Last week we talked about cruise lines sailing in and out of Galveston and then we started talking about those sailing in and out of Port Everglades or Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There are seven major cruise lines that sail in and out of Port Everglades of which we have hit on two, Royal Caribbean and Princes. In addition to those two lines sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, you can sail on Carnival, Celebrity, Costa Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, Cunard and Holland America. Additionally, there are 5 other lines that sail small ships or yachts out of Fort Lauderdale. So the possibilities are really endless once you make your way down to south Florida to board a cruise ship.
The following ships are based in Port Everglades year round: Carnival Freedom, Carnival Miracle, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Solstice, Coral Princess, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, Island Princess, Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Statendam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam.
Carnival has a little something for everyone and the ships that they sail out of Fort Lauderdale are their biggest and best. They offer what is practically a water park at their main pool for the kids and yet they still have a spa for the grown ups. If you were to compare cruise ships to amusement parks, while Disney would obviously be the "Disney" of cruise ships, Carnival would be the Six Flags of the cruising industry. They make it all fun at a good value to the consumer. Freedom carries 2,974 passengers while Miracle only carries 2,124. Both ships have a higher guest to crew ratio than Royal Caribbean and Princess but that is to be expected with Carnival being an entry level pricepoint for cruise ships. They bring other ships into Fort Lauderdale during the winter months. Like all cruise lines, the prices go up when school is out. This makes cruises in the two weeks surrounding Christmas very expensive. Additionally, prices go up during Spring Break.
Celebrity is owned by the same people who own Royal Caribbean. However, they are a totally different cruise line. While RCI targets a younger first time cruiser, Celebrity is aimed at the 40 to 60 year old crowd who may not bring the kids with them on the cruise. If you do take kids, there are programs for them to participate in. However, the number of kids on a Celebrity cruise is substantially lower than on a Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise so there aren't as many kids for yours to hang around with. The best cruise of my life was on Celebrity Solstice out of Fort Lauderdale. It was relaxing, luxurious and the stops were heavenly. I loved it so much that I recommended it to a friend with kids. They went on the same cruise the following year and switched back to Royal Caribbean after that cruise. She said it just wasn't the right ship to take kids on. Now I know that simply having a kids program on board doesn't mean that a cruise line is right for kids.
There are no pools with slides on a Celebrity ship, there are however cabanas. I'm more of a cabana girl than a slide girl. On the upper deck instead of a rock climbing wall or Flowrider, there is a grassy area to stroll or lay in the grass under the stars or sit and sip a glass of wine. The bars are quieter on a Celebrity ship than on a Royal Caribbean or Carnival ship. However, there is still plenty of fun to be had. You can still do all the dancing, barhopping and clubbing that your heart desires on a Celebrity ship. But you won't see a lot of kids in the process.
Crystal is an all inclusive cruise line. They are totally aimed at baby boomers with some cash to spend. Inside cabins start at about $2,000 and go up from there. There are no kids programs, so if you aim to take a kid with you, be aware that entertaining them and keeping a baby boomer from throwing them overboard will be entirely up to you. The ships are very small and guest to crew ratio is among the smallest in the industry. So, although you pay quite a lot more to travel onboard a Crystal ship, you will be treated like royalty.
I am going to have to shut down for today, I have a seminar to attend this morning. So, I will get into other options out of Fort Lauderdale tomorrow and hopefully move on to Miami, Port Canaveral or Tampa. Have a great Tuesday!
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