Celebrity - good choice for the Caribbean?

[kikki21]

We are looking at Celebrity for a Caribbean cruise sometime in March/April 2016 and it's looking like we would do a 7 day trip and spend some time in Miami before or after the cruise or a bit of both - I would dearly love to do the 2 week cruise but also wanting to add on time in Miami would mean too much time away so may have to save that for another trip!

 

So are Celebrity a good choice? Essentially we just want to chill out and explore the islands under our own steam, do a bit of shopping and temperature wise, my husband won't want it too hot, I'm ok with heat! :)

[Sandtrap328]

My title says it all. But, skip Miami and book one of the 10-14 day cruises! The Ultimate Caribbean is by far our favorite, especially when it includes a stop in Bonaire.

[Suzanne123]

We're booked on the Equinox 10 day out of Fort Lauderdale. Miami is very easy to get to from Fort Lauderdale if you want to spend some time there.

We're doing Eastern Caribbean, and those ports generally aren't as hot as the southern routes that include Aruba. We were in Aruba in February, and temps were near 90. Way too hot to even just walk around town, IMO, but great for swimming.

I love Princess, too, but for some reason their ships that do the Caribbean don't have indoor pools. Celebrity has that wonderful Solarium pool. :)

[davekathy]

We are looking at Celebrity for a Caribbean cruise sometime in March/April 2016 and it's looking like we would do a 7 day trip and spend some time in Miami before or after the cruise or a bit of both - I would dearly love to do the 2 week cruise but also wanting to add on time in Miami would mean too much time away so may have to save that for another trip!

 

So are Celebrity a good choice? Essentially we just want to chill out and explore the islands under our own steam, do a bit of shopping and temperature wise, my husband won't want it too hot, I'm ok with heat! :)

 

Excellent choice. Enjoy your Cruise.

[iancal]

Our favourite is a 14 day cruise on a Celebrity Solstice class ship. Second favourite is a 7 day on a Solstice class ship.

 

Save some time for shopping. You will pay in dollars what you pay in GBP at home for many things, including clothing so it works out to about half price.

Edited November 11, 2014 by iancal

[jkgourmet]

We would consider saving big bucks and sailing on The MSC Divina for a Caribbean cruise. We've done The Summit and The Divina, and unless we got a 123Go promo from Celebrity (classic alcohol package for free), we'd easily choose The Divina again. Outstanding shows as well.

Edited November 11, 2014 by jkgourmet

[Caribbean Chris]

If you are traveling as a couple, watch out for dates that fall around school spring break periods.

 

Another good reason to take a 14-day cruise, or at least something longer than 7-days (unless you have kids and want them to have lots of others to pal around with.)

[dabear]

Celebrity is a good choice and March/April weather is already good for cruising out of Miami (sometimes in the winter it can be cool for a short time & water rough out of Miami). As a result of a few poor experiences we started to cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico to be assured of great weather for the entire 7 days. If you're young, Miami can be alot of fun. Old San Juan also can be enjoyable.

[kikki21]

I totally love Miami and I've been 3 times but I've never been with my husband and he's only passed through it once so would love to go back with him and spend a few days there! Love the Art Deco and the food and shopping and everything!

 

it will have to be the 7 day cruise this time but I am sure if we like it then we can come back and do the longer trip and other islands next time - looking at Puerto Rico, St Thomas and St Maarten - the last 2 were on my Epic cruise that got changed so never went there and really want to go! :)

 

Looks like the 123 promo is back and applicable to our cruise so going to price it up!

[chrismakris]

If you like lots of ports, definitely do the sailings out of San Juan. Great itineraries for great islands and San Juan is awesome.

 

 

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[blindrid]

I totally love Miami and I've been 3 times but I've never been with my husband and he's only passed through it once so would love to go back with him and spend a few days there! Love the Art Deco and the food and shopping and everything!

