Southern Caribbean Itinerary Advice

[thechicagoans]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to plan a family cruise for next Jan/Feb. A few considerations:

 

- Group of 5 (4 adults, baby who will be 11-12 months old at cruise time)

- Only previous experience was Liberty of the Seas Western Caribbean and we loved it

- Want to do a Southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan

- Prefer balcony cabins (still safe with a toddler right?)

- We value onboard entertainment (shows, dancing, etc.)

- Ports: don't all have to be great beaches, we like history, culture, and other natural beauty too

- Well traveled (Asia, Europe, Africa, Central America) and comfortable in "foreign places" with different kinds of food and customs

- Would fly into San Juan the day before cruise departure

 

There are two ships to choose from:

- Adventure of the Seas

- Jewel of the Seas

 

Itineraries are:

 

1. Jan 10 - 17, Jewel: St. Thomas, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia, Granada

2. Jan 24 - 31, Jewel: St. Thomas, St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia, Granada - basically St. Croix instead of Martinique vs. #1

3. Jan 25 - Feb 1, Adventure: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Croix

4. Jan 31 - Feb 7, Jewell: Tortola, St. Kitts, St. Marteen, Dominica, Barbados

 

Thanks everyone in advance. We have not been to any of these places except San Juan so would like to get a feel for what's good given our interests.

[deltahog]

Based on the inclusion of St. Lucia I would choose an itinerary with that as a port. It is the most beautiful tropical place I have ever been -- more beautiful than Hawaii, in my opinion. I also loved San Juan itself, one of my favorite touring cities. Give yourself some time there.

[JasonV1]

You should check out the features of each boat (they are in different classes, in case you didn't know) to see if you favor one over another. I recently had to make the same choice and chose Adventure because it has a few more things to do.

 

There is nothing wrong with Jewel of course (sailed it twice!), but I prefer slightly larger ships (and the additional items they include).

[cb at sea]

Oh, heck yeah...a balcony is ideal for those with a napping or early-to-bed child! Gives you someplace "to be" when the child is napping! I have trouble opening the door to the balcony when it's locked...no way a baby could do it. And, the cabins (as you know) are so small, you'll never be more than 3 steps from them!

 

Personally, I prefer the Voyager class....on Radiance Class, the Solarium is enclosed so no tanning! I didn't like having to be with all the "families" on the main pool deck to get some sun. However, Jewel will have outdoor WJ seating, which Adventure doesn't have....wish more ships had that feature!

 

Once you decide (or to help you pick your ports) a guidebook is what will help you get the most from your days ashore!

[Darkwolfe]

Been to most of those islands so I can give you a couple of favorites. Hopefully it helps.. These are of course, from my personal experience. YMMV

 

Antigua- Look up Lawrence of Antigua, his crew does and excellent series of tours. Warning, if you do go for any beach time, you have a distinct chance of getting an unplanned show. All Antigua beaches are public and all allow topless tanning. It's not crude, just different.

 

St Lucia- Spencer Ambrose was who we hired the last time we were there and from my standpoint, I'll call on his team again the next time I head that way.

 

I have some others, but I'll stop there for a moment. Feel free to snoop my Vision review linked in my sig. Might help. :)

[uncle John]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to plan a family cruise for next Jan/Feb. A few considerations:

 

- Group of 5 (4 adults, baby who will be 11-12 months old at cruise time)

- Only previous experience was Liberty of the Seas Western Caribbean and we loved it

- Want to do a Southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan

- Prefer balcony cabins (still safe with a toddler right?)

- We value onboard entertainment (shows, dancing, etc.)

- Ports: don't all have to be great beaches, we like history, culture, and other natural beauty too

- Well traveled (Asia, Europe, Africa, Central America) and comfortable in "foreign places" with different kinds of food and customs

- Would fly into San Juan the day before cruise departure

 

There are two ships to choose from:

- Adventure of the Seas

- Jewel of the Seas

 

Itineraries are:

 

1. Jan 10 - 17, Jewel: St. Thomas, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia, Granada

2. Jan 24 - 31, Jewel: St. Thomas, St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia, Granada - basically St. Croix instead of Martinique vs. #1

3. Jan 25 - Feb 1, Adventure: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Croix

4. Jan 31 - Feb 7, Jewell: Tortola, St. Kitts, St. Marteen, Dominica, Barbados

 

Thanks everyone in advance. We have not been to any of these places except San Juan so would like to get a feel for what's good given our interests.

 

Adventure is very similar to Liberty.

Jewel is smaller but fantastic ship. May not have as much action as Adventure.

St Thomas is great for SHOPPING and nice sight seeing , nature etc.

St Lucia most beautiful Island we love the botanical and waterfalls plus if you do the Land and Sea tour the black sand beaches and fishing villages are interesting.

