June Honeymoon suggestions

Hi, All!
Well, my wife and I have raved about our first cruise so much that I
may have oversold the idea. <g>
My son is planning to get married in June '08 and he and his intended
have hinted rather pointedly about their desire for a cruise honeymoon.
We discussed the idea some, and I have a pretty good idea what they
would want, now I could sure use some information from some of you
experienced cruisers. Here is what I know:
1) The wedding is in June and they want to cruise immediately after,
since they both will be in school (1 teaching and 1 studying) by late
August.
2) They want to go to some tropical place, preferrably islands (I
know, I know - it's Alaska and Europe season. That's why I need
help...)
3) They will be early 20's but are NOT into parties, flashy
surroundings and expensive playthings.
4) They ARE very interested in being treated like royalty and,
particularly, in fine dress-up dining.
5) When we have described our (so far only) cruise experience on
Celebrity they think this is exactly what they want, but I am a bit
concerned that the crowd may be a little older than ideal.
6) Since I expect to be paying for the honeymoon and I am definitely
NOT made of money, budget is a SUBSTANTIAL concern.
So, any ideas on, first, where they ought to go and, second, a
recommended cruise line? Any and all suggestions from you seasoned
travellers would be much appreciated!

Dave

I would recommend a three day Carnival cruise! Ultimate class....and fun!

What about Bermuda or Baja California on Royal Caribbean ? It's a bit less
formal than Celebrity but the same company.
Get them a Guarantee Balcony and they will love you forever.

Doreen

dayoff53 wrote:

> 6) Since I expect to be paying for the honeymoon and I am definitely
> NOT made of money, budget is a SUBSTANTIAL concern.
> So, any ideas on, first, where they ought to go and, second, a
> recommended cruise line?

Since money is important, which it is for most of us, my first
question would be where is the wedding being held. I am asking this so
we can maybe look at a port that they won't have to fly to.

sue

I am a few years older, but had my honeymoon (2nd marriage) last year. Here
is what we did: Flew into Orlando, stayed at WDW's French Quarter for 2
nights, went to WDW (husband had never been) and took advantage of the
early/late park openings for those staying on-site, went to Downtown Disney
at night. Third night we stayed in Kissimee on credit card points, then went
to Port Canaveral the next day-again staying on credit card points, laid
around the beach there for a day, the got on the Glory (this was April &
spring break, but we did not have any problem with partiers), we booked a
balcony GTY which was wonderful. I'd cruised many times but the balcony has
made me a balcony snob now. This was my husband's first cruise. I was quite
nervous hoping he would enjoy the cruise, but he was hooked. The Glory was
an excellent ship in all facets.

I shopped around and got excellent prices on everything.....we did all that
for under $3k. It was the best trip I have ever had.

Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:

> Since money is important, which it is for most of us, my first
> question would be where is the wedding being held. I am asking this so
> we can maybe look at a port that they won't have to fly to.

Good question!
The wedding is in Boise, Idaho. No cruise ships sail from here...
West coast is definitely cheaper to get to than the gulf or east coast.

Dave

clint wrote:
> I would recommend a three day Carnival cruise! Ultimate class....and fun!

It seems odd to me that you would suggest Carnival, since I think that
is at the opposite end of the spectrum from what they want...
It occurs to me I didn't say how long a cruise we are considering
buying for them. I really don't want less than 5 days, and probably
will get them a 7-day cruise (longer if it is a really good deal).

Dave

Hi, Dave,

You are a great parent & future in-law to be planning such a lovely
honeymoon for the happy couple.

West Coast, non-Alaska options for June 2008...pity the Mexican Riviera
cruise season doesn't generally extend into summer, as those sailings from
Southern California would have been a nice option to consider. If that holds
true in 2008, you'll have to look elsewhere for either a Bermuda or
Caribbean cruise. (You could set them up in Hawaii, but in my personal
opinion, NCL, the captive line for the islands, isn't a good match for their
tastes/interests.)

One way to get a feeling for what's out there is to use the advanced cruise
finder at Travelocity. Play around with it, and specifically, check out what
is sailing in June 2007. That will give you a fair idea of the choices you
can expect when the 2008 itineraries are released.

For lines, personal opinion again, but I think of all the mass market lines,
Celebrity sounds like the best match based on what you have said. Princess
or Royal Caribbean are maybes...depends on the ship and the itinerary. Note,
June is a heavy family travel month, so even on Celebrity, the demographics
will be rich with kids.

Non-mass market lines might be a worthwhile option to investigate. Oceania
or Regent Seven Seas sound like contendors based on your description of the
bridal couple. Albeit slightly more pricey on first blush, deals can be had,
and sometimes, their inclusion of alcohol, gratuities or other ameneties in
the up front rate make those types of cruise lines economically comparable
to mass market cruising when those additional costs are figured into the
grand total.

Hey...lightbulb going off here: How about a week in Tahiti on the beloved
Paul Gaugin of the Regent Seven Seas line? Check it out. I can't imagine a
more romantic honeymoon!

But whatever you do, they will never forget it.

Good luck with your research and planning.

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

Sue, it looks like I copy catted you, but I promise, I was interrupted by
the phone while my response was in progress--we truly independently gave the
same advice. Great minds thinking alike for sure! Diana

D Ball wrote:
> Sue, it looks like I copy catted you, but I promise, I was interrupted by
> the phone while my response was in progress--we truly independently gave the
> same advice. Great minds thinking alike for sure! Diana

I didn't see your response untill later on and my first thought was
"great minds think alike".LOL

I really, really love the idea of an Alaska cruise for the honeymoon,
but it seems that the bride to be wants the Carribean.

sue