I am no longer a cruise rookie. And will share what I learned. There are many important things no one warned me about because no one else is me and has my individual needs and wants.
We we used a travel agent and had a better deal than most I talked to and we met no one with a better deal. They cost you nothing and should add professional insight to you needs and selections.
The best deal will not be a package with flights, use an app like sky scanner to find flights and check it several times a day until you get the rate you want.
I drink lots of water, particularly at night. Bottled water was $6 a liter. They do not make it easy to get water to fill your own bottles. Try and learn the details of your particular needs and get it in a package. I like Starbucks level coffee, not cafeteria coffee and the coffee shop was expensive and not included in our upgraded alcohol drinks package. You cannot bring any drinks of any kind onboard without being charged to bring it, so not bringing water, coffee, alcohol etc.
Look at the drink packages closely to determine if what you want is included. If you are booking several months ahead once you book the cruise itself they are regularly sending emails about deals on options you can add. It is easy once on board to meet new friends and you may have more drinks than you expect, they are very pricey onboard not in a package.
As for food, if your families favorite dinner out is Golden Corral you will be fine with the cafeteria. If your tastes run higher you will want an upscale dining package. I will personally guarantee that the upscale dining package is no Ruth's Chris level, more like Charlston quality food, very good but not 4 star.
Once you know your ship there are many sources online that will offer ship maps with cabin layouts with some even offering reviews of specific cabins from recent users. For instance one cabin we liked the location of was below the nightclub dance floor, reviews noted you heard stomping late into the night so we avoided that one, another I'd avoid being above the spa if heavy fragrances bother you. So look above and below to see what may affect you.
As for the old balcony vs interior cabin debate, just how comfortable are you with not being able to see out? I couldn't imagine staying in an interior cabin. I felt claustrophobic just looking in them as the rooms are very small and without the balcony felt even tighter. We slept every night at sea with the slider open listening to the ship move through the water, it was wonderful.
Do not let anyone tell you what you should do, spend the time and figure out what works for you and your family as it is a lot of money to be unhappy doing it...
just remembered, Internet and text, your phones do not work on the ship. What are your families needs there? The ship offers a $10 charge that allowed texting and voice calls through their app to others onboard. Find out what your ship offers. The early offers are far better than the offers for Internet onboard. Where are you going for excursions? Will your phones work there? Do you need a package for that?
We we used a travel agent and had a better deal than most I talked to and we met no one with a better deal. They cost you nothing and should add professional insight to you needs and selections.
The best deal will not be a package with flights, use an app like sky scanner to find flights and check it several times a day until you get the rate you want.
I drink lots of water, particularly at night. Bottled water was $6 a liter. They do not make it easy to get water to fill your own bottles. Try and learn the details of your particular needs and get it in a package. I like Starbucks level coffee, not cafeteria coffee and the coffee shop was expensive and not included in our upgraded alcohol drinks package. You cannot bring any drinks of any kind onboard without being charged to bring it, so not bringing water, coffee, alcohol etc.
Look at the drink packages closely to determine if what you want is included. If you are booking several months ahead once you book the cruise itself they are regularly sending emails about deals on options you can add. It is easy once on board to meet new friends and you may have more drinks than you expect, they are very pricey onboard not in a package.
As for food, if your families favorite dinner out is Golden Corral you will be fine with the cafeteria. If your tastes run higher you will want an upscale dining package. I will personally guarantee that the upscale dining package is no Ruth's Chris level, more like Charlston quality food, very good but not 4 star.
Once you know your ship there are many sources online that will offer ship maps with cabin layouts with some even offering reviews of specific cabins from recent users. For instance one cabin we liked the location of was below the nightclub dance floor, reviews noted you heard stomping late into the night so we avoided that one, another I'd avoid being above the spa if heavy fragrances bother you. So look above and below to see what may affect you.
As for the old balcony vs interior cabin debate, just how comfortable are you with not being able to see out? I couldn't imagine staying in an interior cabin. I felt claustrophobic just looking in them as the rooms are very small and without the balcony felt even tighter. We slept every night at sea with the slider open listening to the ship move through the water, it was wonderful.
Do not let anyone tell you what you should do, spend the time and figure out what works for you and your family as it is a lot of money to be unhappy doing it...
just remembered, Internet and text, your phones do not work on the ship. What are your families needs there? The ship offers a $10 charge that allowed texting and voice calls through their app to others onboard. Find out what your ship offers. The early offers are far better than the offers for Internet onboard. Where are you going for excursions? Will your phones work there? Do you need a package for that?
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