Which Ship to choose?

[gumballz]

We're going on our first cruise in April of 2006 for our 20th anniversary. We chose a shorter cruise on the Majesty of the Seas for a few reasons. It was our first cruise so we weren't 100% positive we would enjoy it, it's our first time away from our daughters and we've always wanted to go to the Bahamas and we liked that itinerary.

 

We'd like to book a 5, 6 or 7 day western Caribbean cruise while we're on the Majesty for our family of 4. I want to book on a big ship this time. The port isn't really a concern as we'll just fly wherever we need to. What ship would you recommend and why?

 

Thanks for your input! :)

[Live_2_cruise05]

Well I would do the Grandeur! Its not the biggest, but she sure is beautiful! The crew, food well just everything was perfect on our cruise! She does 7 day cruises from New Orleans and her ports of calls are:

 

Saturday: New Orleans

Sunday: At sea

Monday: Cozumel, Mexico

Tuesday: Grand Cayman

Wedensday: Costa Maya, Mexico

Thursday: At sea

Friday: At sea

Saturday: New Orleans (:( The sad day)

 

Good luck on looking for a cruise!

[NCTarheelsCruiser]

Voyager Class to the Eastern Caribbean, no question about it. Great ports, plenty for your daughters and you and your spouse to enjoy and an unbelievable ship...I have been on Voyager and Adventure(Voyager Class) and will be returning to Adventure this fall, and I can't wait. No matter which you choose, you are sure to have fun, there is no way that you won't enjoy it.

[wrp96]

Voyager Class to the Eastern Caribbean, no question about it. Great ports, plenty for your daughters and you and your spouse to enjoy and an unbelievable ship...I have been on Voyager and Adventure(Voyager Class) and will be returning to Adventure this fall, and I can't wait. No matter which you choose, you are sure to have fun, there is no way that you won't enjoy it.

 

Definitely recommend a Voyager class. For a western caribbean cruise, would look for one that stops at Labadee as that is a great stop.

[TrentS]

For the family, YES - DEFINITELY a Voyager class ship! And I'd also vote for EASTERN over Western! Western is BORING, Eastern has much nicer, prettier islands and beaches... Navigator's Eastern itinerary is a great one, just the right mix IMO.

[daveky]

I prefer the western carribean and the Navigator, especially since it sails Saturday to Saturday and you can get home and rest on Sunday after the cruise. Usually, if you want shopping take the eastern carribean, beaches and water sports, western carribean.

Southern carribean is great also for beaches and water activities. Flight is more expensive of course since you fly into San Juan. Will be on the Adventure this Labor Day week.

Had done eastern, western and southern cruises many times as you can see from my cruise list. As other post said, can't go wrong with either, just personal preference.

 

Dave in Ky

[gumballz]

We love the beach. Which is more tropical, Eastern or Western? You know, the ideal postcard looking beaches? Clear water, palm trees, clean sand, etc. Shopping would be a minimal need. We'd be at the beach and in the water most of the time.

[wrp96]

We love the beach. Which is more tropical, Eastern or Western? You know, the ideal postcard looking beaches? Clear water, palm trees, clean sand, etc. Shopping would be a minimal need. We'd be at the beach and in the water most of the time.

 

Between Eastern and Western, I'd say Western is more the postcard looking beaches (e.g. like in the Corona commercials).

[TrentS]

We love the beach. Which is more tropical, Eastern or Western? You know, the ideal postcard looking beaches? Clear water, palm trees, clean sand, etc. Shopping would be a minimal need. We'd be at the beach and in the water most of the time.

The postcard looking tropical beaches are EASTERN ports.

[rubrrick]

What a neat thing to be looking forward to your first cruise, and yet planning your second one!:) What is more important, the "itinerary" or what the ship offers to all, not just the children, but making a fun cruise for the whole family?

Whichever it is, many on this board will lend you a hand to make it the best possible. Right?????

 

Rick

[gumballz]

Yes. What I'm mainly looking for is a very large ship and beautiful beaches with nice weather. Our girls are 14 and 16 now......so they enjoy 'adult' things more now than they used to. Doing family things will be easy, we're very close. :( I'm having difficulty not feeling some guilt and seperation issues about leaving our girls for this one.....so I definitely want the next one to be spectacular.

[TrentS]

They'll love the Voyager class ships... Just a side note, the Navigator and Mariner are the 2 newest ones, and they have a larger kids/teens area including a seperate teen disco that kids their ages love.

 

Voyager class ships are awesome, they have something for everyone.

[wrp96]

If you are looking for good weather, go in the spring (January through April). You're outside of hurricane season, but the Caribbean is nice and warm.

