Trying to plan March 2012 cruise
 

I am planning a cruise with friends in March 2012. I have cruised twice before, once with family and another time with a boyfriend. It was easy to plan for just a couple other people, but this will be a larger group.

I was leaning toward doing one reservation for all of us. Does that seem like a good idea?

These are the cruises we are interested in so far.

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7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise
from Port Canaveral, Florida
March 11 Freedom of the Seas
Ports of Call:

Port Canaveral, Florida; CocoCay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Port Canaveral, Florida
$ 799

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10 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise
from Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey
March 9 Explorer of the Seas
Ports of Call:

Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey; Labadee, Haiti; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey
$ 879

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7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
from New Orleans, Louisiana
March 10 Voyager of the Seas
Ports of Call:

New Orleans, Louisiana; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; New Orleans, Louisiana
$ 599

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7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
from Galveston, Texas
March 11 Mariner of the Seas
Ports of Call:

Galveston, Texas; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; Galveston, Texas
$ 629

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I have sailed on Freedom of the Seas before, so I have experience with that ship. I am nervous I may not enjoy the smaller ships quite as much. The only other ship I have been on is Enchantment of the Seas.

I know a fair amount about most of these ports, but do not know anything about Honduras or Belize. Any input on those ports and what there is to do there?

Also, any suggestions on narrowing it down between these cruises? Any help and feedback on planning a cruise with friends is appreciated! :)

You have a lot of variables with those cruise ideas. East. West. 7 nights. 10 nights.

How many people? If you have more than a few I would strongly urge you to use an agent if you need several cabins. You might qualify for a group booking if you have enough people going, which could mean some amenities and better pricing.

That is a lot of variables. Have any of your friends cruised before? I would think you would want to take into consideration the difference in airfare to get to the cruise. I wouldn't worry about the size of the ships. You will barely notice the difference between the Freedom and the other three. The Freedom has the Flow rider and a few other different amenities.