4th Cruise - What cruise line? Carribean cruise, when?

[aimcat]

This will be my 4th cruise and my husbands 3rd. We have only cruised with Carnival before but seems like from previous cruises a lot of people say Carnival is the lower end of the spectrum? Would like some opinions on the best cruise for the Western Carribean? Our last cruise was Carnival Dream to St Marteen, St Thomas and Nassau. We have been to Nassau several times now and would like to avoid that port. We are a couple only and would like to avoid high volumes of kids (no offense!). We like activities, entertainment, a nice room, and possibly being able to have a private cabana or something like that would be nice for deck or pool time.

Also when would be best times to go? We have only went in Spring before. Would like to maybe go later this year or early in 2016, but didnt know if those are good times for weather?

 

Any opinions would be great!

[Robinsoncruiseso]

You sound like me four months ago. I am a planner and tend to overthink everything, but one day I came across a good deal, price and itinerary. For what its worth, we chose the Feb 7 sailing on the Regal Princess to the Western Carib.

 

We have sailed Royal Carribean, NCL, HAL, Carnival and Princess. We are post kids (me 48 and DH 58) and enjoy Princess the most. We do not need the amusement rides on RCL, NCL or Carnival, and HAL was a little too old for us. We enjoy the less kids and the group activities such as trivia, etc Princess offers. We also like to visit the disco, which is usually not full of drunk 20 somethings. I am a really "non-foodie" so I don't even try to give a review of food. I did not eat butter or marinara sauce until my 20's!

 

After booking the cruise, of course I immediately started looking at the ports and excursions and found some great reasonably priced tours in each port, (Princess Cay, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel).

 

While I am sure there are several other ports and ships which are just as fine, but personally, I chose the Regal because I have been really really wanting to sail on her since she was being built. I have heard she has some quirkiness to her, but if you can fall in love with a picture of a ship...guilty!

[aimcat]

I forgot to also mention that my husband and I are in our early 30s. We dont want too old of a crowd or two young (again no offense) :)

[cruiserking]

Welcome to Cruise Critic Aimcat.

 

The nicest time to cruise the Caribbean is between January and April. After the holidays is great, if the dates work for you, because children are back in school and it will be much quieter on board.

 

At this time of year, it's warm in the Caribbean but, not oppressively hot like the summer.

 

You should consider Celebrity Cruise Lines, particularly the newer Solstice Class ships, very elegant, contemporary and sleek.

 

Royal Caribbean also has some beautiful ships, tons do on board, big beautiful ships.

 

Princess is another line very traditional cruise line, beautiful ships. We've sailed with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and enjoy both but, Royal particularly for the great energy and vibe on board.

 

All three lines cruise from Florida, so do some research, read the forums and see which ships most appeal to you. You can find great pictures at http://www.shipparade.com and youtube.com has plenty of videos too.

 

Jonathan

[sbbquilter]

My very favorite time to cruise is the couple weeks just after Thanksgiving - prices are low, very few kids and the ship is being decorated for the Christmas holiday. Caribbean weather is beautiful and was a relaxation before the holiday rat race at home.

[Keith1010]

I would take a look at RCI. That's a nice move from Carnival.

 

I like Western Caribbean. Only place I don't care for is Jamaica.

 

January and February are great times to go.

 

Keith

[americandream]

Sail during school and you'll avoid the kids. Celebrity, Princess, and Royal are all great choices. Royal used to be the favorite until they started marketing so heavily to families. That and the ginormous ships have turned us off a bit, but still a good line. Celebrity is a little more "modern" of an atmosphere, hence the slogan "Modern Luxury." I love the bars and lounges on Celebrity the best. The martini bar and (Solstice Class only) Molecular Bar are both great if you have the drink package.

 

Our absolute favorite ships are the Celebrity Millennium Class (Millennium, Infinity, Summit). Second would be Royal's Radiance Class.

We too are a couple not much older than you.

[navybankerteacher]

The best time of year for the Caribbean with regard to weather is November through April - most comfortable (reliably warm, without the excessive heat and humidity of late Spring through early Fall), and you are getting away from whatever Winter offers in your part of the country.

 

You will want to avoid school break periods - times of higher prices and crowds of children. And you might want to think more traditional lines: HAL, Celebrity, Princess, possibly Royal Caribbean (in that order) for the kind of experience described.

