Help Me Decide Between 3 Cruises

[Matthew236]

Hi Friends -

 

Hoping you can all help me with the following decision, trying to decide between on these three cruises for a Caribbean New Years this year. First a bit about us, two parents traveling with our 29-year-old son. Looking for a blend of cruise experience and port adventures - but honestly more in it for the ship experience and amenities than anything else. Prices include Balcony stateroom for 3, drinks, tips, etc.

 

Vibe: Looking for a quieter adventure (I.e. no kids running around) but with lots of fun things to do. We love food, drinks, casinos, spas, entertainment/shows and just lounging. Not huge pool people but will take a dip every now and then. Would like people semi-our age but not a deal breaker. 

 

1. Celebrity Cruises: Celebrity Apex | 30 Dec 2022 - 7 January 2023 (8 Nights - New Ship)

Price: About $7.2k Total

 

1	Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida	---Not Applicable	3:30 PM
day2	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day3	San Juan, Puerto Rico	4:00 PM	11:00 PM
day4	Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
day5	Philipsburg, St. Maarten	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
day6	Tortola, British Virgin Islands	7:00 AM	3:00 PM
day7	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day8	Nassau, Bahamas	12:00 PM	6:00 PM
day9	Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida	7:00 AM	---

 

2. Princess Cruises: Royal Princess | 26 December 2022 - 3 January 2023 (7 Nights)

Price: About $5.8k Total

 

1	Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida	---Not Applicable	4:00 PM
day2	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day3	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day4	Willemstad, Curacao	8:00 AM	10:00 PM
day5	Kralendijk, Bonaire	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
day6	Oranjestad, Aruba	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
day7	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day8	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day9	Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida	6:00 AM	---

 

3. Holland America: Rotterdam | 28 December 2022 - 4 January 2023 (8 Nights - New Ship)

Price: About $4.8k Total

Day	Ports of Call	Arrival	Departure
day1	Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida	---Not Applicable	4:00 PM
day2	Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
day3	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day4	Ocho Rios, Jamaica	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
day5	George Town, Grand Cayman	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
day6	Cozumel, Mexico	1:00 PM	10:00 PM
day7	At Sea	---Not Applicable	---Not Applicable
day8	Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida	7:00 AM	---

 

Which would you pick, and why? Thanks for your help!

[Essiesmom]

By ship, I would choose Apex, because I haven’t sailed that class of Celebrity ship.  The drawback is the late port time in San Juan.  Not much time for sightseeing before things close.

    The drawback with Princess is that there is no seating in the cabin but on the beds, and that class of ship has shallower balconies, and you might not be able to get a third chair.  For this ship, I would upgrade to a mini suite.  Also, all three ports are desert islands, charming, but not representative of the rest of the Caribbean.  
 HAL gives you Half Moon Cay, the ultimate beach day, plus three different islands.  The guests may be a bit older, but for itinerary, it would be my choice.  EM

Edited August 23, 2022 by Essiesmom

[crystalspin]

Agree with @Essiesmom-- the Rotterdam. I can't even believe it is the lowest priced! Snap it up quick!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

17 hours ago, Matthew236 said:

Looking for a quieter adventure (I.e. no kids running around)

in this case choosing to cruise during a school break and NYE at that is a mistake. Try a week later or the first two weeks of December - prices may be a lot cheaper and fewer kids as well.

 

By ship, I'd choose either Apex or Royal Princess.

By itinerary, Apex and RP have lovely destinations. We love both ABC islands (Southern Caribbean) and Eastern Caribbean itineraries. However, we love beach destinations now that we travel with a somewhat young child. HAL's itinerary is a very common Western Caribbean.

By price, I'd choose Royal Princess, but I would try to get a Deluxe balcony instead, because it would provide a sofa which becomes the 3rd bed. Or HAL because it's over NYE and for only $4.8K for 3.

 

Either way, all three ships/lines provide a great experience for older, quieter crowd. Since your child is only 9 years younger than me, I would estimate you to be between 55 and 70...

