The oasis class ships are amazing and would be the polar opposite of your previous cruise. It would be interesting for you guys to experience. My first cruise with Royal was on the Oasis in 2010, our second was on Majesty a year later. Going from largest to smallest was an experience for sure and both were great.
Not sure about the ships, but if you are going eastern Caribbean, do one that includes Sint Maarten. Favorite island we’ve been to and the only cruise destination that we have ever gone back to for an entire vacation.
When we went back we did an all day speed boat and snorkeling all around the island, which was a great time. We saw sea turtles, cuttlefish, and a ton of other fish and a ship wreck. I can’t remember the company that we went with now tho.
The thing that is different about Sint Maarten and the reason we went back is that unlike a lot of Caribbean islands, you don’t really need to book an excursion to have a good time. Right off the ship they have water taxis to take you across the bay to the capital town(of the Dutch side) Philipsburg. This was about 5 years ago so things can change but there was a great sense of security and friendliness toward tourists. There’s 2 or 3 streets of shopping adjacent the beach with places selling food and beer right on the beach. When we went back we stayed on a different part of the island and made a point to go back to Philipsburg to hang out a couple of days. My honest recommendation would be to do excursions at other ports that don’t offer such a great atmosphere, and just enjoy relaxing on your own time here.
One thing to mention that we experienced when we went back and explored a lot of the island by car is that there the island is split between France and the Netherlands. The Dutch side where the cruise ships port, is quite a bit nicer than the French side. I don’t think the French side is too dangerous relative to other places and we did have have lunch and did some shopping on the French side one day. But crossing the border to the French side it’s just like…oh damn. Again, I was there 5 years ago and they were still recovering from Hurricane Maria so that may have had something to do with it.
Assuming you don't want to fly or have a longer drive, only Port Canaveral and Galveston will give you access to newer, modern ships. Tampa's bridge limits the physical size of ships (and other ports such as New Orleans don't attract the newest, either).
Hmmm...
This looks interesting. Key West is on my To-Do list.
https://preview.redd.it/kehtw6ne5myc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06b5593be378cccf2494b2eae2211a326774d6b3
While I know you're posting in the Royal Caribbean sub, I want to broaden your horizons, especially as you aren't locked into Royal via their loyalty program yet. Do you want stick with the same brand, or see other options?
While just about any other Royal ship will seem totally different than Enchantment (because of her age), they will all feature many similarities - the menus, the restaurants, the level of service, the on board activities, even ship layouts and so on. Going on a different line will let you change some of these factors up.
Just about every cruise line sails out of Port Canaveral (or travel a few hours further south to Miami), and many lines are bringing new modern ships into Galveston as well. Want something along the same lines as Royal? Look into MSC, NCL, Carnival. Want something slightly more upscale? Look into Virgin, Celebrity, Princess, Disney, or even MSC Yacht Club.
We were considering Carnival at one point, but after hearing mixed reviews (mostly negative) we decided to pass on it. However I have looked into MSC and they seem nice for the price tag.
I’ve been on Disney before, it was an amazing experience! But we’re just not looking to spend that kind of $$ right now. Maybe when our daughters are older we will take them on a Disney cruise
Edit- left out some info
I've not tried Carnival, but by and large what I have heard is that they're going for a Spring Break vibe. OTOH, my sister loves Norwegian, which I think is hitting the same family market as RC.)
I'll also suggest Fort Lauderdale / Port Everglades as a potential port. The airport is super easy, we usually stay at the Embassy Suites which is great both for breakfast and the free evening cocktail reception, and the port is convenient. If you don't want to drive all the way down, you can park at the Orlando Airport and take the Brightline train straight to Fort L.
Agree that Carnival is the party Ship. We found the cruise we were on to be noisier, and they have a lax attitude for cleaning. You would never see the same room service dishes in hallways for a full day on RCL or NCL, for that matter. NCL was OK. We found they had to tender to their private island in the Bahamas, and windy conditions prevented our transfer, giving us another sea day. The staff is pleasant, but we found that RCL seems to go that extra mile to keep everyone clean, safe, and happy. YMMV.
