Planning 2nd Cruise! Southern - advice?

[murfturf]

This is my 2nd cruise and I'm getting excited thinking about planning again :)

 

First was FOS - Western in October. It was HOT!

 

Our next one needs to be in January - so my parents can watch the kids. I love the idea of a Jan 2 departure, that way they can be here around the holidays and then we leave for the cruise. Also, we can fly New Years' Day which is a great travel day!

 

I want to do Southern Caribbean but not sure which itinerary.

 

The one I'm considering is AOS out of San Juan on Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

The one that leaves the 9th is this: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John's, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

The other option is Serenade - Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Basseterre, St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

This on on the 8th: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; St. George's, Grenada; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

Ok - so two different ships, many different ports! Anyone have any input about preferences?

[39august]

Since you have been to none of the ports, you can't miss with any of these itineraries. My only suggestion is that you might want to try the Serenade for a different atmosphere than Liberty. Those Radiance class ships are gorgeous with all their glass...even glass elevators. And those ships have the Seaview Cafe, so much better than Johnny Rockets and at no extra charge. Another great feature is the outdoor dining area in the Windjammer. Adventure is very much like Liberty without the flow-rider.

[sailor05]

We did the AOS and loved it! The ship is beautiful and very well maintained (but most are), and the friendliest crew we have ever had. That itinerary was awesome.

The only negative thing I can say is it's an expensive cruise, because of the increased airfare and San Juan is very expensive. Do Priceline for your hotel to save some $$

[printingchick]

This is my 2nd cruise and I'm getting excited thinking about planning again :)

 

First was FOS - Western in October. It was HOT!

 

Our next one needs to be in January - so my parents can watch the kids. I love the idea of a Jan 2 departure, that way they can be here around the holidays and then we leave for the cruise. Also, we can fly New Years' Day which is a great travel day!

 

I want to do Southern Caribbean but not sure which itinerary.

 

The one I'm considering is AOS out of San Juan on Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

The one that leaves the 9th is this: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John's, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

The other option is Serenade - Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Basseterre, St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

This on on the 8th: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; St. George's, Grenada; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

Ok - so two different ships, many different ports! Anyone have any input about preferences?

 

YES! Have sailed on BOTH ships.

 

ADVENTURE:

 

I did THIS itinerary on AOS:

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

PROS:

Liked the fact that it included TWO sea days. That's rare for southern itineraries. Most include only one and it is at the end. As I recall, this itinerary has one up front and one in the middle. It gives you time to learn the ship and a day in the middle of the cruise to relax and regroup!

 

Since you're cruised on Freedom before, this ship would be extremely similar. It's a little smaller and I found the big public events to be less crowded than on Freedom. You'll give up the FlowRider and gain an in-line skate park. There is a kids waterpark area, but it's not as impressive as the H2O Zone on Freedom. You won't have cantilevered hot tubs in the Solarium.

 

SERENADE:

 

Itineraris on Serenade have changed recently. Even though we sailed just last month, we had a different set of ports. We visited:

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Roseau, Dominica; Bridgetown, Barbados; San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 

PROS:

I worried I'd be disappointed with the ship, having sailed only on Voyager class (Adventure) and Freedom Class (Freedom) previously. I thought I'd miss the Royal Promenade and the ice rink. I was surprised to find that I didn't.

 

Serenade almost always ranks at the top of polls asking cruisers to name their favorite ship. It has some real benefits that are difficult to put into words. The smaller size makes everything more intimate. The Quest show is played with small, 6-person teams. The 70s party is ACTUALLY a party, rather than a performance. The crew is right there with the guests doing the YMCA dance. The solarium pool is so lovely, it defies description. It's just a lovely ship.

 

If you were traveling with kids, I'd say GO ADVENTURE. If you're traveling as a couple...well, it's sort of a toss-up. I like both ships for different reasons. The itineraries are both great, although I'm not a big fan of Aruba.

 

I've visted all the ports listed except for Grenada. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about them.

 

The only port we found to be exceptionally hot was Barbados. Average temps on these islands are pretty much the same year-round. You're looking at 80-ish. The more southern ports, like Barbados and Aruba, could be more like 90-ish.

 

We got rain on our last cruise, but it was only continuous in St Thomas and San Juan. Usually you only see passing showers in the southern Caribbean.

