Mar 2024 cruise - ideas?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Hey BBB'ers - i am trying to plan family vacation for spring break next year (early March). thinking a 5-day cruise to Mexico (leaving from Galveston) would be fun. kids have never cruised before and last time (only time) DH & I went on a cruise was for our honeymoon which was forever ago.

i have a few miscellaneous questions

1) for 4 people (including 2 teens), does it make sense to get 2 rooms (preferably adjoining)?. i feel like getting 2 rooms on a cruise is pretty much a need but then again i wanted to check here if people thought it was out of this world. we've been somewhat spoiled - while we travel often we don't usually all stay in a single hotel room bc it's so cramped (we often do airbnb, or a suite ). on a cruise ship i know this will feel even more cramped. Yes, we will likely be out and about a lot, but with one bathroom and two tweens needing to shower regularly etc it just seems like it woudl be much more enjoyable to have the extra space of two rooms.

2) are there any cruise lines to recommend? or stay away from ? I found a few seemingly good options on Royal Carribean - are they decent?

3) any other considerations re: cruises?

our overall budget is about $10k... i imagine that should be somewhat workable for a 5 or 6 day cruise? we want to find something leaving from Galveston so we don't have to pay for airfare and that's one less hassle to deal with.

[gymnbomb]

If possible with 2 teens I would do either 2 rooms or a suite. We did a 2 bedroom suite this summer (our kids are 5 and 9) and we really appreciated the extra space and most of all having 2 bathrooms. If our kids were a little older 2 regular rooms may have been cheaper. But we did a 7 day cruise to Bermuda for 4 people for less than your budget.

We usually said NCL, but Royal Caribbean is a great option. I also like Princess.


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[sariana]

DH and I have cruised with Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Princess (the latter 2 with our kids), and RC was our favorite.

One note about 2 rooms: when I was looking at that option with Princess, their policy was that there had to be someone 18 or over in each cabin. I don't know how strictly it is enforced, but it might be something to research if you want your kids to have their own cabin. The 4 of us stayed in one cabin this past summer. It was a bit cramped, and DH and I couldn't share a bed because of the bunking style, but we didn't spend a lot of time in the cabin anyway. Storage was more than sufficient, and our cruise was 10 days long.

ETA: I strongly suggest a room with a window. A balcony is a luxury that may be unnecessary, but our first cruise was in an inside cabin, and it was really easy to oversleep because it was pitch black with the lights off. So a room with a view, even an obstructed view, is worth the extra cost IMO.

[gymnbomb]

Yes, there is a good chance you will have to book one adult and one teen in each cabin depending on their ages. But once onboard they don’t care who sleeps where. You can visit guest services and either get extra keys or get keys programmed to work in both rooms.


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