Which southern itinerary would be best????

[Ksimpson76]

Trying to figure out which Southern Caribbean itinerary would be best to take next year. My wife and I love to scuba dive, snorkel and sail. These are all pretty close in price and all 11 day cruises but have a few different stops. NEED HELP.

From: San Juan, Puerto Rico Aboard: Carnival Glory

Sails to: St. Croix; St. Maarten, NA; Dominica; Grenada; Bonaire; Aruba; Curacao; Miami, FL

Finish: Miami, FL

 

From: New Orleans, LA Aboard: Carnival Dream

Sails to: Grand Turk; Aruba; Bonaire; St Kitts, WI; Antigua; St. Maarten, NA; San Juan, Puerto Rico

Finish: San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

From: Galveston, TX Aboard: Carnival Triumph

Sails to: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Aruba; Bonaire; Grenada; Martinique; St. Maarten, NA; San Juan, Puerto Rico

Finish: San Juan, Puerto Rico

[KPfromCT]

WOW!!!! These are ALL great itineraries, with some rare stops.:D

Not sure if the ship matters at all, but the Glory and Triumph both have the 2.0 upgrades, whereas the Dream doesn't. Not sure if she's scheduled for a drydock prior to that.

 

I wish I had this decision to make.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

I don't think you can go wrong on ANY of these..

 

Let us know what you decide. Good Luck!!!!!:D

[Cruisegirl6]

What a dilemma all those islands are great for snorkeling/diving not sure about martinique though.

 

How important is it to have Guys Burgers on the ship (for me I never eat that stuff) Is it important for you to have EA Sports Bar, tequila Bar and Red Frog Pub these are offered on the Glory and Triumph but not on the Dream but the Dream does have punch liners.

 

Out of the three ships my favorite ship is the Dream.

The Triumph is the smallest ship.

 

Can you copy the itinerary so I can see sea days, how long your in port, etc?

[Ksimpson76]

What a dilemma all those islands are great for snorkeling/diving not sure about martinique though.

 

How important is it to have Guys Burgers on the ship (for me I never eat that stuff) Is it important for you to have EA Sports Bar, tequila Bar and Red Frog Pub these are offered on the Glory and Triumph but not on the Dream but the Dream does have punch liners.

 

Out of the three ships my favorite ship is the Dream.

The Triumph is the smallest ship.

 

Can you copy the itinerary so I can see sea days, how long your in port, etc?

 

The onboard restaurants and bars do not mean that much to us on this trip. This one is really geared toward the destinations. Here is a link to each one's itinerary.

 

http://www.carnival.com/itinerary/11-day-southern-caribbean-cruise/san-juan/glory/11-days/js0/?numGuests=2&destination=caribbean&dest=C&datFrom=012016&datTo=022016&dur=D3&StateCode=TX

 

http://www.carnival.com/itinerary/11-day-southern-caribbean-cruise/new-orleans/dream/11-days/je1/?numGuests=2&destination=caribbean&dest=C&datFrom=012016&datTo=022016&dur=D3&StateCode=TX

 

http://www.carnival.com/itinerary/11-day-southern-caribbean-cruise/galveston/triumph/11-days/sc1/?numGuests=2&destination=caribbean&dest=C&datFrom=012016&datTo=022016&dur=D3&StateCode=TX

[Tapi]

Definitely the 1st itinerary. Dominica (with its lush rainforest and mountainous terrain) and Grenada (the spice island, with its various spice scents permeating the air) are wonderful and interesting. St. Croix and Bonaire are less frequented than most destinations in the Caribbean, so that makes the itinerary more unique. And the other Dutch islands (Aruba and Curaçao) have awesome beaches and great cultural diversity.

 

My second choice would be the 2nd itinerary. The 3rd itinerary is my least favorite. Martinique, yuck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited January 28, 2015 by Tapi

[Koshlong]

Martinique is an excellent opportunity to try out your French.;). You'd be surprised at the difference it makes.

 

Sign me up for ANY of those itineraries. Bonaire seems to be especially good for diving....and I've read about the champagne bubbles dive on Dominica.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Koshlong

[BBfan316]

Gotta agree with Tapi, because of Dominica. It is just one great place. On land and under the sea!