 

My email address is in my profile. Happy to answer any questions I can.

[printingchick]

PS: You're very smart to choose the southern Caribbean. I can pretty much guarantee you'll prefer it to the western. The ports provide WAY more variety - from flat to mountainous, from touristy to undeveloped.

[AlanAllyn]

I should have such problems! I have sailed on sisters of both ships and as the last person said like them both for different reasons. My pick would be the first, because I really liked Curacao.

[kellyshantz]

I like doing the 10 day cruise out of Florida and saving the cost of the airfare from to San Juan. Princess has a 10 day out of Florida. The cost of the extra days evens with the cost of the airfare. You can't make a bad choice. The Southern Carribbean is my favorite. I have done it several times. Have fun.

[cheaptravel]

Celebrity has an 11-day and 14-day out of FL. The 14-day covers ALL of the islands !! Sailing the extra days from FL alleviates the need to fly to San Juan and hotel stays before/after the cruise. If the evenings on Celebrity aren't quite as WOW or active as RCCL, that would be ok with me. On a port intensive voyage, I'll need to get my shut-eye to re-energize for the next day.

[LBumb]

This is my 2nd cruise and I'm getting excited thinking about planning again :)

 

First was FOS - Western in October. It was HOT!

 

Our next one needs to be in January - so my parents can watch the kids. I love the idea of a Jan 2 departure, that way they can be here around the holidays and then we leave for the cruise. Also, we can fly New Years' Day which is a great travel day!

 

I want to do Southern Caribbean but not sure which itinerary.

 

The one I'm considering is AOS out of San Juan on Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

The one that leaves the 9th is this: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John's, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

The other option is Serenade - Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Basseterre, St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

This on on the 8th: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; St. George's, Grenada; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

Ok - so two different ships, many different ports! Anyone have any input about preferences?

 

aruba and curacao are excellent stops, that would be my vote

[Ocean Boy]

I also love Curacao and Aruba. I am a bit disappointed that St. Maarten is no longer part of that itinerary. The Barbados route is good also but I do prefer to have two sea days during a week's cruise and that route only has one. And though we have not seen much of St. Croix, as we were only there a few hours when Serenade made a refueling stop, I would not be all that excited about going back. I'd much rather go to St. Thomas and have the option of staying there or taking the ferry over to St. John. I believe St. Croix has now been substituted for St. Thomas on the Barbados route.

 

We did the Barbados route on Serenade and the Aruba route 3 times on Adventure. So I guess that shows where my preference lies. But whatever you choose, any southern route will beat any western or eastern Caribbean itinerary hands down.

[murfturf]

Good to hear specifically about ports people like - that is going to be the deciding factor over choice of ship.

 

Interesting info about the ships, we did love Freedom, but going on a ship with a different feel would be fun as well.

[torpeedo]

How about the Jewel 11 nite ultimate Southern caribbean Jan 3rd!

Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Oranjestad, Aruba; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Love this cruise and love the Jewel.

[Cruisin KLS]

This is my 2nd cruise and I'm getting excited thinking about planning again :)

 

First was FOS - Western in October. It was HOT!

 

Our next one needs to be in January - so my parents can watch the kids. I love the idea of a Jan 2 departure, that way they can be here around the holidays and then we leave for the cruise. Also, we can fly New Years' Day which is a great travel day!

 

I want to do Southern Caribbean but not sure which itinerary.

 

The one I'm considering is AOS out of San Juan on Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

The one that leaves the 9th is this: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John's, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

The other option is Serenade - Jan 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Basseterre, St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

This on on the 8th: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; St. George's, Grenada; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

 

Ok - so two different ships, many different ports! Anyone have any input about preferences?

 

Have been on both the AOS and the SOS. AOS in 2009, SOS in 2010 and will be back on the AOS in 2011. All cruises in January/February. Love the Southern Route. Love leaving out of Puerto Rico that time of year because it is already warm. Straight from CT to 80 degree weather is great!

They have changed the itineraries a little since we did them. When we went on the AOS we did Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. 2 sea days. Ship had a lot going on. Our first Voyager class ship. Aruba and Curacao are beautiful. Did our best excursion, in my opinion, with Curacao Actief. Loved it!!