 

it will have to be the 7 day cruise this time but I am sure if we like it then we can come back and do the longer trip and other islands next time - looking at Puerto Rico, St Thomas and St Maarten - the last 2 were on my Epic cruise that got changed so never went there and really want to go! :)

 

Looks like the 123 promo is back and applicable to our cruise so going to price it up!

 

Not a big fan of PR as you don't get the Caribe feel. Love St. M can give or take St. Thos.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Sloop-JohnB]

We have done 2 cruises with Celebrity in the Caribbean and truly enjoyed them both.

 

Our first was the Eastern Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale on The Solstice (Jan 2012). This year Celebrity has two other S-Class Ships... Silhouette & Reflection going to the Caribbean... One out of Fort Lauderdale, the other Miami. (Not sure which ships are doing these Itineraries in 2016... But you can check on Celebrity's Website)

 

In truth, These two cities / cruise ports are just MINUTES apart... So pick the Ship / Itinerary that interests you the most. A 7 Night Cruise out of this part of Florida means typically 2 Days at Sea - 3 Days visiting Ports - and then 2 more Days at Sea to get back to Florida. Fortunately, the NEWER S-Class Ships are both BIG & BEAUTIFUL so they offer tons to do on a Sea Day... Or great ways to unwind / relax if that is what you need.

 

You should fly in a few days ahead and out a day or two after the cruise... So as to eliminate as much pre & post cruise stress as possible.

 

Alternatively...

 

You could do the second Celebrity Itinerary we did... The Southern Caribbean on The Summit out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of the best flight connections to PR is thru Miami (12+ flights a day) ... So easy to add on Miami at either end of your 7 Night Cruise. Although I would also be very tempted to add on some days for Old San Juan as well... Which could easily stretch your vacation into the 10 to 14 Night Range.

 

Celebrity - Southern Caribbean (March 2016) = http://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-search/search-results#isWidget=false&selectedInput=&dest=CARIB&sailStartDate=2016-03&sailEndDate=2016-03&ship=SM&port=ANY&duration=ANY&cruisesOnly=Y&accessCabin=&promoid=&promoType=&promotionTypeId=&priceProgram=&sortBy=7&startRow=0&count=10&cruiseType=CO&cruiseInt=&isCrieriaExcluded=false&portOfCall=&tourCode=&state=&captain_id=&couponCodes=&isSenior=&isMilitary=&isFireandPolice=

 

Which brings up my other best bet... (the cruise we have not done yet, lol)

 

The Exotic Southern Caribbean that takes you from Florida as far south as the northern coast of South America to visit the GORGEOUS ABC Islands (Aruba - Bonaire - Curaçao ) before heading east to take in many of the jewels of the Caribbean in the Windward & Leeward Islands.

 

Celebrity - Exotic Southern Caribbean (March & April 2016) = http://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-search/search-results#isWidget=false&selectedInput=&dest=CARIB&sailStartDate=2016-03&sailEndDate=2016-04&ship=EC&port=ANY&duration=ANY&cruisesOnly=Y&accessCabin=&promoid=&promoType=&promotionTypeId=&priceProgram=&sortBy=7&startRow=0&count=10&cruiseType=CO&cruiseInt=&isCrieriaExcluded=false&portOfCall=&tourCode=&state=&captain_id=&couponCodes=&isSenior=&isMilitary=&isFireandPolice=

 

Mind you this cruise in itself is a lengthy adventure... So adding on even more time for your vacation may be a balancing act back home / work wise etc (lol, part of the reason we have not done it yet)

 

Hope this helps (some)

 

Cheers!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[izzy19]

We have been on Celebrity RCL and Carnival so far in our cruising history with the Celebrity cruise out of San Juan being the best...we are back on Celebrity to escape our winter in 26 days...our first cruise was out of Miami with RCL and it was what got us hooked. I posted earlier that RCL was like "WOW" and Celebrity was like "Ahhhh"

[phoenix_dream]

If you have a choice, I would recommend a little later in April to avoid Spring Break time, which is much more expensive normally and likely to have quite a few more children onboard (not a complaint about kids - just that if you are looking for more peace and quiet you want to avoid their vacation time, which tends to run from mid-March to the week after Easter).