[trippingpara]

As a diver, I would highly recommend option 1. Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, and Curacao have some of the best diving in the Caribbean, especially Bonaire and Curacao. San Juan also has some decent diving and touring Old San Juan is a must. You actually can't go wrong with any of your options but if diving is your game, the first option is the best. Plus you'll be on the Glory with its 2.0 upgrades. That's a can't lose option right there!

 

Crap! Now I want to go on that cruise!

[Lard Greystoke]

7 destinations each. You could put them on a wall and throw a dart at them. The 1st offers St Croix, Dominica and Grenada, which are not all that common; but the 2nd offers St Kitts and Antigua which are two of my favorites. If it were me I would take the 3rd because 4 destinations would be new to me. Can't lose.

[OCruisers]

Trying to figure out which Southern Caribbean itinerary would be best to take next year. My wife and I love to scuba dive, snorkel and sail. These are all pretty close in price and all 11 day cruises but have a few different stops. NEED HELP.

From: San Juan, Puerto Rico Aboard: Carnival Glory

Sails to: St. Croix; St. Maarten, NA; Dominica; Grenada; Bonaire; Aruba; Curacao; Miami, FL

Finish: Miami, FL

 

Carnival Glory would be my choice because of going to all three of the ABC islands -- Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao. :)

LuLu

[Cruisegirl6]

Im back sorry didn't get back with you had to cook dinner and eat.

 

Things to consider:

 

Triumph:

 

If you choose the Triumph which leaves from Galvaston do you have anybody to take you to the port, because if you drive there your car will be at the port and you need to fly back home and you don't have the car at the airport you will need a way to get to your car and get it and a way to get from the airport to home.

 

The Triumph is the smallest ship out of all three

 

What I don't care about this one is your in ports the last days and have no "down rest time", its nice having sea day before you get home I think.

 

Martinique there is an abundant of people who speak french, english is not really spoken much. There is a lot of theft and crime especially pickpocketing and check and make sure the flu vaccination isn't mandatory.

 

Caymans, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada and St. Maarten great snorkeling/scuba=5 islands

 

Dream:

 

She goes to Grand Turk you don't get there until 2pm the ship leaves at 9pm really not much to do on that island when it starts to get dark sunset is around 5:30pm, not much for you to do what you want to do. Even if you want this to be a beach day your stuck in this port doing nothing until 9pm and there really aren't any decent restaurants there worth trying for dinner.

 

The Cayman Islands has some of the best scuba diving you won't be going to this port here not sure if you been there before.

 

Im not sure whether St. Kitts is a great place to snorkel/scuba and not much to choose to do sailing.

 

I also believe the waters in the gulf can get a little rough when cold fronts push across them during winter months. You will get out of it though lol.

 

I feel Grand Turk and St. Kitts doesn't offer what you really looking for.

 

Your in Aruba until 9pm, Aruba is known for so many wonderful excellent restaurants you can have a nice dinner somewhere such as Yemanja right near the port or Barefoot and even Le Petite Cafe.

 

Aruba, Bonaire, Antigua and St. Maarten wonderful snorkeling/scuba= 4 islands

 

Glory:

 

Love the fact you fly into San Juan and you can spend a day or two there.

 

Dominica don't drink the water or the ice and there is high rate of crime and property stolen, people being robbed, there have been many reports of this the past year.

 

I don't believe Dominica is known for snorkeling and diving

 

St. Croix, St. Maarten, Grenada, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba are wonderful snorkeling/scuba places = 6 islands

 

I like this cruise because you have the last two days at sea to relax

 

If I were in your shoes and my advice:

 

I would definitely not take Triumph

I love the Dream its my favorite ship of Carnivals but to me Grand Turk and St. Kitts a waste of what you looking to do

Glory you get 4 ports sea day then 3 ports and 2 sea days the sea days break up the port days I feel

 

I say for your snorkeling and scuba Glory

 

THE SHIPS

 

Triumph no steakhouse if you wanted to do that and no serenity adults only

Dream only one that offers mongolian wok and Cucina Del Capitano which is excellent open for lunch and dinner. nice BBQ, Tandoor, the Dream also offers acupuncture, cloud 9 spa, thalassotherapy pool and thermal suite if your interested.

Glory only one that offers fish and chips

 

MY PICK FOR YOU IS THE GLORY FOR THE PORTS AND THE ACTIVITIES YOU WANT TO DO

[ZJ13820]

If it was me, I would go with the Dream itinerary with a couple days before in New Orleans and a couple days after in San Juan.

