Cruise or somewhere else? 5 or 7 days?

Question

Okay, so I need some advice. I am a stay at home mom with 5 kids. I do need a break, but it is so hard to leave them. My husband won a trip and we get to pick where to go for $2000. We decided to go on a cruise since everything would be included and we can't decide if we should go on the nicer one for 7 days, or go on the 5 day one we have already been on, but won't have to leave our kids as long.

Any suggestions?

Would you go on a cruise or somewhere else? We are from Houston, TX and don't want to go to Mexico.

We would really like to go to Las Vegas, but it is so expensive once we get there, we will have to bring lots of extra money.

If you would go on a cruise, would you go for 5 or 7 days?

Thanks!

Answer 1

CRUISE CRUISE CRUISE!

7 days! Leave the kids for two extra days it's okay they'll be fine!

http://www.carnival.com/searchResults.as...

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...

HAVE FUN!

Ah but if you end up having to go to Vegas don't stay at the Circus Circus... kinda yucky... ...Stay at the Venetian or something like that!

:)

Answer 2

go for 7 days. you will get to see so much more.

Answer 3

Well, I'd vote for cruises.  My husband and I enjoy both Vegas and cruises, but I can say with 100%  certainty that you get more for your money on a cruise once you factor in all the extras (it was amazing to me how much we spent on breakfast alone in Vegas -- meals are included on ships).

If you want a great trip for under $2,000 you could go "tight" on a 7-day Caribbean cruise (no balcony, being careful about spending) or go nuts on a 4- or 5-day.

I think Carnival Ecstasy does a 5-day out of Galveston, but I'm not a huge fan of that ship. I'm actually no enamored of any of the ship that leave from there.  If you can get a not-too-expensive flight to Miami, it may be worth it!

You might find the following articles helpful:

- How to get the most for your money on a cruise:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/ch...

- How to choose the right cruise based on what matters to you (price, length of cruise, destination, etc.):

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/ch...

- What is and isn't included on a cruise:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/in...

Answer 4

I would go for 7 days. You get better deals for 7 days when you figure daily cost of trip.

Checkout this site for cruises

http://www.travelaroundsite.com

They have really good deals and you can compare by cruise line  and destinations.

Have a Great time

Answer 5

I like the 7 day cruise. Gives you some extra time to just be lazy in the cabin of you want.

Even if you do go on the same cruise that you have been on before it can still be fun.

I know what you mean, I live in the Houston area too and we are limited on where we go. I mean you can only see Cozumel so many times.

My husband and I didn't book any excursions and  stayed on the ship last time we went. We slept in while everyone was racing to get off the ship. That was great.

Then one time mom and I took the ferry to Cancun. That was fun too. Just do different things. Go to the spa while you are in port, sleep, walk all around the ship w/o having to go through all the people.

If you do go to Vegas look on line and see if they still have the funjet packages. I think it is Southwest airlines. They used to have great packages out of Hobby. Do your homework before you go on all the cheap buffets. Look at the hotel sites see what they have to offer. If you have time write the tourism center, they will send you coupons (or used to). There is plenty to do for free, but that is mainly looking at the hotels on the strip and Freemont Experience.

I like the value of a cruise

Have a good time

Answer 6

take the 7 day cruise to the carribean ......  go to st marteen....you wont regret it!!!

Answer 7

I have been on a lot of cruises to a lot of places and with there being 7 of you $2,000 is NOT going to get you much cruise.  If you did go on that budget it would be less than 7 days, and probably less than 5 days.  

I have been to Vegas a lot of times and there is a lot to see and do that is free there.  You could go there and stay at the Circus Circus Hotel and let tyhe kids do the games there and then go see all of the free stuff.  I think you will get more for your money in Vegas

Answer 8

Leave the kids with their Grandparents - they will be fine.  The trip will NOT be a "break" if they are along, no matter how much you love them all.  You and your husband also need time together as just the two of you.....

The week-long cruise sounds good.  As you know, $2000 sounds like a lot but really isn't once you are paying for two.  Consider an Alaska cruise if you don't want to repeat the type cruise you had before.

You might also consider staying somewhere "all-inclusive" or at least mostly-inclusive.  There are more options than just Club Med and an example is the Cataloochee ranch in North Carolina:  http://www.cataloocheeranch.com/

We went there for three days and stayed for two weeks. It was great, there are lots of things to do/see around Asheville, and our BS tolerance levels were WAY up when we went home.

Good luck!

Answer 9

you could take a 4 day cruise to the bahammas...but make sure that you go at the right time of year...like march and april is a pretty good time to go...if you wait til june, july it gets really rainy weather and it will be horrible...but the cruise is definitly the best way to go money wise cause everything is included besides the on shore extra activities that you can sign up for....if i were to pick a cruise line i would with carnival