 

You can't avoid hot in the Caribbean at any time. It is cooler in the winter than the summer, but it is still going to be hot and humid no matter what. Florida can go either way that time of year - may be upper 70's, may be upper 80's - it all depends on luck.

 

Most everyone posting on the Celebrity boards is of course big fans of Celebrity, so whether it is right for you would be hard to say without knowing you or more about what you like. It's certainly right for us! Great food, service, ship design and décor, decent entertainment, etc.. Not a big party atmosphere, but on S class ships in particular always something going on into the wee hours.

 

Ports of call going out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale tend to be somewhat limited in length and variety. I don't know that exact schedule, but most calls in San Juan are fairly short and into the evening rather than the day. That can be good or bad depending what you like to do. St. Maarten is one of my favorite islands - something for everyone (swimming, sailing, shopping, gambling, sightseeing). St. Thomas the same (except for very limited gambling) although it is larger and more commercialized. Many like to take the ferry over to St. John which is more naturalized, with better beaches and generally fewer crowds. A nice option.

 

If you have never done so, I would also suggest some time in Fort Lauderdale unless you are really into the whole Miami party scene. It is more laid back but has a lot to do as well without as many crowds and the big city feel.

Edited November 15, 2014 by phoenix_dream

[stratixman]

If it were me I would spend as little time in Miami as required to get on the ship and sail way. For what you pay per day staying in a flea bag hotel in Miami you could be sailing the seas - so skip time in Miami and instead look for a 10 or 11 day Celebrity cruise. Else, check departures out of Ft. Lauderdale. We much prefer Ft. Lauderdale as a cruise port. Anyway, any eastern or southern Celebrity cruise would be great. We have done them all and our fav's have been 7 days out of the PR, and the longer itineraries out of Ft. Lauderdale. Skip the western routes unless the price is too good to pass on. Eastern and southern routes all the way.

[kikki21]

Thanks everyone - we definitely wanted to do an Eastern trip as my trip out to the islands of St Maarten and St Thomas didn't happen due to Hurricane Earl in 2010 and then a planned cruise didn't happen so the 3rd time must be the charm and so we've booked an Aqua class cabin for 7 days early April 2016 - we will fly in earlier and leave a few days after we come back off the cruise.

I have sailed with Celebrity once before and really enjoyed it and I've wanted to sail on one of the Solstice class ships for ages so that's something to look forward to!

We're not party animals but we enjoy things to do and eating out in nice places and having been to Miami a few times, got plenty of places to show to my husband. :)

 

 

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[Lois R]

As you can see, everyone has different opinions......I totally disagree

with the "Skip the Western" advice.....I just sailed Reflection to the

Western Caribbean and had a wonderful time.:) 5 of us from the roll

call went to the beach in Labadee together and we had a fun time

there:)

 

It really depends on what you are looking for...In my opinion, either

route is good........Eastern AND Western.:D

[chisoxfan]

After sailing Princess and NCL in the Caribbean we highly recommend X and are booked for cruises in Jan. 2015 and 2016. The 123 Go promotion, particularly the latest with drink package, tips, and OBC is very hard to beat.

I was also taken aback by the 'no Western cruise' comments. We have been all over the Eastern and South Carib and were frankly tired of the Nassau/ St. Maarten/ St. Thomas/ Puerto Rico ports. We are looking forward to the X private island experience and Western ports as a change of pace. We have looked hard at San Juan cruises on Summit but compared to S class out of Fla, are not sure the extra hassle (for us) of flights to San Juan and older ship vs. S class make it worth considering.

Can't recommend X enough for the cruises we have done in Carib over past five years.

[kikki21]

I've done a few Western Caribbean journeys and also been to Mexico so going to the South and East Caribbean was of interest to me - I also want to see St Lucia, Antigua and Barbados on a cruise so we'll save up for that another time - must admit the 123 promo was also appealing so we're very pleased indeed to have sorted this out, so happy my husband loves to cruise as much as I do! :)