Honeymoon Cruise?

meganpow87 · March 2012

Has anyone taken a cruise for their honeymoon? My FI and I were looking at Walt Disney World but the packages are out of this world! A cruise would actually be cheaper and at least our food would be taken care of...

I've only been on one-to the Bahamas and to Mexico. My FI hasn't been on one before.

Are there any recommendations on good ports?

Thanks

LesaAdams · March 2012

Hi,

I do not have any knowledge of good ports since my honeymoon will be my first cruise. We are going to Mexico on Carnival in April of 2013. I noticed you said you have been there before. Anything I should know before taking off???Did you enjoy your cruise to Mexico?

viewfromheaven05 · March 2012

We did a cruise for our honeymoon and we loved it, but we're cruising people! We did a European Cruise that left from Copenhagen and ended in Rome and it was amazing!

Since your FI has never been on one maybe stick with one to the Caribbean b/c those are good easy cruises (as long as your not cruising during hurricane season when the waters in that area can be a little rough). The ports also depend on your budget! We did Canada and New England for our 1st anniversary and we're headed to Alaska for our 2nd this summer! Canada was pretty cheap, Alaska not so much. Europe was actually just a little more than Alaska, but we were on a repositioning cruise so that saved us A LOT of money!

Check out cruise critic for reviews on ports, ships, cruise lines, etc and it will hopefully help you guys make a decision!

MissOwl · March 2012

We're doing a Southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico calling on St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Maarten on Carnival Victory. We're excited to be going to some locations that are a bit more exotic but still affordable. Very excited!

You should consider your normal travel style when trying to decide if a cruise is right for you. FI and I love running around all day, taking an early evening rest or nap and then going out for a late dinner and a show. A cruise is perfect for us. If you want more relaxation, consider and all-inclusive in the Yucatan Peninnsula. If you want a more immersive experience in one culture, try a rainforest lodge in Belize. Good luck deciding what works best for you!

lls31 · March 2012

We're doing a HM cruise as well. It will be my fourth cruise. I've cruised with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean before (both were fantastic), but we chose Carnival for our HM because of the itinerary (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Grand Cayman).

Here is a brief summary of the ports I've been to and which ones I liked:

Bermuda (twice) - Love, love, love Bermuda! I felt very safe, the people were friendly, and it's very clean. The beaches are absolutely beautiful. We would've gone back for our HM if it was a warmer time of year.

Haiti - Beautiful island, but I didn't feel safe.

Dominican Republic - I've heard many great things about DR, but I wasn't very happy with the port we docked at (Samana). I didn't feel safe and the beaches we went to on our own were not very nice. If we planned better or booked an excursion, it might've been a different story.

Puerto Rico - Due to a change in schedule, we didn't have much time in PR, but I loved the time we did spend there. There was so much to do. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to hit up a beach, but we did enjoy the time we spent there. I would go back again.

St Thomas - Absolutely loved it. The beaches were beautiful, I felt safe, and the island was very clean. I felt as though it was a bit more crowded than some of the other islands, but we had an amazing time. I would go back again.

naforeman84 · March 2012

OP - my FI and I are doing the Disney Cruise Line for our Honeymoon this July. There are pretty much family oriented but the also have ADULT ONLY areas on board as well as on the Cast Away Kay Island. Which is another plus, the Cast Away Cay Island is ONLY for Disney Cruise Line guests so it is really private. This will also be My FI and mine first cruise. We are excited. And I agree the good thing about the cruises is the food is included. Good Luck and Enjoy!

TaraMc728 · March 2012

MY FMIL and her husband did a southern caribbean cruise on RC, and they loved it.

Squishy'sGal · March 2012

Consider Norwegian Cruise Line. I priced Disney and a cruise from NY to Bermuda was around $6000, a simliar cruise on NCL was about $4000. If I'm not mistaken they have ships that leave from Baltimore so you wouldn't have very far to travel. Check their prices at ncl.com

Squishy'sGal · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_honeymoon-cruise-6?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:25a331fd-630b-4a6a-9cde-f6ec72be0019Post:54d32b8b-1b1e-4dfb-b5f9-c8c69e426b02">Re: Honeymoon Cruise?</a>:
[QUOTE]Consider Norwegian Cruise Line. I priced Disney and a cruise from NY to Bermuda was around $6000, a simliar cruise on NCL was about $4000. If I'm not mistaken they have ships that leave from Baltimore so you wouldn't have very far to travel. Check their prices at ncl.com
Posted by Squishy'sGal[/QUOTE]

<div>OK, I just checked the website and their southern departure ports are Miami, Tampa, Orlando and New Orleans.</div><div>
</div><div>And it's not Bermuda, I meant to say Bahamas. What is wrong with me today?</div>

JCWhitey · March 2012

We just got back from our wedding/honeymoon cruise. This was my 5th cruise. On this one we sailed Royal Caribbean (Navigator of the Seas), left from Fort Lauderdale, and went to Grand Cayman, Jamaica (Ocho Rios), and Haiti (Labadee).

