First Caribbean Cruise

Hi we are kiwis (from NZ) and looking for a great overview of the Caribbean via a comfy (luxury?) cruise in October ....fingers crossed for the weather. All the ports sound lovely - we don't have a clue! So far within budget Carnival Breeze 8 night departing Oct 10 sounds interesting for it's Port Stops....and Royal Princess 10 night departing 11 October sounds a bit more luxury...but with different port stops and Celebrity Infinity 10 night from 05 October is the last in the mix.

Help!!!!! - need to make a decision by tomorrow.... We're in our 50's...active and enjoy a good glass of wine and interesting, great food. Love pools, beaches, markets, history, water, interesting bars, cafes and sun! Hmmm not so keen on not being able to get away from tons of kiddies, hate buffets :)

You'll find fewer children on the Princess or Celebrity cruises, both because of the lines and because the cruises are a little longer. I haven't sailed on Celebrity so I can't help decide between that and Princess.

I would not go on Carnival if you want to stay away from kids and is NOT a luxury cruise line. Celebrity is wonderful and I think you would enjoy it the most. We are in our 50's also and want to get away from children. We have the same interests that you have also. Buffets are on all of the ships....doesn't mean you have to utilize it...just go elsewhere. Many, many choices.

I notice you did not add Royal Caribbean as an option. Wonderful cruise line also. Are you thinking of flying to Florida as your embarkation port? October is our FAVORITE time of the year to cruise...both for weather and children back in school.

Based on what you have said, I would pass on Carnival and I would go with Celebrity.

Keith

Based on what you have said, I would pass on Carnival and I would go with Celebrity.

 

Keith

I agree with Keith. Go with Celebrity. In fact, I'm sailing her today. 😃

None of the cruise lines you mentioned could be considered "luxury"...they are considered to be "mass market" lines. Not saying you won't have a good time, tho, because you will!

Carnival's standard cabins are larger than the other lines...if you're booking a suite, pay no attention to that statement!

All of the lines will have kids...but they also have kid's clubs and it keeps the children pretty busy. They will, however, be at the pools, especially on sea days. Pools on all ships are small, and for getting wet...not so much for swimming.

The ports will be the same, no matter which ship you arrive on!

What you need to know is that there are two major types of ships plying Caribbean waters:

1. Mega Ships: The cruise is all about the amazing and huge ship and many people don't even bother to get off in port because there is so much to do onboard you can't do it all in a week. These ships offer incredible entertainment and amenities not found on traditional cruise ships. You will see things like diving shows and Broadway Musicals and acrobatic shows. These ships also have things like onboard zip lines, flow riders, amusement park rides, full scale water slides, ropes courses and much, much more. They generally offer many different types of restaurants and you may eat in a different restaurant every night of your cruise. They tend to be popular with families as well as with couples. The mega ships are:

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line:

Oasis of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas

Quantum of the Seas

Anthem of the Seas

Ovation of the Seas

Norwegian Cruise Line:

Epic

Getaway

Breakaway

Escape

And nearing Mega ship status but not quite there: Carnival Breeze and Vista

2. Traditional Cruise ships - These ships tend to be smaller and have fewer amenities. The focus on these ships is more about the ports than the amenities onboard - so it is more of a floating hotel experience. These ships include:

Princess

Celebrity

HAL

RCCL's smaller ships

NCL's smaller ships

Carnival's smaller ships

MSC

Azamara

Beyond that, there is a level of more luxurious and more expensive cruise lines such as:

Crystal

Regent

Silversea

Oceania

Cunard

There are also sailing cruises that rarely have kids onboard:

Star Clippers

Windstar

Island Windjammers

My suggestion would be that you look up ships on these various lines to figure out what you really want to do. I think you will find such a wide variety of choices, but something will strike you as being the perfect fit!

For somebody coming from so far and from such a beautiful country, I would pick something special, for example the one Western Caribbean port in Guatemala - Santo Tomas - from which you can fly to the real special Mayan ruins of Tikal. Expensive because of the charter flight on a small plane. Another option is Belize (Western Caribbean) with a bus and river boat excursion to the Lamanai ruins. They are complete with howler monkeys.

The port of San Juan in Puerto Rico is a also a good option as is Willemstad on Curacao.

Other than that, the Caribbean islands are neither more interesting nor more beautiful than the tropical South Pacific islands which are much closer to you. The Caribbean is attractive to the inhabitants of the North American continent for a great winter escape.

Seriously, if I were you, I would blow my budget on the Aranui freighter/passenger cruise from Papeete to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The Aranui includes table wine and excursions in the price. :D

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :D

For what you want go with either Princess or Celebrity! ;)

LuLu

I think you might enjoy a Southern Caribbean cruise especially. St. Lucia and Grenada and Curacao are very interesting islands and quite different from each other. Foods to try: breadfruit, jerk chicken, pepper pot, kabritu (goat stew), conch, Callalloo. On St. Lucia, buy banana catsup.

