Which Southern Caribbean Route is best?

[ECD23889]

We are planning to book a Southern Caribbean cruise on the AOS and noted two different routes: Both depart from San Juan, but one includes Aruba, St. Maarten and St. Thomas, with the other one including St. John, St. Lucia and Antigua.

Has anyone taken both routes and which one did you prefer? Or if you've only taken one of them, could you share your experiences? Do you have any activities/tours/excursions to recommend?

And lastly, did any of the Southern destinations suffered much hurricane damage which would effect our decision to visit?

Thanks in advance.

[Mike & Sue]

Itineraries are one thing, but would also suggest that you look at the differences between the ships, passenger makeup etc. One ship leaves on Sat. the other on Sun. which is a factor for some. We decided on the Serenade, one small reason being that the sea day was at the end rather than the beginning of the cruise. We are not big on sea days. Suggest you do some searches on this site and read some reviews, if not already considered.

[LEtue]

I just returned from the Navigator Thanksgiving sailing and booked the Serenade for next year. My preference is for the Radiance class ships and that made it an easy decision. I also like the Saturday - Saturday itinerary and the last day at sea (I don't like a lot of sea days either).

 

So, as mentioned do lots of research before you decide.....and have a great time!

[ECD23889]

All good points. I hadn't considered the departure day, but Saturday is more convenient. We last cruised on the NOS and loved it so much we decided to book our next cruise on another Voyager class ship. Never having cruised the Radiance class I don't have a point of reference, but cruising with teens and twenty somethings they loved the activities and features of the large ship.

Thanks for all the advice. Betty

[wrp96]

Itineraries are one thing, but would also suggest that you look at the differences between the ships, passenger makeup etc. One ship leaves on Sat. the other on Sun. which is a factor for some. We decided on the Serenade, one small reason being that the sea day was at the end rather than the beginning of the cruise. We are not big on sea days. Suggest you do some searches on this site and read some reviews, if not already considered.

 

I think they are talking about going in the summer when the AOS alternates between the two routes (Serenade is in Alaska during the summer).

 

Unfortunately I can't tell you yet which one is better. I'll let you know after March when I've done both routes.

[Mrsdigi]

What law school are you going to? Which bar exam are you taking? :)

[wrp96]

What law school are you going to? Which bar exam are you taking? :)

 

University of Arkansas at Little Rock, February Arkansas Bar, and maybe another state in July - haven't decided which one yet.

[Mrsdigi]

Good luck on your bar exam. I took the Michigan bar in Feb 05 (passed :) ) it was the hardest thing I have ever done (since giving birth).

[vlnovak]

I have been to all the ports and I would pick the one going to st john and st lucia. St Thomas is very crowded.

[f_aries21]

We are planning to book a Southern Caribbean cruise on the AOS and noted two different routes: Both depart from San Juan, but one includes Aruba, St. Maarten and St. Thomas, with the other one including St. John, St. Lucia and Antigua.

Has anyone taken both routes and which one did you prefer? Or if you've only taken one of them, could you share your experiences? Do you have any activities/tours/excursions to recommend?

And lastly, did any of the Southern destinations suffered much hurricane damage which would effect our decision to visit?

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Hello,

 

Just thought I'd interject some advice here. I've been on both cruises so I have a pretty strong opinion on both.

 

The one that includes St.Lucia is good, but it's very very busy. You have five port days, one embarkation day, and one sea day. Here are some observations on this itinerary.

1. Embarkation day takes alot of energy. You better hope to have alot if you want to make the best of the next day in St.Thomas and every port day each day after. I agree with many people who've also cruised this itinerary that they would have liked to have one sea day at the begining to get their "sea legs", or adjust to jet lag.

2. Port-wise, there is some great scenery in St. Lucia, go to the Pitons, but do not rent a car there! There are maps, but the roads aren't marked so alot of people get lost!

3. Antigua is a great beach place. Not much else to do there though. Ask the crew members where the cool Pizza place is. It's fantastic!

