looking at Princess for Caribbean in November

[eviledna]

Hi guys, just got back from a RCCL caribbean cruise but looking to do the western or southern side with Princess maybe. As with all companies all the ships look alike to me lol so id appreciate some help plz on which ship/ itineries are good.

We more than likely will be booking a balcony cabin so again any pointers to decent ones would be good. Thanks in anticpipation Mandy x

[mizLORInj]

RC and Princess are much more alike than different. Though once you've had Princess pizza there is no other like it at sea! Movies Under the Stars is great too--nothing like a movie outside on a warm Caribbean night. The newer ships are great, Emerald, Ruby, Crown, etc. I haven't tried out the smaller ones yet.

[tmitchell82]

Princess's 7 day western caribbean start usually the first week of November. I think the same is true for the Eastern. This November, the Crown Princess will be doing the Western Caribbean and the Ruby will be doing the Eastern Caribbean out of Port Everglades. The ships are basically the same. The Ruby is the newest of the 2. Layouts are excellent. We have enjoyed being on the Crown twice. As for the S. Caribbean, Princess's 7 day cruises go out of San Juan and they have 2 different itineraries. I think St. Thomas is the only stop they have in common. Both are port intensive. The Caribbean Princess will be doing that route. The Caribbean Princess was the bridge ship between the original grand class and the modified grand class (aka Ruby & Crown) She was upgraded about a year ago and we enjoyed sailing on her as well. If you are looking at balconies, on all these ships, the Caribe deck has larger balconies than those on the Baja, Aloha, and Riviera. They are partially covered though as opposed to the others. I like the S. Caribbean routes the best. IMHO the islands are less touristy and not "shopping" ports like Cozumel or St. Marteen. I think there are also a couple of 10-14 day cruises that Princess offers as well. The 14 day S. Caribbean is basically doing both of the 2 itineraries. We have cruised in November and have always enjoyed it and had decent weather.

 

Tim

[eviledna]

Thanks for your prompt replies ! we have a few days to think on it before we book so better get our heads into the brochures eh? lol...will keep you posted.....watch this space :-D

[Lanark Lass]

Have a look at Sea Princess, this ship does 14 day cruises leaving from Barbados with direct flights from the UK with Thomas Cook. Though something to think about is that it is heavily marketed for the UK market so there will be lots of Brits, with very few other nationalities.

 

We decided to go on the Sea Princess this year because it has Islands we have not visited. Apparently when you hand your cases over at the airport you do not see them again until they are outside your cabin door, and the rep meets you at the plane, and you go straight to the ship so hopefully a stress free traveling experiance.

 

Good luck with your studying, picking a cruise is difficult as they all look good.

 

 

Lanark Lass

[tmitchell82]

Have a look at Sea Princess, this ship does 14 day cruises leaving from Barbados with direct flights from the UK with Thomas Cook. Though something to think about is that it is heavily marketed for the UK market so there will be lots of Brits, with very few other nationalities.

 

We decided to go on the Sea Princess this year because it has Islands we have not visited. Apparently when you hand your cases over at the airport you do not see them again until they are outside your cabin door, and the rep meets you at the plane, and you go straight to the ship so hopefully a stress free traveling experiance.

 

Good luck with your studying, picking a cruise is difficult as they all look good.

 

 

Lanark Lass

 

On our last S. Caribbean cruise, there was a couple from the UK who boarded the ship in Barbados rather than San Juan. They were doing the back to back and did leave out of San Juan. Not sure how they managed that, but apparently it can be done as well.

[mnbruce]

We're not the avid cruisers that many here are but out of the five Caribbean cruises we have done the most recent one on the Caribbean Princess was by far the itinerary that suits us the best. It was the southern tour leaving out of San Juan with stops in St.Thomas,Tortola,Antigua,St. Lucia and Barbados. It was a port each of the first 5 days with the last day being a sea day which was perfect for winding down from a great vacation. I thought the ship was nice but to be honest I don't pay great attention to the ships because for me they are mostly just transportation to get from one island to another. No complaints about the ship though. If interested you can check out my Princess photos in my signature to get a general idea about this itinerary.

[eviledna]

Thanks Bruce your pictures are great....which month did you travel?...it looked very quiet. or did you just find those fabulous "out of the way" places to photograph? Antigua, Tortola and St Lucia are high on my to visit list.

[mnbruce]

Thanks Bruce your pictures are great....which month did you travel?...it looked very quiet. or did you just find those fabulous "out of the way" places to photograph? Antigua, Tortola and St Lucia are high on my to visit list.

 

 

Thanks evilenda.We traveled the last week of of January. We do like to rent cars at some ports so we can look for spots that others might not get to,but we also do hit some of the popular recommend stops also. None of the ports were so crowded that it was a bother.