ABC Islands itinerary - Which Cruise line, Ship & itinerary do you prefer and why?

[irisheileen]

The ABC Islands are on my bucket list and we are not necessarily tied down to a particular cruise line, but have cruised on RCL, HAL, Celebrity, Princess and Carnival. Carnival is my least favorite as we are not into flashy decor- we like a more sedate decor. the destination is what's most important on this future cruise! That being said, we are curious what you liked about:

1. Cruise line
   
2. Itinerary ports included
   
3. ship you sailed
   
4. length of cruise ( aware 9+ days)
   
5. Port sailed from
   

Thanks in advance!:cool:

[CruiserBruce]

HAL regularly has a 10 or 11 day cruise out of FLL to all 3 of the ABC. They stay very late at one port (can't remember which one), and as the sailing distance is short, the days in the other ports are usually full days.

 

As the Islands are former Dutch colonies, HAL seems to get a little more love there! ;)

[George C]

We did 9 day navigator rccl last November great cruise. This was out of Miami

[Dulciana8]

We sailed to Aruba and Curacao on Princess four years ago— it was a unique seven night cruise, round trip from Fort Lauderdale. I think now it’s an eight night trip, and they call at Bonaire, too. We loved it because it was a week, and was round trip. Princess isn’t our favorite, but the itinerary was perfect. And we came home with the best souvenir possible— our son, lol!!

[Aquahound]

I've hit the ABCs on 3 cruise lines....RCI (Navigator), Celebrity (Eclipse) and HAL (Oosterdam). All-in-all, I thought RCI was best because of the variety of entertainment on board. ABC cruises usually have 2-3 sea days, so it was nice to have many daytime activities from which to choose. I recommend choosing an itinerary that includes Bonaire. It's my favorite of all Caribbean islands.

 

Celebrity would be a very close second, especially if on a Solstice Class ship.

 

HAL wasn't bad. It's just a long time to be on a ship with such lackluster entertainment.

 

I recommend cruising out of Port Everglades. Miami isn't bad, but not as convenient as PE. I've not had good experiences out of San Juan regarding behavior of fellow passengers.

[Essiesmom]

Last year we sailed Carnival Magic from Port Canaveral on an 8 day to the ABC's. She is either the last of the Farcus ships, or the first he did not do, but we found the decor lackluster. Boring. We just completed a 9 day on Celebrity Equinox to Key West and the ABC's from Miami. After 8 Carnival cruises in the last two years, we really enjoyed Celebrity. We love the S class ships. A few years ago I did Aruba and Curacao on a HAL ship and it was nice because we did not have to dock at the mega-pier. EM

[sail7seas]

HAL is great to sail to A,BC's . Becuse they are Dutch islands, here have been times when we sailed late from Curacao and Curacao permitted the ship to open the Casinofor the evening while in port. Theand Aruba, Bonaire y have etxended small l courtesies to the 'Dutch cruise line. I , really like the A,B,C islands.

[GTO-Girl]

We did 9 day navigator rccl last November great cruise. This was out of Miami

 

We are taking this same cruise in November of this year. So excited!!

[ptf2009]

We love the ABC islands and itinerary and can't wait to go again...this time on Silhouette in February..a 9 nighter:)

[Aquahound]

Theand Aruba, Bonaire y have etxended small l courtesies to the 'Dutch cruise line. I , really like the A,B,C islands.

 

Having been to the ABCs on 3 lines including HAL, I saw no special courtesies to HAL that didn't exist on the other lines. Can you elaborate?

[irisheileen]

We sailed to Aruba and Curacao on Princess four years ago— it was a unique seven night cruise, round trip from Fort Lauderdale. I think now it’s an eight night trip, and they call at Bonaire, too. We loved it because it was a week, and was round trip. Princess isn’t our favorite, but the itinerary was perfect. And we came home with the best souvenir possible— our son, lol!!

May I ask you about your son being a souvenir? I get the idea it's a wonderful story.

[irisheileen]

 

Celebrity would be a very close second, especially if on a Solstice Class

 

I recommend cruising out of Port Everglades. Miami isn't bad, but not as convenient as PE. I've not had good experiences out of San Juan regarding behavior of fellow passengers.

Thanks. What makes Fort Lauderdale more convenient?

