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Thanksgiving cruise


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So my family of four (kids 6 and 3) is ready to book our first Royal Thanksgiving cruise. I'm conflicted on choosing between Brilliance, Indy and Navigator. I live in Orlando so Briliance is most convenient out of Tampa, Indy I would think has the best variety for the kids and then Navigator is Matt's favorite ship so what is a family to do!

 

It's always fun to hear opinions so let me know if you have any.

 

Thanks

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The Brilliance is a great ship that I've sailed with my son and they have a fun little pool with a slide. However, I think I'd lean towards the Navigator as it has been recently refurbished. The Indy is also a good choice, and I'm sailing on her next year, but she hasn't been through a refurbishment yet.

 

If the Dreamworks characters are of interest to the kids,mother that might factor into your decision. The good news, though, is that neither is a bad choice.

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Looking at Thanksgiving options for this year:

 

Brilliance, Navigator and Indy all seem to be doing the 4 night Cozumel run, with Brilliance and Indy leaving on Thanksgiving day and Navigator leaving on the day before ?

 

Alternatively, Brilliance and Indy are doing the 5 nt Cozumel run leaving the Saturday before Thanksgiving and getting back on Thanksgiving day, while Navigator is doing ??, Edit  - thought so Navigator is coming back from the UK which is why the four night cruise is a weird Wednesday departure, trying to rotate her onto a schedule.

 

Not sure whether you were hoping to be "on the boat" for Thanksgiving or just using that week of time to take a cruise. Based on itinerary above though I would recommend Navigator so that you are "on the boat" for Thanksgiving day and able to relax and enjoy it rather than spending the day dealing with boarding, etc.

 

Unfortunately Navigator is out of Miami though so you get to deal with a slightly longer drive but not the end of the world.

 

A glance at pricing says the three cruises listed are pretty close starting at just over $400 per person but it could vary significantly once you get into higher cabin categories, etc.

 

If you can swing the extra time/money though I would highly recommend the Freedom of the Seas sailing on 11/20 instead. You bump up to a 6 night, pick up Grand Cayman and Costa Maya to go with Cozumel and get to be on a ship that has the slightly larger size of Indy along with the upgrades of Navigator (I don't think Navi has anything Freedom didn't get too?). I believe you would end up with Thanksgiving day in Cozumel. Also sailing out of Ft Lauderdale so not as convenient as Canaveral or Tampa but not as far as Miami.

 

Prices start in the $600 range so not insignificantly more expensive but for my money worth the extra.

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I've sailed on Brilliance and Navigator and both are great ships. I don't think you can go wrong here. Personally, I'd probably pick Navigator, but in situations like this, I tend to consider

  1. Per-night cost of each cruise
  2. Itinerary
  3. Days of vacation time required
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I greatly appreciate all of the suggestions and opinions. I can (and will) read and research all about these ships but it's fun to see what other folks think. Between vacation time and school calendars I need to do a 4 day cruise this time otherwise I would definitely upgrade the length of the cruise. I'm going on Oasis next March but that's too far off! I think I've eliminated Brilliance and am now down to Navigator and Indy. I think I read no Izumi on Indy, how is Jade sushi? On the other hand Indy has Grease which would be fun. No bad choice of course as others have said!

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If the 4 night is a requirement you could also consider the Monday - Friday cruises out of Canaveral/Miami. I think its Majesty and Enchantment at the moment. Not as big as Indy/Navigator but still good ships from all accounts and that would have you on board for Thanksgiving rather than boarding on Thanksgiving.

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I think I read no Izumi on Indy, how is Jade sushi? 

Correct, no Izumi on Indy.

 

In my experience, I have found the Jade sushi to be sub-par.  Like, worse than supermarket sushi.

 

Granted, Jade sushi is complimentary, but these days I just pass it up because it is so lack-luster.

 

If you listen to the interview I conducted with Izumi's Master Chef, he mentioned they are working on an "Izumi to go" option for ships that do no have Izumi and that should be here "this summer".

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Ouch!  Harsh.  While I agree that it's not the best sushi since it is mass prepared and then stored in a refrigerator, it was very popular on the Liberty.  Personally, I found all premade sushi gross as I can't tolerate the texture of cold, gummy rise.

 

Kris

 

 

In my experience, I have found the Jade sushi to be sub-par.  Like, worse than supermarket sushi.

 

Granted, Jade sushi is complimentary, but these days I just pass it up because it is so lack-luster.

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Unfortunately Navigator is out of Miami though so you get to deal with a slightly longer drive but not the end of the world.

 

Also sailing out of Ft Lauderdale so not as convenient as Canaveral or Tampa but not as far as Miami.

 

Gawd I wish I lived in Florida... when I planning cruises I have to think about 1.5, 2, or 3.5 hour drives just to get to the airport....

 

(sigh) Can I retire yet? :)

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Well I'm sure the suspense was killing you all. I went with Independence for my Thanksgiving booking. It was a bit less expensive and I probably have to work on Wednesday morning so that ruled out Navigator.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

We've spent a number of Thanksgivings onboard and have loved it - we will be doing so again this year on Adventure - and I'm sure you will love it as well!

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