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Norwegian Sun...Southern Caribbean

Asheville122813Asheville122813 member
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in Honeymoon Discussions
Hi girls,
We are looking to book our honeymoon for January 1-12, 2014.  We are getting married in Asheville, NC on 12/28! Yea!!  My question is, has anyone traveled this cruise before? I have looked up reviews and of course, most passengers will have positives and negatives.....Do you girls know of anyone that has booked a cruise with The Norwegian Sun?? The cruise via NCL is about $1329 per person, plus tax, however, this exact cruise is also operated by Royal Caribbean on The Legend of the Seas, except it is about $1000 more.  

Thank you.  Any advice would REALLY help us!
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Re: Norwegian Sun...Southern Caribbean

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    AprilH81AprilH81 member
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    So Royal is asking $1000 TOTAL more or is that $1000 per person more? 

     

    I love Royal's cruise ships and I love the Southern itineraries.  I've never been on Norweigan, but  hear a lot of complaints about "nickel and diming" by having to pay for a lot of things that are not included in the cruise fare.  I would do your research and make sure you are comparing apples to apples when it comes to price.

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    Asheville122813Asheville122813 member
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    Thank you for the responses...It is about $1000 more total...for both of us, additional taxes, etc.  I am not sure if it is because of the departure port of Ft. Lauderdale,versus Miami? But, as a teacher, I am already missing a week of school (awww, darn, a three week Christmas break).  I have sailed on Royal Caribbean before, I LOVE CHILDREN, but I just don't want to deal with screaming babies the whole cruise...kids, running up and down hallways, etc.  Very much interested in the laid back atmosphere....

    I had contacted my AAA rep, she wasn't very customer service friendly; also went online too, nice rep..but then, last night, I went onto Orbitz or a similar site, they were about $400 pp cheaper and didn't even have to pay to book it???  Which, either one is not an issue, just surprising how rates can fluctuate alot. 

    Thank you ladies, and @CMGr, I will PM you.
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    dalm0mdalm0m member
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    edited July 2013

    We have never been on the Sun but we cruise NCL all the time. 

    $1329 pp for a 12 day cruise seems high unless you are getting a suite. Actually I found the cruise on vacations to go for $1199 pp for a balcony cabin which is about $100 per day & is considered a "good deal"  Also remember tips, alcohol & excursions are extra.

    Check out cruisecritic.  It is to cruising what the knot is to WP.

    Every cruise line has it's fans & detractors.  The trick is picking something that is compatible with you, your likes & your style.  As someone already pointed out, NCL is very laid back; they have anytime dining so you are guaranteed a table for 2.  On a HM you don't want to share a table with others. It's nice to not have to pack formal ware but you can dress up if you like; we do. 

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    mlg78mlg78 member
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    I don't know where you're getting your info...I just looked on RCCL and they have $899 for a 7 night southern Caribbean cruise with a balcony room...  I see NCL has a 9 night (10 day) for $1,279 or 10 night for $1,299...and those are all in January 2014.

    Where are you looking?  We're doing the Southern Caribbean for our honeymoon this October with RCCL...and my mom and stepdad are doing the same cruise 3 weeks before us.

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    JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
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    mlg78 said:

    I don't know where you're getting your info...I just looked on RCCL and they have $899 for a 7 night southern Caribbean cruise with a balcony room...  I see NCL has a 9 night (10 day) for $1,279 or 10 night for $1,299...and those are all in January 2014.

    Where are you looking?  We're doing the Southern Caribbean for our honeymoon this October with RCCL...and my mom and stepdad are doing the same cruise 3 weeks before us.

    OP was looking at the RCCL Legend of the Seas.  Cheapest balcony on their site during January is $1,649
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    mlg78mlg78 member
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    JoanE2012 said:
    mlg78 said:

    I don't know where you're getting your info...I just looked on RCCL and they have $899 for a 7 night southern Caribbean cruise with a balcony room...  I see NCL has a 9 night (10 day) for $1,279 or 10 night for $1,299...and those are all in January 2014.

    Where are you looking?  We're doing the Southern Caribbean for our honeymoon this October with RCCL...and my mom and stepdad are doing the same cruise 3 weeks before us.

    OP was looking at the RCCL Legend of the Seas.  Cheapest balcony on their site during January is $1,649

    I know that...but I'd do a cheaper ship then.  Those couple extra days aren't worth nearly doubling the price when there are a number of less expensive southern Caribbean cruises.
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    JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
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    mlg78 said:
    JoanE2012 said:
    mlg78 said:

    I don't know where you're getting your info...I just looked on RCCL and they have $899 for a 7 night southern Caribbean cruise with a balcony room...  I see NCL has a 9 night (10 day) for $1,279 or 10 night for $1,299...and those are all in January 2014.

    Where are you looking?  We're doing the Southern Caribbean for our honeymoon this October with RCCL...and my mom and stepdad are doing the same cruise 3 weeks before us.

    OP was looking at the RCCL Legend of the Seas.  Cheapest balcony on their site during January is $1,649

    I know that...but I'd do a cheaper ship then.  Those couple extra days aren't worth nearly doubling the price when there are a number of less expensive southern Caribbean cruises.
    I don't think any of the RCCL 7 nighter southern caribbean cruises leave out of Florida though.  Airfare is another factor to take into account.  Not sure if OP is driving or flying from NC to FL, but I know it's always a heck of a lot cheaper for me to fly to Florida than it is to Puerto Rico.
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    16maybeless16maybeless member
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    Also, check additional fees. The base price may be a lot lower for one route, but when you take into account shore excursions, alcohol, port fees and taxes, included vs. non-included grat, cancellation insurance, even Internet ... you could end up paying a lot more than you'd think. 

    NCL and RC are both pretty well respected companies; definitely have better track records than Carnival (the budget "party" line), although RC is sometimes considered a bit more luxury. The biggest difference will be the ship you sail on, though, and how new or full of amenities it is. Do your research online. CruiseCritic is pretty helpful for research.

    Sorry, I'm a travel writer, I do this for a living. :-)
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    Asheville122813Asheville122813 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    Hi girls, 
    Thank you again...actually, we are driving back from NC to FL (Tampa Bay area)..and then driving down to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. We are NOT big drinkers, smokers, gamblers, crazy dancing queens or anything like that....call us Old, YOUNG' uns....lol lol.  

    Looking for a Balcony, for sure...not an inside cabin or an obstructed (possibly) ocean view room. Definitely want a balcony. We are fine for drinking bottled water all the time--that's what we do now anyways.

    So, to keep everyone updated:  I deleted NCL from our options, just really concerned about the food, crowds and poor entertainment--(this one is the least of my issues)...I then had Celebrity, RCCL and Princess Cruises on my radar....Due to the fact that RCCL DOES allow smoking on balconies, I was then able to eliminate that one too!!  :-)

    So, today, I was able to speak to a Princess Cruise Representative for about 25 minutes...she was very sweet and was able to answer all my questions.  So far, THIS is the cruise line I think, BEST meets OUR needs.......she can place us on the top deck (#16) with the Fitness Center and the Spa....no one is above us and they have all the reverse osmosis water we can drink.  There are no daily fees for a drink card...which is a really, really nice feature.  As an HM, we want to eat by ourselves, be on our own schedules.  

    You ladies have been absolutely awesome!  Thank you so much for ALL your input.  Very, very much appreciated.....
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    HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
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    We did the Southern Caribbean for our HM as well/ We went on Carnival out of PR though.
     
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