Need Opinions: RCCL Serenade vs CCL Victory vs Sandal's Resort Jamaica

Ok everyone. I need LOTS of input, opinions, pictures, etc...

Backstory: My DH and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in November. In 2006, we had planned on going to Sandals Resort in Jamaica for our honeymoon, but being so young and working for minimum wage, we just didnt have the funds. We opted instead to use what we had managed to save to take a cruise for our honeymoon, and we LOVED it!! After the first two years of going nowhere, we made a pact to always take "us time" and escape somewhere the week of our anniversary, celebrate our love, and remember why we got married.(best decision ever imho...it gives us something to look forward to as a couple, and has been awesome!) In 2009 and 2010, we took cruises for 3rd and 4th anniversary. We have since become addicted to cruising, and have also taken a 2010 and 2011 Family cruise. But for our Anniversary, we have 3 options, and cant decide which is best. The price differences are very small for all three, so that hasnt helped us decide. :rolleyes:

OUR OPTIONS ARE:

1) Go to Sandals for 4-5 days, since that was the original honeymoon plan

2) Fly to San Juan and board CCL Victory 7 day to St. Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.

3) Fly to San Juan and board RCCL's Serenade 6 day to St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Kitts

All opinions are welcome...I appreciate any and all input/thoughts/pics on the subject from anyone who has been on either or both or Sandals or has been to those ports. I have only done western and bahamas so far, so this is all new to me.

Sorry this is so long, and thanks for taking the time to read it and leave your thought. Happy Cruising!

WE have not been to the Sandals resort or on the 2nd option but can vouch for the Serenade of the Seas being a WONDERFUL ship with a fantastic crew and we loved the southern itinerary. We however were on the opposite itinerary which included Aruba, Dominica, St. Thomas and Curacao. So I can't speak about the islands you mentioned as we have never been to them but we did spend 2 days before our cruise in San Juan and 2 days after and enjoyed a trip to the rain forest and then went to Pure Adventures for a bioluminescent bay kayak trip that was incredible! We also walked about in old San Juan the night before our cruise and that was nice, saw the big ole fort, El MOro and ate some awesome food in the old town. We had a fantastic trip, it was this past August and I cannot say enough good things about the ship, the crew and the islands we did. I love your way to celebrate your anniversary, keep it up, a great way to keep your marriage fresh!

Here are my Carnival Victory pictures from 2/6/2011

http://sherilyn70.shutterfly.com

We enjoyed the ports, it was very very port intensive. The ship is older and we just didn't have much desire to do anything on it... but then we're also a 40ish couple that doesn't do the nightclub or drinking scene anymore. You've sailed Carnival before so I'm assuming you already have your own opinions about their ships, food and service. After 2 cruises with them I felt that something was missing and so we're switching to Royal Caribbean this time around. I've done southern Caribbean twice now and love Dominica, Barbados, and now St. Thomas is growing on me. I could easily do without Aruba, it just never did anything for me, the same with St. Maarten. By the time we got off of Victory we were exhausted from only having one day at sea and decided next time less ports. :)

OUR OPTIONS ARE:

1) Go to Sandals for 4-5 days, since that was the original honeymoon plan

2) Fly to San Juan and board CCL Victory 7 day to St. Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.

3) Fly to San Juan and board RCCL's Serenade 6 day to St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Kitts

To me, your choice is clear...

1) 4 or 5 days

2) 7 days

3) 6 days

WE have not been to the Sandals resort or on the 2nd option but can vouch for the Serenade of the Seas being a WONDERFUL ship with a fantastic crew and we loved the southern itinerary. We however were on the opposite itinerary which included Aruba, Dominica, St. Thomas and Curacao. So I can't speak about the islands you mentioned as we have never been to them but we did spend 2 days before our cruise in San Juan and 2 days after and enjoyed a trip to the rain forest and then went to Pure Adventures for a bioluminescent bay kayak trip that was incredible! We also walked about in old San Juan the night before our cruise and that was nice, saw the big ole fort, El MOro and ate some awesome food in the old town. We had a fantastic trip, it was this past August and I cannot say enough good things about the ship, the crew and the islands we did. I love your way to celebrate your anniversary, keep it up, a great way to keep your marriage fresh!

