YEGCruiser Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 I’ve been creeping on all your helpful tips for years (thank you thank you!). I now have the first world problem of deciding what ship and cabins to book for Europe before they cabins we have our eyes on are scooped up. Itineraries visit similar ports except one includes Malta (itinerary isn’t as important as some in the party have been to all of the ports). Would sure appreciate your insight too! It’s likely the same dilemma I’m sure a few of you have had before: Older Ship Suite Cabin vs. Newer Ship Non-Suite Cabin (but two cruises) for a very similar price. Here are our options: ONE CRUISE ONLY 11 Night from Barcelona to Athens on Voyager May 16-27, 2024 Includes Malta Newer Spacious OV Panoramic Suite (1804) NextCruise $600 credit and double Crown & Anchor Points Last time I was on Voyager she was the largest ship at sea- it’s been a while! *Would we want a balcony though with the Greek ports to take in the sunset though? Santorini specifically* OR…. TWO CRUISES (like a B2B but we’re switching ships at the same port) 7 Night Rome to Rome on Oasis May 19-26, 2024 (Western Med- Italy/France/Spain usual) Central Park Balcony (very familiar & with these ports not much to see unless you drive inland anyways) NextCruise $100 credit FOLLOWED BY 7 Night Greek Isle Cruise Rome to Rome on Odyssey May 26-June 2, 2024 (Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus) Spacious OV Balcony on the Aft OR Junior Suite also on the Aft (any recommendations for which class of cabins on Odyssey? Never been on a Quantum Class ship) NextCruise $100 credit (we have two of these- if we go with the Voyager I’ll just find something else to book) What would you do? I’m hoping it will be so obvious to most of you that I can just book this and be done! TIA! KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 Things like this I draw up a pro/con list and then rank them on a scale of 1-10 on importance. Usually the answer jumps out on the page. In your case it seems things like Price, OBC, and C&A points would be in conisderation since you've already mentioned the intineraires are close. Then also would be the ships. Are there shows on the newer ships you want to see....that could be on the list as well. You mention having been to most of the ports, so it would seem the ships might carry more weight than the ports. Linda R and Baked Alaska 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrinkm Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 What are the ages of your party? We tend to like newer ships because we have teens who enjoy the additional features on the "newer" ships (even as old as Freedom class feels new for us). But we've never had a suite, so no idea what we're missing . But with a port-intensive itinerary, how much will you be on the ship? Will it be part of the experience, or just a floating hotel room (in which case the nicer room class would be really nice!)? I like @Pattycruise's idea of the pro/con list so you can tailor it to your specific preferences. I'm also a believer in your "gut." Which option feels more disappointing to pass on? Which one makes you feel more excited? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 You mention enough caveats (you want a balcony, you're already familiar with the ports, etc) that there's no answer any one of us can give off the cuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 an aft jr suite balcony on odyssey is my dream honestly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 One is a total of 14 nights, while the other is only 11 - so it seems obvious to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted November 23, 2022 Report Share Posted November 23, 2022 I prefer the newer ships. Nicer overall, more shows, restaurants, and things to do. Even though I do not partake in many activities I do enjoy watching them. I was just on Odyssey on transatlantic this spring for 2 weeks, and already booked next spring transatlantic on same ship. We enjoy the Jr suites a lot. Have have Grand suites a few times, but nothing higher in class. The Jr suite aft we had this year was great on Brilliance on Greece trip. We picked Brilliance for our 2 week Greece and Croatia. We had unlimited dining and got bored with limited dining options. We did the main dining room 2 times and were very disappointed. Windjammer was much better. Overall the trip and itinerary was perfect and added a week in Venice prior to cruise. I would do the whole trip over in a heartbeat! Whatever you choose for your cruise will be good. You will have a great time! Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted November 23, 2022 Report Share Posted November 23, 2022 Welcome to the boards! I'd actually recommend the Voyager trip, if you've not been in a suite before. Less hassle with changing ships -- you'd end up losing most of a day making that switch, really, since you have to shlep all your bags between ships. With port-intensive itineraries, you don't have time to take advantage of all the bells and whistles of the newer ships either. That OV cabin has a nice amount of space, too. But really, either choice will be a lot of fun! SebagoSue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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