Barbados beautiful local items and rum tours beside the beaches and towns.

St Marteen has the white sand and clear water that is always the most amazing color. Both the Dutch and French side are unique. Very relaxing island.

Martinique was not that nice but we did see it after a storm so not fair comparison. Just did not like the open sewer system in town. P.U.

St Kitts can see the calm Caribbean and the Roaring Atlantic at the same time. Full of medical schools and monkeys not to mention sugar cane. Lots of History.

st Croix quiet laid back nice Flora and Fauna

Any of the trips will be great. The Adventure is a bigger ship and will handle seas better. Also may be more to do on the ship especially with the little one.

Balcony is always nice and safe as long as you do not walk the railings or jump over. It gives you a quiet place to get away in the open air with the morning coffee or the evening beverage.

 

 

 

.

[jp30338]

2. Jan 24 - 31, Jewel: St. Thomas, St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia, Granada - basically St. Croix instead of Martinique vs. #1

[erniesband]

If you decide to sail on Jewel the 24th or 31st you'll get to sail with our little group of crazies.:eek: As you can see we love the Radiance class ships and the southern itinerary so here's my standard reply to those who ask.

 

We'll be doing a B2B in January on Jewel and have done 17 Southern cruises from San Juan. Here's some things we've done over the years and would recommend:

 

St Thomas - shopping paradise, for a relaxing day book a daysail, we like High Pockets, or head over to St John and the better beaches.

 

St Croix - Virgin Kayaking on the Salt River - http://www.virginkayaktours.com

Cane Bay for snorkeling

A trip into Christianstad for it's history

Rainbow Beach really close to the pier

You can see most of Fredrickstad in an hour

 

Antigua - For water adventures any of the tours by Adventure Antigua - http://www.adventureantigua.com

For history, a tour that goes to Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights, etc. Gordon or Lawrence get good reviews.

 

Martinique – We did a taxi tour of the island, found an English speaking taxi driver right at the port. The cost was around $40pp.We went to a Rum factory, stopped at the church everyone goes to, traveled through the rainforest and saw Mt Pele. Been here once don't really need to go back.

 

St Lucia - this island is best seen with an all day tour like Cosol, Mystic Man and others offer, It's a natural paradise. Ziplining is very popular here. If you want a great beach day with good snorkeling look into a day package with Island Divers at Ti Kaye resort. http://www.tikaye.com

 

Tortola - a trip to the Baths, we did it on our own with Speedy's Ferry.

 

St Martin - shoppers paradise Front Street in Phillipsburg

Orient Beach to people watch.

Maho Beach to watch the planes come in.

Bernard's Tour comes highly recommended

 

St Kitts - highly recommend a tour by Thenford Grey hits all the highlights

www dot thenfordgrey dot com

If you're looking for something different try Javin's Tour

myislandstours.shutterfly.com He takes you to Black Rock, hiking in the rainforest, snorkeling at a wreck, and the beach.

 

Dominica - Any of the tours offered by Levi http://www.bumpiingtours.com

 

Barbados - most popular thing is swimming with the turtles, go with

Calabaza - http://www.calabazasailingcruises.com or

Silvermoon - silvermoonbarbados.com

If you like chocolate there's a small factory that gives tours

http://www.agapey.com

For history Glory Tours has some interesting tours.

 

And don't forget to give yourself some time to explore San Juan. Come in a few days early, see Old San Juan, the forts and El Yunque.

 

Now if you're still with me, about the ship(s). I don't think the baby will care what ship you do but I think Adventure may be getting a Royal Tots area that Jewel doesn't have. Jewel is smaller and has more open to the sea areas, lots of glass and just an overall more connected to the sea feel. There is also the outside eating area in the Windjammer and the still for free Seaview Cafe. Adventure is like Liberty with ice skating, roller blading, but no flow rider. We just felt the Adventure was too big and really didn't care for the Royal Promenade.

As for entertainment the production shows and headliner shows can be hit or miss they are what they are. Both ships will have dance bands, dj's, pool parties, 70's disco nights, etc. Jewel doesn't have the ice rink. No matter which ship you choose the pool area on sea days will be crowded!

[bup1224]

We love the Jewel - so much so that I won't try another ship right now!

[thechicagoans]

CC is so amazing. Thank you everyone for all the great feedback. I think I need to go do some research on the ships. If it ends up being Adventure, then the itinerary is clear.

 

Thank you again. If I can help anyone on the Cruise Air forum with using their miles or flight bookings, do let me know.

[preschool teacher]

I would take #4.... Three of my favorite ports are there

Dominica is rustic (not touristy) and so pretty....

St. Lucia. Beautiful....hands down....

Tortola loved the baths....

St. Martin is okay fun to walk around and see the little cafés and go to the beach...

