almendrada

Two great itineraries, and two great ships!

 

Can you fly direct into San Juan?

 

You will LOVE Half Moon Cay.

 

But St Lucia is absolute incredible.

 

The SJ itinerary is port intensive. You have to decide if you would like more sea days. We love them... It's like that Beatles song... 'Oh, that magic feeling... Nowhere to go...'

Thanks for replying!

My mom has been on 5 Carnival cruises, and she says she loves the sea days. I also really like being able to stretch out and relax... but I've always wanted to see St. Lucia ever since I saw someone's honeymoon pictures. Those Pitons are amazing!

We live in frozen Minnesota, so any flight (to anywhere) will be a bit of an ordeal. I don't believe that there are any direct flights from MSP to SJU, and the Miami ones do appear to be a titch cheaper. Lots to consider...

I'm still more than a year away! But these forums make it seem closer, especially with all the great reviews and photos.

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to the CC forums, and to cruising in general, and so is my husband. But we have been longing for another real vacation ever since our honeymoon at an all-inclusive beach resort, and have decided to just make it happen!

I'm a college student, and also have a full time job in addition to volunteering; my husband tends to work overtime. For this reason, we are restricted to when we can go, and it's pretty much gotta be the week of March 6-12, 2016.

As far as I can see, our two options on Carnival (which is what we can afford) are Glory's Eastern Caribbean route out of Miami to Half Moon Cay, St Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk; or Liberty's Southern Caribbean route out of San Juan to St Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, St Kitts, and St Maarten.

A bit about us:

• We're in our late 30's
  
• We're not very active (though we're trying to get to the gym more!)
  
• We're both pretty heavy
  
• We both love to be relaxed on vacation
  
• Neither of us really likes to gamble
  
• We like history/sightseeing-type activities
  
• I love laying out and reading on the beach or by the pool.
  
• I drink, he doesn't.
  
• I'm very adventurous, food-wise; he isn't.
  
• I speak Spanish, he doesn't.
  

I would love feedback from anyone who has been to these destinations, or on one or both of these ships. We're saving up, slowly but surely, to make our deposit, and that's when we'll likely decide for sure.

Any tips? Things we should consider?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

We're also taking our very first cruise on March 6 in the Caribbean - definitely a 7-day itinerary, although we haven't decided which one in particular. In our case, we're doing it then because March 6 is my spring break from school...but I'm 36! Maybe there are "college kids" like me that will be hanging out on a 7-day cruise, but I think it might be a bit pricey for the younger crowd. That's a big assumption, I'll admit.

I will also say that I have a vague memory of trying to go on a cruise with my friends when I was actually college-aged, but the cruise lines wouldn't book us because of our ages. Of course that was a good 15 years ago now, and I'm sure things may have changed.

I've been encountering dirty plates and cups for years. I'm amazed by the large numbers of people who just don't care and pick up my discards. I tell people to pass by me, as I inspect every piece. Same with the glasses and silverware. I run the drink dispensers at least 5 seconds, again to dirty looks, to minimize the prior contamination by the multiple people who refill their dirty beverage containers. (they are NEVER clean, no matter what they say, in my opinion)

I think I must be missing something. If someone uses a "dirty" cup (i.e., it's been used before) with a soda fountain, how is the soda fountain getting contaminated, unless the person is pressing the "mouth" part of the cup against the nozzle?

Also, aren't you worried that your five seconds of letting the soda run will fill up or overflow that drip reservoir at the bottom of the fountain, which is not usually connected to a drain? Perhaps the soda dispensers on the cruise ships are different from the ones you see on land... I'm totally open to the fact that I'm completely missing the point here! :)

I picked option #3 for a few VERY important reasons ;-) :

1. It's coming up sooner, so if you're impatient like me, you don't have to wait so long for fun and sun!

2. Based on some photo reviews I've seen here, Glory looks like a beautiful ship.

3. Dominican Republic would be amazing, and really, all four destinations sound fantastic.

But really, no matter what you decide, you win! You get to go on a cruise! :)

Eeek! I don't see it. I think reerun25 is probably right. Freaky though!

Thanks for the great review, especially all those pictures. We're mulling over an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Glory or a Southern route on the Liberty for our first cruise. All this info was very helpful!

Thank you! We are limited to one particular week (I'm one of those nuts who holds a full time job and goes to college) so our choices are a bit restricted... and maybe I'm doing the search wrong but it seems RCI and other lines are twice the price of Carnival. Is that the case, or am I missing something?

I really appreciate you taking all the time and effort to write this review. My DH and I will be first-time cruisers when we go next spring, and we're seriously considering the Liberty, on a southern route to St Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, St Kitts, and St Maarten. Your detailed notes and pictures made it feel like I've been on the Liberty myself! I also especially appreciate you taking the time to describe things like embarkation/debarkation, what it's like to get off at ports of call, the level of crowds/lines, etc., because I'm really curious and hungry for information as someone who's never been on a cruise before.

Thanks again for your time and effort. I'm sure it will be appreciated by many more future cruisers in the years to come.

I like spreadsheets. I know they are not for everyone, but I find them very helpful. I build one for each trip. I list each date, where we will be, when we arrive and/or depart. Where we will stay (if not on ship), plans for the day. This would include tour (ship or private) info. Who organized, when & where to meet & cost.

 

Shortly before leaving home. I add blank lines between each date and print it off. I use a magnet to attach it to the wall of our cabin and write in additional info as needed.

Love this idea! I am *such* a spreadsheet nerd. :)

Thanks for this! We're contemplating the Carnival Liberty for our first cruise next year... maybe not, though, if the crowds are that bad.