Southern Itinerary from Miami

[ckrobyn]

Okay I can dream can't I ? LOL

I really wish the possibility of cruising the Southern Itinerary existed sailing out of Miami or any other Florida port for that matter.

Flights and pre-cruise hotels in San Juan are ridiculously expensive!

How many people have said NO to the Southern route because the cost of getting and staying in San Juan is just too high?

[Bleacher Creature]

I agree with you wholeheartedly. We live in FL, but flew to SJ to take the AOS, and believe me, the 3grand I spent on airfare would have been saved, and I'd rather have an extra day at Sea. The ride on the ship from ST. Thomas to SJ was like 90 miles, I'd have rather gone to Miami. I'll not leave from PR again, too expensive, crowded and long.

[Libracruzer]

A ten day out of a Florida port would be perfect - I did that years ago - 2 days down and 2 days back and five ports in between; much better than flying to San Juan. I would book that on the spot. The newer ships could do it faster.

[js]

I would definately do a 10 day out of Florida. We are, though, going on the Serenade next April. I got great r/t airfare from JFK to SJU for $198 roundtrip on Delta Song. So it didn’t stop us from doing the Southern. We have done the Easter and Western too many times and won’t do that again for awhile.

[Suzy B]

I know it’s hard to believe, but in

 

2001 our San Juan airfare was $559 each [booked thru RCCL]

2005 our San Juan airfare was $349 each [booked thru RCCL]

 

So we are flying for $210 per person less then what we did four years ago! This airfare Sale saved us $570 for the two of us over the regular 2005 RCCL price. How can that be? It’s the infamous “Special Air Promo” Sale that RCCL never advertises!

From time to time, Royal Caribbean has airfare sales from certain airports across the country, which include fares to San Juan. About twice this year, I noticed the Air Promo's appearing on the RCCL site. They never did before. One never knows when or for how long these “Special Air Promo’s” will be. But from past experience, they could last from a week or two, to a couple of months.

Before you commit to a booking somewhere else, check out Royal’s site or better off, call them to see if they are having a “Special Air Promo Sale” going on. If they are, check to see if your departure airport is included. If the airport closest to your home isn’t included, try another one that you could fly out of.

 

Don’t know how much it would cost for you to fly from Toronto to Cincinnati, OH, but at those savings, you could fly in a day early, spend the night at an airport hotel & depart for San Juan the next day - & still save a couple hundred dollars!

 

Hope you find a good Sale in the future too! Maybe one day RCCL will adjust the Southern Caribbean itinerary so at least one ship could depart out of a FL port. I think that would be extremely popular!

 

Happy Sailing,

Suzy B

[KJHorton]

Sometimes the RCL airfare specials are listed in the Cruise Critic bargain page.

That is where I found our air add on for Thanksgiving 2003, $199 from Washington DC. Better yet, we are Platinum so we got custom air for free and I picked the perfect flights for our schedule. We paid less than $900 each for a balcony cabin (air/sea). Wish I could find that deal again. It is our favorite itinerary.

[new2cruizin]

I'm a fan of RCCL but you can always experience the southern caribbean on another cruiseline:rolleyes: , especially if it saves on airfare to San Juan.......JMHO

[threeofus]

The New and Beautiful Freedom of thr Seas should do the 10 or 11 day southern route from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. I would love to go to Barbados.....

 

Is anyone from RCI listening or do we have to go on NCL????

[over the edge]

No need to travel to San Juan:

 

Ship Name: Adventure Of The Seas

Departure Port: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Or

 

Ship Name: Explorer Of The Seas

Departure Port: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

Ports of Call: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey; Labadee, Hispaniola; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Miami, Florida

 

:) :) :)

[negc]

The problem with trying to do a southern route out of Florida is the amount of time required and the limited number of ports that can be reached, unless you are able to take a cruise of more than seven days. The likelihood of a Freedom class ship doing anything other than a seven day itinerary is about non-existent for a number of practical reasons, one being that it is still easier to fill ships on a 7 day itinerary than on a longer one. A second reason is that repeat cruisers will put up with an old familiar itinerary in order to sail on a new ship, or will be willing to sail on a ship they have sailed on before if it is doing a new or different itinerary. No real incentive to putting a new ship on an itinerary other than the usual Eastern or Western Caribbean. Just look at the history of RCI and you will see that almost always the newest ships have done the eastern or western itineraries, while the older ones have done newer or different routes, or longer cruises. When all three planned Freedom ships are built, they will probably base two in Florida for eastern and western routes and the third in San Juan for the southern Caribbean. That will, in turn, free up Voyager class ships to sail from other ports as Voyager has already begun to do, and Explorer will begin doing next year.

[ckrobyn]

No need to travel to San Juan:

 

Ship Name: Adventure Of The Seas

Departure Port: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Or

 

Ship Name: Explorer Of The Seas

Departure Port: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey

Ports of Call: Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey; Labadee, Hispaniola; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Miami, Florida

 

:) :) :)

 

Unfortunately those itineraries are not for the winter months when we like to cruise! :( They are only in the fall.....

[mimgan3]

Just how much further is Aruba and Barbados than St. Thomas which u do on the Eastern, we too would love to see the southern route , but R/T airfare from RDU for three is like 1500, the cost of the cruise is only like 2400, thats just to much.

 

Mimgan

[OCruisers]

Okay I can dream can't I ? LOL

I really wish the possibility of cruising the Southern Itinerary existed sailing out of Miami or any other Florida port for that matter.

Flights and pre-cruise hotels in San Juan are ridiculously expensive!

How many people have said NO to the Southern route because the cost of getting and staying in San Juan is just too high?

 

Check out PRINCESS! You CAN do a 10 Night on SUN PRINCESS out of Ft. Lauderdale that goes to Isla Margarita-Barbados-Dominica-St.Thomas-Princess Cays .... OR the 10 Night that goes to St.Vincent-Grenada-St.Lucia-Martinique-St.Thomas-Princess Cays ........

 

It's the best deal we've found for the Southern Caribbean out of Florida!

Don't think it's a problem posting this here! Feel sure lots of us cruise more than one cruise line! :rolleyes:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[Guest cruzr44]

Okay I can dream can't I ? LOL

I really wish the possibility of cruising the Southern Itinerary existed sailing out of Miami or any other Florida port for that matter.

Flights and pre-cruise hotels in San Juan are ridiculously expensive!

How many people have said NO to the Southern route because the cost of getting and staying in San Juan is just too high?

 

I hear ya!! I REALLY want to go on this ship to Aruba, but the airfare right now is killing me. I am going to check prices for the Navigator Eastern if the air doesn't go down. I check air prices every day and they have not budged. I will however, check out air through RCCL as someone posted.

[FinelyCruising]

I think once the airfare costs to SJ are eliminated in this scenario, the cost of the cruise goes up. But I'd take Miami anyday over SJ for a souther cruise to Aruba too. It seems to me the cruiseline keeps this cruise cost out of SJ a bit lower for factoring in the cost of the air into SJ.