[rkacruiser]

I would choose the Rotterdam cruise.  There will fewer guests than on Apex and Royal Princess.  (Have not sailed on Apex and have no desire to do so.  I have sailed on Royal Princess on a Caribbean New Year's Cruise.  Princess does a nice job on New Year's Eve with at least 3 Midnight parties scattered around the ship.  The main party is in the Atrium.  It seemed to me that many choice to attend that party; it was a crush of people.  Inadequate seating and space for the number of people there.  If you left your seat, you lost it.  It seemed that many who had not been dining in the MDR decided to do so that evening.  Even with a reservation, I had a two hour wait for a table.)

 

I have sailed on three HAL New Year's Cruises and they do a nice job as well, but, without the mass of people that I experienced on Royal Princess.  

 

If you do choose Royal Princess, as another poster recommended, upgrade to a mini-suite.  

[Aquahound]

I've cruised all 3 lines multiple times and my first recommendation when considering your criteria is Celebrity.  

[janetz]

Go Celebrity 😊

[ldubs]

On 8/22/2022 at 5:56 PM, Essiesmom said:

By ship, I would choose Apex, because I haven’t sailed that class of Celebrity ship.  The drawback is the late port time in San Juan.  Not much time for sightseeing before things close.

    The drawback with Princess is that there is no seating in the cabin but on the beds, and that class of ship has shallower balconies, and you might not be able to get a third chair.  For this ship, I would upgrade to a mini suite.  Also, all three ports are desert islands, charming, but not representative of the rest of the Caribbean.  
 HAL gives you Half Moon Cay, the ultimate beach day, plus three different islands.  The guests may be a bit older, but for itinerary, it would be my choice.  EM

 

Some of the biggest air travel days are right before or after a major holiday (12/26 & 12/30).   I would say it is a secondary concern, but does makes HAL look even more attractive.  

[cruiseaholic777]

I love Celebrity but I would pick Princess. My reasons are 1 (price) 2 (Princess is almost as nice) 3 ( the itinerary on Princess is by far the best). I never pass up a cruise to the ABC islands.

[cruiseaholic777]

I just wanted to note that Idubs said there is no seating other than the bed. That is not true, every balcony room has a sofa.

[rkacruiser]

On 8/22/2022 at 8:56 PM, Essiesmom said:

The drawback with Princess is that there is no seating in the cabin but on the beds

 

3 hours ago, cruiseaholic777 said:

I just wanted to note that Idubs said there is no seating other than the bed. That is not true, every balcony room has a sofa.

 

I am sorry but you are mistaken on two counts.  It was not idubs that said that.  He was quoting another poster who is correct.

 

I have had balcony staterooms on Princess.  There is no sofa.  There is an arm chair.  For a solo cruiser, that's adequate.  For two in the stateroom at the same time, someone will be sitting on the bed.  

 

On 8/23/2022 at 3:06 PM, rkacruiser said:

If you do choose Royal Princess, as another poster recommended, upgrade to a mini-suite.  

 

For the most comfortable seating arrangements, whatever the number of guests occupying the stateroom, I have copied my previous recommendation as to the type of stateroom to reserve.  

[navybankerteacher]

On 8/22/2022 at 8:56 PM, Essiesmom said:

By ship, I would choose Apex, because I haven’t sailed that class of Celebrity ship.  The drawback is the late port time in San Juan.  Not much time for sightseeing before things close.

  ...

San Juan retains its Spanish culture -- it is wide open until late at night, and the siesta concept still lingers.  Things are more like closed between noon and four PM than between 8:00 and midnight.  Also, sailing out of San Juan at night is a fine experience. 

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

San Juan retains its Spanish culture -- it is wide open until late at night, and the siesta concept still lingers.  Things are more like closed between noon and four PM than between 8:00 and midnight.  Also, sailing out of San Juan at night is a fine experience. 

That’s fine if you want nightlife, but if you want to visit the rainforest, forts, museums, etc. you will not have time.

