Which cruise would you pick?

[yogimax]

Option #2 - I like the Mexican ports the best!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Option #3 - the ports are better!

 

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[SamFritz]

Hoping some seasoned cruisers can help… want to plan a nice vacation for end of January/beginning of February. Thinking a cruise – never been on one before! I’ve been doing a ton of research, including reading these boards. I’ve narrowed down to a few RCI options and would like some input. These options fit my needs of new(er), large(er) ship; sailing for a full week from Florida (airfare/hotel not a factor); and having an outside room within my budget. My goals with this trip are to be WARM (get out of the New England winter for a bit); relax; see new places; have fun. My boyfriend and I are ages 28 & 29.

 

Option 1: Jan. 31 – Feb. 7; seven-night Western Caribbean on Liberty OTS from Miami; visiting Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Option 2: Jan. 24 – Jan. 31; seven-night Western Caribbean on Liberty OTS from Miami; visiting Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Option 3: Jan. 31 – Feb. 7; seven-night Eastern Caribbean on Freedom OTS from Port Canaveral; visiting Cococay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

What would you choose and why? What would you do in the different ports-of-call? Thank you for any and all help!!

I'd find the money and time off of work, take option 2 and then back to back it with options 1 or 3. At least I'd do that in my fantasy world.

 

As far as a recommendation for a first time cruiser. I did the same ports of call as option 2 on the Legend of the Seas out of Tampa two years ago. I love Costa Maya, and Cozumel has tons to do. Since you'll be on a Freedom class ship you don't need to worry about getting bored on the sea days. You still won't see all the ship.

 

I've done all Western Carib. so far, and I'm eager to see some of the eastern islands.

[3JM]

Opt #1 for first time cruisers. Jamaica - zip line, fantastic, best cruise ever when we did that

Cayman Island - snorkeling is great

not a fan of Cozumel (we've been there too many times) but my daughter of 24 is, again, snorkeling is good there too

 

Beware of all the jewelry stores, know your gold before buying. know how gold is marked, don't be fooled by gold overlay

 

Enjoy your cruise, once you take your first one, you can't stop. We're leaving for our 9th cruise on Freedom in 2 weeks.

[OrangeSquirrel]

WOW! I am so impressed by all the helpful responses, and truly grateful for the tips and advice. This is such a terrific forum!

 

We were pretty set on option #1, but thought we might want to look into an Eastern route, too. Now I’m torn! We’ll have to weigh the pros/cons of both to make our decision. I’ve pretty much ruled out option #2 – while I’d love to see Belize and Costa Maya, I think the destinations with #1 and #3 are more compelling for my first cruise. Thanks for helping me realize this!

 

will work: airfare/hotel not a factor because we actually prefer to drive to FL (odd, I know… but we’ve done it numerous times, b/f hates to fly, we enjoy road trips, I pack a lot), and we likely have a place to stay in Miami but would need to look into someplace in Port Canaveral. A Southern cruise does sound nice, though… as does a b2b, SamFritz, but work and budget definitely don’t allow this! :)

 

Didn’t know Port Canaveral was super-easy – thanks, bionicman97! And hadn’t thought to spend some time in that area, but will definitely consider that now – thanks, mmacdcc! I’m a beach person too, houlacruiser, and this Eastern trip is sounding better and better….

 

But cuizer2 makes a great point that I would not have realized… having to go through customs again because of the order of ports. Thanks for pointing this out! The great adventures recommended by camofwilliamsburg and 3JM for the Western ports – swimming with sting rays and dolphins, zip lines and tubing – sound fabulous. I’m a little leery of our timing in Miami, though (departing day of Pro Bowl, returning day of Super Bowl), but since we are big football fans this could be exciting! To be determined…go Pats! ;)

 

If you had to choose between ships – Freedom or Liberty – which would you choose? Or are they just so similar that it doesn’t matter? Thanks!

[sweetcruiser106]

I haven't travelled on either Freedom or Liberty (both are the same class so should be nearly identical), but I would choose Freedom. As been stated before, Port Canaveral is a very convenient port with lots to do nearby. Needless to say my choice would be option 3. You don't pass through customs in St. Thomas, but instead immigration (checking of passports or other citizenship documentation). Customs is where you declare the items you purchased in foreign ports. The process sounds worse on paper than it actually is. Just follow the ship's staff instructions and the process isn't long at all. We love all of the ports on the Eastern Caribbean route. Coco Cay is just about our favorite spot on earth. The view from the beaches in St. Thomas and St. John is just fabulous and the water is beautiful and so warm. St. Martin has some of the friendliest people. I sure that you can't go wrong with any of your choices. Have a great time.

