6-night honeymoon in October?

[Krissie]

Our wedding is October 11, and we''ve got the 12th through the 18th for our honeymoon. Our wedding is in Louisville, KY, so the fact that it''s not the most connected airport is playing a role in our plans. Also, the whole hurricane season thing.

We''re planning on taking a "longer" honeymoon/first anniversary trip to Hawaii for two weeks next year, so we don''t want to do a huge blowout and be gone for more than 5 or 6 nights for the honeymoon, nor do we want this to eat into our Hawaii budget.

So, for our honeymoon we are booked in on a 5-night cruise on Royal Caribbean to do Key West, Belize and Cozumel. I''ve cruised before, and like the fact that you can do as little or as much as you want. Because it''s risky hurricane season, we got a pretty good deal and have a suite with balcony reserved. We put down $200 a few months ago and can cancel (but lose the deposit). I think we''d have a lot of fun, would be treated well, and if there''s a hurricane at sea, the ship could be navigated elsewhere. Neither of us is so keen on KW, Belize or Cozumel (have been to KW and Cozumel before, and could go to Belize another time) that if we were just at sea, that would be fine.

But lately fi''s been thinking a beach hol would be nice, and I can''t say I disagree. I think the best option would be an all-inclusive, just because I don''t want to totally break the budget with food/alcohol. We have looked into Sandals Antigua, which seems to get some mixed reviews. We would probably stay in a suite in their Mediterranean Villa, but it seems it can be crowded, noisy, and not very private at that resort. Also, there''s no guarantee there wouldn''t be a hurricane in October, although Antigua is generally pretty dry (I have been there before in August). One downside is it would take 3 flights to get there from Louisville.

We''ve also looked at Dreams in Cabo, which looks like another good all-inclusive option (although still a small hurricane risk, and it''s not an adults-only resort). It is more affordable, and only 2 flights to get there.

St. Thomas and St. John are lovely - but no real all-inclusives that I like in St. John''s. There is the Ritz in St. Thomas, but I''m not sure we would be as relaxed there.

SOOOO any ideas? We could stick with the cruise and take our chances, or try a beachy resort that also carries a hurricane risk. Anyone have experience with the places I''ve mentioned above, as well?

THANKS!

 

[Cleopatra]

Here''s what I would do in your situation:

I would go to a Sandals resort. If the vacation is ruined by a hurricane, Sandals offers another vacation for you at a later date of your choice - free of charge - so i''ve heard.

If you are on a cruise ship, the boat just sails around the hurricane, and there''s no guarantee that you''ll see any land/beaches.

In this case, the Sandals guarantee wins, in my opinion. With Sandals, no matter what, you''ll have at least one hurricane-free vacation!

 

[Neveah]

Honestly, I wouldn''t go to a Sandals resort. (no offense to anyone!)

FI and I did extensive research for our HM. We went back and forth and looked into everything. Trip Advisor, Travel Agents, Friends... the list goes on. We really wanted an all-inclusive for the same reasons you listed. Sandals got the most negative comments and complaints of all the ones we looked into. And I could deal with it if they had great rates, but they seem to be pretty comparable to most all-inclusives and offer a lot less.

We decided on http://www.realresorts.com.mx/The_Royal_Playa_Carmen/

But a close second was any of the RIU resorts http://www.godreamvacations.com/hotels/riu_hotels.php

Anything you look into, you should inquire about their hurricane policy... Good Luck!