Which S. Caribbean itinerary?

[mrar]

My husband and I are trying to plan a late honeymoon cruise and we are unsure which itinerary to choose. We have narrowed it down to a Caribbean Princess 7 day S. Caribbean cruise out of San Juan. Here are the itineraries, could anyone provide any input on these? Thanks!

 

Cruise A

San Juan, Puerto Rico - St. Thomas- Tortola- Antigua-Saint Lucia - Barbados - At Sea - San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Cruise B - also takes place during Valentine's Day (and his 25th b-day) if that makes a difference.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - St. Thomas- Dominica- Grenada - Bonaire- Aruba, - At Sea - San Juan, Puerto Rico

[cb at sea]

# 2...Aruba is different from all the other islands...it's 'true" desert....not lush, but virtually no chance of rain!!!!

[berkyvdr]

I read recently that CB has a lot less deck space, 500 more people than sister ships.

 

We had booked this cruise for February 2010 and had to cancel due to medical issues, but I really like the Cruise A itinerary and had most excursions booked privately.

 

We are now sailing with Carnival Freedom for February 2011, but having difficulty booking private excursions.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

IMO either itinerary would be great. I've been to all of those islands. I love Tortola but also really enjoyed Grenada and Dominica last month. It did rain in Aruba plus it was a Sunday so many shops were closed. That's okay...we'll just have to go back!:D

 

Congrats on your marriage!

[Hlitner]

Both itineraries are interesting if you have not yet visited these islands. If you happen to like snorkeling we would certainly recommend cruise "B." In Dominica there is a place called Champagne Reef (you can get there by taxi or local bus for a lot less than an excursion) and the island also has some pretty waterfalls and scenery if you take a tour or a taxi outside the port town. Aruba is a wonderful port with water or land options. Bonaire has amazing snorkeling and diving....and if you go there a tour that includes a "drift snorkel" is a real treat for those of us who love water. The best drift snorkel tours are run privately and you can read about it on the port board for that island.

 

As to the Caribbean Princess, we agree with the comment in the previous post. Princess developed their wonderful "Grand Class" ships (we love those ships) but when it came to the Caribbean Princess they added an additonal passenger deck without making any major additions to the public spaces. Hence, this ship is a bit more crowded than its slightly smaller Grand Class cousins.

 

Hank

[zookiebird]

I'd go with cruise A but you can't go wrong with either one.

[serene56]

I suggest looking at the port of calls board to see if there is something you would like to do in one of the listed ports.

 

Maybe something will grab your attention.

 

either or will be great.

[mrar]

Well, we had looked into some other ships but ultimately the CP had more ports vs sea days and more appealing itineraries. We thought about some longer cruises but they had the same amount of ports with just more sea days.:confused:

[cruiseman40]

Both are fine like what ppl say, but St. Lucia is absolutely gorgeous even from the dock. Breathtaking views and post card type of picture even when our ship was approaching the port. First thing out of our mouths was Wow look at the views!

[kerryw29]

My husband and I are trying to plan a late honeymoon cruise and we are unsure which itinerary to choose. We have narrowed it down to a Caribbean Princess 7 day S. Caribbean cruise out of San Juan. Here are the itineraries, could anyone provide any input on these? Thanks!

 

Cruise A

San Juan, Puerto Rico - St. Thomas- Tortola- Antigua-Saint Lucia - Barbados - At Sea - San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Cruise B - also takes place during Valentine's Day (and his 25th b-day) if that makes a difference.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - St. Thomas- Dominica- Grenada - Bonaire- Aruba, - At Sea - San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Wow that is a tough call. I have been to all of these ports except: Tortola, or Dominica.

 

I would pick B. WE LOVED Bonaire and Aruba. St. Thomas is awesome for shopping - or you can go over to St. Johns for amazing snorkeling!

[mrar]

Ok, I think we'll go with B. We preferred those specific dates but worried that A might be a better itenerary. Now that I know they're both apparantly great, I'm not so worried about picking the wrong one. Thanks! Now if those airline fares would just go down. :/