MJN: thanks for the info about the ship and especially San Juan. I was wondering what all there was to do there. What places do you recommend for good food and hotel stay? We also would probably stay a few extra days in SJ. Any money saving tips? Thanks for the compliment. It has definitely done wonders for our marriage. I thin every couple needs a little "them time" to escape together now and then :cool:

Here are my Carnival Victory pictures from 2/6/2011

http://sherilyn70.shutterfly.com

 

We enjoyed the ports, it was very very port intensive. The ship is older and we just didn't have much desire to do anything on it... but then we're also a 40ish couple that doesn't do the nightclub or drinking scene anymore. You've sailed Carnival before so I'm assuming you already have your own opinions about their ships, food and service. After 2 cruises with them I felt that something was missing and so we're switching to Royal Caribbean this time around. I've done southern Caribbean twice now and love Dominica, Barbados, and now St. Thomas is growing on me. I could easily do without Aruba, it just never did anything for me, the same with St. Maarten. By the time we got off of Victory we were exhausted from only having one day at sea and decided next time less ports. :)

Sherilyn: I know what you mean. We have done 4 Carnival and 1 RCCL. We dont do the clubs or drinking, so while there are things I love about both lines, My likes lean slightly more towards RCCL. The ship was so nice!! My DH however, is a creature of habit lol! He says the prefers CCL. (I think because that is what he is used to...He kept comparing the two during our RCCL cruise :rolleyes: It didnt help that there was a mixup, and we were overcharged four times for an excursion and it caused a freeze on our account. I just let it roll off my back, because while it was frustrating, it was resolved, and it could happen on any line. My DH, however, was NOT happy :( He did say he was willing to give RCCL another try though....yay!

Thank you for letting me know about the ports and posting your shutterfly pics. You are a great photographer and captured some WONDERFUL shots, especially the cover shot for the Barbados album.Thanks a bunch again for sharing your trip memories and pics!

To me, your choice is clear...

1) 4 or 5 days

2) 7 days

3) 6 days

Gospelle: good point, that is def something to consider also...:D

Thank you for letting me know about the ports and posting your shutterfly pics. You are a great photographer and captured some WONDERFUL shots, especially the cover shot for the Barbados album.Thanks a bunch again for sharing your trip memories and pics!

Thanks :) Hopefully it can help you with a decision as well.

I've not been to Sandals, but I have been to Jamaica and it has been my LEAST favorite port I have visited so far, so that wouldn't even be an option for me (you may feel differently).

I have been on the Victory and had a blast, there were a few quirks to the layout that took awhile to get used to (decks not going from bow to stern, etc.) but I thought the cabins were a good size (we had a balcony with 3 adults) and with I think the itinerary is superior to Serenade and you get an extra day.

I'm going on the Serenade in 3 weeks, so I can't speak from experience here.

So if it were me, my top choice would be Victory, folled by Serenade and finally Sandals. :D

We stayed at an all inclusive in Jamaica in 2009(not sandals) and sailed on both the Victory & the Serendade B2B last June. If it were my choice, Id throw out sandals right off the bat, 5 days in jamaica cant compete with a cruise on either ship, sailing out of San Juan is FANTASTIC! As far as the two ships go, both were awesome and If I had to have a tie breaker it would be cost and/or itinerary. To compare, we had a Jr Suite on the victory for the same price as a balcony cabin on the Serenade and because we got right off the victory and right on the Serenade we had a good fresh comparison. We both felt the Victory had better food in the MDR, but the Serenade had better buffet food, better buffet layout and more seating. The serenade has Chops and Portofinos, the Victory does not have a premium alternative, also if looks mean anything to you, the Serenade is a prettier ship. We're sailing on the Serenade again this year, but only because some european friends we met onboard last year were going again and we couldnt pass up another trip with them, otherwise we probably would have done Victory again purely because of cost.

