FI doesnt fly - - where are we going to go?

libride2015 · February 2015

Hi All,

So my FI doesnt fly - and no there is no convincing him, he had a traumatizing experience when he was about 7 years old, and there was no getting him back on one. Please hold on the "drug him and put him on" or the "he is going to hold you back" comments. I have accepted the fact that he does not fly, he doesnt mind driving at all - of course I would rather be somewhere in an hour then a 16 hour drive, but after 6.5 years of being together I have realized that if this is a sacrifice I need to make I can do it.

But now - where do we go on our honeymoon?? We are getting married in New York - we are living in CT -

Has anyone taken a cruise for their honeymoon??? They go out of New York - so I know thats an option - but we have both never been on a cruise and dont know how it would be for a honeymoon.

Also - has anyone been along the east coast and had a great honeymoon?? We are HUGE HUGE beach people - my dream honeymoon would be some island far away - with nothing but my husband and the sand in my toes.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks loves!!!!

KatWAG · February 2015

What time of year are you looking to go? And what is your budget?

@CMGragain has been on tons of cruises, so maybe she can help.

libride2015 · February 2015

@KatWAG - we are looking to go early November, our wedding is Nov 7 2015.... we dont have a set budget for it.

We are taking it as "you only have your honeymoon once" and want to find a once in a lifetime vacation, that we will remember forever, yes so corny.<3

KatWAG · February 2015

November is towards the end of hurricane season. So if you do pick a cruise, make sure to buy trip insurance.

Unless you are willing to drive to as far south as the Outer Banks or even farther south. I dont know that you are going to find many places that will have beach weather in Nov.

Have you considered delaying your HM until the weather is a bit warmer so you have more options? Maybe take1- 2 days right after your wedding and go somewhere close by. Then take your big trip in the spring or summer.

climbingsingle · February 2015

I was going to suggest OBX but it definitely won't be very warm in November. I think a cruise out of NY is probably your best bet. Unless you want to drive all the way down to Florida.

I wouldn't worry too much about hurricane season on a cruise. Most times they're able to sail around them. I went on a NCL cruise during hurricane season and they changed up our itinerary to go around a bad storm. We were fine.

libride2015 · February 2015

climbingwife can I ask where you went on your cruise? NCL has one right now the day after our wedding - it leaves New York - docks in orlando and the bahamas and comes back to new york - its 7 days..

docking in orlanda is kinda MEH - but hey maybe we go to disney for a day? we have yet to do that together.

We have just never been on a cruise. We dont know if we are cruise people, if that makes sense lol.

msuprincess04 · February 2015

If you have the time, Amtrak runs from New York to Miami in about 27 hours.

JoanE2012 · February 2015

How much time do you have? Many of the Caribbean cruises from NY/NJ are longer than 7 days simply due to the fact that it takes longer to get to the islands than Florida. Also keep in mind that in November, your first day or so and last day or so will probably be cooler. If it were me, I'd probably postpone. I think there are more Caribbean cruise options (as well as Bermuda!) if you pick a different month.

And Obviously postponing opens up all of the beautiful beach areas along the east coast too. I love the Outer Banks. Unlike NJ where the water is never warm enough for me to go in, NC is the point where it's warm enough to enjoy.

jenna8984 · February 2015

@bubblegum1309 took a cruise out of NY for hers...

Driving south would be kind of far and suck up an entire day. Maybe if you don't chose a cruise, you should just wait until like May/June to go to Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach.

libride2015 · February 2015

@bubblegum1309 can you PLEASE tell me about your honeymoon?? I would really appreciate it!!

Thanks so much girls<3

climbingsingle · February 2015

jrothstein101 said:

climbingwife can I ask where you went on your cruise? NCL has one right now the day after our wedding - it leaves New York - docks in orlando and the bahamas and comes back to new york - its 7 days..

docking in orlanda is kinda MEH - but hey maybe we go to disney for a day? we have yet to do that together.

We have just never been on a cruise. We dont know if we are cruise people, if that makes sense lol.

The cruise I took was actually out of FL. But we did the Bahamas and their private island. You can always stay on the boat when it docks and just chill by the pool.

Bubblegum5586 · February 2015

Yes we did a cruise out of NY for financial reasons. We didn't have much to put towards a honeymoon and I was determined to go somewhere tropical. So it saved us from paying for a flight.

We took Carnival which is a cheaper cruise line. We paid $1300 for both of us for 8 nights (ocean view room). Now that didn't include alcohol or excursions which was another $800 at the end of the trip.

If I were to do it again I probably wouldn't choose Carnival. When you leave out of NY you spend a full 2 days at sea to get down to the islands and a full 2 days getting back. So that is A LOT of time on the boat. I think a nicer cruise line would be better if you have to spend so much time on the boat KWIM?

