Second thoughts on the 14 night southern caribbean cruise in April 2016!

[phoenix_dream]

We are not beach or pool people in general, but have enjoyed many Caribbean cruises. It kind of depends what you want to do. We go on these cruises to relax primarily. There are some sights to see on most islands, and many have some fun shopping and bars (and sometimes casinos) to spend time in. Honestly, if you are looking for history type experiences the islands do have some but nothing compared to, say, European ports. And again to be honest, after awhile many of the islands start to look the same to us (although perhaps that is a result of going to them so many times:)). If you don't like beaches but like relaxing at a resort, many of the islands have day passes at resorts or hotels you can book where you can lounge by the pool, drink to your heart's content, eat, and just generally chill. We have done that a few times as well, which is much more relaxing than trying to grab a chair by the ship's pool where it is generally very crowded and noisy. Something else to consider, if you are going for the relaxation like we are, is that when the ship is in port it gets very calm and peaceful onboard. We often enjoy that by coming back early from one of the islands we are not quite as fond of.

[wander]

For a number of years we went to the Caribbean for the beaches - all day rather by ship or land vacation. Loved it. Now, I can no longer lounge in the sun and I have actually enjoyed our Caribbean ports even more, to my surprise. Love to just wander around the towns, particularly the residential areas, local restaurants, etc A Segway tour sounds like fun - being very careful of course unless you are used to Segway riding.

 

Since long beach days are no longer an option (well they would be OK if I were to cover-up with appropriate clothing - not the same), a land vacation in the Caribbean would no longer interest me - but a cruise would. Different place to explore each day in port.

[Ozy71]

Thank you all for your very welcome input. This is our 50th wedding anniversary bash, so we wanted it to be special. We are probably over-thinking it, we will have a great time because we will make it so.

But not looking forward to the 20 hours of flying and the $ exchange rate!!

Again Thank you all.

John & Margaret

[Project_gal]

Thank you all for your very welcome input. This is our 50th wedding anniversary bash, so we wanted it to be special. We are probably over-thinking it, we will have a great time because we will make it so.

But not looking forward to the 20 hours of flying and the $ exchange rate!!

Again Thank you all.

John & Margaret

 

John & Margaret

 

You will have a fantastic 50th anniversary cruise. We will never forget our 40th doing a similar cruise.

 

As for the flight, just keep reminding yourself that it is just 20 hours [OK, twice] compared to 14-nights on the ship.

 

Cannot help much with the exchange rate but there are two things that may help a little. First, does Celebrity offer the opportunity to purchase OBC for Australians? [You will have to have purchased your cruise in Australian dollars.] In the UK, the exchange rate offered is good, often very good, sometimes exceptionally good. Go to the bottom of the webpage and there should be a Gifts by Celebrity link. Click on it, go to the Delivery On Board link and follow through to On Board Credit. It does not say but the OBC is sold in US$25 blocks. Purchased OBC will be used after any non-refundable OBC. If you withdraw it from the Casino, there will be a 5% charge but we managed to purchase OBC that was so cheap that we are still winning after paying the 5% and, of course, any that you spend on board does not attract the 5% surcharge.

 

Secondly, keep watching the exchange rate. I watch daily and keep an Excel spreadsheet graph of the changing rate. The are usually fairly volatile and you will start to get a feeling for when they are likely to go up and down - what sort of world or national events have what sort of effect. It can help you decide when to purchase your US$.

[Ozy71]

Thank you Sue for the heads up on buying OBC, we will check it out.

Every bit helps, we are doing the B2B on to Southampton, so will need a few US$s. The CC drinks will take some of the sting out of it.

[Gordoncruickshank]

I am afraid that the UK obc rate change recently to around $1,48 to the £.

[Project_gal]

I am afraid that the UK obc rate change recently to around $1,48 to the £.

 

That's a shame. Glad we purchased when we did.

[K.T.B.]

We are booked on the above and having done some more research

it appears that beaches are the major attraction. We are not beach people and given that we are traveling from Australia, are we likely to be disappointed?

 

There's far more to do on those ports than just the beach. Oranjestad, as an example, has museums, historical sites, even a butterfly farm. Do some research on each port and see if there's something at each one you might find interesting to do. :)

[Luvs2trvl]

Another one chiming in about so much more to do on this cruise besides hanging out at the beach/pool. As one person suggested - check out the Celebrity excursions. If you can find a copy of the Celebrity dailies for that cruise, take a look at what's happening on the ship while in port. Mom and I have attended talks on famous artists, attended cooking classes, window shopped all the pretty baubles and even had fun trying on some rings and necklaces!

 

Someone else suggested the Panama Canal and if you haven't done that and it's of interest then look at that itinerary. Mom and I sailed on the Infinity last fall from San Diego CA to Fort Lauderdale FL. What's nice about one of the Celebrity itineries is you have an overnight in Panama which gives you the opportunity to explore the city as well as passing through all 3 locks.

[Luvs2trvl]

As others have said there is a lot to do on these islands. We did the Eclipse last February and have it booked again for 2017 because we enjoyed it so much. We did island tours on most islands and it amazed us at just how different each one was. They are all beautiful in their own unique ways. The people are so welcoming and happy to show you their heritage. We missed the beach time on this cruise as we only went to a few beaches and so will make a point to include much more beach time in 2017. Enjoy, no matter what choice you make. Good luck in your decision.

 

I noticed in 2017 the Eclipse is not calling on Grenada, but doing an overnight in one of the ABC islands. Do you know why they are changing the itinerary? Grenada was one of the islands I wanted to visit!

[Fouremco]

I noticed in 2017 the Eclipse is not calling on Grenada, but doing an overnight in one of the ABC islands. Do you know why they are changing the itinerary? Grenada was one of the islands I wanted to visit!

Good question. We were meant to go to Grenada next March at the time we booked the cruise, but now we are overnighting in Barbados and missing Grenada too. Bummer! :mad:

[keithm]

We are booked on the above and having done some more research

it appears that beaches are the major attraction. We are not beach people and given that we are traveling from Australia, are we likely to be disappointed?

There's plenty to do,instead of beaches. There's lots of shopping,various excursions that exlore the islands(really check out the Pitons in St.Lucia) The only issue I see, is at this time it REALLY starts getting hot & more humid than the Jan.-Feb trips that we do.

[Luvs2trvl]

Good question. We were meant to go to Grenada next March at the time we booked the cruise, but now we are overnighting in Barbados and missing Grenada too. Bummer! :mad:

 

Wow - I didn't see that one. I thought they weren't changing until 2017. Thanks for mentioning the change. Sorry you're going to miss Grenada.

[davekathy]

Wow - I didn't see that one. I thought they weren't changing until 2017. Thanks for mentioning the change. Sorry you're going to miss Grenada.

 

We're doping a 14 night Cruise on the Eclipse April 2016 and Celebrity dropped our port of call in Bonaire for an overnight in Curacao. They also extended our stay in Barbados. Oh well maybe we'll get to Bonaire another time.

[4774Papa]

Like you, we live on an island in Georgia, with a beach. We are not beach people. We did a Southern Caribbean that included a lot of the Eastern Caribbean as well. We found something to do in each port.

We did the dolphin encounter in Curacao. An island tour of Aruba. We very much enjoyed St. Lucia and the caldera. Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and St. Thomas have a lot of historical sites.