4. Barbados is nice. Try and go swimming with the turtles, you won't forget it. Traffic there is a nightmare though, so anticipate long taxi rides.

5. One sea day at the end to recuperate. Doesn't really seem to be enough though to enjoy the ship amenities.

 

If you opt for the one to Aruba, have fun. It's my personal favorite. One seaday at the begining, one in the middle. Plus you're in Aruba later than all the other ports....till 1am! Aruba has some amazing dining options. I love steak, so El Gaucho, the argentinian grill won't let you down. The beaches are the best in the caribbean in my opinion, just stay away from the hotel area if you want your own little piece of sand. Eagle Beach is a great choice. Polish off the day there with a couple of tequila shooters at Carlos and Charlies! These Arubans know how to party!

Curacao is nice. Bring your camera for sure! Go swimming with the dolphins. It's one of the few places in the caribbean where you can actually swim with them!

St. Maarten and St. Thomas are your shopping meccas. Spend spend spend! Just make sure you check how much you're allowed to bring back through customs before you go hogwild. Only down side to having St. Thomas at the end of this cruise is every person on ship has to go through US immigration before a certain time in the morning. The ship full of passengers is awake and ready to go, some happily, some not. Oh well.

Regardless, Have fun whichever way you go.

 

Hope this information helps a little!

f_aries21

[TexasMom2]

I've only sailed the St. Lucia/Antigua/Barbados route so I can't compare the two, but we really enjoyed the cruise. We loved each port and the last day to relax at sea before ending the cruise. It was nice not to deal with customs until you get back to San Juan. We plan to try the other itinerary in a couple of years because of all the wonderful comments on these boards about Aruba. I'm sure you couldn't go wrong with either itinerary.

[CathyG]

My choice would be the Aruba route. It was the most relaxing cruise we've ever been on. Just enough port time and just enough sea days. Perfect.

I do have to disagree with f aires21 tho - There are a lot of things to do in Antigua besides going to the beach. Among other things there's Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights, Betty's Hope, etc. All very interesting.

Whatever you choose, you'll enjoy. Cathy

[PamW]

We sailed AOS this August to Aruba/Curaco/St. Marteen/ St. Thomas. It was wonderful! I personally love the sea days and really enjoyed having the first day be a relaxing, kick back, by the pool, Mango Tango day. :p In Aruba we did the jeep excursion. DH is not an excursion type of guy, but he was the one who suggested it. We had a blast! The guides were great, and you ride around the entire island. You can either drive, or if you are not comfortable, hop in a jeep with some other folks. We drove- it was a blast. In Curaco we walked around- took the ferry to the other side of the island and had a beer (Amstel Brite- wish we could get that here in the States) at a really nice outdoor restaurant by the docks. The owner is really nice, we talked to him for the longest time. We tried to drink the local beers in each port. St. Marteen was busy, we missed Orient Beach- that is next time, but some friends went and had a blast. We took the ferry to St. Johns and snorkled. It was amazing. We swam with this HUGE sea turtle. All in all, this was the best cruise I have been on. Had we not been booked on Freedom for 2006, I would have re-booked this cruise again. I think we will go on this route in 2007. I can't speak for the alternate route, but this was absolutely beautiful. Enjoy whichever you choose- Adventure is a beautiful ship.

 

Happy Sailing!!

 

Pam

[curlyd]

Or here is an option: Take the smaller ship Empress of the Seas, 11 nighter and see it all:D

 

As you can see by my signature that's what we are doing for our first cruise in March.

[curlyd]

dupe

[Miss Vickie]

We've done both itineraries, too, as well as the 11-night Empress. We've never been on a Voyager class ship, though - did the Aruba/Curacao itinerary on Rhapsody in 1999. We liked that itinerary, but love the St. Lucia/Barbados itinerary - in fact, we're leaving in just 7 days to do it for the 5th time in 6 years (we did Empress last January instead). It's not to busy for us - we prefer port-intensiv itineraries raher than extra sea days.

 

Jodi