First timers - Caribbean cruise

[shiznics]

Hey there!  First time cruiser here as well.  My friend and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas 7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise out of Miami, FL on May 7, 2022.  Was going to take a cruise sooner, but pandemic....  

[lenquixote66]

On 11/7/2020 at 10:39 AM, navybankerteacher said:

Hopefully you are considering at least a week - the shorter ones tend to be booze cruises, which barely give a taste of the Caribbean.  If you have the time, you might think of something sailing from San Juan, PR - giving you warm sailing all the way as well as a good couple of days in one of the best ports.

Our first Caribbean cruise was from San Juan.I agree with NBT.

[broadwaybaby123]

What's your price point for your cruise?  There are several lines that sail to the Caribbean: Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival, Costa, and Norwegian all come to mind, although I'm sure that there's more that I'm missing.  Some are cheaper than others, but those lines sail all over the Caribbean.

 

Also, what time of year are you thinking of?  September and October is generally the start of Hurricane Season.

[Host Kat]

Howdy!  

 

The Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 & ends November 30. Caribbean cruises are usually a bit cheaper during the season... but also risky. However, all cruise lines will do their best in trying to keep their guests & crew out of harm's way.

 

I was on a RCI Rhapsody OTS cruise out of Galveston the week of Hurricane Wilma in 2005. I call it "The Boll Weevil" cruise. We cruised around the Caribbean "lookin' for a home" since we could not go to any of the 3 scheduled ports. The captain did make it to 2 other ports. The 1 missed port's fees were refunded as OBC.   

 

I sincerely hope this information will be helpful. 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

 

[broadwaybaby123]

What's your price point?  More formal cruises tend to cost more than casual ones.  Disney is by far one of the most expensive cruises!

[CanadaRob]

On 11/7/2020 at 12:19 PM, seasickchris said:

Wow!  Never gave a thought to the great questions raised above 😂. Thanks for all the responses! We are a couple who were enjoying (early - my partner told me to say) retirement until COVID hit. 
 

 

 seasickchris I know you haven't been back in a while so unsure if you have booked anything.  I wanted to add my .02.

When checking flights, check on flights to San Juan over Florida.  Can do 2 weeks and see some of the iconic beaches in Aruba, Barbados, the picturesque houses in Curacao, etc.   If price sensitive would look at MSC out of Martinique/Guadaloupe.  MSC is agressive in the Caribbean but the product is not for everyone-check some reviews here no matter what airline you choose.

[navybankerteacher]

On 11/7/2020 at 2:19 PM, seasickchris said:

Wow!  Never gave a thought to the great questions raised above 😂. Thanks for all the responses! We are a couple who were enjoying (early - my partner told me to say) retirement until COVID hit. 
 

UK based but fancy flying to southern USA to join the cruise. Looking at 14 days cruising. We’re not particularly looking at formal - casual with the odd formality would be great. On the islands, definitely beach/tours. 
 

there seems to be East or West Caribbean cruises - which should we look at?

 

hope this has focussed our criteria mere effectively, however we are open to all suggestions and advice

 

thanks for helping 👍

Given your retired status, you should take the time to enjoy area around embarkation port pre- or post- cruise.

 

San Juan would be a great port of embarkation - lovely old Spanish colonial city with access to good beaches.

 

Western Caribbean does not offer anything comparable to Eastern and Southern.   With 14 days you could enjoy Aruba and Curaçao in the south and several eastern islands.

 

For Example: in March 2022 you could sail Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas on two back to back 3/13 stopping daily at ports from St. Thomas down the Eastern islands then the 3/20 itinerary down to Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire with a couple of sea days.   Or, on a higher budget, Windstar stopping at many of the Eastern islands on a 14 idyll.

Edited February 24 by navybankerteacher

[kimlovesfl]

I would recommend a longer, southern Caribbean itinerary from either Ft Lauderdale (Port Everglades) or Miami, or a back-to-back eastern and western for 14 nights, from either port.

 

Celebrity is fantastic, but we also love Princess. Age demographic on Princess seems to be a bit older. Celebrity is sophisticated casual, with great food and beautiful ships. Give yourself a couple of days pre-, and post-cruise in your port city. Both Ft Lauderdale and Miami have a lot to offer.

 

Our favorite ship is the Celebrity Equinox; we are dying to try the Edge but have not had the oppotunity.

 

Happy sailing, and have a wonderful time.

[kimlovesfl]

On 2/10/2021 at 7:13 PM, broadwaybaby123 said:

What's your price point?  More formal cruises tend to cost more than casual ones.  Disney is by far one of the most expensive cruises!

I would only recommend Disney to someone traveling with kids-mind you, we have never sailed Disney, and unless we got a cruise for free or super cheap, we never will, and I have 2 friends who have worked for them. Sooo expensive, about 3 times the cost of a similar NCL cruise, and the thought of all those characters all over the place...ugh, no. And we live in Orlando.