Southern Carribean Cruise Question

[Siora7777]

Hello new friends! I'm new to cruising and some of you guys have seen and done it all. I'm hoping to get some advice.

 

I'm in the process of deciding which cruise to go with and I'm noticing that there are a few different options. I'm going to be doing one of the 7 day Southern Cruise options but it's just so overwhelming. I'm looking at doing either the Royal Carribean Jewel of the Seas or the Celebrity Summit...maybe Carnival Valor. Celebrity and Royal both look to be pretty good ships with the Celebrity being a tad more inexpensive even though I'm reading it's supposed to be a bit higher on the star scale. But I hear the Jewel is an amazing ship. Looking at the cabin pictures they appear very similar but I'm not sure which would be better. I'm hearing the Celebrity is kind of boring but than some people say it's amazing.

 

Another thing I'm looking at is itinerarites. Royal Carribean has two different options and I have no idea which one I should pick. I'm confused on the island stops because I've never cruised before or been to the Carribean. Which itinerary is better. Also, the time of year...I'm looking to more than likely do a mid to end of April Cruise or a mid to early December of 2014. Which would be a more affordable time of year to go or better weatherwise?

 

The Jewel of the Seas provides two different ones.

 

Option 1:Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Tortola, British Virgin Islands >> Philipsburg, St. Maarten >> Basseterre, St. Kitts >> Roseau, Dominica >> Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Option 2:Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. >> Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I. >> St. John's, Antigua >> Fort-De-France, Martinique >> Castries, St. Lucia

 

Celebrity Summit:Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Bridgetown, Barbados >> Castries, St. Lucia >> St. John's, Antigua >> Philipsburg, St. Maarten >> Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

 

Carnival Valor (I put this one in for kicks because it's more affordable):Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. >> Bridgetown, Barbados >> Castries, St. Lucia >> Basseterre, St. Kitts >> Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

Can anyone help me or give me some good advice, are they both good? Was there something someone didn't like or something you loved about the ships? What about customer service? Additional hidden fees? What about the islands? Which ones are the must see islands? I'm a beach person so I'm all about the beaches.

 

Thank you!

[MrSchwump]

I think you'll find that the Southern Caribbean itinerary is the most desirable. The islands have a lot of variety in topography and culture.

 

Of the choices you have, I'd lean toward Jewel option 1. Two main reasons for me. It avoids St. Thomas which I'm not crazy about and it goes to one of my favorite islands, Dominica. Roseau is my favorite city, so far, in the Caribbean.

I love the BVI and there are lots of different things to see and do around Tortola. Barbados is a great stop too.

 

We did the same itinerary as the Summit, only with Princess. St. Lucia is one of the most beautiful islands we've been to. St. Martin was nice but is very crowded and commercialized, I think.

 

Having said that, everyone is different so you'll get lots of opinions. It all comes down to what you like to do. Any of the 4 are great trips. In fact, we're leaving next Sunday on the Valor and that very itinerary.

[Siora7777]

Hi Joe, thank you for the response. So what made you guys decide on the Valor this time around? Also, do you think I'm missing out if I pick option one because it doesn't go to St. Lucia?

[Caribbeancruzin]

The Southern Caribbean is beautiful and has many things to offer depending on your interests.

I would suggest doing some research either on the boards ports of call section or on the web for each island first and maybe even check the shore excursions for each cruiseline.

We've been to St Thomas, St Martin, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbados numerous times. St Croix a couple of times. Antigua has 356 beaches, one for each day of the year. :) There are many beaches on the other islands to choose from as well. St Martin is famous for shopping and is home to both Dutch and French origins and famous beach of Orient Bay. St Lucia has the Petons and a lot of "adventurous" types of activities. St Thomas is known for shopping as well maybe not as much as St Martin any longer but there are many things to do and see there. We are partial to this route as it was our honeymoon cruise. :D

You asked about weather, June through October is typically known as the hurricane season and cruise cost is lowest in September and October from what we have experienced. We had previously always cruised in September (8 years in a row) and never had any issues. We had gone on Royal exclusively but decided this year to try something different and go on Celebrity for the first time. We've always loved Royal so if you chose them I'm sure you would enjoy it.

Whatever you decide, I am sure you will enjoy it!!!

[MrSchwump]

We chose this cruise because it was one of the few running a 7 day Southern itinerary at this time of year.

Go to the library and get a Caribbean guidebook and read up on each island. You can then narrow down which cruise would be best for you.

[kingoftheicedragons]

Sorry, can't help you. All of the itineraries sound good, and I'd love to do any of them. When we did the southern itinerary, we did it on the Carnival Victory.

 

Keep in mind that the southern itinerary is a very port intensive one, so chances are, you probably won't be doing much on the ship itself. If you're looking at the cruise as a means to visit the ports, you will probably be happy with Carnival. If you've never cruised, you likely won't notice most of the complaints that are leveled at one cruise line or the other, and I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever line you go with. And if Carnival can do it cheaper, there's no reason to discount them.

