Hi everyone! I'm hoping to be a first time criuser this Christmas with my family. There are 5 of us. My husband, myself, our two boys, age 21 and 19, and our daughter 15. Since this is going to be an expensive adventure I need all the help I can get! I called RCI and they have recommended the Navigator Carribbean Cruise leaving Miami on Dec 24 for 7 days. Any comments? Since we are Canadian and flying in from Toronto, is it ok to fly in the same day? I'd rather not pay an additional hotel bill if I don't have too. Any advice, information, suggestions are welcome. I haven't booked anything yet so any information you can give me would be very appriciated! Thanks for all your help!
Hi everyone! I'm hoping to be a first time criuser this Christmas with my family. There are 5 of us. My husband, myself, our two boys, age 21 and 19, and our daughter 15. Since this is going to be an expensive adventure I need all the help I can get! I called RCI and they have recommended the Navigator Carribbean Cruise leaving Miami on Dec 24 for 7 days. Any comments? Since we are Canadian and flying in from Toronto, is it ok to fly in the same day? I'd rather not pay an additional hotel bill if I don't have too. Any advice, information, suggestions are welcome. I haven't booked anything yet so any information you can give me would be very appriciated! Thanks for all your help!
The only fear I would have at that time of year to fly in on the departure day would be weather. The fares for cruises just about double for Christmas/New Years cruises, but if you're like me, we get our Christmas break during the time that fares go up. I found a good rate on Costa for that week, which we usually sail on Princess. I couldn't find a rate on Princess that was comparable, so I booked Costa. We're closer than y'all, but I decided we could drive to Ft. Lauderdale for less than air fare for 2, including hotels and food. You may want to check into Costa, we leave on the 23rd and go to Grand Turk, St. Thomas, San Juan, and La Romana. While I was checking, Carnival had some reasonably priced cruises, but the itinerary were ports I wasn't interested in. Princess had a 7 day that was semi-reasonable, but again ports I wasn't interested in. Hope this helps a little.
I ALWAYS recommend flying to a cruise the day before. It is well worth the extra $ for a hotel room in order to have the peace of mind that you are there and won't miss the ship. Penny is right, especially at Christmastime (or anytime in the winter) weather is a concern - but other times of year there can be fog, mechanical problems, etc. Spend the money.
I also urge everyone to get to their cruise port a day early unless you happen to live there. While this is true any time of the year, it is even more critical in the winter. I have read too many reports of people who took the chance of flying down on the same day only to encounter problems and miss the ship. Weather, security alerts, the typical flight delays, etc., they all can conspire to ruin your day. Don't do it! Pay for the hotel rooms. Why risk thousands for the sake of a couple hundred?
I would also encourage you to fly out a day ahead. This past February we were leaving on a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale on the weekend the North East got hit by a massive snow storm. Not only did people flying down from the North East on the day of sailing miss the departure of the ship, but people coming from other parts of the country also missed the ship do to the disruption in the airline systems caused by all the canciled flights in the North East.
A day early is the best advice given here. Not only will you have a cushion in case of bad weather but you will also be rested for your 1st day of a wonderful Christmas vacation. You can also fly into Fort Lauderdale. It's a 45 minute taxi or shuttle ride to Miami. I've been on 29 Royal Caribbean cruises and 27 times I went a day or two early. The Navigator is a great choice for your cruise.
Thank you so much for all your advice. The more I read the more confused I get! This forum helps alot! Still haven't booked but I'm getting close! Next quetion....What about cancellation insurance? If I purchase the cruise on my credit card I'm insured for baggage, delays, and medical but not cancellation. Is it worth getting extra for cancellation? Any thoughts?
I alway take the insurance. Only had to use it once in 31 cruises and that was last April. My Mother-in-law broke her hip and my wife had to care for her. We got all our money back from Royal Caribbean. We lost our money with American air lines though. It's a great idea to check your credit cards to see what they offer for trip interruption. If I would have used one of my other cards my airfare would have been covered .
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