First Time Cruiser - I chose Princess

[roger75]

Hi. I've been searching this board for about 3 weeks now and actually used it in making my decision on taking my first cruise. I knew that I wanted to do an Eastern Caribbean trip because I've been to both Cancun and Grand Cayman. My initial choice was going to be Royal Caribbean and a cruise on the Voyager of the Seas. However, I chose the Caribbean Princess because of different reasons: Princess seems to be a little more "upscale". The vessel is only one year old. Vessel departs from Pt. Everglades. * I used to work at Pt. Everglades (live in NC now) and I know that their staging areas are nicer than the port of Miami's. * I'm also going with my domestic partner and it seems that Princess is a little more "friendlier" than other lines. I will also admit that I got a pretty good deal on Princess. I will be departing the Saturday after Thanksgiving and hope that the ship may not be as crowded. I am a little apprehensive about this because I've always wanted to take a cruise, but just don't know what to expect. Hopefully, I will have a good review to come back and post on the board.

[Pam in CA]

Roger... welcome to the board and welcome to Princess! You'll have a great time on the Caribbean Princess. It's not "perfect" but there are many things to like:

 

* You're on vacation and someone is taking care of you 24/7.

 

* You're on a ship that will rock you to sleep every night. :)

 

* There is 24/7 food. No, it's not high-end upscale but there's a huge variety and you'll find many things you like. One suggestion is to eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch. It's much less crowded and the food is actually better in the dining room than in the buffet.

 

* You'll meet many great people. Unfortunately, any time you get 3,000 strangers together in one place, there'll be some jerks. Always are, always will be. Go with the flow and enjoy the people you meet and like.

 

Relax and enjoy! You could be back home and at work. :)

[woodofpine]

You've made a good choice so far. Now all you got to do is decide what your going to do in St. Thomas and St. Maarten... :)

[roger75]

thanks for the responses. St. Maarten is another reason that I chose this particular cruise. The Voyager of the Seas went to San Juan and Labadee after St. Thomas and I've heard that San Juan is not that great. I'm not a huge shopper, so I definitely want to check out the beaches. I alos LOVE to snorkel and did one of the resort scuba dive excursions in Grand Cayman and I must do that again sometime soon. Any suggestions?

[MaryPoppinz]

No dive suggestions for the eastern, but I bet you would enjoy going to St. John to snorkel!

[Roboat]

Hi Roger, and welcome!

 

Best cruising advice from me is to expect a great time. It is a mass market product, and not everyone gets there 'druthers, and mistakes get made. But it's like Disneyworld: yes it's hot, yes there are lines, yes you might not find the bathroom where you wanted one, yes somebody was rude, but hey - you went to Disneyworld!

 

BTW, I personally have never heard reports of any unfriendliness on any of the cruise lines. People of all heights are welcome! :)

 

I think you will have an absolute blast!

[jbrambach]

Hi Roger,

Marypoppinz is right St John is the best!!!! You can take the ferry over from st Thomas or book through the cruiseline. Also in St Marten we did the Rhino Riders (kind of like a jet ski/boat) soooooo much fun. They also stopped for time to snorkel but you could also swim to the beach. Just a suggestion, if it is your first time on these islands and you are not familiar with ferry schedules, taxi etc, I would book through the cruiseline. I usually do this the first time I visit an island. If you feel like doing your own thing, the port of call board is a good place for information. Have fun and welcome!

[yancycruiser]

Let me add my congratulations on a great choice for your first cruise. You are in for a wonderful vacation experience and if you are like most of us, you will be a "Cruiseaholic" Our favorite island is St Thomas.

 

Have a great cruise!

[roger75]

Thanks again everyone!!!!