lt9921

I'm going to bump this thread up.

Is Canada/NE a really nice place to cruise? I get that the cruise is longer, but is it worth it?

I usually don't look into cruise under 7 nights, but Anthem caught my attention because she's so new, but I've been reading negative things about Quantum Class. Ugh, I'm torn! (I guess I can't complain, because this is a pretty good problem to have!)

Oh and, by any chance, does anyone have/know of a good Royal Caribbean Canada & NE review that they could direct me to?

We totally enjoyed our Canada/NE cruise because it was so different. We hadn't been to many of the ports before. It was cool weather, so no beach or pool, but overall it was a wonderful experience.

 

I wouldn't discount Celebrity Summit out of NJ to Bermuda. It does not fall into the "Celebrity stereotype" of being sedate and lacking in nightlife. The entertainment and activities was far above the non-Oasis/Quantum RCI ships we've been on, and those were two of the very best cruises we have taken. The only area where we'd rank RCI ships over the Summit would be the buffet.

 

We did not have an overall positive experience on Quantum, so Anthem would be my last choice.

Even though it wouldn't be my first choice, I did take a look at the Summit to Bermuda. Unfortunately, they don't have any Bermuda sailings in October, so that option won't work.

No one knows exactly what it will look like, but it will definitely be an "obstruction".

Honestly I LOVE the Canada/NE cruise and I would definitely pick 7 days over 5 days but our day in Bermuda was a bit rushed and we didn't see the right areas of town. Would like to go back as I have heard great things.

But I would choose Anthem over Serenade. Anthem is brand new, state of the art and has many new amenities.

Serenade is a VERY boring ship and I struggled to find ANYTHING to do on sea days, and also the WJ food was not up to RCI standards in terms of variety and quality.

I've been on the Radiance Class before, so I know what to expect. Both are good options, I'm just torn.

Celebrity out of NJ, NCL out of NY all offer 7 days to the Bermuda

Been on NCL before. Not going there again.

Not ready to try Celebrity yet. RCI works for us.

I know that these two cruises are pretty different, but I just want to see what other people would choose, in hopes of helping me make a decision.

I'm planning on going on a cruise in October of 2016, and right now, I have these 2 options...

1.) 7 night Canada and New England on the Serenade. Ports are Portland, Bar Harbor, St Johns, and Halifax.

2.) 5 night Bermuda on the Anthem. Arriving in Bermuda at 9am, staying overnight, and leaving at 5pm.

Which one would you choose? Price isn't a big factor, as they're not that different. I haven't been to any of the ports. I like the idea of the new ship, but 5 days might be too short. Just looking for some opinions... TIA for you're help.

Thank you all of the great responses!

I'm still having a hard time deciding, however. I really love the Celebrity itinerary, its just that I'm not really sure I want to sail on something non-Royal Caribbean. I've done that 3 times previously and haven't really been happy with the other lines. We'll see!!

It's possible to join the Harmoney in Rome or Barcelona, so you could do a pre or post in Rome

or at least it's available on the UK Web site, we are looking at doing similar next year, since we would like to try oasis class ship b4 it relocates.

I had originally thought that, but it appears that they are only allowing passengers to board in Rome starting on July 7th, and we would like to go the second to last week in June.

Hey everyone!

I'm looking into a Europe cruise for June 2016, and I'm having a hard time deciding... This would be my first time to Europe. I currently have 3 options... (All three are 7 nights, which is the longest cruise we can do at this time)

Harmony of the Seas - Western Med

Barcelona - Palma de Mallorca - Marseilles - La Spezia - Rome - Naples

1-2 days pre cruise in Barcelona

Celebrity Equinox - Istanbul to Rome

Istanbul (Overnight) - Mykonos - Valletta - Catania, Sicily - Naples - Rome

1-2 days post cruise in Rome.

Serenade of the Seas - Baltic

Stockholm - Helsinki - St. Petersburg (Overnight) - Tallinn - Riga

1-2 days pre cruise in Stockholm.

I'm torn, as they all seem like great options, but every port is new to me! I like the idea of sailing on the brand new Harmony, but only 12 hours in Rome doesn't sound too great. I have already been on the Oasis, so the Harmony is just a bonus on that itinerary. The Celebrity itinerary seems pretty awesome? I feel like it gives a taste of a lot of different types of Med ports. Only thing is, I really like RCI. But Serenade's itinerary also seems very good. Interesting ports and great ship. Prices are all relatively close to each other, so that's not a big deal. Which cruise is most appealing to you? I'm just looking for some opinions to help me make my decision easier! TIA!

.

No way. In addition to everything else that I don't like about shorter cruises I can do without paying air fare twice.