Anne:)

[camofwilliamsburg]

You forget to tell her to get to any beach in St thomas is a small fortune each way , pp fares in the cab. To get to St john for a first time cruiser is not an easy task. It takes ferry, cab, timing.... I would not venture out that far the first time. I would stay close with private tours that can be trusted to get you back in plenty of time. Port Canaveral is very easy to get into and out of.

Miami has some hotels that will park your car for the week for free...look into that. Miami is not a bad port, just a very crowded one. But it all works.

We did Liberty not Freedom. They are almost the same, decor differs. Pick which is easier for you to get to , based on road travel time and ease of all other factors. I think if you are adventurous, then Option 1 ports are great.

Option 3 would be my next choice. If you do go to st thomas go find a private excursion that has fun stuff to do. We did one that took us by boat to many places, included turtle cove and other places near St john. It was a wonderful day. But if you stay on the island...be careful. WE were robbed off of Coki beach about 10 yrs ago.

Know this: whichever you decide will be fun and great for you. One is not better, just different. I would let the price decide, ease of getting to the location, hotel stays, car parking ( since you are driving) weigh into the factors. You will cruise again, and the other ports will be there.

[JYL]

OrangeSquirrel:

 

I'm not sure everyone's opinions help, :) but here comes mine: as much as I love Cozumel and Costa Maya, I don't think there's anything better than St. Maarten and St. Thomas! They are beautiful, elegant countries; the best of the best. You know St. Maarten is both Dutch and French, two completely different experiences. The pictures are of Orient Beach, French side, St. Maarten.

 

The good news is, you'll be addicted, so whichever one you don't take this time, you can take next time :p

 

Have a wonderful first cruise!

 

Judy

[JYL]

Pictures didn't show up for some reason ...

[houlacruiser]

WOW! I am so impressed by all the helpful responses, and truly grateful for the tips and advice. This is such a terrific forum!

 

(departing day of Pro Bowl, returning day of Super Bowl), but since we are big football fans this could be exciting! To be determined…go Pats! ;)

 

If you had to choose between ships – Freedom or Liberty – which would you choose? Or are they just so similar that it doesn’t matter? Thanks!

 

 

Being a Colts fan - it's tough to put the Pat's thing aside, but I'll try in the interest of being helful. :) ;)

 

Freedom is smaller - still has ice skating rink, rock wall, solarium (adults only pool/hot tubs) and most of the bells and whistles of the larger ships. Liberty has the flow-rider which is an attraction to some. Look on RCI's website under "plan a cruise" and then "ships" and you can take a look for yourself at each ship.

 

If you like to drive, why not drive down to NJ and hop on the Explorer? Prices might be a little higher, but remember you're only driving to NJ. Based on your dates here are a couple of options:

 

Jan 24th or Feb 14th - 12 night Southern (my personal fave!)

(Feb 14th sailing San Juan is at the end)

Ship Name: Explorer Of The Seas

Departure Port: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

Ports of Call: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Roseau, Dominica; Bridgetown, Barbados; St. John's, Antigua; Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

 

Jan 14th - 10 night Eastern

Ship Name: Explorer Of The Seas

Departure Port: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

Ports of Call: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. John's, Antigua; Roseau, Dominica; Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

 

Feb 5th - 9 night Eastern

Ship Name: Explorer Of The Seas

Departure Port: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

Ports of Call: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Samana, Dominican Republic; Labadee, Haiti; Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

2010 Date(s): 05 Feb , 26 Feb

[Tranquil Waters]

I will always take Eastern over Western route! :)

[Tranquil Waters]

I will always take Eastern over Western! Put me down for option #3. :)

[fridaythe13th]

I'm not sure if this is still correct or not, but if you stay at the Radisson in Cocoa Beach you can leave you car there for free.

 

I do agree with Cruizr2 that Carnival does not know how to get people through immigration like RC does! It really is a painless process so don't let that scare you away from that option. We have done an island tour in St. Thomas with http://www.godfreytoursvi.com a few times which is a great tour well worth the $35. We have done an island tour in St. Maarten with http://www.bernardstours.com/ which is also a great deal.

 

I might have to look into the ones leaving from NJ....... Might be a little cold outside on the first day but guess I'd just have to find a nice warm place inside.:D

[akupupule]

If it was me, I'd cruise out of Miami that time of year. The Cold fronts don't make it all the way down to Miami as often (as the Orlando / Port Canaveral area) . For the same reason, I'd be cautious of booking a cruise that included Coco Cay during Dec-Feb. If the seas are rough, RCI won't tender you in to Coco Cay (we've missed it 3 different times) and the water is cool that time of year. If you are active people, choose the itinerary with more port calls. If you like to chill out, choose the itinerary with more sea days. However, for a first cruise, I would recommend more Port Calls. You can't go wrong with the ships....hope yall have a GREAT first cruise! :)

[macbasset]

Definitely #3.