I've not been to Sandals, but I have been to Jamaica and it has been my LEAST favorite port I have visited so far, so that wouldn't even be an option for me (you may feel differently).

 

I've been to Jamaica 3 times. The first two, Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay. I had the same opinion of Jamaica after both of those trips. A bit scary and very agressive vendors.

My 3rd visit was to Negril and it honestly was like visiting a whole different country. Very relaxed vendors, no pushiness at all. Felt very safe at all times.

Now there are a few sandals in Jamaica. If you go there, I highly recommend the one in Negril.

Ok everyone. I need LOTS of input, opinions, pictures, etc...

 

But for our Anniversary, we have 3 options, and cant decide which is best. The price differences are very small for all three, so that hasnt helped us decide. :rolleyes:

 

OUR OPTIONS ARE:

1) Go to Sandals for 4-5 days, since that was the original honeymoon plan

2) Fly to San Juan and board CCL Victory 7 day to St. Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.

3) Fly to San Juan and board RCCL's Serenade 6 day to St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Kitts

 

All opinions are welcome...I appreciate any and all input/thoughts/pics on the subject from anyone who has been on either or both or Sandals or has been to those ports. Happy Cruising!

We have sailed out of San Juan and love it. When we do, stay a few extra days before the sailing at the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar in Dorado, Puerto Rico, a little ways away from San Juan, and much more relaxing. Booking through a popular HOTELS website, can manage the condo with kitchen, family room and jacuzzi right on the beach for very competitive prices. Cook in the room with food from the local supermarket, relax on the beach all day, or take a short ride into town.

We have done the Adventure out of there, to the Southern Caribbean. I would choose the RC over the CCL any day, even if it is one day shorter. it is one extra day to spend at the beach in PR, but a much nicer ship overall. You may find alternate sailings on different ships out of San Juan that are 7 or 8 day sailings.

As for the all inclusive, the Jamaica ones are not good for the value. You are held captive in the resort, excursions on the island are a hassle and you can not go out on your own. Sandles / Beaches / Breezes in Curaceo, well that is another story and well received.

We had the same dilemma for this September, ended up with the Allure and chose the ship as a destination.

Enjoy!

<the Jamaica ones are not good for the value. You are held captive in the resort, excursions on the island are a hassle and you can not go out on your own.>

I completely disagree and we are headed to Jamaica (Couples Swept Away) next weekend for our 7th stay at that resort and 30th trip to Jamaica. We never feel captive at the resort and are always out and about on our own. I have been there solo and done the same. We go to local restaurants, bars and shops (and have been since the 70s) and love the local vibe. Excursions are not a big part of a trip for us but at Couples many are included and leave right from the resort. I cannot imagine less hassle.

I do enjoy cruising out of San Juan and Serenade is a nice ship.

That being said, we much prefer to stay at an all inclusive resort than cruise these days.

We are active and there is lots to do at the resort that is no additional charge. Scuba, snorkeling, tennis, water skiing, off site excursions, etc. all are included.

We enjoy being right on the beach and waking up to a great sunrise then walking the beach and enjoying a sunset.

We prefer not to be around kids and the all inclusive gives us an adult vacation experience.

We like to decide when and where to have dinner and like the variety of options at the AI resorts. On cruises these days we pretty much always end up at the ala carte restaurants. The food at Sandals is better than on RCI with lots of fresh options and local cuisine.

We enjoy not going home with a multi hundred bar tab.

We enjoy not having an 18% service charge added to everything, including a fitness class.

We like not being nickel and dimed to death.

All that being said, we choose Couples over Sandals for more inclusions and much better value. We are headed there again in ten days.

 

OUR OPTIONS ARE:

1) Go to Sandals for 4-5 days, since that was the original honeymoon plan

2) Fly to San Juan and board CCL Victory 7 day to St. Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.

