Caribbean Cruises

[complawyer]

as as aside, hey chiefmatejrk, where you hiding out these days?

[LouChamp]

15 hours ago, omahabob said:

We're sort of in the same boat. We don't do Hawaii cruises because we prefer more time on land there than a cruise allows (that's just us). Plus, we often get free stays in condos there. We would consider a Hawaii cruise that started or ended in French Polynesia. They're cheaper, and we want to see Bora Bora, but the airfare is much more expensive. We may do a European cruise some day. We lived in Europe for several years, and travelled there quite a bit, but there's plenty of places I'd still like to see. We can probably get free flights on a military hop for that. Time will tell. As always, it depends on your personal budget, and what value you place on the available experiences.

Aloha. I agree with your assessment and there are lots of factors to consider.  Have been sailing since 1971 and many times Hawaii (where we divide our time w NY), Caribbean, South Pacific, South America/Antarctica and Europe.  The air can be a killer and certainly a primary factor.  We love the Caribbean for an inexpensive vacay and agree sometimes we never get off the ship. If you do the tedious homework which can also be fun you will see it pays to expand your horizons as it is generally less expensive than a land based option. Certainly keep us posted and be blessed to have the opportunity to consider your vacation choices!

[All-ready2cruise]

I love the Caribbean as well. I just disembarked from the Escape after a very enjoyable cruise which started out with a real tragedy.  This next cruise, the 3rd of '23, is the longest cruise for this year, 11 day. 

 

ITINERARY

Tue 28-Nov 5:30 pm SHIP DEPARTS MIAMI, FLORIDA, US 1
Wed 29-Nov AT SEA 1
Thu 30-Nov 8:00 am Thu 30-Nov 4:00 pm Dock PUERTO PLATA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1
Fri 01-Dec AT SEA 1
Sat 02-Dec 10:00 am Sat 02-Dec 10:00 pm Dock ORANJESTAD, ARUBA 1
Sun 03-Dec 8:00 am Sun 03-Dec 8:00 pm Dock WILLEMSTAD, NETHERLAND ANTILLES 1
Mon 04-Dec 6:00 am Mon 04-Dec 1:00 pm Dock KRALENDIJK, NETHERLAND ANTILLES 1
Tue 05-Dec 12:00 pm Tue 05-Dec 8:00 pm Dock ST THOMAS 1
Wed 06-Dec 8:00 am Wed 06-Dec 4:00 pm Dock SAN JUAN 1
Thu 07-Dec AT SEA 1
Fri 08-Dec 10:00 am Fri 08-Dec 6:00 pm Tender GREAT STIRRUP CAY, BAHAMAS 1
Sat 09-Dec 7:00 am SHIP ARRIVES AT MIAMI, FLORIDA, US 1
Sat 09-Dec BUS FROM PORT TO AIRPORT 1
Air Deviation Hotel Accommodations not included

[laudergayle]

As @BirdTravels said Mexican Riviera.  Nice coastal beachy destinations with a different vibe..  From ATL airport the airfare to LAX stays around $500-$750 per person in main cabin.  All European fares are running $1800+ from ATL.

 

If you want to do Mediterranean cruise…which I’m sure you would enjoy…look at 2025. Book now and take the extra time to save for airfare.

Edited July 8, 2023 by laudergayle

[Peachypooh]

I haven't been to every single Caribbean island but the majority of them. Hawaii topography  is

a very different experience. I have been to Hawaii four times all four times staying on

just one of the islands not a cruise.Once just Kauai, once just Oahu, and twice just Maui.

We really felt that we were able to experience most of what the islands offer. We shopped

around for airfare and all four times flew first class never paying more than $1,000 pp from the east

coast. (before the pandemic) However I think those days are over. I did interact with some cruise ship passengers mostly on Kauai and their time was so limited but I guess if you want to get a sampling to

see which one you want to come back to it would be worthwhile. It's your choice but in my limited experience Hawaii is not the same as the Caribbean.

[KKB]

20 hours ago, Suntanz said:

Ok, I know this is going to sound silly, but I have been on 9 cruises and all have been to Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. I really enjoy the different beaches and the price makes these islands very affordable as I live on the East Coast. I do really enjoy the cruising experience and some ports I do excursions and some I just take a cab to a beach.

My questions is am I missing something? I would love to cruise Hawaii but just getting there increases the price significantly, not to mention its a more expensive cruise. I also have considered Europe, but again, flying there increases the price, plus I would most likely have to do excursions at most if not all ports.

Any help would be great.

 

For most of 15 years we did an annual Caribbean cruise.

Since retiring last year, have done 8--honestly, Caribbean has lost it's allure a bit. 