[romnan]

After reviewing all the responses I submit that my choice is #3.This is the best for first time cruisers,plus the FOS is a great ship. When have been to these ports three time and just love them.:)

 

My wife and I are twice your age and then some,so I am sure you are alittle more active than we are.These ports are safer and the locals are not so much in your face. I hate Jamacia I have never had a good experience in Ocho Rios and I am pretty laid back.:(

 

I don't know what you are doing for a cabin selection but We prefer Balconies.I could fill a page,but that is anouther subject:D

[lady of the seas]

Hoping some seasoned cruisers can help… want to plan a nice vacation for end of January/beginning of February. Thinking a cruise – never been on one before! I’ve been doing a ton of research, including reading these boards. I’ve narrowed down to a few RCI options and would like some input. These options fit my needs of new(er), large(er) ship; sailing for a full week from Florida (airfare/hotel not a factor); and having an outside room within my budget. My goals with this trip are to be WARM (get out of the New England winter for a bit); relax; see new places; have fun. My boyfriend and I are ages 28 & 29.

 

Option 1: Jan. 31 – Feb. 7; seven-night Western Caribbean on Liberty OTS from Miami; visiting Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Option 2: Jan. 24 – Jan. 31; seven-night Western Caribbean on Liberty OTS from Miami; visiting Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Option 3: Jan. 31 – Feb. 7; seven-night Eastern Caribbean on Freedom OTS from Port Canaveral; visiting Cococay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

What would you choose and why? What would you do in the different ports-of-call? Thank you for any and all help!!

 

Having been on cruises for all these destinations I can say without hesitation Option #3. I find these ports much more scenic and don't have to worry about eating food on shore. I am also a shopper and the Caribbean has the best shopping.

[masonpips]

I'd pick 1 or 3 as many of the others have said and I personally prefer Eastern more than Western.

[Mlkkc]

I love both routes but with that said I would chose eastern.Ihave done the western a bout 5 times and eastern maybe twice so I would like to explore eastern a little more

[printingchick]

Personally, I'd choose southern over eastern or western, but it requires flying to San Juan. I live in New England too. I believe if you check, you'll find the southern routes are about $100-$150 less expensive than the western or eastern itineraries, which makes up the difference in air fare.

 

However, southern was not on your list. I just did the Option 1 on your list. I had a great time. That would be my second choice, as Option #2 and Option #3 visit only three ports. Two of the ports on Option 2's itinerary are in the Yucatan Penninsula of Mexico. Not much variety there.

 

Things to consider:

 

Cozumel is exactly what you'd expect in terms of a Mexican tourist destination. There are a ton of things to do there. It's a place you can return to over and over and always see different things. That said, it is a very touristy Mexico port. Most places with be crowded and you'll see a very manufactured-for-the-American-tourist destination.

Grand Cayman has the lovely seven-mile beach. It's really nice, but not really any nicer than beaches on many of the other islands. It's very safe and easy to walk around in. The sting ray excursion - whichever version you choose - is not to be missed.

Labadee is a manufactured paradise - almost Disney-like. There is a lot of natural beauty, but you can't help wondering what's real and what's not. It's a nice relaxing beach day, but you don't really see Haiti, you only see a Royal Caribbean resort.

Jamaica, a port I avoided for years because of bad press, was my favorite on this itinerary. Dunns River falls was lovely and we had a BLAST at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. You need to stick to well-traveled areas and you WILL be pressed to buy stuff...including drugs. But if you stay in safe areas, you'll love it.

 

I recommend taking a look at Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan. She hits some fabulous ports of call, most of which are less touristy than those on the western routes. You'll visit 4-5 islands, which is great. The only things you really sacrifice sailing Voyager Class over Freedom Class are the H2O zone (for little kids only, so if you're not bringing kids, that's not an issue) and the FlowRider. We found Freedom to be a little too crowded for our taste. While my boyfriend loved the FlowRider, he did it only one day for a few minutes - not a big deal.

 

The other benefit of cruises out of San Juan is that they leave after 8PM. If you fly down a day in advance, you have a day to spend exploring San Juan. If you're cutting costs and risking the same-day flight, you're less likely to incur a flight delay significant enough to impact your cruise since it departs so late.

 

Worth thinking about...

[DonnaK]

Hoping some seasoned cruisers can help… want to plan a nice vacation for end of January/beginning of February. Thinking a cruise – never been on one before! I’ve been doing a ton of research, including reading these boards. I’ve narrowed down to a few RCI options and would like some input. These options fit my needs of new(er), large(er) ship; sailing for a full week from Florida (airfare/hotel not a factor); and having an outside room within my budget. My goals with this trip are to be WARM (get out of the New England winter for a bit); relax; see new places; have fun. My boyfriend and I are ages 28 & 29.