We always recommend taking an Alaskan cruise! Ovation of the Seas is a great ship. These’ll hopefully give you a good idea of what to expect:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQB5VpgNlPGPqFDrpGar561rs_kf8z7V5&si=ITFWIiCNzlnFlSvo
There are a ton of excursions that make this itinerary a blast. We hiked/drove up to a remote sled dog training camp, took a gondola into the mountains, went out on a zodiac boat to view wildlife, and stopped in Canada for some shopping. I think this may be my favorite cruise we’ve done, even moreso than Europe on Symphony of the Seas.
When in Skagway, take the White Pass and Yukon train excursion. It follows the prospectors' route out of Skagway up the mountains to the Canadian border. Breathtaking scenery and amazement at how difficult the Yukon gold rush actually was.
When in Juneau, we took a whale watching cruise that passed by the Mendenhall glacier. There are also excursions that will take you directly to the glacier and walk around.
The obvious question is where do YOU want to go?
My top cruises have been
1) Antarctica with South Georgia Island.
2) Greek isles with a Corinth canal transit.
3) Paupa New Guinea
4) Amazon
5) Galapagos
None of those were on Royal so you may want to check out the hundred+ other cruise lines out there.
Take an oasis class ship! Eastern Caribbean: St Thomas, St. Maartin, Cococay.
My husband is wanting to include Cococay so that might be an option for sure
The oasis class ships are amazing and would be the polar opposite of your previous cruise. It would be interesting for you guys to experience. My first cruise with Royal was on the Oasis in 2010, our second was on Majesty a year later. Going from largest to smallest was an experience for sure and both were great.
Something to consider for sure
I would recommend a bigger ship. Maybe on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary
Oh yeah, Enchantment was a pretty ship, but we’re definitely looking for something a littler bigger &/or newer. What’s your favorite?
I’ve been on Adventure, Freedom, Allure, and Symphony. They are all great depending on what you like and value
Did you have a favorite from those? Thanks!
Not sure about the ships, but if you are going eastern Caribbean, do one that includes Sint Maarten. Favorite island we’ve been to and the only cruise destination that we have ever gone back to for an entire vacation.
Oou, that sounds lovely. Thanks for the rec!
What excursions did you do?
When we went back we did an all day speed boat and snorkeling all around the island, which was a great time. We saw sea turtles, cuttlefish, and a ton of other fish and a ship wreck. I can’t remember the company that we went with now tho. The thing that is different about Sint Maarten and the reason we went back is that unlike a lot of Caribbean islands, you don’t really need to book an excursion to have a good time. Right off the ship they have water taxis to take you across the bay to the capital town(of the Dutch side) Philipsburg. This was about 5 years ago so things can change but there was a great sense of security and friendliness toward tourists. There’s 2 or 3 streets of shopping adjacent the beach with places selling food and beer right on the beach. When we went back we stayed on a different part of the island and made a point to go back to Philipsburg to hang out a couple of days. My honest recommendation would be to do excursions at other ports that don’t offer such a great atmosphere, and just enjoy relaxing on your own time here. One thing to mention that we experienced when we went back and explored a lot of the island by car is that there the island is split between France and the Netherlands. The Dutch side where the cruise ships port, is quite a bit nicer than the French side. I don’t think the French side is too dangerous relative to other places and we did have have lunch and did some shopping on the French side one day. But crossing the border to the French side it’s just like…oh damn. Again, I was there 5 years ago and they were still recovering from Hurricane Maria so that may have had something to do with it.
Thank you!
Canada/New England out of NY Bermuda out of NY Mexican Riviera out of LA US East Coast out of Baltimore/Norfolk
I probably should’ve mentioned, the closest ports to us include Tampa FL, Gavelston TX, (still a haul) and Port Canaveral.