3) Fly to San Juan and board RCCL's Serenade 6 day to St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Kitts

 

!

I have not been on the Serenade, but took the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan in April. As far as ports go. If you go to Barbados and love to snorkel the swim with the seaturtles is amazing! St Lucia (stay on the ship) this island is dirty. St Maarteen if you love to snorkel take the shipwreck tour offered by Ocean Adventures. It was great. 2 reefs and a submarine wreck. St Croix has a nice litte beach (rainbow beach) $6 round trip taxi ride. Antigua has a nice beach by the helicopter airport (sorry do not remember the name).

I would opt for one of the cruises as you are getting more days vacation for your $.

One thing to keep in mind is what time can you get a flight out. We got a 2pm flight (Sunday), did not land in Boston until 10:55pm and walked thru our door at home at 2:10am(Monday). Made for a rough getting up to to go to work at 6am. Would have perferd to come home on Saturday. Don't get me wrong, we had an amazing trip, but flights out of San Juan only started in the afternoon as we were not going to be back to port till 8am and then needing to clear customs.

With whatever you decide, may you vacation and anniversary be enjoyable!

I think of it this way: why would I want to pay that kind of money and stay in the same place for 5 days.......when I could take a cruise and see lots of different places??:)

Here is a review from our Victory cruise last October that my friend did:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1298830

So, needless to say, my vote is for Victory. You will miss Dominica, but I don't think you'll really be missing anything. That was our least favorite port. I know lots of people love it, but we did not care one bit about spending 4 hrs out of a 6 hr tour just riding in a van to get to the destinations.

Anyway, all of the other ports are GREAT!! St. Martin is awesome!! That was the bluest water we have ever seen.

Also, I would take a 7-day vacation over a 5-day anytime!!:D

Have a wonderful anniversary!

Sorry-duplicate

Been on Serenade and Sandals/Beaches.

Loved both.

Keep in mind-Sandals is all included so no big bill at the end of your vacation. plenty of beach tme and no problem finding a spot by the many pools available.

Sandals is very relaxing and plenty of activities to do in a very laid back tone. Which sometimes is just what a body needs!!!:D

Serenade is port intensive on the go and lots of fun. Waking up in a different place each morning is wonderful.

I'd have a tough time choosing!!! No mater which way you go-you'll have a great time!!

BTW-I find the AI's far less expensive then a cruise so taking your sea pass bill into consideration at the end of the sailing-I'll bet you could add a day or two to your AI and still come out spending less!!!

We went on our honeymoon to Sandals royal carribian. It may only be 5 days but if you want a relaxing vacation with A LOT of couple only time than Sandals is a great place to vacation. All food and drinks are included remember. If you are looking for a more active vacation pick a cruise. Sandals also let's you take shuttles to the other locations on the island to go water skiing and other things. Enjoy what ever you do!

You don't mention which Sandals. I've been to several -- pass. Not to mention it's for such a short amount of time AND you only see one island.

I LOVE the Serenade -- a most beautiful ship and the itinerary is very nice.

I've been on the Victory for a lunch but didn't sail on her. I really like that itinerary -- the ports are fantastic.

I'd choose either cruise and decide based on the ports. Easy!!

To me, your choice is clear...

1) 4 or 5 days

2) 7 days

3) 6 days

I agree.

We dont do the clubs or drinking,

OP - if you don't drink, I would not spend the money to stay at Sandals. A huge chunk of the money you will spend goes toward the ability to have unlimited drinks. It would just be a waste of money for you.

There are several Sandals in Jamaica. I'm not sure which one you are looking at. I have been to the Sandals in Ocho Rios and Dunn's River. Both places are very nice but, if I had the choice between 4 -5 days at Sandals and 6 -7 days on a cruise, I would take the cruise very time.

You say the Serenade is 6 days. Are you sure? Serenade runs a 7 day (Saturday - Saturday) out of San Juan. I have never been on the Carnival ship but I have been on Serenade. We have Serenade booked again for next year. I love all of the Royal Caribbean ships I have been on. The southern Caribbean itineraries out of San Juan are my favorite.