For somebody coming from so far and from such a beautiful country, I would pick something special, for example the one Western Caribbean port in Guatemala - Santo Tomas - from which you can fly to the real special Mayan ruins of Tikal. Expensive because of the charter flight on a small plane. Another option is Belize (Western Caribbean) with a bus and river boat excursion to the Lamanai ruins. They are complete with howler monkeys.

 

The port of San Juan in Puerto Rico is a also a good option as is Willemstad on Curacao.

 

Other than that, the Caribbean islands are neither more interesting nor more beautiful than the tropical South Pacific islands which are much closer to you. The Caribbean is attractive to the inhabitants of the North American continent for a great winter escape.

 

Seriously, if I were you, I would blow my budget on the Aranui freighter/passenger cruise from Papeete to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The Aranui includes table wine and excursions in the price. :D

Thank you so much for your kind words re our beautiful country...it's a pleasure to live here :) Tahiti we're saving for another trip and will definitely look at the Aranui Cruise...looks great! We've explored the gorgeous Pacific Islands...some twice over and as we are going to New York late September we thought we'd add on a Caribbean cruise to relax on and see somewhere different. There's not many in October (hurricane season?) and with

Royal Princess the port offerings are Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas & Princess Cays - which all sounds exotic ... or with

Celebrity Infinity the ports are St Thomas, Antigua, St Lucia, St Maarten and Tortola

and I've just checked Royal Caribbean (as someone kindly suggested on this thread) and the only good timing one for us seems to be

Independence of the Seas visiting Puerto Rico, St Maartens and St Kitts....or there's a cruise on Freedom of the Seas: Orlando (Port Canaveral); Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Orlando (Port Canaveral) or

Adventure of the Seas: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St Kitts; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico

They all sound great.... and we will be guided by those of you who have experience! Thank you.

Thank you.... yes we thought Carnival may not be us from the research we have done....

I would not go on Carnival if you want to stay away from kids and is NOT a luxury cruise line. Celebrity is wonderful and I think you would enjoy it the most. We are in our 50's also and want to get away from children. We have the same interests that you have also. Buffets are on all of the ships....doesn't mean you have to utilize it...just go elsewhere. Many, many choices.

 

I notice you did not add Royal Caribbean as an option. Wonderful cruise line also. Are you thinking of flying to Florida as your embarkation port? October is our FAVORITE time of the year to cruise...both for weather and children back in school.

Thank you so much .... as we are going to New York late September we thought we'd add on a Caribbean cruise to relax on and see somewhere different. There's not many in October (hurricane season?) and with

Royal Princess the port offerings are Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas & Princess Cays - which all sounds exotic ... or with

Celebrity Infinity the ports are St Thomas, Antigua, St Lucia, St Maarten and Tortola

and I've just checked Royal Caribbean (as you kindly suggested on this thread) and the only good timing one for us seems to be

Independence of the Seas visiting Puerto Rico, St Maartens and St Kitts....or there's a cruise on Freedom of the Seas: Orlando (Port Canaveral); Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Orlando (Port Canaveral) or if we could get to San Juan (is that expensive from NYC or difficult?)...

Adventure of the Seas: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St Kitts; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico

They all sound great.... and we will be guided by those of you who have experience! Thank you.

What you need to know is that there are two major types of ships plying Caribbean waters:

 

1. Mega Ships: The cruise is all about the amazing and huge ship and many people don't even bother to get off in port because there is so much to do onboard you can't do it all in a week. These ships offer incredible entertainment and amenities not found on traditional cruise ships. You will see things like diving shows and Broadway Musicals and acrobatic shows. These ships also have things like onboard zip lines, flow riders, amusement park rides, full scale water slides, ropes courses and much, much more. They generally offer many different types of restaurants and you may eat in a different restaurant every night of your cruise. They tend to be popular with families as well as with couples. The mega ships are:

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line:

Oasis of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas

Quantum of the Seas

Anthem of the Seas

Ovation of the Seas

 

Norwegian Cruise Line:

Epic

Getaway

Breakaway

Escape

 

And nearing Mega ship status but not quite there: Carnival Breeze and Vista

 

2. Traditional Cruise ships - These ships tend to be smaller and have fewer amenities. The focus on these ships is more about the ports than the amenities onboard - so it is more of a floating hotel experience. These ships include:

Princess

Celebrity

HAL

RCCL's smaller ships

NCL's smaller ships

Carnival's smaller ships

MSC

Azamara

 

Beyond that, there is a level of more luxurious and more expensive cruise lines such as:

Crystal

Regent

Silversea

Oceania

Cunard

 

There are also sailing cruises that rarely have kids onboard:

Star Clippers

Windstar

Island Windjammers

 

My suggestion would be that you look up ships on these various lines to figure out what you really want to do. I think you will find such a wide variety of choices, but something will strike you as being the perfect fit!