What do you like about Solstice class ships?

[irisheileen]

Last year we sailed Carnival Magic from Port Canaveral on an 8 day to the ABC's. She is either the last of the Farcus ships, or the first he did not do, but we found the decor lackluster. Boring. We just completed a 9 day on Celebrity Equinox to Key West and the ABC's from Miami. After 8 Carnival cruises in the last two years, we really enjoyed Celebrity. We love the S class ships. A few years ago I did Aruba and Curacao on a HAL ship and it was nice because we did not have to dock at the mega-pier. EM

Mega-pier?

[Essiesmom]

Mega-pier?

 

 

There are two places to dock in Curacao. Smaller ships can dock inside the floating pontoon bridge (Queen Emma Bridge). Larger ships have to dock outside the port at the mega-pier.

 

We stayed until midnight in Aruba on Equinox and were allowed to open shops and casino after 7pm. EM

[zqvol]

Look at the luxury and upscale lines sailing round trip out of Bridgetown, those are not necessarily longer than 7 days.

[irisheileen]

There are two places to dock in Curacao. Smaller ships can dock inside the floating pontoon bridge (Queen Emma Bridge). Larger ships have to dock outside the port at the mega-pier.

 

We stayed until midnight in Aruba on Equinox and were allowed to open shops and casino after 7pm. EM

Thanks.

[irisheileen]

Look at the luxury and upscale lines sailing round trip out of Bridgetown, those are not necessarily longer than 7 days.

Prices hold us back from the luxury lines.

[Dulciana8]

May I ask you about your son being a souvenir? I get the idea it's a wonderful story.

 

Irisheileen... sure, lol! :hearteyes: We’d been trying to start a family for a while with no success, and on a whim (literally— we had to book a guarantee cabin, normally for us a big no-no!) we decided a little rest and relaxation before starting fertility treatments would do us both some good. Well... let’s just say “the love boat” came through for us, because after we got home, I we found out I was having a baby. My hubs and I refer to our son as our cruising souvenir. Our son is currently four, has been on three cruises himself, and we sail again over Thanksgiving :):)

[irisheileen]

Irisheileen... sure, lol! :hearteyes: We’d been trying to start a family for a while with no success, and on a whim (literally— we had to book a guarantee cabin, normally for us a big no-no!) we decided a little rest and relaxation before starting fertility treatments would do us both some good. Well... let’s just say “the love boat” came through for us, because after we got home, I we found out I was having a baby. My hubs and I refer to our son as our cruising souvenir. Our son is currently four, has been on three cruises himself, and we sail again over Thanksgiving :):)

Beautiful!! So happy for your Blessing. I didn't see the story heading that way! Now I feel invasive asking.:o

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I seriously don't care which ship/cruise line or magic carpet gets me there, but Bonaire and Aruba were just magical.

 

We went there on Caribbean Princess in November of 2016. I think it may have been an 8 night cruise, but definitely not a 9+ one. The itinerary made up for all of our small grievances about the older ship and the rainy sea days.

[Aquahound]

Thanks. What makes Fort Lauderdale more convenient?

What do you like about Solstice class ships?

 

Port Everglades is right next to the airport, and has a direct route to 595. You don't have to drive through downtown, like in Miami, to get from the airport to the port. Both are nice ports....just PE is easier.

 

I think Solstice Class are the most beautiful ships at sea. Celebrity is also very modern compared to lines like HAL and Princess.

[champagne123]

Celebrity

Equinox

10 days

Key West

Grand Cayman

Aruba

Bonaire

Curacao

Out of Miami....LOVED this cruise.

[KBS1607]

We did the ABC 8 day cruise on Princess last Thanksgiving. We loved it. Snorkel in Bonaire; it’s the most beautiful and colorful fish I’ve ever seen snorkeling.

[irisheileen]

Celebrity

Equinox

10 days

Key West

Grand Cayman

Aruba

Bonaire

Curacao

Out of Miami....LOVED this cruise.

What did you like about Celebrity?

[irisheileen]

We did the ABC 8 day cruise on Princess last Thanksgiving. We loved it. Snorkel in Bonaire; it’s the most beautiful and colorful fish I’ve ever seen snorkeling.

Which ship, and what did you like about it?