I have only done one of your choices, although I have traveled all over. I did not like the Victory ship, however it was one of my best vacations. We loved all of the ports! I would do that exact same thing over again, including the Victory. Victory is laid out in a very odd way. However, the food was great and we had a great time! I LOVED the ports. LOVED LOVED LOVED. I LOVED San Juan and could go on and on about some things to do there. We stayed at a resort, on the beach. It was very relaxing. Stayed at the same resort on the return for one night.

We loved the ports and everything we had planned on each of the locations. I would do the victory again in a heartbeat.

OP - if you don't drink, I would not spend the money to stay at Sandals. A huge chunk of the money you will spend goes toward the ability to have unlimited drinks. It would just be a waste of money for you.

 

I disagree. I drink a couple of glasses of wine with dinner and that's about it. For me, the adult only ambiance, the many included activities, the ability to dine whenever and wherever I choose - those are the reasons we prefer an AI resort to a cruise. It is a more relaxing and less structured vacation.

We pay about 325 a night for two at our preferred all inclusive which is Couples. That includes all food, all activities (including off property excursions), transfers to resort and all tips as well as drinks. We can dive every day for free if we choose.

I'm not a fan of Jamaica; but given your particular backstory, might I suggest a fourth option: find a cruise that goes to Jamaica (there are many to choose from) and then use your day there to visit the Sandals that you had intended to stay in for your honeymoon. That way, you could re-create your honeymoon plan (albeit compressed into a single day) and also enjoy a cruise.

I have been on many vacations and cruises. The Serenade southern route was my all time favorite vacation ever!!! I would highly recommend the Serenade route. Another poster made a good comment though. Sandals is more relaxing and the Serenade would be a very active trip. Something to take into consideration.

<the Jamaica ones are not good for the value. You are held captive in the resort, excursions on the island are a hassle and you can not go out on your own.>

 

I completely disagree and we are headed to Jamaica (Couples Swept Away) next weekend for our 7th stay at that resort and 30th trip to Jamaica. We never feel captive at the resort and are always out and about on our own. I have been there solo and done the same. We go to local restaurants, bars and shops (and have been since the 70s) and love the local vibe. Excursions are not a big part of a trip for us but at Couples many are included and leave right from the resort. I cannot imagine less hassle.

 

I do enjoy cruising out of San Juan and Serenade is a nice ship.

 

That being said, we much prefer to stay at an all inclusive resort than cruise these days.

 

We are active and there is lots to do at the resort that is no additional charge. Scuba, snorkeling, tennis, water skiing, off site excursions, etc. all are included.

 

We enjoy being right on the beach and waking up to a great sunrise then walking the beach and enjoying a sunset.

 

We prefer not to be around kids and the all inclusive gives us an adult vacation experience.

 

We like to decide when and where to have dinner and like the variety of options at the AI resorts. On cruises these days we pretty much always end up at the ala carte restaurants. The food at Sandals is better than on RCI with lots of fresh options and local cuisine.

 

We enjoy not going home with a multi hundred bar tab.

 

We enjoy not having an 18% service charge added to everything, including a fitness class.

 

We like not being nickel and dimed to death.

 

All that being said, we choose Couples over Sandals for more inclusions and much better value. We are headed there again in ten days.

I agree ; You are in charge of your vacation: you decide when to eat, what to do and when. We have been to all four Couples Resort and one Sandals. Value wise, no comparison Couples win. We have done the AOS out of San Juan, great cruise. A lot of people on this board criticize all inclusive:. Of couse it is CC. But I think we should be able to express our feelings when a question is asked. My opinion is ,it is 50/50/ . We enjoy both and have done both.. My favorite Couples Resort is Tower Island. Has the nostalgia of the 40's vacations resort of many of the old time Hollywood famous actors and has many photos of them are posted in the paino bar. It is up to you what you are looking for, quiet adult time , relaxation, or a regiment.