We LOVED all three ports. We got married on Grand Cayman so we didn't get to explore very much but I definitely thought it was great and can't wait to go back! Check out Smith Cove. That's where our ceremony was and compared to the other beaches there was hardly anyone there.

In Ocho Rios we spent time at Margaritaville and then took a cab up into the hills to a garden and a little neighborhood bar. That was a lot of fun and not touristy. I think it you avoid the touristy stuff you'll enjoy Jamaica more. Just most people don't think outside the box and look for something fun to do, they just do what the cruise line tells them to do.

Labadee, Haiti is a "private island" so it's not like you're actually in Haiti. There is no need to feel in danger at all! My Dad and I did the zip line and then we all spent the rest of the day on the beach sitting in hammocks and drinking Labadoozies. Great time and by far my favorite port on this trip!

I've also been to Catalina Island but it was also for a wedding so we didn't get to explore the island, but it seems like a great port if you're looking at a West Coast cruise.

Ensenada... eh. Not a fan. The first time we stopped there we got off and went to Mango Mango to party it up a bit. The second and third time we didn't even bother getting off the boat. Both times it was raining and there just wasn't anything we wanted to do. But we had fun spending the day on boat!

And while I've never been there on a cruise, I love both Cabo and Puerto Vallarta (been to both on land vacations). So if you end up with a west coast cruise, I'd recommend going there instead of Ensenada if you can!

lls31 · March 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_honeymoon-cruise-6?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:25a331fd-630b-4a6a-9cde-f6ec72be0019Post:d46066ff-dba6-45cb-9c75-09f91c2c12d8">Re: Honeymoon Cruise?</a>:
[QUOTE]We just got back from our wedding/honeymoon cruise. This was my 5th cruise. On this one we sailed Royal Caribbean (Navigator of the Seas), left from Fort Lauderdale, and went to Grand Cayman, Jamaica (Ocho Rios), and Haiti (Labadee). We LOVED all three ports. We got married on Grand Cayman so we didn't get to explore very much but I definitely thought it was great and can't wait to go back! Check out Smith Cove. That's where our ceremony was and compared to the other beaches there was hardly anyone there. In Ocho Rios we spent time at Margaritaville and then took a cab up into the hills to a garden and a little neighborhood bar. That was a lot of fun and not touristy. I think it you avoid the touristy stuff you'll enjoy Jamaica more. Just most people don't think outside the box and look for something fun to do, they just do what the cruise line tells them to do. <strong>Labadee, Haiti is a "private island" so it's not like you're actually in Haiti. There is no need to feel in danger at all! </strong> My Dad and I did the zip line and then we all spent the rest of the day on the beach sitting in hammocks and drinking Labadoozies. Great time and by far my favorite port on this trip! I've also been to Catalina Island but it was also for a wedding so we didn't get to explore the island, but it seems like a great port if you're looking at a West Coast cruise. Ensenada... eh. Not a fan. The first time we stopped there we got off and went to Mango Mango to party it up a bit. The second and third time we didn't even bother getting off the boat. Both times it was raining and there just wasn't anything we wanted to do. But we had fun spending the day on boat! And while I've never been there on a cruise, I love both Cabo and Puerto Vallarta (been to both on land vacations). So if you end up with a west coast cruise, I'd recommend going there instead of Ensenada if you can!
Posted by JCWhitey[/QUOTE]

<div>Good to hear your experience was better than ours. I guess I should clarify my issue with Haiti. We booked a kayaking excursion while visiting Labadee. The kayaking was a lot of fun. Until the tour guides had us stop at a small patch of beach around the corner from the main Labadee play area. On that patch of beach, there were several native Haitians selling homemade items. The items were nice, but we were not interested in purchasing anything. One of them decided to follow us back to the main play area and also to the food area and also to the beach. He basically stalked us until FI finally decided to give him some cash. While we had a fantastic time kayaking, we weren't particularly thrilled with the stalking afterwards... </div>

cranner06 · March 2012

WOOOAAHHH!! Hello all of you cruisers!! I'm thinking that might be best for our honeymoon and I hear you get more BANG for your buck.

To all of you who have cruised, is one day really enough time to spend at each place? I love the fact of going to different places, but I don't see that after doing an activity, that you could really expereince it. Do you have to choose if you want to beach it or go roaming about? I guess I'm just only looking at the actual time spent in the destination....

But then...I was also thinking about stay at just once place...where you can really expereince the destination....

**Also what kind of room do you recommend?? we've never cruised but don't see spending a lot on a room for just a cruise.

Thoughts? Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Wiscisbliss · March 2012

I've been on three Carnival cruises and loved them all. I personally like cruises with fewer days at sea and more days in port, so the itinerary would be how we would set our next trip.

For our HM we splurged and got a balcony suite (had inside rooms before), it was nice, but I wouldn't do it again. I might do a balcony room or an outside room... I guess it depends on our budget.

We enjoy eating at the seated dinners and not the buffet since the food tends to be better and I enjoy being waited on... it feels "fancy"

Our favorite ports were probably Grand Cayman, St. Thomas, Roatan, and St. Kitts

Honeymoon Cruise?

Re: Honeymoon Cruise?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards