Ok, cruise in 2013, but when in 2013?

We put a lot of thought into this and tried to potentially please everyone when we realized that we can't please all the people, all the time. Due to things like work and people who have kids, the perfect vacation time is not the same for everyone. Based on factors like best potential pricing and our own summer weather that we all like to take advantage of at home, we have decided to plan this cruise in October or November of 2013. This is the time of year that we have cruised 3 of the 4 times we have gone. While technically this time is right at the end of hurricane season, we have never had a problem. The worst we have ever experienced was having to do our ports of call backwards as a precaution to stay out of the way of a potential storm. There is potential for missed ports if a storm is in the area, but in our experience, the chances of that are slim. Even mentioning the word hurricane to some of you may have already gotten you worried, but you shouldn't be. The safest place in the world to be during a hurricane is on a ship. Surprised to hear that? Well, because hurricanes are slow moving storms, cruise ships can easily go AROUND them. Storm conditions are constantly monitored by Carnival staff on ship and on land. They are more than prepared to alter a course if need be to keep their passengers out of harm's way.

Where are we going to, and sailing from?

Again, after careful consideration and knowledge of ports we have visited on past cruises, the likely candidate will be the 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. This was actually the first cruise that Tracey & I went on, and we believe this is the destination the majority of people should consider, especially if this will be your first cruise. The Eastern Caribbean cruises seem to offer the best combination of bang for your buck and things to do in port of all cruise destinations. While the actual schedule is not yet available for the fall of 2013, (it will be in the next few months though) right now we are assuming that the Carnival Dream will sail out of Port Canaveral, Florida (Closest airport is Orlando) and visit three ports of call. These three ports historically have been, Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. The actual cruise ship, month, date, and ports of call will be confirmed as soon as Carnival releases this schedule.

Briefly summarize this vacation and the order of the events.

Well, in a nutshell, you will fly from your local airport, likely to Orlando, Florida, one day before the start of the cruise. This is recommended as it would be very difficult to fly into Orlando early enough on the first day of the cruise and still get to the actual cruise in time.

The first night of your vacation will be spent in a hotel, either in Orlando, or, take a taxi, shuttle, or rental car to the Port Canaveral area. (We will get into hotel options and suggestions a little later). We recommend trying to stay in a hotel in Port Canaveral when you arrive, as there is a good possibility they will have a shuttle (possibly free) to the cruise port the next morning. Plus, you won't have to get up quite as early and get to Port Canaveral, from Orlando, which is almost an hour drive. But, in the end, we'll be looking at both possibilities and comparing costs, so we will let you know what the best potential way is of doing this.

The next morning you will travel to the actual cruise port, arriving in the late morning. On our past cruises this time seems to be the best compromise of not being too rushed, too early in the morning, and not arriving at the port too early, to just wait around to board. Typically, you will be onboard for lunch, and the ship sets sail in the early evening. Over the next seven days, you will likely visit the three ports of call we mentioned earlier, usually one every other day. While in these ports, you can explore them on your own at no charge, or you can book shore excursions directly from Carnival. More about shore excursions later.

After the cruise and returning to Port Canaveral, you will travel from the cruise port, to the Orlando airport for your trip home. One VERY important note here is we would NOT book any flights out of Orlando airport before 1:00 pm on the day we return. While the ship typically returns to port around 6am, disembarking a few thousand people from a ship this size is a fairly orchestrated event. You should allow yourself ample time so you DO NOT miss your flight home. Better to be early at the airport than late. When you get off the ship, Carnival offers “Transfers” to the airport, so if you like this option, Carnival runs busses to the airport for a seemingly fair rate per person. This is likely the simplest option. There is a chance you might get a better deal by meeting a small group of friends and taking a taxi to the airport as well, but the Carnival option is typically a headache free one. If you want, or need to stay an extra day or more due to no availability of afternoon flights, or you want to see a little more of Florida, you would obviously need another hotel, again, in Port Canaveral or Orlando. This time we recommend Orlando, as they might have a shuttle (possibly free) to the airport.

What's the big deal about a cruise anyway?

Hmmm…Well, a Carnival cruise is like a mini, floating Las Vegas with 24/7 free food (including chocolate melting cake in the dining room) and every other day you can step off the "Strip" into a different country with tropical weather, Caribbean music, many great things to see and do, beautiful sandy beaches, strawberry daiquiris, and TORTUGA RUM CAKE! That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Not detailed enough? Well, there's nothing like bobbing around in the Caribbean on a big ol' punt! 1,004 feet and 15 decks of punt to be exact. Within all that geography there are typically hundreds of things to do every day and night, as you have seen in the second video, on the first page of our website.