Opinions - Eastern Caribbean Cruises - RCCL/Celebrity/Princess?

[bouionice]

My partner & I are trying to pick a cruise for this winter and I was hoping to get some input on cruise lines/itineraries both in general and as far as cruising as a gay couple. We did our first cruise on RCCL Majesty of the Seas last February and had a great experience.

 

We're looking at these options:

RCCL Independence of the Seas - San Juan/St Maarten/St Kitts/Labadee

Celebrity Silhouette or Reflection - San Juan/St Maarten/St Thomas

Ruby Princess - Grand Cayman/St Maarten/St Thomas/Princess Cay

 

All opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[jamessemaj]

I would choose the Independence.

[PROCRUISE]

My partner & I are trying to pick a cruise for this winter and I was hoping to get some input on cruise lines/itineraries both in general and as far as cruising as a gay couple. We did our first cruise on RCCL Majesty of the Seas last February and had a great experience.

 

We're looking at these options:

RCCL Independence of the Seas - San Juan/St Maarten/St Kitts/Labadee

Celebrity Silhouette or Reflection - San Juan/St Maarten/St Thomas

Ruby Princess - Grand Cayman/St Maarten/St Thomas/Princess Cay

 

All opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

If you're younger, probably RCCL (good itinerary) or Princess. If you're a little older and would like a little more sophistication, but not necessarily more fun, then Celebrity is a good match. :)

[AttilaTheFun]

If you're younger, probably RCCL (good itinerary) or Princess. If you're a little older and would like a little more sophistication, but not necessarily more fun, then Celebrity is a good match. :)

 

I would say Princess skews just as old as Celebrity if not older! Celebrity also seems to have a big gay following just looking at these boards, if that matters to you. My parents love Celebrity for the food but also enjoyed Princess. I've tried Princess and liked it, but don't have a comparison to Celebrity or Royal. You probably can't go wrong with any of those 3 lines so maybe base on which ports are most appealing to you.

[CtheW0rld]

don't rule out costa. a completely different experience, but that can be a good thing.

[COMBOY]

My partner & I are trying to pick a cruise for this winter and I was hoping to get some input on cruise lines/itineraries both in general and as far as cruising as a gay couple. We did our first cruise on RCCL Majesty of the Seas last February and had a great experience.

 

We're looking at these options:

RCCL Independence of the Seas - San Juan/St Maarten/St Kitts/Labadee

Celebrity Silhouette or Reflection - San Juan/St Maarten/St Thomas

Ruby Princess - Grand Cayman/St Maarten/St Thomas/Princess Cay

 

All opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

Well, since you enjoyed RCCL Majesty then you should stick with what you like and go with the Independence of the Seas. RCCL tends to attract a more diverse group of people including families, singles and younger people. Celebrity is very popular with GLBT; however, both Celebrity and Princess tend to attract a more mature group of passengers; although, you will find some younger people & families on the 7-day Caribbean cruises. Neither Celebrity and Princess will have the party atmosphere like RCCL and caters to more refined upscale elegance. I've been on all three lines and all three are my preferred lines; however, each have their own distinct favor and clientele. It all depends what type of cruising experience you are looking for and since we don't know you and your partner that's hard to say. Princess will host GLBT/FOD parties and post them in the ship's newsletter. RCCL does not list any GLBT/FOD parties; however, you can post a gathering at the ship's community bulletin board at guest relations. Just to note since you mention the Independence: Atlantis Events is chartering the Independence of the Seas for an all gay charter Feb 2-10. Although the charter prices tend to be higher then a regular sailing the experience is second to none. I find the charters to cater to a very diverse group of people (mostly men) 50/50 couple/singles, all ages and body types and I would highly recommend it.

[shepp]

You listed itineraries, but didn't tell us anything about what you enjoy.

 

Culture and history: San Juan

Diving/snorkeling/swimming with sting rays:Grand Cayman

 

And though there's a discussion of age, we have no idea of how old you are and whether the ages of fellow cruisers matter. You didn't tell us when you'd be sailing, either, which might really influence passenger demographics. There'll likely be more kids/families on RCCL - is that good, bad, or neutral for you?

 

Prefer ports to sea days? Celebrity has one fewer port and no private island...and if you like lying on the beach, a private island's a plus.

 

Please, if you want advice, give us something to go on.

[bouionice]

You listed itineraries, but didn't tell us anything about what you enjoy.

 

Culture and history: San Juan

Diving/snorkeling/swimming with sting rays:Grand Cayman

 

And though there's a discussion of age, we have no idea of how old you are and whether the ages of fellow cruisers matter. You didn't tell us when you'd be sailing, either, which might really influence passenger demographics. There'll likely be more kids/families on RCCL - is that good, bad, or neutral for you?

 

Prefer ports to sea days? Celebrity has one fewer port and no private island...and if you like lying on the beach, a private island's a plus.

 

Please, if you want advice, give us something to go on.

Thanks for responding - these are all excellent questions that I didn't think of. It's my first posting on the board so I guess I still need to get the hang of it.

 

As far as activities, we'd like a good mix of sightseeing, shopping and beach time. Not having a stop at a private island was one concern as far as the Celebrity itineraries but if we can pick up some beach time on one of the other islands I think that would work for us.

 

We are 53 & 27 so the ages of fellow cruisers doesn't really matter to us although we would prefer a ship where that activities don't die off after 11:00 each night. We'll be sailing either the last week of February or the first week of March.

 

We didn't have a sea day on our last cruise so that's something that we specifically wanted on this one.

 

Ultimately each of the options has a lot of good things but none is perfect. I like the idea of 2 sea days & 4 ports on Princess but Grand Cayman seems almost extraneous if you've got the day at Princess Cay and I really like the idea of stopping at San Juan. The itinerary on RCCL is probably the best but we prefer the 7 day to the 8 day cruise.

 

The bottom line is that we're trying to make the best possible decision and right now it's a bit overwhelming.