 

Definitely do a Voyager class with teens.

 

Personally, I prefered my Eastern cruise over my Western cruise, but if you are looking for beach days, avoid an Eastern cruise that stops in San Juan as that is a shopping/touring stop, not a beach stop. Western cruises tend to be all beach stops.

 

Also, I again recommend a stop at Labadee (or CocoCay) as those are RCI's private islands and are definitely beach days.

[gumballz]

Are the Voyager class ships the ones with the ice rink? What ports do the Voyager class ships sail from normally?

[wrp96]

Are the Voyager class ships the ones with the ice rink? What ports do the Voyager class ships sail from normally?

 

Yes, they are the ones with the ice rinks.

 

Currently, Mariner sails out of Port Canaveral. Explorer, and Navigator out of Miami. Adventure out of San Juan. Voyager out of Bayonne this summer and Miami during the winter. Voyager will be going to Europe next summer, while Explorer takes over at Bayonne. Plus next summer they will be adding Freedom out of Miami which is Ultra Voyager class. And then in 2007, Navigator is reportedly going to the west coast.

[gumballz]

Hmm, really? We've discussed doing a Mexican Riviera. We can drive to LA. That would save on airfare and leave more money for the cruise itself. If the Navigator does Alaska though, that's not someplace we're currently considering taking the girls.

 

I was looking on Travelocity. The Mariner has a nice itinerary and it's one that was mentioned. I think I'll keep reading and keep my eye on that one for now. Thanks for all the posts! :)

[Bonnie Voyager]

You can't go wrong on any Voyager-class ship! You also can't go wrong with either itinerary if you are looking for a great beach trip! Labadee does happen to be my favorite beach day, so I personally would look for any Voyager-class ship that includes Labadee in the itinerary. We love Western AND Eastern itineraries equally. You will find beautiful beaches everywhere! When you are sailing on a Voyager-class ship, the ship itself becomes the destination! The islands are just the icing on the cake ;)

[kenandlaura06]

Isn't Labadee generally a Western itinerary stop?

[CARIBBEAN01]

We were just on the Navigator with our two children and loved everything about the ship. If you are looking for a ship thats a deluxe resort with lots to do you will not be making a mistake. We are already booked for next July to do the Eastern this time....

[Bonnie Voyager]

I've had Labadee on both my Western AND Eastern itineraries in the past.

[CruisinCouple]

They are all good. We have been on all the different class of ships. It all depends on what you like to do. The bigger ships have more things to do... However if your one to just lounge around the pool all day then it really does not matter which ship you pick you can do it on all of them. One thing to remember "Bigger is not always BETTER". When larger ships hit the ports you have more people to contend with. Lines lines lines. Its your call.

 

AL

[RCLFan]

We've been on Grandeur, Voyager and Mariner. And, like most here, I'd recommend the Voyager class, and specifically the Mariner.

 

As someone mentioned it is one the newer Voyager class ships, and if you select an Outside w/Balcony you'll notice the difference. The balconies on Mariner offer a "glass" enclosure in the front, definitely a more airy feeling than that on the Voyager.

 

We just returned from Mariner (June 19 - 26), and it was the Western itinerary. We have been on both, and I prefer the Western. We especially enjoy climbing Dunn's River, in Ocho Rios, and loved the Sting Ray City adventure in Grand Cayman. For anyone who has done this, you must agree it was fantastic. And if you haven't, you really should experience this.

 

If your daughters enjoy a fair amount of adventure, I'd recommend either of those Western excursions.

 

And as far as the staff on the Mariner, I thought they were great. The Captain is especially personable, and it shows in the way the staff conducts themselves.

 

Without a doubt, this was our best cruise, in fact doing the Eastern swing on this ship during Labor Day weekend. Just hope the weather doesn't have a negative impact.

 

Whatever decision you make, I'm sure you'll enjoy.

[caviargal]

We love the beach. Which is more tropical, Eastern or Western? You know, the ideal postcard looking beaches? Clear water, palm trees, clean sand, etc. Shopping would be a minimal need. We'd be at the beach and in the water most of the time.

 

Much better beaches in the Western. Seven mile beach in Grand Cayman is one of the prettiest in the Caribbean!

[TrentS]

Much better beaches in the Western. Seven mile beach in Grand Cayman is one of the prettiest in the Caribbean!

We much prefer Magens Bay on St. Thomas and Orient Beach on St. Maarten.

[wrp96]

We much prefer Magens Bay on St. Thomas and Orient Beach on St. Maarten.

 

But not all Eastern itineraries hit both St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Mine went to San Juan instead of St. Maarten, which was definitely not a beach stop.