 

Option 1: Jan. 31 – Feb. 7; seven-night Western Caribbean on Liberty OTS from Miami; visiting Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Option 2: Jan. 24 – Jan. 31; seven-night Western Caribbean on Liberty OTS from Miami; visiting Costa Maya, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Option 3: Jan. 31 – Feb. 7; seven-night Eastern Caribbean on Freedom OTS from Port Canaveral; visiting Cococay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

What would you choose and why? What would you do in the different ports-of-call? Thank you for any and all help!!

 

The truth is that you cant go wrong with any of these cruises. We'd probably choose option #2 because it contains ports that aren't on most itineraries. (option #1 and option #3 have ports that are frequently repeated, so you'd be likely to hit them again on future cruises). We LOVE Labadee, and find that Cozumel and Grand Cayman have so many things to do that it's possible to return several times and do something different each time, so that makes option #1 quite appealing. Option #3 has the advantage of leaving from Port Canaveral, and nice beachy ports with good shopping, but not as much "action" as the ports on option #1.

 

The bottom line is that whichever you choose, you'll have a good time. These ships are really destinations in themselves regardless of their ports of call.

 

PS: Since you're leaning towards #1, I'd definitely suggest booking a River Tubing/Dunns Falls combo in Jamaica, with one of the reputable private tour guides recommended on the ports of call board on CC, such as Marva Shaw. Same with Grand Cayman: book swimming with sting rays through a private guide recommended on the Grand Cayman board.

[katiel53]

Every time you enter the United States or one of its territories from a foreign country you have to go though customs. Since the ship visits a foreign country before going to St. Thomas, which is a foreign country, the passengers have to go through customs. When I was on the Carnival Glory that process took three hours.

 

When I went to St. Thomas from San Juan, since both a US territories, there was no need to go through customs again.

 

We were on Glory 2/28-3/7/09 and DID NOT have to go thru immigration in St Thomas even though we sailed from Pt Canaveral to Nassau and then to St Thomas. We were just able to get off the ship without showing passports etc. I don't know when it was changed, but it's no longer necessary to do the immigration (not customs) thing there.

 

 

OP,

I would do Option 3. As a matter of fact, we are doing that cruise in April. I love going to the beaches of St Thomas as well as shopping there. In St Maarten we go to the casinos, but there is a lot more to do on that island. Coco Cay is just a nice beach day.

 

I like Grand Cayman, but don't like the tendering to the port. We were in Costa Maya last week and it was ok, but it wasn't that great. Belize had overcast weather so we didn't go snorkeling as we had planned. The shopping area is a tender ride and there isn't a large area. If you don't plan to do some water thing, I feel the port is a waste of time. JMO.

[promoregal]

#3 Hands down will be delightful. We walked to the end of the pier in St. Maarten I believe, rented a car and drove all around ourselves for the day when our kids were younger and had a great time. We took a beach bag, had brought a large sheet from home, ordered room service of turkey sandwhiches before we got off the ship and we were ready to go. Our car rental was about $70 for the day, we stopped at all the Beaches we wanted to, had lunch, did a little shopping. Returned the car and then we were back on the ship. Explored on our own time with a book in hand, loved every minute of it and had a great time. It was beautiful!

[NordicPrince]

Option 4: If airfare and hotel are not a factor, fly to San Juan and do the Southern cruise on the Adventure of the Seas. Plenty of great beaches on these islands. Stay the extra day and enjoy San Juan.

 

Have to go with a second on this notion from this poster.

 

Take the Adventurer of the Seas (Sunday departure) or Serenade of the Seas (Saturday departure) from San Juan to Southern Caribbean.

 

Air fare maybe $50 more p/p. San Juan beautiful to leave at night (ship departs 10 P.M. harbor lights fantastic) plus you can tour Old San Juan.

 

Ports are much more exotic and interesting, not uncommercialized

but you won't get 6 ships in port on the same day like some Western runs.

 

Not the least of which the cruising is much smoother in Southern Caribbean, leaving from Miami you have to cross Gulf Stream which makes a few hours dicey and Grand Caymen gets swells sometimes which makes tendering very interesting.

 

Serenade of the Seas docks at every port; no tendering involved.

Not a small consideration for first time cruiser.

 

Whichever you go, have a great cruise.

[Conanc]

For me, without a doubt I would choose Option #3. Freedom and Liberty are pretty much the same but I love the Eastern itinerary! St. Maarten in our very favorite!

 

I also agree with the other posters. If you can do a Southern itinerary out of San Juan -- I would definitely consider it! If not, Option #3 Eastern.

 

Whatever you decide -- enjoy your cruise!