepecially the fact that a drink package would be cheaper on the smaller ship/shorter sailing (we only have Gold status) so the Grandeur checks a lot of the boxes. Help me make sense of it all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I'd pick Oasis. Newly refurbished ship, latest and greatest to do onboard and 7-nights. Mrs. Regular and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I agree with Matt. Go with Oasis. What a great ship ! Mrs. Regular 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 1 hour ago, dancernl said: I also would want to account for extras like spa or workouts, room service, and esepecially the fact that a drink package would be cheaper on the smaller ship/shorter sailing (we only have Gold status) so the Grandeur checks a lot of the boxes. Help me make sense of it all! I have found that this is not the case. I bought the drink package for my upcoming 5 night on Enchantment on Black Friday ($57), and it was way more than the regular sales for my 7 night on Liberty this past September ($47). Mrs. Regular 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleB1234 Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 I would suggest Adventure of the Seas since it stops in Bermuda and still is a major upgrade from the Empress and Grandeur. BunnyHutt and Mrs. Regular 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Being on a cruise for Independence Day is always so much fun! That week will typically be more expensive but worth it! Mrs. Regular 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Regular Posted January 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 4 minutes ago, MichelleB1234 said: I would suggest Adventure of the Seas since it stops in Bermuda and still is a major upgrade from the Empress and Grandeur. Good point. It's a 5 night and about the same price as the 7 night on Oasis, but later in July than I want to go. Right now I'm aiming at the week of July 4th through 11th. My birthday is that Wednesday the 8th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleB1234 Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Have you checked out sister line Celebrity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Regular Posted January 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 1 minute ago, MichelleB1234 said: Have you checked out sister line Celebrity? Not yet, but we might! Also considering (GASP) another line. Virgin is debuting their adults only maiden ship in Miami and Mark Ronson is on deck that week. It's still $$$ but something brand new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleB1234 Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Would sail Celebrity before doing Virgin this year. Virgin is a brand new line and I would wait a while for them to work out the kinks. I have sailed Celebrity and wouldn't hesitate to sail them again. Mrs. Regular 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Regular Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) The world keeps turning and plans keep changing. We were thinking that if we're considering a trip to Miami to sail Virgin as an option we should look at other cruises out of Miami. I was delighted to find a 4 nite Mariner (actually Navigator - rookie mistake!) cruise to Nassau and Coco Cay for a whole lot less than I anticipated. Like, we could have a Jr. Suite for the same amount as an outside view on the Oasis. I know they are different class ships and a 4 night is shorter than a 7. I get that. I still got really excited about the price and itinerary, and even though we'll be going to Nassau and Coco the following February, I think it would be great to go without our kids first and experience the Chill side (we will have a Thrill Cabana on our Anthem cruise). @Matt is always singing the praises of the Mariner (NAVIGATOR!). Should we YOLO Book It? We would have an opportunity to explore Miami as well either just before or just after the sailing, which would be fun as neither of us has been there before. So many options, so little time! Edited January 23, 2020 by dancernl I don't know the difference between these ships! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGSLC5 Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Just now, dancernl said: The world keeps turning and plans keep changing. We were thinking that if we're considering a trip to Miami to sail Virgin as an option we should look at other cruises out of Miami. I was delighted to find a 4 nite Mariner cruise to Nassau and Coco Cay for a whole lot less than I anticipated. Like, we could have a Jr. Suite for the same amount as an outside view on the Oasis. I know they are different class ships and a 4 night is shorter than a 7. I get that. I still got really excited about the price and itinerary, and even though we'll be going to Nassau and Coco the following February, I think it would be great to go without our kids first and experience the Chill side (we will have a Thrill Cabana on our Anthem cruise). @Matt is always singing the praises of the Mariner. Should we YOLO Book It? We would have an opportunity to explore Miami as well either just before or just after the sailing, which would be fun as neither of us has been there before. So many options, so little time! What about Navigator? Navigator actually leaves from Miami so you wouldn't have to drive all the way to Port Canaveral.. Plus they did a slightly better job with the Amp on Navigator than Mariner.. The pool deck on Navigator much nicer I have been on both since the Amp and I just prefer Navigator.. You should check it out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Regular Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Just now, AGSLC5 said: What about Navigator? Navigator actually leaves from Miami so you wouldn't have to drive all the way to Port Canaveral.. Plus they did a slightly better job with the Amp on Navigator than Mariner.. The pool deck on Navigator much nicer I have been on both since the Amp and I just prefer Navigator.. You should check it out.. Ooops, I did mean Navigator. I get the two confused all. the. time. AGSLC5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 21 minutes ago, dancernl said: Should we YOLO Book It? Is this a rhetorical question? Mrs. Regular and USCG Teacher 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 @dancernl YOLO Book it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Regular Posted January 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2020 We're gonna book it! Oasis of the Seas 7 night Bahamas w/Perfect Day! When it came down to the decision, yes Oasis is the more expensive option for just a seaview window but we figured we'd still spend the difference if we flew to Miami and paid for hotel and food costs before and after a 4 night Navigator. So we have more time on an amazing ship, and we get to check out and do some recon on this itinerary before we sail it with our kids in a year. Can't wait to get booking and get planning! teddy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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