help us pick our next cruise

[mr.jdm]

hello folks,

 

me and my finace are stuck trying to decide which cruise to take for our october cruise

 

our choices are:

 

Carnival Liberty - eastern carib (oct 13)

HMC, St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk

 

 

Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas - western carib (oct 14)

Labadee, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Cozumel

 

never sailed with carnival so we dont know what to expect.

 

apples vs oranges? both are coming out to $100 diff for inside cabin. never been to grand cayman and also never been to san juan. any thoughts and opinions?

[chipq]

I think I might check out travel guides for each of the port stops and see which two or three have what the fiance and I would like. Make a list of things to do/see for each port and see which couple on the same itinerary best strikes your interests.

 

Personally not a big fan of Haiti or Jamaica and have been to Mexico so many times I likebthe Eastern itinerary. Thats just my view, you need to find what fits best with you.

 

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[t_car]

You have been to both the western and eastern carribean routes. I have been to almost all the ports, all good. The two ships are drastically different.

Personally I would choose the Freedom of the Seas. More to do on board, much bigger ship. Flow Rider, Rock climbing, more restaurant choices.

Have had quite a few friends go on this ship, and they all loved it.

Probably looking at this class of ship for our cruise next spring/summer.

Have fun!

[mszpolaris]

I've been to 2 of the ports for the Carnival cruise, and 3 for the Royal.

 

Personally, I think you need more than a day for San Juan. I love PR but thats one of the places I would do a land based vacation.

 

I would do the Royal cruise.

 

Either way, you'll have a wonderful time :) Happy cruising!

[travlnblueberries]

I'm not trying to choose for you but I will say, I think San Juan is breathtaking. (We are sailing out in OCT. I'm always telling mom how beautiful it is, so now I'm taking mom in Feb so she can see for herself.

 

HMC is my favorite private island.

 

I guess you'll have to pick one, then save the other for next time:D

[Keith1010]

I would read about each ship and you can read member reviews to get a sense what people think.

 

Personally, I would recommend RCI.

 

Keith

[Ashland]

Actually my choice and many times is...the Eastern Caribbean on any RCI ship....:D

[mr.jdm]

thanks for everyone's reply. we normally sail with rci nothing to complain about rci. just that for the price point, liberty is coming in under $600 for an inside while rci isn't that far off.

 

yes HMC is way better than labadee. but it looks like we might end up with rci :)

[jennmaybe]

I've been to all of the ports you have listed as choices and loved quite a few of them. I prefer the Eastern route vs. Western; however, since sailing on Oasis last year, we won't go back to Carnival. There is just no comparison in the ships. :)

 

If you're sailing for the ports, then I would go on the Liberty. If you're sailing more for the ship aspect, (activities, etc), then I'd go on RC. I love all these stops on the Eastern route, so you wouldn't go wrong with it, that's for sure. However, RC, of course, has more on the ship, but the ports are more blah than the Eastern ports.

 

It's up to you, but I'm sure you will have fun no matter which one you choose!:)

[Jimnbigd]

Oct. 13 is a Saturday departure. Since most (maybe all) of us recommend arriving the day before the cruise, this means flying in on Friday, and probably means taking an extra day of vacation. So, the Sunday, Oct. 14, departure might work better.

[travlnblueberries]

Oct. 13 is a Saturday departure. Since most (maybe all) of us recommend arriving the day before the cruise, this means flying in on Friday, and probably means taking an extra day of vacation. So, the Sunday, Oct. 14, departure might work better.

Great point!!!