Barbados we did a wonderful day cruise with silvermoon we had 6 people on board one of our best days ever.....the food was yummy, swam with the turtles awesome....lots of shade for the baby.....on the boat

We have also just walked into town lots of historical things to see....

[bigque]

I did #3 on Serenade and it was a great itenerary. My least favorite on that cruise was St. Croix. My favorite was St. Lucia, so much so that I would not mind having a summer home there. St. Maarten was our 2nd favorite on the cruise followed by Antigua. If you like Zip Lines, Antigua has a very good place to go. They had a total of 12 zip lines that you zip line on over the forest and it was great! :cool:

If you decide to go on that one and go to Orient Beach in St. Maarten, tell your taxi driver or tour operator that you do not want to get let off in the parking lot by the nude beach if that will bother you or your party. When we were there the other two couples and us sat in loungers right by the entrance to it (we wanted to sit there) and people literally got naked in the parking lot and then walked over to the nude beach side. :eek:

Seeing the Big Jumbo Jets landing right over your head at Maho Beach is a must see!

[SensFan11]

The ports are generally great...all with their pluses and minuses, as discussed above.

 

So, let me give you me perspective, as a father that's sailed with young children: our youngest took her first cruise at 10 months old, and her second cruise at 24 months...

 

- both ships offer Royal Babies - this will be a great option for a few hours at a time to give the adults a chance to relax and unwind - whether for a dinner together, or time in the sun.

 

- get a balcony cabin...will be a great option for getting some sun while baby is napping

 

- a good umbrella stroller will be a must for getting around the ship and around in ports

 

While both ships are good options, to be honest, with a baby I would probably consider a different ship/itinerary, for two main reasons:

 

- Lots of ports on these itineraries...and it will be a challenge to plan for port days and baby's nap time. And, while Royal Babies is a great option, I'm not sure whether you can leave the baby there while on a port excursion. More than likely, I'd expect the baby (and one of the adults) to stay on board the ship for one or two of the ports...or maybe just go for a short walk around to port/downtown area.

 

- Babies aren't allowed in the pools. That's right, in the hot Caribbean sun, there's nothing a little one would love more than to splash around. While that's great for beaches on the islands, both Adventure and Jewel have strict 'no swim diaper' policies for their pools. Only a few select ships (e.g. Oasis, Allure, all the Disney ships) have special splash zones specifically designed (and separately filtered) for babies in swim diapers.

 

So don't get me wrong...cruises can be great with little ones (after all, I just took my five year old on her fifth cruise!)...but just requires a different way of thinking about things, and a lot of advance planning!

 

Noel

[PattyG12]

Does Jewel have a nursery for the baby? That might be a big draw for the parents of the 1 year old.

Edited April 10, 2014 by PattyG12

[thechicagoans]

 

So don't get me wrong...cruises can be great with little ones (after all, I just took my five year old on her fifth cruise!)...but just requires a different way of thinking about things, and a lot of advance planning!

 

Noel

 

Very good advice Noel. We're just concerned we're not cut out for all-inclusives. We aren't very good at sitting around for 5 days straight in the same place and have heard the food quality and entertainment quality is also higher on cruises vs. regular AIs (the high end AIs may be another story but they are far more expensive than cruises).

[Ashland]

Does Jewel have a nursery for the baby? That might be a big draw for the parents of the 1 year old.

No JOS doesn't have a nursery yet...not until her next drydock.

[Ocean_Waves]

No JOS doesn't have a nursery yet...not until her next drydock.

 

When is her next dry dock scheduled?

[SensFan11]

Very good advice Noel. We're just concerned we're not cut out for all-inclusives. We aren't very good at sitting around for 5 days straight in the same place and have heard the food quality and entertainment quality is also higher on cruises vs. regular AIs (the high end AIs may be another story but they are far more expensive than cruises).

 

Thanks. I'll back up that idea...we used to do the AI thing until we tried our first cruise in 2008...and we just got off our ninth cruise in those six years! We also squeezed an AI in there in 2009, which reinforced our perspective. For us, the food and entertainment has been is SO much better on the cruises we've been on...only a five star we stayed at in Jamaica years ago came close to the cheapest cruise.

 

A big part why is works for us is we're not huge drinkers....probably 3-4 drinks per day on board...makes the value of paying per drink worth the trade off of inferior food at an AI.

 

Also, according to the royal Caribbean website, both Adventure and Jewel have royal babies. I'm not sure when Jewel's dry dock is...Adventure underwent a dry dock a little over a week ago.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[crisndeefromde]

an just a thought as we saw it done...a few cabins down from us in feb had little ones...they brought a little blow up pool and had on the balcony...everyday our cabin stewart put fresh water in it....they loved it!!!! I thought that was a great idea....