 

However, if one of the ports that RCI or Celebrity does that really intrigues you over the others, you should go with that one. Since I've done the Carnival route, I probably would prefer an itinerary similar to option 2 followed by option 1--but that's because I cruise for the ports and want to get to as many different places as I can, so I'm going to look for cruises that have the most new places for me.

[floatn]

I agree with other posters - all beautiful places. And like others, once you've seen St. Thomas, you won't need to go back again for awhile but instead explore other places. Except for Megan's Bay which, IMHO, is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. I've sailed Jewel and she's lovely with a great crew so would recommend her but have also sailed other Celebrity ships and been happy with them, too. I didn't see Princess as one of your possibilities but I believe they also will have an offering for Southern Caribbean at the times you're looking at. And when I did Southern, it was on the Caribbean Princess and it was great! Good luck with your decision.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Have you checked into airline prices and flights to San Juan?

That is always my first concern when I know we have to travel any long distance.

[printingchick]

I've cruised in the southern Caribbean a few times and agree with posters who said it's the BEST part of the Caribbean. Lots of variety, close-together islands creating a port-intensive cruise, great weather.

 

I have cruised on Serenade (sister to Jewel) and currently have a cruise booked on the Jewel. I've sailed twice on Carnival Valor, however it's been some time ago. I have not cruised on Summit, but had almost settled on that ship before Royal announced it's 2014 itineraries, as I preferred Celebrity's Southern Caribbean itineraries to the ones Brilliance was doing in 2013. Because of that, I gathered a lot of information about Summit.

 

SHIPS:

Of the cruises I've taken so far, Serenade (twin to Jewel) was my all-time favorite ship. I LOVED the Radiance Class vessel and the southern Caribbean itinerary.

 

Carnival Valor was a great ship, but it's a TOTALLY different vibe. Radiance Class ships - while maintaining all the FUN (sometime cheesy) activities - provide a more elegant atmosphere. The decor, the solarium area, the glass elevators, the centrum, all combine to create a very luxurious feel.

 

Summit, from my understanding, is another step up in atmosphere. Passengers are given welcome-aboard mimosas, cold face clothes when returning from port and are treated to an incredible buffet lunch during the sea day. For me, the downside was that Celebrity is a little too upscale for my taste. I really kind of enjoy some of that cheesy stuff like the Sexy Legs contest, the Belly Flop contest, the 70s party and the Quest game. I'd miss that on Celebrity.

 

ITINERARY:

You can see from my signature that I chose the Tortola/Barbados Jewel itinerary for my next cruise. It was a difficult choice. I tend to prefer the less developed ports of call, with Dominica and St. John (via ferry from St. Thomas) being two of my favorites. Unfortunately, those two ports were on different itineraries! Royal Caribbean had dropped Dominica for a couple years, replacing it with Guadeloupe. I was not happy with that business decision and therefore felt I should show my support for RCL's return to Dominica with my vacation dollars! Decision made!

 

All the itineraries you listed are GREAT! I honestly think it boils down to price and ship. Comparing the ports of call doesn't really provide a clear advantage.

 

THE PORTS:

Tortola: Haven't been yet, but all of the Virgin Islands are gorgeous!

St. Maarten: Half French/Half Dutch. Very modern and tourist-friendly.

St. Kitts: Less developed, volcanic island. Lovely views and some interesting history.

Dominica: VERY undeveloped. You HAVE to get away from the pier to enjoy. Incredible waterfalls, rain forests, black sand beaches. (Parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were filled here.)

St. Lucia: Great beach resorts, rain forests, live volcano, diving/snorkeling.

Barbados: Modern, wealthy island with great beaches, diving/snorkeling, swimming with the turtles.

St. Thomas: I typically ferry to St. John to explore this small island which is 75% protected park-land.

Antigua: Only visited once and did a primarily water-based excursion including a visit to Bird Island, snorkeling and kayaking. I didn't see a lot of Antigua itself.

COST:

For me, cruising on Royal is less expensive because I use a credit card which earns me discounts on RCL cruises. That said, I do feel that Celebrity or Royal is worth a bit more money than Carnival and, if the savings isn't drastic, probably would opt for the Summit or Jewel over Valor. You're looking at three ships with fairly different passenger appeal. Royal markets to active passengers. The Radiance Class ships in particular provide a bit more upscale experience, supplying a nice balance between the Celebrity versus Carnival experience. Carnival markets to a younger crowd and to families with children with their water slides, Vegas-style decor and party atmosphere. Celebrity markets to customers looking for a more upscale, luxurious experience without having to step up from the mainstream market to the luxury lines.

 

Let us know what you decide! HAVE FUN!!

[cruiseapril]

We are beach people also and enjoy St. Maarten, Barbados, and St. Thomas for the beaches. Orient Beach on St. Maarten, Carlisle Bay in Barbados, and Megan's Bay Beach in St. Thomas are some of our favorites. (Several good beaches on St. Thomas- Megan's Bay good for swimming, not snorkeling.)

 

If you look at the Barbados forum you will see that Carlisle Bay has several resorts from which you access the beach for the day (Harbour Lights etc.)

 

Also, Barbados is a port with many many choices of beaches and excursions.

 

Dominica is a wonderful wild island with Rain Forest excursions rather than many beaches.