I'd only have to fly for the Brilliance cruise. I just like the idea of experiencing two different ships, but it might not be worth it.

The Anthem will be out of Bayonne and the Brilliance out of Tampa. Are you debating on whether to do the 2 five day cruises at two different times throughout the year? I personally enjoy the longer cruises but if the cost is similar and this gives you a chance to experience two different itineraries on two different ships go for it!

Yes, that's exactly what I'm considering. I probably should have mentioned that and elaborated a little more in the first post, as it seems like some posters didn't fully understand. Sorry!

If we did the combo of two 5 nighters, the Brilliance would be about 2-3 months prior to the Anthem cruise.

So it would either be one 10 night cruise on the Serenade in, lets say, March... OR a combo of one 5 night on the Brilliance in Feb, and another 5 night on the Anthem in May/June.

Just home from a 5 night on the Brillliance too and it was really nice. However, I live 20 minutes from the port :)

 

If you have to fly I would do the 10 night!

If I chose to do the two 5 nighters, I'd have to fly for the Brilliance, but not for the Anthem. :) Usually, I try to take the longest cruise possible, but the idea of experiencing two different classes of ship grabbed my attention. I know that I'd love the Brilliance cruise, and I'd be able to sail out of Tampa for the first time and visit KW for the first time. And I know it would be very cool to experience the Anthem, and if it turns out that it's not for us, its only for 5 days! :D Plus, I've never sailed from NJ, and I've never been to Bermuda either! :)

I guess it's good to have options!

Sort of a weird question, but just wanted to post this to see what people thought...

I was considering either a 10 night Serenade cruise or a 9 night Anthem cruise. I was torn because I love the Radiance class ships and traditional cruising, but the Anthem looks like a wonderful ship... So someone in my family suggested we take two shorter cruises, a 5 Night on Anthem to Bermuda and a 5 Night on Brilliance to Key West and Cozumel. I thought this was an interesting idea, but I've never been on a cruise that was shorter than 7 nights, and I was afraid that a 5 nighter would be too short. So I'd love to here your opinions, what would you rather do? Do you think it would be worth it to take two shorter cruises in order to experience both types of ships? Or would you rather just take one longer cruise and miss out on one of the experiences?

Not really worried about the prices, but just curious what people thought! :) I'd love to hear your opinions!

Thanks for all the awesome replies everyone! Definitely hard choice... But as you all said, it really comes down to ship vs ports..

Also, Alaska and Europe are both in the back of my head, but I'm not sure our traveling companions will be able to pull off those trips. We'll see, but atleast I have my Caribbean options covered! :)

Personally, I'd take the ports over the ship any day. Serenade is a great ship and those are some nice port stops. Personally, that'd be the way I'd go.

Thanks. That's my thinking as well, its just the new ship caught my attention! :D

Hey everyone!

Plenty of options for cruise next year, and I'm trying to limit my choices! I've found two cruise that interest me, and I'd love to hear your opinions. :)

10 Night Serenade of the Seas

From Fort Lauderdale to Tortola, St. Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Maarten

Would most likely be in a balcony cabin. Haven't been to Tortola, and haven't visited the other islands (other than St. Maarten) in several years.

9 Night Anthem of the Seas

From Cape Liberty to Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, Labadee.

We'd probably be staying in a balcony cabin, possibly a suite. Haven't been to Bermuda, but have been to the others and enjoy them all. The port times are iffy, but we'd be on a new ship.

Price is not that much of an issue when comparing the two, so I'm not basing my decision on that!

I'm torn because I love the "regular" Royal Caribbean, and I'm afraid Anthem would be too much of a change for us at this time. We love the Radiance class ships, and I love the Serenade's ports. But on the other hand, we've never had the experience of driving to the port, which we'd be able to do for the Anthem. Also, trying a newer ship would be pretty neat, but I'm not loving the itinerary due to the shorter port times and short time in Bermuda. Definitely a hard choice. Any opinions would be welcome! Thanks in advance!

Thanks for all of the responses everyone! Definitely a hard choice with a lot to think about. I too like the idea of the cruise around the Greek Islands, especially going to Santorini, but I've never been to anywhere in Italy before so I thought that might rank a little higher on my list, as we'd be spending 1-2 days post cruise in Rome.

Hi everyone!

Was looking into a 2016 Europe cruise, and a couple Equinox cruises caught my eye. Both seem like nice cruises, but not sure which one would be better, so I'm just looking for some opinions!