[Cruising4]

OMG! The itinerary for the Glory is amazing.

 

Dominica is our favorite stop of all time. The champagne reef ... cannot say enough about the experience of swimming with the bubbles. The way the island POPS out of the ocean, words cannot describe it. The emerald pool .... stunning.

 

Let us know your choice!

[toto6]

Another vote for option 1

[Ksimpson76]

Im back sorry didn't get back with you had to cook dinner and eat.

 

Things to consider:

 

Triumph:

 

If you choose the Triumph which leaves from Galvaston do you have anybody to take you to the port, because if you drive there your car will be at the port and you need to fly back home and you don't have the car at the airport you will need a way to get to your car and get it and a way to get from the airport to home.

 

The Triumph is the smallest ship out of all three

 

What I don't care about this one is your in ports the last days and have no "down rest time", its nice having sea day before you get home I think.

 

Martinique there is an abundant of people who speak french, english is not really spoken much. There is a lot of theft and crime especially pickpocketing and check and make sure the flu vaccination isn't mandatory.

 

Caymans, Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada and St. Maarten great snorkeling/scuba=5 islands

 

Dream:

 

She goes to Grand Turk you don't get there until 2pm the ship leaves at 9pm really not much to do on that island when it starts to get dark sunset is around 5:30pm, not much for you to do what you want to do. Even if you want this to be a beach day your stuck in this port doing nothing until 9pm and there really aren't any decent restaurants there worth trying for dinner.

 

The Cayman Islands has some of the best scuba diving you won't be going to this port here not sure if you been there before.

 

Im not sure whether St. Kitts is a great place to snorkel/scuba and not much to choose to do sailing.

 

I also believe the waters in the gulf can get a little rough when cold fronts push across them during winter months. You will get out of it though lol.

 

I feel Grand Turk and St. Kitts doesn't offer what you really looking for.

 

Your in Aruba until 9pm, Aruba is known for so many wonderful excellent restaurants you can have a nice dinner somewhere such as Yemanja right near the port or Barefoot and even Le Petite Cafe.

 

Aruba, Bonaire, Antigua and St. Maarten wonderful snorkeling/scuba= 4 islands

 

Glory:

 

Love the fact you fly into San Juan and you can spend a day or two there.

 

Dominica don't drink the water or the ice and there is high rate of crime and property stolen, people being robbed, there have been many reports of this the past year.

 

I don't believe Dominica is known for snorkeling and diving

 

St. Croix, St. Maarten, Grenada, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba are wonderful snorkeling/scuba places = 6 islands

 

I like this cruise because you have the last two days at sea to relax

 

If I were in your shoes and my advice:

 

I would definitely not take Triumph

I love the Dream its my favorite ship of Carnivals but to me Grand Turk and St. Kitts a waste of what you looking to do

Glory you get 4 ports sea day then 3 ports and 2 sea days the sea days break up the port days I feel

 

I say for your snorkeling and scuba Glory

 

THE SHIPS

 

Triumph no steakhouse if you wanted to do that and no serenity adults only

Dream only one that offers mongolian wok and Cucina Del Capitano which is excellent open for lunch and dinner. nice BBQ, Tandoor, the Dream also offers acupuncture, cloud 9 spa, thalassotherapy pool and thermal suite if your interested.

Glory only one that offers fish and chips

 

MY PICK FOR YOU IS THE GLORY FOR THE PORTS AND THE ACTIVITIES YOU WANT TO DO

 

Thank you all and Lyndarm, great review of all 3. I think I will be choosing option 1. Please keep sending your suggestions on things to do and places to see on each island.

By the way....Who's coming with us???

Happy sailing all.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Ksimpson76

[Cruisegirl6]

Your very welcome all three are great. ;)

[ISLABONITA]

I cruised with NCL in Dec. to the Southern Caribbean and had the best snorkeling experiences in Curacao and Aruba, my personal favorite snorkeling island though is Grand Cayman as well for diving I am sure.

A friend who has gone to Dominica 2x loves the scuba diving there as well.

St. Kitts was part of my Dec. cruise also and the weather was not great so we didn't snorkel but did stop at a beautiful beach.

Any of the 3 would make me happy!

Edited January 29, 2015 by ISLABONITA