On the SOS, we did St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Antigua, Tortola and Grenada. This is by far my favorite ship. Very easy to navigate, lots of glass, staff was wonderful, food was great. Loved sitting outside at the Windjammer, you don't get this on the AOS. Met lots of great people. Had our first hump cabin...it was great. Only one sea day but probably our most relaxing cruise out of the 7 we have been on.

Next year on the AOS, we are doing the route with Barbados and St. Croix. Liked the ship but picked this cruise because of the ports. 2 that we have not been to yet. And our first Aft cabin. I am already counting the days.

Like a previous poster mentioned, if you are flying down early, try Priceline for hotel. We always get a great deal with them and have never been disappointed with the hotel that we received.

Good luck on your decision...either one is a good choice in my opinion. I love San Juan more and more each time we visit!!

-Kristi

[murfturf]

How about the Jewel 11 nite ultimate Southern caribbean Jan 3rd!

Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Oranjestad, Aruba; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Love this cruise and love the Jewel.

 

If the grandparents were able to, and my hubby was able to be gone that long - it sounds great! I'll look into it more, because once you add San Juan onto the 7 day cruise, it's more like a 9 day trip total. Thanks :)

[printingchick]

If the grandparents were able to, and my hubby was able to be gone that long - it sounds great! I'll look into it more, because once you add San Juan onto the 7 day cruise, it's more like a 9 day trip total. Thanks :)

 

People will tell you you need to stay in San Juan the night before and some will even say the night before and after.

 

In October, your chances of a flight delay are fairly minimal. I've three cruises in early March, traveling from New England, and never had a delay.

 

Your cruise does not depart until at least 8PM. There is very little chance you will miss the cruise by taking a same-day flight. Yes, there is certainly a risk. There is a risk of all sorts of things. For us, the risk is not significant enough to warrant the additional expense of the hotel/food costs associated with adding pre or post day stays in San Juan.

 

When we cruised in March, we had an 8:30AM flight out of Boston. We arrived in San Juan around 1PM. We were actually EARLY. (Puerto Rico does not observe daylight savings time, the flight is not actually as long as it sounds.) To get a non-stop flight, we had to go out of an airport located an hour and a half away, meaning we were on the road by 5AM. Yeah, we were TIRED our first night on the ship. But if you add a pre/post night stay to a nine day cruise, you're into a 10-11 day vacation.

 

In order to make a 4PM departure out of Florida, a pre-cruise stay makes sense. Out of San Juan, I think it's a gamble worth taking to save the money.

[Cruising89143]

I also love Curacao and Aruba. I am a bit disappointed that St. Maarten is no longer part of that itinerary. The Barbados route is good also but I do prefer to have two sea days during a week's cruise and that route only has one. And though we have not seen much of St. Croix, as we were only there a few hours when Serenade made a refueling stop, I would not be all that excited about going back. I'd much rather go to St. Thomas and have the option of staying there or taking the ferry over to St. John. I believe St. Croix has now been substituted for St. Thomas on the Barbados route.

 

We did the Barbados route on Serenade and the Aruba route 3 times on Adventure. So I guess that shows where my preference lies. But whatever you choose, any southern route will beat any western or eastern Caribbean itinerary hands down.

 

I agree about St. Maarten. Hated that it was dropped. Also agree about St. Croix. I have been there twice when I was cruising on Canrival. Have no desire to go back. Give me St. Thomas any day.

[Ocean Boy]

People will tell you you need to stay in San Juan the night before and some will even say the night before and after.

 

In October, your chances of a flight delay are fairly minimal. I've three cruises in early March, traveling from New England, and never had a delay.

 

Your cruise does not depart until at least 8PM. There is very little chance you will miss the cruise by taking a same-day flight. Yes, there is certainly a risk. There is a risk of all sorts of things. For us, the risk is not significant enough to warrant the additional expense of the hotel/food costs associated with adding pre or post day stays in San Juan.

 

When we cruised in March, we had an 8:30AM flight out of Boston. We arrived in San Juan around 1PM. We were actually EARLY. (Puerto Rico does not observe daylight savings time, the flight is not actually as long as it sounds.) To get a non-stop flight, we had to go out of an airport located an hour and a half away, meaning we were on the road by 5AM. Yeah, we were TIRED our first night on the ship. But if you add a pre/post night stay to a nine day cruise, you're into a 10-11 day vacation.