Also finally did AK, Hawaii & 1st Europe cruises this year---AND WE ARE HOOKED.

Now that we have the time, we are looking to go to places we have never been before.

We try to find a good deal on a cruise when air will cost us more. 

 

There is NOTHING wrong with the Caribbean--goodness knows we have done 23 over the years.

It was the perfect fit for us for many years regarding time & money--and it appears it may be for you at this time. I loved the value of it for a long time.

Do what YOU want to do!

[Laszlo]

19 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

So I will see you there then? 😉You know you want to! 🤣

Not for a while, we were a little disappointed in NCL in January. The only thing that saved us was we were staying in the Haven. Hopefully service has improved

[Red-Sol]

27 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Not for a while, we were a little disappointed in NCL in January. The only thing that saved us was we were staying in the Haven. Hopefully service has improved

Trust me when I say this but I really do understand! Gonna give this one a go and depending upon how I feel after it really might be it for awhile. I may be in the minority but after being completely psyched to go on Prima I actually felt let down. And I am not sure I can even pinpoint why.

[lepidoptera]

I go back and forth between Caribbean and  not, currently Caribbean is behind by 1 but I will tie it up on November. The Caribbean cruises are generally just easier and cheaper. Plus they are great for just relaxing. The logistics get more complicated, planning gets more complicated and everything tends to get more expensive. I know people mentioned air fare as being more expensive, but excursions get much more expensive. Some of the places that I have cruised, I’ve decided that being on a cruise ship actually made things more difficult and I saw less (Iceland), but I’ve actually really liked other places and would cruise from them any time (Barcelona).

 

Another thing is I feel Caribbean cruises cater very well to people that are still working. A lot of the European, transatlantics, Panama Canal, Asian cruises tend to be longer, and with the longer travel time and wanting time to site see and acclimate to the time change you are looking at 2 weeks plus off. Yes it is possible to get the longer Caribbean cruises (which is what I normally do, working in healthcare if I have to switch weekends with people I want to maximise the time I’m away)  but most cruises are going to be 5-9 days. 

[eileeshb]

23 hours ago, omahabob said:

 

That may be warm compared to Ireland, but it isn't warm.

It is warm by OCEAN standards. You’re landlocked and lakes are a lot warmer in the summer than the sea at any time. The Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean are exceptionally warm relative to the Atlantic and large parts of the Pacific Ocean. I’ve swum in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, as well as the pacific coast of Central America, none of which were appreciably warmer than the 22C in Ireland.

I’ve dealt with surfers and divers from all around the world in my day job and the only ones I’ve met who think a sea temperature above 20C is not warm are equatorial or tropical climate dwellers.  In many ways the air temperature has as much or more influence in how the water temperature feels. When there’s a big difference then even warm water can feel cold, in Ireland our sea temperature is usually higher than the air temperature during the winter which is why we’ve so many winter swimmers who don’t use wetsuits and it can then feel colder in the summer despite the water temperature increasing. When I was swimming in Roatan it initially felt cool despite being 26C (80F) simply because the air temperature was significantly higher. 

 

 

[omahabob]

11 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

It is warm by OCEAN standards....

 

 

 

Right, which isn't warm in my book. I agree that different people will have different perspectives based on what they're used to. My wife thought the water in Hawaii was cold even with a wetsuit. And she's from New England where the water is much colder. But most tourist, non-surfer type, folk from middle America, like the one I was replying to, will find they're a lot more comfortable with a wetsuit in water that temperature. I don't understand why you find that to be such a problem.

Edited July 8, 2023 by omahabob

[omahabob]

Tried to edit, and it made a completely new post. Sorry.

Edited July 8, 2023 by omahabob

[leithbones]

On 7/7/2023 at 6:20 PM, omahabob said:

Must-----resist-----joke.

No, don't resist.

Let 'er rip  ==  Low hanging fruit.

"Partial in, then out?" >>>> Please. 

We need MORE than one poster responding.

[omahabob]

Pretty sure I might run afoul of the rules, so I must regretfully pass.

[GORDONCHICK]

IMO, once you fly to HI, you might as well do your own thing for a couple of weeks and then fly back instead of cruise it.  I never saw the benefit of cruising HI, or especially cruising to HI (with a total of 10 sea days on other lines).

When it comes to Europe, I'm more about the itinerary and care very little about the cruise line or ship.  That's a cruise that's way more about the ports than the ship.  Same goes for AK in my book.

Now, the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, etc, the ship/line is of more importance to me.

[omahabob]

For me, the best location for a cruise is dependent primarily on how much the wife wants it, and how much she's willing to spend. All other considerations are mainly insignificant in comparison.