carribean which route to choose?

[kensington31]

Hi we have done 4 cruises now and have cruised the med a couple of times with Princess and RCI and have decided our next cruise will be the carribean islands....but which route? We plan to cruise in Feb 2017 hopefully 14 nts but have no idea as to which islands to see.

we are not just beach travellers we like history, things to see etc. I want to swim with dolphins somewhere during this trip too. We would apreciate any suggestions you are Willing to share.... many thanks.:confused:

[OCruisers]

Caribbean Princess has some 8 night and 6 night sailings which are also offered as 14 night sailings in February 2017.

There'll be 8 nights in the Deep Southern Caribbean and 6 nights in the Western Caribbean. :)

Edited May 3, 2016 by OCruisers

[Essiesmom]

If you are not wedded to your two previous cruise lines, there are a number of ships offering 7-14 day cruises from Barbados, with an excellent selection of islands. Many are fly/cruise packages. Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose Barbados as your departure port. EM

[cruiseapril]

We enjoy the Southern cruises which include the ABC islands.

(Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao.) Lots of good and varied excursions there.

Willemstad, Curacao is a historic city with many sights to see on a walking tour.

 

If a cruise includes a stop in Nassau, the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter was very good.

Edited May 3, 2016 by cruiseapril

[Cruisin'Christine]

I have found that the southern Caribbean cruises tend to have the nicest itineraries. I feel safer on those islands as compared to the western Caribbean islands.

[NMLady]

We have done Eastern, Western, Southern. I would definitely recommend southern.

[jocap]

Princess ships and P&O ones are twins, so one like Emerald Princess = P&O's Azura, and Royal Princess= Britannia. Think about these two, for as Essiesmom says, they do fly cruises out of Barbados, so there's no flying into the USA, no ESTA forms to fill in, and no being made to leave the ship on the last morning- you wait until your plane is landing with new passengers, and use the ship until the coaches arrive to take you to the airport.

The aeroplanes are charters for your cruise, and you don't see your cases until the cabin... it just makes life simple!

I found Princess and P&O to be very similar- they're still sister companies- except that you will find mainly Brits on board.

[leaveitallbehind]

Dolphin swims are available in Cozumel (Western) and Curacao (Southern). Our family has done both and IMO Curacao is the better of the two, along with the Southern Caribbean overall IMO is a better long itinerary route.

[cb at sea]

The Caribbean isn't as much about "history" as the beauty of the space you're in...get a guidebook and read up on the Caribbean...then you can decide what interests you!

[JawjaFatBoy]

We've done the standard Eastern and Western itineraries. We aren't really beach people and tend to hit the cultural and historical sites. Nassau, San Juan and St. Thomas were great on the eastern side and Cozumel, Belize and Roatan on the western side. Lots to see and do. We're planning a Southern cruise for the next year or so and REALLY looking forward to it as there seems to be a lot to see and do there.

[geonurse]

Southern Caribbean has been our favorite itinerary by far!!! Did a 6 day Southern Caribbean with Carnival last year- no sea days! Cheap! Ship had no bearing , because you were out adventuring every day. We are not beach people either- although we do really like snorkeling. You will not find us laying on the beach- ever! We set up private tours in almost every port and learned so much about each place from our driver. Favorite ports were Barbados- walked alone on Bathsheba beach - not a tourist to be seen! And Saint Lucia- boat tour to the base of the Piton Mountains - just fabulous! Didn't wear half of the formal clothes we took :) we were too tired ( in a good way) to even want to dress up for dinner....

San Juan, Saint Thomas, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten.

Also we only paid 749$ pp for an Aft extended balcony on deck 7 .

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Edited May 4, 2016 by geonurse

[Essiesmom]

There is a lot of history in the Caribbean, much of it not very civilized. If you are spending any time in Barbados, I recommend Sugar in the Blood - a family's story of slavery and empire by Andrea Stuart. And any tour guide in Grenada will give you a detailed of the politics leading up to the US invasion in 1983...EM

[Floridiana]

For the history of slavery, gold and sugar: San Juan in Puerto Rico and the West Indies islands.

 

For Mayan ruins: a western Caribbean route.

