Finalizing a Ship and Destination
As I posted previously, originally, we were looking at taking a cruise on the RCL Allure of the Seas out of Galveston. Logistically it was going to be tough for this trip, so I had to make another choice. I started narrowing down a sailing to Bermuda out of either New York, or Boston. Since I had already done some research on the Allure, I had come to the decision that I wanted to be on a bigger ship. Boston’s options were fairly limited, and they were smaller compared to the ships sailing out of the New York area. …so, New York it was!
Based on the dates we were looking at, we had the MSC Meraviglia, Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, or Norwegian Joy. All 3 are fine ships, and it was a tough choice. Time to do some more research.
I spent countless hours comparing ships, watching Youtube videos on each of them, and reading all sorts of reviews. The deeper I dug, it appeared that Norwegian Cruise Lines and the Joy was the clear winner. Built in 2017 for the Asian market, it was refurbished in 2019 and converted for use here in the American market. I liked that the Joy departed from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal and would sail right past the Statue of Liberty. Now, it certainly wasn’t the only reason why the Joy appealed to me, but it definitely scored some points. Maybe it is the romantic in me that wanted to sail past the Statue and Ellis Island. I wanted to think about how many others had seen that majestic, awe-inspiring view over the years and what it meant to them as they arrived in this country. Price was also a factor. I knew what my budget was, and I wanted to make this trip special. I really liked NCL’s “Free at Sea” deals that included an open bar, wifi, specialty dining, and excursion credit. While some reviews disagreed, it seemed like it was the cruise line with the least amount of hidden, add-on surprises.
My wife pretty much gave me complete control of booking this trip. I think it drove her a little crazy, because she’s the one who has always planned our vacations. Typically, I just went along for the ride. (Happy wife, happy life. …or so they say). Giving me this amount of control was stressful, but the trip ended up being a resounding success, and I think that we gained a little respect for each other; I now appreciate all that goes into planning a vacation, and she was happy that I put in the legwork and made a great decision.
Since it was our first cruise, I wanted everything to be perfect. As far as cabin type, it seemed that just about everyone who ever had an aft-facing balcony raved about them, saying that they were a hidden gem. The balconies are usually much larger. I had no idea if I would get seasick or not, and it seemed that aft cabins didn’t have quite the potential for disaster as forward cabins. The endless views and sounds of the wake seem to be a major selling point for many, and sailing away from any port is always outstanding with an aft-facing balcony. Yeah, they’re typically more expensive than other balcony cabins, but I wanted to treat my family to something special. The balcony was OUTSTANDING, and my only fear is that it was too good. I’ll judge every other room by this one.
Originally, I had planned on a late June/early July cruise. The Joy visited Bermuda just about every week from May 14th through the summer. It departs on a Sunday, late afternoon and returns Sunday morning. It had 2 sea days on the way down (Monday and Tuesday) and arrived at the Royal Dockyard in Bermuda at 8am Wednesday morning. The ship departed on Friday, 2pm, with Saturday as another full day at sea. It seemed like once schools let out there was much more demand, and it was reflected in the price of the cruise. Would the ship be packed with kids everywhere? I no longer have small kids, so travelling with a more adult population appealed to me. Also, while the water temperature is much more enjoyable in the summer, I wasn’t sure if the air temperature would be oppressively hot. I ended up deciding on a late May cruise.
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