Which Cruise to Choose?

2010 is a big celebration year for my husband and I. It was going to be anyway. It will start on September 7 with Wayne’s birthday. A week later I turn 40. Then two days after that we’ll celebrate 15 years married (not to mention 24 total together).

However, since I’ve also made it a whole year cancer-free, that gives us an even more important reason to do something BIG in 2010.

Choices we’ve been talking about even before I got cancer included a Canada/New England cruise or a Mediterranean one. I’ve been researching those options, but along the way stumbled upon some others. (No matter what, it’s going to be a cruise. Now the problem is deciding which one.)

I was tempted to decide based on coolest Haunt Jaunt opportunites, however a little thing called price came in to play. Not to mention time. (If only I didn’t mind being away from my fur kids as much as I do! Oh, and that little thing called Wayne’s job…)

We’ve always cruised Carnival in the past, but this year looks like we’ll be giving one of these other cruise lines a shot. (And without even trying to force it, each cruise presents really awesome Haunt Jaunting destinations.)

7 DAY CANADA/NEW ENGLAND – HOLLAND AMERICA

I was in my thirties before I discovered the beauty of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Specifically, it was watching the 1985 Sullivan Entertainment adaptation on PBS in the early 2000s that got me hooked on all things Anne.

Ever since then I wanted to go see this magical land called Prince Edward Island. But I’ve also wanted to go to Montreal, Nova Scotia, Boston, and Maine.

Holland America’s 7-Day Canada & New England Discovery cruise embarks from Boston then hits:

• Bar Harbor, Maine
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Sydney, Canada
• Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island, Canada
• Quebec City, Canada
• Montreal, Canada (disembarkation point)

PROS: Prince Edward Island and Montreal, not to mention Boston. But best of all this was one of the only cruises with dates in September on or during our big dates. (Meaning our birthdays and anniversary day.)

CONS: It’s $999 per person. (Not including cost of airfare, which luckily isn’t too steep. About half of the price of cruise tickets per person.)

7 NIGHT WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN -ROYAL CARIBBEAN OR COSTA

A cruise on either Royal Caribbean or Costa was what we originally had in mind when we thought Europe + Mediterranean + Cruise.

We were really torn between the ports Costa and Royal Caribbean offer. Both hit places in Spain, Italy, and France. Costa has one that also hits Tunisia.

PROS: Cruises aren’t too bad price-wise. They start as low as $599 per person.

CONS: Plane tickets are pricey. They’re easily double (if not more) the price per person of the cruise tickets! Not on our big days.

8 DAY EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN GREECE/TURKEY – COSTA

This cruise would be amazing. And since it starts at $699 per person, it’s also a great deal…except for the darn cost of flights.

Here’s the itinery:

• Venice, Italy (embarkation point)
• Bari, Italy
• Olympia, Greece
• Izmir, Turkey
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Venice, Italy (disembarkation point)

PROS: It sails from VENICE! Poveglia here I come! (I may not have a chance to step on the island, but you better believe I’d find some boat to take me by it to get pics at least!) Also, Wayne’s heard a lot of neat things about Istanbul and is really hot to see it. We’d each get to knock off places on our bucket lists!

CONS: How much it costs to get to Venice. Not on our big days.

6 NIGHT SPECIAL WESTERN CARIBBEAN REPOSITIONING CRUISE – ROYAL CARIBBEAN

This one is super interesting. You get to travel as they transition the ship. In this case, it’s as they reposition for a Panama Canal run. Ports on this cruise include:

• Cozumel, Mexico
• Costa Maya, Mexico
• Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
• Colon, Panama

PROS: Prices start at an astounding $349 per person!

CONS: The flights are easily double per person the cruise tickets. Which really isn’t much of a con considering the other cruise/flight prices we’re considering. Sails in November.

SPAIN, MOROCCO, CAPE VERDE, BRAZIL – COSTA

Wayne is desperate to get to Brazil. And see exotic countries. He’s desperate to take this one for the ports, which include:

• Savona, Italy (embarkation point)
• Malaga, Spain
• Casablanca, Morocco (One of my nicknames in college was Boom Boom Morocco! Imagine Boom Boom actually in Morocco!)\
• St. Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
• Mindelo, Cape Verde
• Fortaleza, Brazil
• Recife, Brazil
• Maceio, Brazil
• Salvador Bahia, Brazil
• Rio de Janerio, Brazil
• Santos, Brazil (disembarkation point)

PROS: Casablanca! The Canary Islands! Rio! All for $699 per person!

CONS: How many days we’d have to be away (cha chang for how much that’d run in pet care!) plus the cost of that darn flight to Italy. Also, we’d have to get Visas for Brazil and the Canary Island. (Not hard, but it tacks on an additional cost. We also might have to get certain shots.) Sails in November.