Which cruise should i choose?

[brown_cow]

Hi

This is my first message , i have been looking at the forum for a couple of weeks and already picked up loads of tips for when i go on my first cruise

The trouble is i am really undecided which cruise to go on I want to go next April with my husband we are in our late 40's-early 50's , there is the 7 night Caribbean Treasures sailing on Thomson Dream with the itinerary of :

 

Bridgetown,Barbados

British Virgin Islands

St Maarten

St Kitts

Antigua

Dominica

+ a weeks stay in Barbados or 11 nights The Eastern Wonders Cruise on The Celebration with the itinerary of:

 

Sharm El Sheikh,

Port Sokhna,

Suez Canal,

Alexandria,

Ashdod,

Larnaca,

Alanya,

Fethiye,

Aghios Nikolaos,

Rhodes Town,

Marmaris .

There isn't a great deal of difference in the price

If i could get some pros and cons from this great board it might help me to decide

[yorkshirephil]

These are both cracking cruises. I would typically prefer the longer cruise as I love the whole cruise experience, we did used to do cruise and stay. The Caribbean is stunning and Barbados is a great place for a holiday, however 8-9 hour flight. The weather in April in the East "may" not be as warm, but only 5 hour flight. If I just wanted a chill out holiday I would go for the Caribbean whereas if I wanted to travel and soak up the essense of the East then I would go East. Or do one this year and one next.

[kruzseeka]

Hi

This is my first message , i have been looking at the forum for a couple of weeks and already picked up loads of tips for when i go on my first cruise

The trouble is i am really undecided which cruise to go on I want to go next April with my husband we are in our late 40's-early 50's , there is the 7 night Caribbean Treasures sailing on Thomson Dream with the itinerary of :

 

Bridgetown,Barbados

British Virgin Islands

St Maarten

St Kitts

Antigua

Dominica

+ a weeks stay in Barbados or 11 nights The Eastern Wonders Cruise on The Celebration with the itinerary of:

 

Sharm El Sheikh,

Port Sokhna,

Suez Canal,

Alexandria,

Ashdod,

Larnaca,

Alanya,

Fethiye,

Aghios Nikolaos,

Rhodes Town,

Marmaris .

There isn't a great deal of difference in the price

If i could get some pros and cons from this great board it might help me to decide

 

 

Hello and welcome! :)

 

Well, it may be your first post but it perhaps takes the prize for being the most difficult question to answer I've seen for some time! :D It is quite a dilemma.

 

I think perhaps the key to this will be what type of holiday destinations you prefer.

 

There are some places of historical interest in the Caribbean but I think this would be a predominantly a beach based holiday. St Maarten, Tortola, Barbados in particular have wonderful beaches (Philipsburg, St Maarten some very interesting architecture too) but apart from some sight-seeing tours of the islands which are picturesque, often green with very lush vegetation, most destinations we found ourselves with at least a half day at the beach. (St Kitts has a good sugar-train excursion round the island.) And your second week would be predominantly hotel based I would imagine would be spent mainly by the pool/beach. So this would be a more relaxing beachy holiday I think.

 

The relocation cruise by comparison would have a more cultural and historical theme. There are beaches at some of the destinations - but those we've found are nothing like the Caribbean beaches. However there are some big-hitters in this itinerary from an attractions point of view - visits to the Pyramids, Jerusalem plus some very interesting and pretty towns which you can just walk off the ship to visit (Ag Nik, Rhodes). Marmaris is one of our favourites but presumably you wouldn't have more than a morning there as it's your departure port. I understand Alanya is lovely too but I've not been there - nor Fethiye.

 

In the Caribbean it's very easy to pick up local taxis at the ports to get to the beaches (needed at all ports but Philipsburg if my memory serves me well) but that is a cost to factor in plus buying loungers, umbrellas on the beach so you could add up to 20$ -ish p.p. a day for that. The towns you berth in the Caribbean can be interesting (from a cultural point of view) to take a stroll but generally there's not enough to occupy you for the day or any particular things to visit/see.

 

The Celebration trip on the otherhand has a mix of ports to DiY locally but some where you would have to account for quite a big excursions bill for the likes of trips to Jerusalem, Cairo etc. (perhaps £80 p.p.for a 'biggie') but then again since you're going all that way and clearly weighing up the pros and cons of the two itineraries I'm assuming you would want to take advantage of being within reach of these famous attractions.

 

Hope this helps a bit - or perhaps has muddied the waters even more! Very hard to choose - good luck with that! And do enjoy your first cruise whichever it is. :)

[wales4ever]

We have been to just about all those places on cruises.

 

Is the stay part all inclusive?

 

If it is, this is the one I would choose. Even if it is half board.

 

Maybe would choose this one anyway as it is 2 weeks in the Caribbean, and you can go to the med any old time.

[novy]

celebration

[brown_cow]

Thank you for all your answers , which i am still a bit undecided about , but i think it is looking more towards the Caribbean as my husband says he would like more of a chill holiday

 

But things could still change before we book it.

 

Thank you for all the info

[sweby]

If you are looking for some of the worlds most beautiful beaches and want a relaxing cruise do the caribbean cruise.

If beaches aren't your thing then there is lots to see of interest on the other cruise.

We have been on both of these ships, and have enjoyed our cruises on both. Either way you will have a brilliant time.

:)