 

In order to make a 4PM departure out of Florida, a pre-cruise stay makes sense. Out of San Juan, I think it's a gamble worth taking to save the money.

I agree with you. We have never flown in a day early to San Juan. I am curious though, you don't say what part of CT you are in but American has a very convenient non-stop flight out of Bradley every morning down to San Juan. They also have a non-stop back that leaves SJU sometime between 7-8PM. We usually take that flight and spend the day that the cruise ends in Old San Juan.

[glentally]

I agree about St. Maarten. Hated that it was dropped. Also agree about St. Croix. I have been there twice when I was cruising on Canrival. Have no desire to go back..

 

hey cruisin gator, what didn't you like about St croix? I agree st martin is my favorite. I would skip a cruise and just stay ther except the airfare is outrageous.

 

Glen

[Tak8]

Southern is my favorite route. I don't know which ship to tell you, but I would almost always pick 5 islands over 4. I go for the beach/snorkel time. You can always do just a half day or stay on board if you are tired, but it's hard to get off when not in port.

[Toothfairy754]

We just did an eleven day on Celebrity out of San Juan.We arrived two days early so we could walk around and also see El Yunque. (Well worth seeing)

My favorite island was Curacao. It is easy to walk around and a very pretty landscape with all the pastel colored buildings. Our least favorite was Barbados as it was rather dirty.

We also had a great tour in Dominica where we went to a ladies home nd learned to cook Caribbean.

[sunshine66]

If the grandparents were able to, and my hubby was able to be gone that long - it sounds great! I'll look into it more, because once you add San Juan onto the 7 day cruise, it's more like a 9 day trip total. Thanks :)

 

I think all the choices are great. I have done AOS twice and Serenade in August we love going out of San Juan and we always stay 1 night pre and 1 night post cruise. Here is what I would consider:

 

The different classes of ship

The price of air on the various days you are thinking of traveling

and if you want a 5 port or 4 port itinerary

 

Once you narrow those 3 factors down you will be good. I am sure you will have a great time.

[Jimbo]

Not sure where you live but you could go on the 14 nighter on Explorer of the Seas . 1/2/11

 

02-Jan Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey 4:00 PM

 

03-Jan Cruising Cruising

 

04-Jan Cruising Cruising

 

05-Jan Labadee, Haiti 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

06-Jan Samana, Dominican Republic 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Tendered

 

07-Jan Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

08-Jan Cruising Cruising

 

09-Jan Bridgetown, Barbados 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

 

10-Jan Roseau, Dominica 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

 

11-Jan St. John's, Antigua 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

12-Jan Philipsburg, St. Maarten 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

 

13-Jan Cruising Cruising

 

14-Jan Cruising Cruising

 

15-Jan Cruising Docked

 

16-Jan Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey 7:00 AM

[printingchick]

I agree with you. We have never flown in a day early to San Juan. I am curious though, you don't say what part of CT you are in but American has a very convenient non-stop flight out of Bradley every morning down to San Juan. They also have a non-stop back that leaves SJU sometime between 7-8PM. We usually take that flight and spend the day that the cruise ends in Old San Juan.

 

Very good to know!! I was originally going to be traveling with some folks from Massachusetts, which is why we automatically looked at Boston. They ended up dropping out, so it was just my daughter and I from Connecticut. Our closest airport is actually Providence, followed by Bradley, then Boston.

 

Thanks for the good advice!!!

[printingchick]

PS to the original poster:

 

At different times of the year, Serenade does a Saturday to Saturday itinerary. That's what we had. We liked getting home and having a day off work to unpack and do laundry before having to rush back to the work world. That played into our decision as well. AOS is always Sunday to Sunday.

[CruisingLover]

YES! Have sailed on BOTH ships.

 

 

 

 

 

If you were traveling with kids, I'd say GO ADVENTURE.

 

 

We are travelling with our kids next April on Serenade. Did we make a mistake in choosing that one? It was a toss-up between Adventure & Serenade but my hubby and I have done the Adventure itinerary already plus we like that the Serenade has their last day as "at sea".