We visited Puerto Rico, St Thomas and Grand Turk. It was amazing and we had fun going to islands we had never been before! The down side was that it was really only 8 hours at each island so you were limited on what you wanted to do.

We went at the end of Sept and the first day was a bit chilly and the the last day was not great. It was rainy and freezing cold (like 50 - which feels freezing after the Caribbean) so we didn't go out at all. But the 6 days in between were beautiful and amazing!

So all in all, for what we spent I think it was a great way to go. I would recommend it in your situation for sure. As @climbingwife said most cruise lines will track hurricanes and can avoid them.

First day was a bit chilly, but it was neat to see NYC from the water!

Enjoying some CHEAP drinks in PR -everyone reminds you there is no open container law and encourages you to walk around with your drinks! lol

Enjoying some local snow cones in St Thomas

The boat pulls right up to a resort in Grand Turk. I had never been so hot in my life as I was in Grand Turk!

Hope that was all helpful! If you need more info or want to see more pictures then send me a message!

I also just want to add that our Honeymoon was absolutely amazing! It wasn't necessarily the trip (which was great) it was the 8 days alone with H. Having a strait week with no stress was amazing and we just had constant fun. I have a smile on my face just typing this out!

libride2015 · February 2015

bubblegum1309 you are so fabulous! I am sending you a message! Thanks so much! xo

CMGragain · February 2015

OP, did you read my sticky about cruises at the top of the forum? It should answer a lot of questions.

Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean (a better choice) sail out of Baltimore. You can get their easily on the train. Norwegian and Royal Caribbean both sail out of NYC, but you will need a longer cruise to reach the Caribbean. All popular cruise lines sail out of Florida, but this will mean a three day drive each way, or the train.

My daughter and her husband took a honeymoon cruise to Alaska in the summer with Princess. They loved it, and will take more cruises after their life settles down.

You should talk to a good travel agent who specializes in cruises. I share mine with anyone who PMs me and asks. I have been on 18 cruises.

This is my favorite website. :

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=12187 (Best deal!)

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=12115 (Works well with your wedding date & great itinerary!)
(This one doesn't come up on my computer. It is the Norwegian Gem for 10 days, Nov. 13, for $1149 pp.,balcony cabin, to St. Thomas, St. Martin, Puerto Rico, and Tortola.)

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=10014

http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=10605 (Not an exciting itinerary, but good value.)

delujm0 · February 2015

I would seriously consider taking the train down to FL and cruising from there...there are just a lot more options from the ports in FL that there are from NY. Amtrak does have sleeper cars you can book, and you're going to be so tired the day after the wedding, just chilling on the train would be pretty relaxing.

I went to the OBX in mid-October and it was nowher near beach weather for those of you who have suggested that...it was, at best, in the mid-60's. I was actually in Orlando this year over Halloween and it was in the 60's there too. If you want to stay on the East Coast in early November, the only near-guarantee of beach weather is going to southern FL, possibly all the way to the Keys.

mlg78 · February 2015

We went on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean on Royal Caribbean for our honeymoon. Since then we've been on 2 more cruises and as of Friday we now have 3 additional cruises booked. Clearly we enjoyed our trip!

I would NOT leave the day after your wedding. I was dragging that day and the thought of going on my honeymoon would have done me in. We waited 3 weeks and it was nice to relax, send thank you notes, deposit money, put away gifts, get caught up at work, pack for the vacation, etc...all much more relaxed with no wedding stress.

RCI has two great 12-night cruises going out of Cape Liberty, NJ (right by NYC) in November on Anthem of the Seas...a ship that isn't even done being built yet!

I wouldn't do OBX past September.

Also, as far as "docking in Orlando"...you don't. You dock at Port Canaveral which is like 50 minutes from Orlando...and even a bit further if you're talking about going to the theme parks. You won't have much time. I think Port Canaveral is a strange place to port and should be only used for embarkation... The only thing worth seeing in the area in my opinion is the Kennedy Space Center.

JoanE2012 · February 2015

delujm0 said:

I would seriously consider taking the train down to FL and cruising from there...there are just a lot more options from the ports in FL that there are from NY. Amtrak does have sleeper cars you can book, and you're going to be so tired the day after the wedding, just chilling on the train would be pretty relaxing.

I went to the OBX in mid-October and it was nowher near beach weather for those of you who have suggested that...it was, at best, in the mid-60's. I was actually in Orlando this year over Halloween and it was in the 60's there too. If you want to stay on the East Coast in early November, the only near-guarantee of beach weather is going to southern FL, possibly all the way to the Keys.

I think most of us were suggesting OBX if she postponed the honeymoon. And I agree.....I was so tired the day after our wedding....and trying to get everything organized and settled.....I couldn't imagine having to go away that day! We were scheduled to go the following week after our wedding.....so much less stressful and nice to pack after the wedding craziness was over.