Thank you for such a great breakdown of the ships available. We love the sound of a Mega Ship (not many come to NZ) but...there doesn't seem to be any of them doing Caribbean Cruises in October :(

You will love Royal Princess. The ship is gorgeous. Most balconies are small. We had a huge Aft balcony. Choose wisely if you want a balcony.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises?shipCode_OA=true&destinationRegionCode_CARIB=true&vacationTypeCode_CO=true&dates_minDate=10%2F01%2F2015&dates_maxDate=10%2F31%2F2015

Two Caribbean cruises on the Oasis of the Seas in October 2015.

Of these ships Royal Princess is the newest - built in 2013. It has a lovely Japanese baths spa. It's a more adults oriented type cruise, although there will still be some kids onboard. IMO, this is a very elegant ship with a few very cool thrills like the "Sea Walk" and "Sea View Bar", Movies under the Stars is fun. My expectation would be that this would be a really terrific cruise. Take a look here:

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/rp/

The food will be better than RCCL food. I think this is the cruise I would choose out of those who listed.

St. Lucia is my favorite island - it has the Pitons, the worlds only drive through volcano. Tons of natural beauty, great snorkeling.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises?shipCode_OA=true&destinationRegionCode_CARIB=true&vacationTypeCode_CO=true&dates_minDate=10%2F01%2F2015&dates_maxDate=10%2F31%2F2015

 

Two Caribbean cruises on the Oasis of the Seas in October 2015.

Thank you - the ship does look amazing and could tempt me from Royal Princess...however which Ports Itinerary is the most tempting...

Oasis of the Seas - 7 days: Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

or

Royal Princess - 10 days: Fort Lauderdale, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas, Princess Cays, Fort Lauderdale

for a first time visitor to the Caribbean???

Of these ships Royal Princess is the newest - built in 2013. It has a lovely Japanese baths spa. It's a more adults oriented type cruise, although there will still be some kids onboard. IMO, this is a very elegant ship with a few very cool thrills like the "Sea Walk" and "Sea View Bar", Movies under the Stars is fun. My expectation would be that this would be a really terrific cruise. Take a look here:

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/rp/

The food will be better than RCCL food. I think this is the cruise I would choose out of those who listed.

 

St. Lucia is my favorite island - it has the Pitons, the worlds only drive through volcano. Tons of natural beauty, great snorkeling.

Thanks! This is the most favourite one so far.... with all the 'goodies' :)

You will love Royal Princess. The ship is gorgeous. Most balconies are small. We had a huge Aft balcony. Choose wisely if you want a balcony.

Thank you - the ship does look amazing and so does the Oasis of the Seas...however which Ports Itinerary is the most tempting... looks like we are now down to these two cruises....

Oasis of the Seas - 7 days: Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

or

Royal Princess - 10 days: Fort Lauderdale, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas, Princess Cays, Fort Lauderdale

for a first time visitor to the Caribbean???

Royal Princess - 10 days: Fort Lauderdale, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas, Princess Cays, Fort Lauderdale

for a first time visitor to the Caribbean???

Royal Princess would be our choice as long as you totally realize you will be sailing at a time of year when you might have a tropical disturbance.

LuLu

Thank you LuLu....yes the 'tropical disturbance' does concern us....and we're only there in October...so c'est la vie...and what will be will be :) I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I vote for the southern routes on celebrity or princess......royal princess could change your mind about buffets.....went on the regal last winter and could barely drag myself out of it and you can eat outside under the stars,as well.....I adore barbados and some of the other ports are stunning....the pitons in st. Lucia are gorgeous...less hurricane problems on the southern route as well....have a lovely time...

DH and I are booked on the October 5th Celebrity cruise you are looking at. We are both in our 50's and really looking forward to this itinerary. It will be our first time on Celebrity, but like you we were looking for an adult cruise.

We have both been on Carnival and though it's a nice trip there is no *luxury* to it. There will probably be less kids on an October sailing than summer and winter because the kids are in school, but there will still be plenty. I sailed on RCCL a long time ago, when the kids were young, and had a nice time, but it seemed like a very family oriented line.

Anyways, if you decide on the Celebrity trip come on over and join the Roll Call, lots of nice people and the planning is getting into full swing.

Joanna

Thank you - the ship does look amazing and so does the Oasis of the Seas...however which Ports Itinerary is the most tempting... looks like we are now down to these two cruises....

 

Oasis of the Seas - 7 days: Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

or

Royal Princess - 10 days: Fort Lauderdale, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas, Princess Cays, Fort Lauderdale

for a first time visitor to the Caribbean???

Of these, the 10 days on Royal Princess is the better itinerary, IMO. 10 days on a cruise is definitely much better than just 7. Labadee is just RCCL's private island - nothing to see there - just a beach day. The Royal Princess offer 5 legit island days plus their private island Princess Cays.

Oasis is a lovely ship, don't get me wrong, but their Broadway show is "Cats" Yup 2.5 hours of people dressed up as cats singing essentially the same song. But again, it is only 7 days and the food is not as good as Princess. The buffet is not as good as Princess. Then that Royal Princess has the amazing spa and the all adults area and the specialty restaurants and the far better itinerary. Yep, I would pick Royal Princess in a heartbeat.