7 Night - Istanbul to Rome

Day 1 - Istanbul: Overnight

Day 2 - Istanbul: 6pm departure

Day 3 - Mykonos: 1pm arrival, 3am departure

Day 4 - At Sea

Day 5 - Valletta: Full Day

Day 6 - Catania, Sicily: Full Day

Day 7- Naples (Salerno): Full Day

Day 8 - Rome: 2 days post cruise

7 Night - Athens to Istanbul

Day 1 - Athens: 1 pre-night in Athens, 6pm departure

Day 2 - Santorini: 10am-8pm

Day 3 - At Sea

Day 4 - Rhodes: 7am-5pm

Day 5 - Mykonos: 7am-6pm

Day 6 - Kusadasi (Ephesus): 7am-5pm

Day 7 - Sea Day/Istanbul Arrival at 1pm

Day 8 - Istanbul: Maybe 1 night post cruise

Both cruises will be in balcony staterooms, and prices are comparable. I haven't been to any of these ports, so everything will be a new experience! Would love to hear any opinions! Thanks in advance! :)

Thanks everyone!

For adults only, definitely go with Serenade. If there are kids involved, I'd probably go with Navigator since it has more to keep the kids occupied.

Thanks for your input. I really like the Serenade cruise and its itinerary, I'm just worried that I'll be missing something by skipping out on the Navigator. I just reread over my first post and I realized that I made a little mistake... Navigator and Serenade aren't very close in price (Serenade is several hundred dollars more), but its still within our budget. If I booked Navigator, I'm thinking that I could use the money I saved to put towards a little 3 night weekend cruise.

So really it would end up being the 10 night Serenade cruise VS an 8 night Navigator cruise that allows for a 3 night weened cruise later in the year. Decisions, decisions!

Looking into our 2016 cruise options and we're having a hard time deciding. Would love to here some opinions. Here are our options...

10N Serenade from Fort Lauderdale to Tortola (New port for us!), St. Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, and St. Maarten

In a Balcony Stateroom

7N Jewel from San Juan to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba, and Curacao

In a Junior Suite

7N Vision from Tampa to Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumel (Roatan and Costa Maya are new for us!)

In a Junior Suite

8N Navigator from Fort Lauderdale to Labadee, San Juan, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten

In a Balcony Stateroom

Prices are all very comparable, so that's not a deciding factor. Which one would you choose?

We did a Celebrity cruise in June that itinerary is miles better than the others Athens is good but Istanbul is great been there twice would go back anytime. Take the Celebrity one

 

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Was your itinerary the exact one I'm considering?

The question is, whether you've been to those ports (Barcelona, Rome, Paris) before....

Our last year itinerary on Equinox started in Venice, then Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakalon, Santorini, Kusadasi and overnight Istanbul. Very port intensive, no sea days.

But, as I said, I've already been on the Allure itinerary, I'm going only for the "ship", and I really don't mind being again a day in Barcelona [the food at the local market is amazing], again in Rome, Firenze/Pizza.

Last year I wanted to "taste" Dubrovnik, Corfu and Santorini, which for me were worth exactly the day in port. Been already to Istanbul and I'm not into "ruins" (Kusadasi). Dubrovnik was interesting, Corfu - beautiful, Santorini was the highlight of the cruise - simply amazing.

We live 10 min drive from a gorgeous sandy Med beach, we don't travel for hot weather/beaches. Today, as the rest of the week, we have temp of 73-74F...

We have never been on a cruise in Europe, so have never been to any ports. Later today I'm going to see if they're any other options on the Equinox, maybe an itinerary like the Allure instead of Greek Isles.

 

So I would choose Equinox as it has the best ports IMHO. How is it price wise? I have not checked other prices but Allure's European Summer is grazy highly priced at the moment.

Allure is several hundred dollars more than Equinox. I think that would be worth it to us, but I'm still considering the Equinox cruise.

The Canary Islands in June will be very hot and apart from perhaps leaving and returning from/to the UK the whole cruise should be warm, even then it could still be very warm in the UK in June.

Not all of the Anthem's itineraries go to the Canaries. The most southernly ports on the Anthem cruise I'm considering are Gijon and Bilbao, Spain.

Actually, I've done the Equinox last summer, booked the Anthem for the Canaries and have a courtesy hold for Allure 4th June, same itinerary.

I don't find the Anthem's itinerary (Gijon, LeHavre, etc.) very appealing....

 

I've very much enjoyed the Equinox and hesitated a lot between the Eclipse and Anthem for Canaries. In the end, Bilbao, which Anthem visits, clinched it. If the itinerary was the same, I prefer Celebrity. They give u discount for Loyalty after just one cruise, whereas Royal are more stingy....

 

Allure - me thinking it's in the "neighborhood", let's go for the "ship" :)

We've been to Barcelona, Naples, Rome and Livorno, so the new sites for us will be Palma & Marseille....

Thanks for your response. If we book the Allure we'll be on your sailing. :) Also, thanks for your opinion about the Anthem's itinerary, I have no experience with sailing in Europe!