CMGragain · February 2015

jrothstein101 said:

climbingwife can I ask where you went on your cruise? NCL has one right now the day after our wedding - it leaves New York - docks in orlando and the bahamas and comes back to new york - its 7 days..

docking in orlanda is kinda MEH - but hey maybe we go to disney for a day? we have yet to do that together.

We have just never been on a cruise. We dont know if we are cruise people, if that makes sense lol.

I believe this cruise only gives you the afternoon in Cape Canaveral, not the whole day? A few hours in Disney World is all you would have. Not worth it, IMHO. Honestly, Nassau is one of our least favorite ports.
That R.C. cruise would be SO much more memorable! You could spend a day in Baltimore, then the cruise to their private island, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Puerto Rico! You would have a couple of days to recover from the wedding stress, too.

Cruise people like to see many different places without the stress of planning. They don't mind dressing up once in a while, and they like good food. They like meeting new people. Personally, I like the freedom from responsibility. I know the food will be ready when I want it, and I know the cruise line will do everything to make my vacation so good, I will want to come back.

Non-cruise people want to be in control of everything. They don't want things scheduled. They don't like to follow rules. They want to be able to change their plans at a moment's notice. They like taking risks. People who fit this profile are not happy cruisers.

JoanE2012 · February 2015

CMGragain said:

jrothstein101 said:

climbingwife can I ask where you went on your cruise? NCL has one right now the day after our wedding - it leaves New York - docks in orlando and the bahamas and comes back to new york - its 7 days..

docking in orlanda is kinda MEH - but hey maybe we go to disney for a day? we have yet to do that together.

We have just never been on a cruise. We dont know if we are cruise people, if that makes sense lol.

I believe this cruise only gives you the afternoon in Cape Canaveral, not the whole day? A few hours in Disney World is all you would have. Not worth it, IMHO. Honestly, Nassau is one of our least favorite ports.
That R.C. cruise would be SO much more memorable! You could spend a day in Baltimore, then the cruise to their private island, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Puerto Rico! You would have a couple of days to recover from the wedding stress, too.

Cruise people like to see many different places without the stress of planning. They don't mind dressing up once in a while, and they like good food. They like meeting new people. Personally, I like the freedom from responsibility. I know the food will be ready when I want it, and I know the cruise line will do everything to make my vacation so good, I will want to come back.

Non-cruise people want to be in control of everything. They don't want things scheduled. They don't like to follow rules. They want to be able to change their plans at a moment's notice. They like taking risks. People who fit this profile are not happy cruisers.

I don't necessarily agree with this. We enjoy cruising and consider ourselves happy cruisers, but we also enjoy land-based sightseeing because it affords us opportunities that don't exist when you're only in a port for 8 hours. I can easily cruise the Caribbean where the port activities usually consist of the beach or shopping. But put me in a European city that has many sites to see and tell me to pick one because I only have 8 hours is rather disappointing.

I just don't think it has to be one extreme or another. I also don't think you can predict whether you're a cruise person....I think you just need to experience it. I've heard many people who thought they'd hate it turn out to love it, and vice versa. I do agree, however, that I wouldn't pick Cape Canaveral and Nassau as ports for my first cruise.

mlg78 · February 2015

I agree with JoanE2012. I'm a total control freak even while on vacation and I love cruising. I absolutely control the plan for the day, which activities we do, which excursions we're going on, where we're eating lunch...I love planning it all. I don't think it's one extreme or the other.

CMGragain · February 2015

I get you, ladies! My DH is a control freak, but he has a distrust of local food, local water safety, being in a new area. He is really a nut case when he travels. We just got back from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. It took me 3 days to convince him it was OK to let me go out on my own. I realize that he is an extreme case. He feels safe on the ship and on the tour bus. On a cruise, I can take him to places he would NEVER go unless he had his good food and safety. Oh, yes - he eats everything in sight on the ship!

My son is more like me. His idea of a perfect vacation is to backpack through Italy with a Eurail Pass. He finds something he likes, digs his heels in, and wants to stay until he is satisfied. He doesn't want to keep with the group! When we took him to London, he took one look at the Tower of London, and said "I'm going to be here a while, Mom!" and disappeared for three hours! Bad idea if you are on a cruise tour!

I can only generalize about cruisers, but most of the people I have met who have tried cruising and hated it are more like my son than my husband.

climbingsingle · February 2015

CMGragain said:

jrothstein101 said:

climbingwife can I ask where you went on your cruise? NCL has one right now the day after our wedding - it leaves New York - docks in orlando and the bahamas and comes back to new york - its 7 days..

docking in orlanda is kinda MEH - but hey maybe we go to disney for a day? we have yet to do that together.

