Adventure or Jewel; Southern route options

[nic624]

Hi all,

 

My family is planning a trip for next spring, and as a group, we can’t seem to agree.

A little background: there will be anywhere from 4 – 10 of us going. It’ll depend on the dates, prices, etc. We are all loyal Carnival cruisers (between 3- 8 cruises), but want to try something different. The parents have tried Royal before (Freedom OTS) and loved it. We’ve also all cruised around a lot of the Caribbean, which is why we are opting for a Southern route out of PR. It will get us to some ports we haven’t been to (multiple times). We span a variety of ages, and have varied interests. We can all agree that we don’t have to agree, and don’t have to have the same plans while in port, so some might head to the beach, while other go on a snorkeling trip, or an island tour. Usually we all do a little bit of everything.

 

Now the dilemma. I’ve heard/read a lot that you should not chose the Southern option based on the ship because it so port intensive you won’t be sending a lot of time on it (compared to other itineraries). With that being said, the choices are Adventure OTS & Jewel OTS. Adventure has 1 itinerary while Jewel has 4 to choose from. I personally think the Jewel choices are a bit more appealing, but not all of the potential cruisers from my group agree with me.

 

I feel like the Jewel will be more similar to the Carnival ships I am used to (in size) whereas Adventure will feel much different (bigger than anything I’ve ever been on, and more activities/amenities). Those that want the Adventure say that if we are going to try something different (Royal) we might as well really try something different (bigger). I’m wondering if it really matters, because again, so port intensive. But I do definitely see their point. If Jewel’s size if going to feel like the mid-ship Carnival size, how different will it really be? And since we are trying to change things up…

 

Now I feel the ports are more important than the ship, but haven’t been to any except for St. Thomas (and Martinique, Dominica, and Barbados, about 16 years ago so it doesn’t really count). The potential ports stops are (depending on this ship chosen, and date) are: St Thomas, St Maarten, St Croix, St Lucia, St Kitts, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, Dominica, Tortola, & Martinique. If you could recommend any other these ports, which would it be.

 

I realize that everyone’s opinion will be different, but that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I think a variety of opinions from people that have ‘been there, done that’ will hopefully help us choose. I’d ideally like to pull together the results and present it to my family, so we can make a decision sooner rather than later (we’ve been talking about this trip for months now).

 

Thank you all in advance,

[bouhunter]

You really can't go wrong with any of the ports. I'd suggest "cruising" the port sections here to get more info on them.

 

We sailed Adventure three straight years, then the last two years Brilliance and Jewel. So five years in a row out of San Juan:) If someone hasn't cruised RCCL before, I would recommend Adventure if basing the decision on the ship - the Royal Promenade is cool.

 

BUT, from a personal standpoint if I thought I might not do a southern caribbean cruise again anytime soon I'd choose based on the ports.

Edited June 6, 2014 by bouhunter

[barbienj]

I just did the Jewel on April 26. My review can be found here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2041844

 

We picked this cruise based on the ports, it was 5 places I had never been to. The Jewel is a beautiful ship.

[leaveitallbehind]

We chose Adventure (fit our time frame the best) and solved the itinerary dilemma by booking both alternating ones as a B2B. :D

[racerxspeedy]

Hello - you can't go wrong either way. I had the same problem. To solve this dilemma I will be doing both Next year. I've been to most of these ports already, but love the scenery at St Lucia (Cosol tours!) + St Thomas, beaches of Barbados, Antiqua and St Maartan. St Kitts is nice (beaches just Ok). I recommend that you review the port forums as well. These are busy trips- so the boat features are less critical if you are doing excursions every day.

 

Lots of jewel and adventure reviews here. Also - Both ships have great aft balconies. Hope to see you there.

[cruiseapril]

Have been to most of the ports- just a suggestion- if you do go to Martinique, the St. Pierre & Balata Gardens excursion was very good, IMO.

[tidygirl]

Dh and I did Jewell April 19th we had just been on the Freedom in Sept and yes the ship was quite a bit smaller- no flow rider, or promenade and my DH likes playing dodge ball and volleyball (he's 48!)but never had enough people to play that! We enjoyed our cruise we liked the sea view café and the outdoor eating area! Our decision was based on the ports we have been to many of the Caribbean ports before but only once to Dominica and never to Tortola we loved both! Went to the Baths (BVI) from Tortola and Dominica a private tour to Champagne Reef, Trafalgar Falls & Titou Gorge (where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed) it's not as built up there as some of the other islands which we liked! In fact we loved it so much we are booked next April and taking the adult kids back!

[cb at sea]

LOVE the Voyager (Adventure) class ships! Not too big, not too small...just right!

 

I don't like on the Radiance class (Jewel) ships that the solarium is enclosed. You can't tan in there, so if you want sun, you have to be on the open pool decks with all the kids and hoopla.

[mattpro]

The advantage here is the Promenade where the Café is open 24/7.

 

If you want a cup of coffee or a snack on the Jewel after 12 midnight and before 7 a.m. you will have to call room service.

 

Of the islands you list St. Lucia is the most beautiful and diverse.

 

You can spend a day at Sandals for the beach and all it's amenities or go zip-lining through the tropical forest or go look at the Pitons or explore caves or just tour the island.

 

The Southern Caribbean offers the nicest ports, but the larger ships in RCL's fleet can not be accommodated by the piers.

 

I'll be doing a B2B on Adventure in Jan. 2015 and am actually looking forward to it.

 

There are no wrong choices here - just figure out what everyone likes to do and then research which island fits what category.

[steveru621]

We have done Puerto Rico many times, including two family cruises, and enjoyed every one of them. My advice would be to ignore the ship and pick the islands you want to see. Find the itinerary that best fits your preferences.

 

On a family cruise you won't miss Studio B or the promenade. My two cents.

[Langley Cruisers]

The Royal Promenade on Voyager-class ships is cool, but for a Southern Caribbean itinerary, I would rather have Jewel's aft outdoor Windjammer seating. It's wonderful to sit outside in the evening and have dinner there, or at least dessert and coffee. It is peaceful and gorgeous and is one of the reasons we cruise - to see and experience the sea.

[dacsmom]

I booked the Adventure for 2015 and I had 4 itineraries to choose from. For me, the Adventure is the perfect size. I do love St Maarten and that made my decision much easier.

[ckb523]

Just sailed Jewel. Diego in the CL is fantastic (but on holiday for the next 6 weeks). I have been on both ships, JOTS & AOTS, but selected AOTS for 2015 based on the date & ports. If you like zip lines, try St. Kitts and Antiqua. In Barbados try the wildlife preserve and see the monkeys up close.