 

St. Lucia and Martinique have lush areas. We took ship's excursions on those islands- organized tours are needed.

 

The port forums will give you lots of updated information.

[Hlitner]

We will put a slightly different spin on the topic. Like many others, we love quite a few of the Southern Caribbean ports. However, we are not big fans of the typical 7 day Southern Caribbean itinerary which normally involves 5 or 6 ports in a week. Bottom line is that the ship becomes more of an island to island ferry rather then we think of as a real cruise. Nearly every day is a typical hectic schedule of get up early, eat breakfast, rush off the ship, etc. Personally we love cruises that also offer a few days at sea. On the Southern Caribbean itineraries this usually means taking a longer cruise (10 days to 2 weeks) and we do understand that many just do not have the time. But as long time cruisers we felt it necessary to point out that days at sea can be wonderful. In fact, some of us actually book cruises for lots of sea days (last year we took a 62 day cruise with 21 sea days).

 

Hank

[blonde1981]

I took the Royal Caribbean Serenade Southern Caribbean cruise last March and then just a Caribbean cruise the summer before. The weather was really nice - 80s to 90s each day. It was a bit rainy though.

 

Both of the Royal itinerary look nice. I've been to St. Thomas twice, St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia, St Maarten and Grenada.

 

I have enjoyed St. Thomas both times. I chose different beaches to visit to vary it. I'd like to see St. John next. St. Croix was nice too. We did the ship excursion to Hotel on the Cay and had a nice time on their beach. There was a bar across the street that brewed some very good beer.

 

Antigua was nice. I'd like to try it again some day. Just be warned that there and St. Lucia we experience people trying to hawk their jewelry and sea shells. Antigua seemed to be more polite about it and would leave you alone if you said no. St. Lucia was pretty aggressive and the people we ran into were very pushy. Overall I just didn't care for St. Lucia. The ship tour I took was pretty awful (Land and Sea with the Pitons)

 

St. Maartin was nice. We took a little tour to the French side and then went to a beach on the Dutch side. People always comment about the shopping there and in St. Thomas but I've never run across a great deal.

[printingchick]

We will put a slightly different spin on the topic. Like many others, we love quite a few of the Southern Caribbean ports. However, we are not big fans of the typical 7 day Southern Caribbean itinerary which normally involves 5 or 6 ports in a week. Bottom line is that the ship becomes more of an island to island ferry rather then we think of as a real cruise. Nearly every day is a typical hectic schedule of get up early, eat breakfast, rush off the ship, etc. Personally we love cruises that also offer a few days at sea. On the Southern Caribbean itineraries this usually means taking a longer cruise (10 days to 2 weeks) and we do understand that many just do not have the time. But as long time cruisers we felt it necessary to point out that days at sea can be wonderful. In fact, some of us actually book cruises for lots of sea days (last year we took a 62 day cruise with 21 sea days).

 

Hank

 

The other option which you didn't mention, but which I believe is available if you choose the December schedule, is Adventure of the Seas. If you want more sea days, one of their two itineraries includes two sea days and four ports.

 

Unlike Hank, I prefer more ports. As a new cruiser, sea days were a novelty and I enjoyed having at least two on my cruises. However, the longer I've cruised, the more important the ports have become. My teenage son recently discovered the same preference after a cruise with three ports and three sea days. He doesn't enjoy the sea days as much as he did as a new cruiser. At this point, he'd prefer more ports of call.

 

Fortunately, we have LOTS and LOTS of choices so we can ALL find something that appeals to US! :-)

[Siora7777]

Thank you everyone for your answers and I read all of them. We decided to go with the Spring Cruise on Royal - Jewel of the Seas next year and I was able to book a ''hump cabin" #9078 which gives us a larger balcony. After reading all the post it really seemed like all of the cruises would be wonderful, there doesn't seem to be a right one. But after speaking with my friend she really wanted to do the Jewel and schedule wise it better for us. I look forward to all the ports and also the one ship day where we get to just lounge and enjoy the ship. The flights I have checked but there is no way around it, it's going to cost us money because I live in Idaho but really it seems all the southern cruises leave at San Juan on the 7 day voyages. I'm excited about this new adventure and as soon as I try out the ship I'll know more about my preferences. Thank you everyone! You are all so great!

 

[Caribbeancruzin]

We are in California so can relate to the airfare to San Juan. However, if you start checking about 6 months prior to your sail date, you can sometimes find a lower rate. The lowest we ever go it directly from the airline was 400 a person round trip. We fly from Sacramento. A suggestion flying from such a distance is go in a day ahead of time rather than the day of the sailing. It's a long day if you fly in the same day. We depart on April 4th at 1215 AM and arrive in San Juan at 340 in the afternoon of course that time span includes layovers but still, there is no getting around the flight time!

[blonde1981]

Southwest is going to start flying to San Juan maybe that will help you out some.

[Siora7777]

I saw that! I'm going to wait it out and see what the pricing looks like. I'd like to fly Southwest if I can for baggage reasons. Plus, most of the time they are more affordable.

[cruiseapril]

Have fun planning your cruises and finding the good beaches.