 

For the Panama Canal, choose a partial or a full transit. Bonus: The ships stop at Cartagena, a fascinating city for history lovers. On the Pacific side, the port in Guatemala makes an excursion to Antigua possible. That is a good itinerary for Spanish colonial history.

 

You may want to look at itineraries offered by Holland America, not my favorite line, but they have great itineraries and we have chosen them several times just for the itinerary. Upscale and luxury lines also have great itineraries at a higher price.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Floridiana

[navybankerteacher]

We enjoy the Southern cruises which include the ABC islands.

(Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao.) Lots of good and varied excursions there.

Willemstad, Curacao is a historic city with many sights to see on a walking tour.

 

If a cruise includes a stop in Nassau, the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter was very good.

 

The problem with Blue Lagoon in February (OP's time frame) is that the Bahamian waters are pretty cool then.

 

For history, San Juan should definitely be included - possibly as port of embarkation to give it a day or so, rather than just as a port of call.

[PhillyTravelBug]

My first choice is a southern itinerary as well.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have also done the eastern, western and southern Caribbean itineraries.

We love the southern Caribbean itinerary as we love the ABC islands -- Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

[rkacruiser]

We have also done the eastern, western and southern Caribbean itineraries.

 

We love the southern Caribbean itinerary as we love the ABC islands -- Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

 

I agree. Sad, I think, but, that there are other ports in that area that the cruise lines choose not to visit and for reasons that I do not understand, at times. For example: Trinadad and Tobago. 1986, I was able to visit Caracas on the original Royal Princess. Interesting drive to and from the city from the port and enjoyed my visit in the city (even with the soldiers carrying their long rifles). Today, of course for political reasons, it would be very unwise for an American to make such a visit.

 

My second choice would be an Eastern itinerary. But, I would hope such would include the wonderful, friendly islands of St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Barts, Guadaloupe, and Martinique. And, there was nothing wrong with my visit to Grenada either.

 

The best choice, which no cruise line now offers, is a blend of Eastern and Western Caribbean ports. Sitmar Cruise Lines' T.S.S. Fairwind offered this and it remains one of my most memorable cruises to the Caribbean.

[DonnaK]

If you've never been to the Caribbean before, then you can't go wrong with any itinerary. Since you plan on 14 days, I would look at back-to-back 7 day Eastern/Western Caribbean out of Florida (For example Oasis or Allure), or back-to-back 7 day Southern itineraries out of San Juan.

[cruisemainiac]

Holland America offers some very good Southern Caribbean stops. Remember that the longer the cruise the chances are that your fellow passengers will be a bit more mature, not that there's anything wrong with that. Just don't expect 2am karaoke gone wild that's all.

[kensington31]

Thank you for all the suggestions we are swaying more towards southern itineraries so hopefully get something booked soon :)

[Pudgesmom]

Before you pay to swim with dolphins, I would urge you to goggle more information about what these programs mean for the Dolphins themselves. You may choose a different short excursion after reading.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Before you pay to swim with dolphins, I would urge you to goggle more information about what these programs mean for the Dolphins themselves. You may choose a different short excursion after reading.

 

 

OP: Leave the dolphins alone.

[Beachdude]

History is kind of the same for the Caribbean islands, basically a slave driven agriculture that drove out the indigent Indians. Typically the forts are interesting. Puerto Rico being one of the best tours.

 

I agree the southern Caribbean is the better cruises, but the Eastern is right behind if you haven't cruised it yet.

 

Burt

[Cruiserbillyboo]

As others have noted, there are three main routes: Eastern, Southern, Western.

All lines do all the routes, with minor port variations and different lengths and different number of sea days to suit your needs. I've done each, several times.

In order of preference:

1. Southern

2. Western

3. Eastern

But all are nice!

[navybankerteacher]

History is kind of the same for the Caribbean islands, basically a slave driven agriculture that drove out the indigent Indians. Typically the forts are interesting. Puerto Rico being one of the best tours.

 

I agree the southern Caribbean is the better cruises, but the Eastern is right behind if you haven't cruised it yet.

 

Burt

 

What makes you think the pre-Columbian natives were indigent? They owned a lot of prime real estate and enjoyed wide fishing rights - arguably better off than many of today's islanders.

 

Agree that San Juan is a must-see - probably the ideal starting point for an Eastern or Southern Caribbean itinerary.