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So long no sea

Ya I know it’s been a while. Our last cruise was our Babymoon before we had our first child. I don’t think I’d recommend cruising while pregnant. I didn’t have morning sickness but I definitely felt the motion of the ship more and had some other uncomfortable moments. Sleeping on the couch for a week watching cruise videos on YouTube would have been nice. Oh well – live and learn.

So here it is 9 months after my sons arrival and no we don’t have any cruises or vacations planned. He’s a daycare kid which means he’s constantly sick. So until his immune system is stronger and he’s had more vaccines we won’t be cruising. I do hope to take him to Disneyland or Disneyworld though. That will require lots of planning which is my favorite part.

This hasn’t stopped me from keep up with Cruise News or watching cruise videos on YouTube. I’ve been asked by several coworkers about how to find a good cruise deal or how to decide which cruise line and/or ship to go on. So here’s an update.

New cruise ships I’m most excited about

1) Carnival Breeze

http://youtu.be/rsK4l2rKqTM

With it’s new eateries & bars, Waterworks, Comedy Club, Spa & 5-D movie theater it has a great mix of new amenities, less gaudy decor than other Carnival ships, itinerary & price. She sails from Miami on 6 and 8 day cruises to the Caribbean.

6 Day Caribbean to Key West, Grand Turk & Nassau

6 Day Caribbean to Grand Turk, Ocho Rios & Nassau

8 Day Eastern Caribbean to Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Maarten & St. Thomas

8 Day Southern Caribbean to Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao & Aruba.

6 Day sailings start around $400 per person for an inside while an 8 day sailing starts around $500.

These are great itineraries!

2) Norwegian Breakaway

With it’s new eateries & bars, water slides, shows, spa & fireworks it has a great mix of new amenities and activities with contemporary styling. I have yet to cruise on Norwegian but do think we would enjoy Freestyle cruising.

She sails from New York to Bermuda, the Bahamas & the Caribbean.

7 Day Caribbean to Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau starting at $500

7 Day Bermuda to King’s Wharf starting at $900

12 Day Southern Caribbean to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados & St. Kitts starting at $1300 in Jan 2014

If I could take 2 weeks of vacation I would definitely splurge on the 12 day itinerary.

Some of my new favorite cruise videos are below.

I hope you enjoy and add them to your favorites too!

NCL Breakaway: FIREWORKS

http://youtu.be/iFOSvMKzI1E

NCL Epic: explains Freestyle cruising

http://youtu.be/si9O3Vv4ixw

Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas movies

http://youtu.be/DwgMf5WvuyY

http://youtu.be/g1o05RWKKqY

National Geographic Cruise Ship Diaries Honeymoon Seas onboard Costa Serena

Big Bigger Biggest: Cruise Ship

http://youtu.be/4Qh8-5dExPo

Relaxing time lapse

http://youtu.be/Jum7zAyr_fQ

Allure of the Seas trip review

Mighty Ships: Oasis of the Seas

http://youtu.be/gyaJ2cUX6K0

Online Research

The only thing I would add to my previous Online Research post is the new website CruiseWise.

Special Pricing (interline, military, past guest, state, teacher) – http://www.vacationstogo.com/

Actual pictures of rooms – http://www.cruiselinerooms.com/

Anything & Everything – http://www.cruisecritic.com/

Everything, ports & roll calls – http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Deck-on-Deck info & ship tours – http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/virtualtours.php

Travel Insurance – http://www.insuremytrip.com/index.html?linkId=30002

First Time General Info – http://www.cruisecritic.com/ftc

Great overall site: http://www.cruisewise.com/

Tips

1) Read recent reviews of both the ship & itinerary.

2) Get a cabin on a lower deck, between cabin decks (not below or above public spaces) & mid ship.

3) Make a packing list and don’t wait till the night before to pack.

4) Get travel insurance! This will cover over seas medical, evacuation, trip delay, job loss, etc.

5) Extras you might not think of: safety kit, poncho, highlighter, sticky notes, card games, popcorn.

6) Afraid you’ll get seasick? Wear sea bands for a non-medicated remedy – Walmart.

7) Are the beaches rocky? Take water shoes.

8) Don’t over-pack. Take multi-use clothes and coordinate with only a couple pairs of shoes.

9) Going to beach and getting in the water? Get a water proof pouch for your money & credit cards.

10) Know your cruise lines price protection policy and watch for price drops.

11) Carry copies of your PP & DL ashore along with emergency numbers & port authority number.

12) Keep track of the time when ashore. Don’t miss the boat!

13) DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR PASSPORT AND DL! ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!

Sooooooo happy cruising y’all or in my case happy researching & obsessing!

If you have any questions leave a comment below 🙂

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