We have just never been on a cruise. We dont know if we are cruise people, if that makes sense lol.

I believe this cruise only gives you the afternoon in Cape Canaveral, not the whole day? A few hours in Disney World is all you would have. Not worth it, IMHO. Honestly, Nassau is one of our least favorite ports.
That R.C. cruise would be SO much more memorable! You could spend a day in Baltimore, then the cruise to their private island, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Puerto Rico! You would have a couple of days to recover from the wedding stress, too.

Cruise people like to see many different places without the stress of planning. They don't mind dressing up once in a while, and they like good food. They like meeting new people. Personally, I like the freedom from responsibility. I know the food will be ready when I want it, and I know the cruise line will do everything to make my vacation so good, I will want to come back.

Non-cruise people want to be in control of everything. They don't want things scheduled. They don't like to follow rules. They want to be able to change their plans at a moment's notice. They like taking risks. People who fit this profile are not happy cruisers.

This really irks me. You don't speak for all people, so please stop. And you couldn't be more off base when it comes to me. I love cruising, but I love being in control of things. I don't like meeting new people. When H and I cruise, we stick to ourselves. We don't do the excursions through the cruise line. We do Tours by Locals and hire our own guide. We keep to ourselves, and prefer to eat dinner by ourselves. And we have a great time.

You always generalize like this. Again, please stop it.

libride2015 · February 2015

I love all this advice and appreciate it -

its also come to my attention that you can take a ferry from ft. laurderdale to the bahamas.

My FI has never been, I have and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT, that would be a dream if we could go.

Us driving down to florida isnt a big deal - then I thought we take the cruise, stay in the bahamas for 5 days and cruise back??

What do you girls think?

southernbelle0915 · February 2015

You've already gotten a lot of advice on cruises, so I'll throw out another option - no idea if it will appeal to you...

My friends and I are planning on doing a road trip to the Kentucky bourbon trail. We're going to rent a bunch of RVs and tour around. That might be a cool option where you don't have to fly. And I've heard the fall colors are really good in late October/early November. It's way off the beaten path from a beach-y honeymoon, but something to consider.

Bubblegum5586 · February 2015

We left for our honeymoon/cruise the morning after our wedding. And by morning after I mean we stayed up till 4am at the after party and had to catch the bus by 8am. Then we had a 4 hour bus drive to NYC and walked to the cruise from Grand Central Station.

Typically that would have felt tiring doing that never mind on less then 4 hours of sleep. But we woke up on such a "high". It felt exciting leaving the hotel while all of our guests were still asleep and disappearing to our honeymoon. We talked the whole way about what amazing night our wedding was and looked on FB at all the pictures our friends and family were already posting! Yea once we got on board, had some food, did the safety stuff we crashed for a few hours but I didn't regret doing it that way one bit!

OliveOilsMom · February 2015

OP - Remember that Amtrak also has the auto-rail that leaves out of VA somewhere. You could relax all the way to FL and have your own car! Not sure of the cost though.

majesty318 · February 2015

OP: I did that Norwegian cruise a couple years ago and absolutely do not recommend it. We went in December and it was freezing at the beginning and end. Also, the north Atlantic is rough in the winter, so it wasn't exactly smooth sailing. Totally agree with @mlg78 about Port Canaveral. It was a total waste. I cruise a lot, and while I don't always do excursions, I always at least walk around port/ town. There is nowhere to walk around in Port Canaveral. I also think Nassau is kind of dirty and not nice. And finally, the food on Norwegian was horrible, except in the pay restaurants. And pay restaurants bother me, because, hello, I have already paid cruise fare that includes the food!

My sister & her H did an RCCL cruise out of Baltimore for their HM but they went in the spring, You might still have issues with weather leaving Baltimore in November.

If you are thinking of delaying it to warmer weather, you can do Bermuda from Cape Liberty in NJ. Bermuda is a very pretty island with nice beaches. Or any of the longer ones that get you from NJ to actual Caribbean islands. The one on Anthem sounds great. I would love to go on that ship.

katiekessler123 · February 2015

My family took a cruise out of Baltimore that went to Bermuda. It was really beautiful! Unfortunately, Bermuda wouldn't be overly warm in November because it's not that far south (basically is across from South Carolina/Georgia). I believe this particular cruise was Royal Caribbean, which I agree is better than Carnival. Carnival was a lot of fun, but the food was not great, the crowd was super young, but it was VERY affordable. I have also been on a Celebrity cruise. That was my absolute favorite of the 5 cruises I have been on. If you're a foodie, I'd say the Celebrity cruise is for you! However, I'm not sure they sail out of NY or Baltimore.

FI doesnt fly - - where are we going to go?

Re: FI doesnt fly - - where are we going to go?

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