My first cruise on Christmas!

[peaceful85]

Ok, I've never been on a cruise before. My first cruise is going to be this Christmas, and what's more, I'm going alone!

 

All this excites and scares me a bit at the same time, so I thought I'd post here. Basically, I'd need advice on which cruise to pick, both shipwise and locationwise.

 

Here are the options:

 

4 nights Bahamas (Port Canaveral-Cococay-Nassau-Port Canaveral)

Enchantment of the Seas, RC

 

5 nights Western Caribbean (Tampa-Georgetown-Cozumel-Tampa)

Brilliance of the Seas, RC

 

7 nights Southern Caribbean (Puerto Rico-St.Thomas-St.Croix-Antigua-St.Lucia-St.Kitts-Puerto Rico)

Jewel of the Seas, RC

 

7 nights Southern Caribbean (Puerto Rico-St.Thomas-St.Kitts-Aruba-Curacao-Puerto Rico)

Adventure of the Seas, RC

 

 

Which would you pick and why? There are of course some price differences, but they don't matter to me that much. Moreover, do you think 7 nights is too long for a first timer, and when going alone?

What I'm looking for in a cruise is basically: relax, nice weather, some light activities, beautiful scenery.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Lerin]

7 nights Southern Caribbean (Puerto Rico-St.Thomas-St.Croix-Antigua-St.Lucia-St.Kitts-Puerto Rico)

Jewel of the Seas, RC

 

 

Which would you pick and why?

*See above, because it incudes St Lucia

 

. Moreover, do you think 7 nights is too long for a first timer, and when going alone?

No, I think anything shorter than that is too short

 

Have fun, enjoy!:cool:

[peaceful85]

Which would you pick and why?

*See above, because it incudes St Lucia

 

Thanks!

If I may ask, why is St Lucia a great place to see? Also, can you easily visit the island on your own? For example, when the ship docks in the morning, can you go take a walking tour, and perhaps go swim in the ocean?

[kelmac]

I would select a great cruise company and go with the itinerary they offer! For example, this would be great:

 

 

ITINERARY

 

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sat Dec 21 Miami, FL 4:30pm

Sun Dec 22 At Sea

Mon Dec 23 San Juan, Puerto Rico 3:00pm 10:00pm

Tue Dec 24 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 8:00am 5:00pm

Wed Dec 25 St. Maarten 8:00am 5:00pm

Thu Dec 26 At Sea

Fri Dec 27 At Sea

Sat Dec 28 Miami, FL 7:00am

 

Celebrity is the best for large ship cruises! Reflection.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[boulders]

Royal Caribbean is a great choice for a first cruise. Take the 7 night option. Since you are going alone, I'd lean towards Jewel. Adventure will have more families. Jewel will have the best options for watching the scenery go by. Adventure will have more things to do.

 

Check the ports of call section for information on the ports. Look at the review sections. Have a look at the roll calls too.

[Keith1010]

I would go with seven nights versus four or five. Shorter ones sometimes become more like party boats. I would select the seven day RCI Cruise.

 

Keith

[cruiserking]

Definitely either of the 7-day cruises. St. Lucia is a beautiful port famous for the two soaring Deux Pitons Mountains. Then again Curacao is a lovely port too, not as scenic as St. Lucia but, a great place to stroll around with its floating bridge and Dutch atmosphere.

 

Have a wonderful first cruise you will be hooked from the moment you stroll up the gangway.

 

Jonathan

[alexspepa]

we are going on the Ruby Princess 4 night cruise over Christmas - but if I could have gone on the Celebrity 7 night that is the one I would have preferred.

 

Both Princess and Celebrity are good choices imo - but you will have fun no matter what! be sure and request a large table at dinner so you can meet folks.

[peaceful85]

Thanks all for replies!

 

One more alternative - I noticed that Norwegian Breakaway departs from New York for a 7 night Bahamas cruise. Would this be a completely different kind of an experience compared to RC in the Caribbean?

 

The reason I'm considering this option is that I would avoid the round-trip flight to Puerto Rico and back, plus they have studio staterooms.

[boulders]

The Bahamas cruise will not be as warm as the southern Caribbean cruises. You won't be able to use the pool deck for most of the cruise. The average high in Nassau is 75 Fahrenheit and the average low is 64. In comparison, the average high in St. Lucia is 82 and the average low is 75.

 

Studios on Breakaway are 100 sq feet while the average inside on Jewel is 158 sq ft. 158 sq ft is small. 100 sq ft is tiny. The cruise critic rating (% of people who enjoyed their cruise) for Breakaway is 67% and 86% for Jewel of the Seas. Huge difference.

[SuzanneH]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Peaceful85! Whichever you choose, enjoy!! I truly believe a cruise can be whatever you want it to be-- nice and relaxing, a huge fun party, or somewhere in between :).

[kcwingwalker]

Thanks all for replies!

 

One more alternative - I noticed that Norwegian Breakaway departs from New York for a 7 night Bahamas cruise. Would this be a completely different kind of an experience compared to RC in the Caribbean?

 

The reason I'm considering this option is that I would avoid the round-trip flight to Puerto Rico and back, plus they have studio staterooms.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic peaceful85!

 

Seven days is always better than five.

 

The Breakaway is an experience in itself. The studio staterooms are very popular and have good reviews.

 

While you would save on the airfare from Puerto Rico, you do have a couple of days of cooler weather. If you have not been to the Bahamas it could be interesting for you.

 

Tough choice, but actually it's hard to make a bad decision. Whatever you decide you will have a wonderful trip.

[geoherb]

I would go with longer rather than shorter, although this year we're booked to do two four-night cruises back to back (Ruby Princess for Dec. 22 and 26) because the dates worked out better with DH's teaching schedule.

 

We've met many single people on previous cruises. They all seem to have a good time. There are lots of activities where you get meet and mingle. I suggest going with fixed traditional dining.

[alexspepa]

by the way - you have checked out what they are going to charge you for a single supplement, correct?

[peaceful85]

by the way - you have checked out what they are going to charge you for a single supplement, correct?

 

Yes, well, I entered single occupancy information on the RC website. The price nearly doubled, but I was expecting that. I'm willing to pay the higher price rather than sharing a stateroom with an unknown person for 7 days :)

[JimAOk1945]

We enjoy sailing at Christmas. Whichever you choose will be a wonderful experience.