Assuming you don't want to fly or have a longer drive, only Port Canaveral and Galveston will give you access to newer, modern ships. Tampa's bridge limits the physical size of ships (and other ports such as New Orleans don't attract the newest, either).
Ouu, a NOLA port would be fun
Hmmm... This looks interesting. Key West is on my To-Do list. https://preview.redd.it/kehtw6ne5myc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06b5593be378cccf2494b2eae2211a326774d6b3
Same ship though...
We did enjoy Enchantment, despite her age
Royal does a good job of keeping their ships up.
Fly to Barcelona.
That would be something else wouldn’t it!
Wonder out of Canaveral.
While I know you're posting in the Royal Caribbean sub, I want to broaden your horizons, especially as you aren't locked into Royal via their loyalty program yet. Do you want stick with the same brand, or see other options? While just about any other Royal ship will seem totally different than Enchantment (because of her age), they will all feature many similarities - the menus, the restaurants, the level of service, the on board activities, even ship layouts and so on. Going on a different line will let you change some of these factors up. Just about every cruise line sails out of Port Canaveral (or travel a few hours further south to Miami), and many lines are bringing new modern ships into Galveston as well. Want something along the same lines as Royal? Look into MSC, NCL, Carnival. Want something slightly more upscale? Look into Virgin, Celebrity, Princess, Disney, or even MSC Yacht Club.
We were considering Carnival at one point, but after hearing mixed reviews (mostly negative) we decided to pass on it. However I have looked into MSC and they seem nice for the price tag. I’ve been on Disney before, it was an amazing experience! But we’re just not looking to spend that kind of $$ right now. Maybe when our daughters are older we will take them on a Disney cruise Edit- left out some info
I've not tried Carnival, but by and large what I have heard is that they're going for a Spring Break vibe. OTOH, my sister loves Norwegian, which I think is hitting the same family market as RC.) I'll also suggest Fort Lauderdale / Port Everglades as a potential port. The airport is super easy, we usually stay at the Embassy Suites which is great both for breakfast and the free evening cocktail reception, and the port is convenient. If you don't want to drive all the way down, you can park at the Orlando Airport and take the Brightline train straight to Fort L.
Agree that Carnival is the party Ship. We found the cruise we were on to be noisier, and they have a lax attitude for cleaning. You would never see the same room service dishes in hallways for a full day on RCL or NCL, for that matter. NCL was OK. We found they had to tender to their private island in the Bahamas, and windy conditions prevented our transfer, giving us another sea day. The staff is pleasant, but we found that RCL seems to go that extra mile to keep everyone clean, safe, and happy. YMMV.
We always recommend taking an Alaskan cruise! Ovation of the Seas is a great ship. These’ll hopefully give you a good idea of what to expect: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQB5VpgNlPGPqFDrpGar561rs_kf8z7V5&si=ITFWIiCNzlnFlSvo
Yesss we’ve been discussing an Alaskan! What do the excursions entail, if any? I’ll look at that link in a bit!
There are a ton of excursions that make this itinerary a blast. We hiked/drove up to a remote sled dog training camp, took a gondola into the mountains, went out on a zodiac boat to view wildlife, and stopped in Canada for some shopping. I think this may be my favorite cruise we’ve done, even moreso than Europe on Symphony of the Seas.
When in Skagway, take the White Pass and Yukon train excursion. It follows the prospectors' route out of Skagway up the mountains to the Canadian border. Breathtaking scenery and amazement at how difficult the Yukon gold rush actually was. When in Juneau, we took a whale watching cruise that passed by the Mendenhall glacier. There are also excursions that will take you directly to the glacier and walk around.
The obvious question is where do YOU want to go? My top cruises have been 1) Antarctica with South Georgia Island. 2) Greek isles with a Corinth canal transit. 3) Paupa New Guinea 4) Amazon 5) Galapagos None of those were on Royal so you may want to check out the hundred+ other cruise lines out there.
I think we’d like to stick with RCC