 

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

I am sorry but you are mistaken on two counts.  It was not idubs that said that.  He was quoting another poster who is correct.

 

I have had balcony staterooms on Princess.  There is no sofa.  There is an arm chair.  For a solo cruiser, that's adequate.  For two in the stateroom at the same time, someone will be sitting on the bed.  

 

 

For the most comfortable seating arrangements, whatever the number of guests occupying the stateroom, I have copied my previous recommendation as to the type of stateroom to reserve.  

I believe Princess removed all of the barrel chairs from staterooms, leaving on,y the seating at the vanity/desk, unless you have a deluxe balcony or mini suite.  Of course, there will be two chairs on the balcony.  EM

[navybankerteacher]

8 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

That’s fine if you want nightlife, but if you want to visit the rainforest, forts, museums, etc. you will not have time.

 

...

The El Junque Rainforest is a daytime trip, but the forts and museums do not close that early -- and the real charm of Old San Juan is the old city itself - which comes to life after 4:00 PM.

[notscb]

On 8/22/2022 at 7:43 PM, Matthew236 said:

Looking for a quieter adventure (I.e. no kids running around) but with lots of fun things to do. We love food, drinks, casinos, spas, entertainment/shows and just lounging.

 

I think based on your desire for a balanced itinerary with interesting ports to relaxing/quiet days onboard with some entertainment, I'd personally choose Celebrity. While Celebrity doesn't have as many activities onboard as RCL or Carnival, they do offer some really neat shows in their theater and their new ships are such a unique experience. I may be biased in that I think San Juan is a port that's worth stopping at no matter what itinerary, and is way more interesting than other Caribbean ports that are mainly just beaches as their main attraction.

 

My impression of Princess and HAL is that those lines are really designed for more relaxed cruisers and folks who are happy to just be left alone vs doing onboard activities.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, notscb said:

 

... I may be biased in that I think San Juan is a port that's worth stopping at no matter what itinerary, and is way more interesting than other Caribbean ports that are mainly just beaches as their main attraction.

 

My impression of Princess and HAL is that those lines are really designed for more relaxed cruisers and folks who are happy to just be left alone vs doing onboard activities.

Seconded.

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I believe Princess removed all of the barrel chairs from staterooms, leaving on,y the seating at the vanity/desk, unless you have a deluxe balcony or mini suite

 

I do recall some discussion about that.  My balcony stateroom in 2019 on Coral Princess did have that barrel chair.  If I remember correctly. 

[Hlitner]

We are quite familiar with all three cruise lines and all of the ports.  But what jumped out at me in the OP was the poster's request for a "quieter adventure" without kids running all around.  But by choosing a New Years cruise, one is almost guaranteeing loads of families traveling during the holiday with their children and teens.  Waiting until the week after New Years would go far in minimizing the number of kids on all those ships.

 

If Entertainment is a priority we would suggest NOT cruising on the Rotterdam since HAL no longer has so-called "Production Shows."  That leaves Celebrity and Princess and there are pros/cons on each of those ships.  We would give the edge, in terms of cuisine, to Celebrity.  But we would prefer the itinerary of the Royal Princess since we think the so-called "ABC" islands are all wonderful ports.  We are not fans of any of the Apex ports other than St Maarten.   But if ship amenities are a priority than the Apex would certainly be a good option.

 

Hank

 

[dolittle]

I am a price guy ,Holland sounds like a good deal . X 's price is way to high.

 

[Sixtytwo]

For itinerary, I like #1. For price, which I am always conscious of, I would choose #3.

[crystalspin]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:20 PM, crystalspin said:

Agree with @Essiesmom-- the Rotterdam. I can't even believe it is the lowest priced! Snap it up quick!

I changed my mind -- I hope to visit the A-B-C islands all on one sailing, so Princess, #2. The Rotterdam would be a "Ship is Destination" cruise.

[CRUISENSNOOZE]

I would pick Rotterdam, if it was my choice. Quieter, fewer children. Also lowest cost, which I find amazing.

 

Chris