[aimcat]

Do you still get all inclusive things like meals, entertainment, basic drinks paid for through say RCI or Celebrity. I think the RC Allure of the Seas and the Celebrity Reflection ships are the ones that interest us. Would these be large steps up from say Carnivals newest ship which I am not sure which that is. Where we have sailed with Carnival 3 times now we get decent discounts and a few additives but feel like maybe there are better.

[Nic6318]

Do you still get all inclusive things like meals, entertainment, basic drinks paid for through say RCI or Celebrity. I think the RC Allure of the Seas and the Celebrity Reflection ships are the ones that interest us. Would these be large steps up from say Carnivals newest ship which I am not sure which that is. Where we have sailed with Carnival 3 times now we get decent discounts and a few additives but feel like maybe there are better.

 

Hi Aimcat

 

While I am a Carnival fan, we have also sailed on Royal, NCL, Princess and I feel they are more similar than different. If you are looking for a "large step up", I think you would have to look a more luxury line.

 

If you are looking for a change pick any one of RCL, NCL, Celebrity, Princess. They all offer a product that their "fans" enjoy. The only way you are going to determine the best fit for yourself is to try them.

You have your experience with Carnival to compare against. Carnival tends to be the lowest priced product. Now you just have to assess the extra cost vs. services available on other cruise lines.

 

Just think of the fun you will have figuring out which cruise line you enjoy the best.

 

Happy cruising

[americandream]

Do you still get all inclusive things like meals, entertainment, basic drinks paid for through say RCI or Celebrity. I think the RC Allure of the Seas and the Celebrity Reflection ships are the ones that interest us. Would these be large steps up from say Carnivals newest ship which I am not sure which that is. Where we have sailed with Carnival 3 times now we get decent discounts and a few additives but feel like maybe there are better.

 

 

Yes your meals, entertainment and "basic drinks" are included in all lines. We've been on the Reflection. It's a beautiful ship and we had a great time. It also has private cabanas for rent which I think you mentioned as something you desire. Haven't experienced the Allure.

 

We've sailed Carnival once. I'm not a Carnival hater as some are, but we will never sail them again. I can't say precisely what it was that turned us off. Some will say quality of service or food; I don't know there was a big difference. The ship was beautiful, so no complaints there. Honestly I think it was the demographic of the passengers. I remember the sea days, I couldn't find a public place that offered any peace and quiet to sit and read, not even a closed lounge (kids came storming through on a scavenger hunt). I recall there was no relaxation at the pool with constant belly flop, hairy chest, and "fill in the blank" contests. I recall an over abundance of drunk and rowdy people. I recall the group of teenagers who stormed the hot tub at night and then took my and my wife's towels while leaving us with their soaking wet ones... It's not to say we haven't had similar experiences on other lines. We have. However, they've been isolated and never all of this in one 7 day itinerary as happened on Carnival. My fun meter was pegged at being encroached upon by my fellow man.

 

My hats off to those who enjoy the line. It's just not my thing. Celebrity and Princess are night and day to this. Royal is more like twilight to Carnival. Haven't tried HAL mainly because we haven't found the right itinerary with them yet. We've avoided NCL because they've never been appealing to us at all.

 

Someone mentioned a luxury line. Unless you are a loaded 30 something, you'll likely have to wait a few decades for that.

 

Hope this helps.

[americandream]

You were also asking for itinerary advice. The hands down absolute best Caribbean itinerary we have done is the one the Celebrity Summit does out of Puerto Rico to the Lessor Antilles. It was great. I agree with you about Nassau. No need to go back. I also agree with a previous poster who didn't care for Jamaica. If you get the chance, do a Panama Canal passage. Good times! Happy cruising!

[aimcat]

You mentioned that NCL had not appealed to you, is there a reason? NCL Escape is coming out in the fall and it was appealing to us! I really like the NEW ships - guess I like the beat up and unused part about them.

I understand what you mean about Carnival crowd. I have thought that before but when we were on the ships in the past I just tried to ignore it lol.

[mizLORInj]

Make sure you're not cruising during school spring breaks. There are fewer kids on other sailings, though I am always surprised to see how many kids are present on cruises even during the school year.

 

We prefer to cruise no later than early December, and start up again in mid-March. We find the Caribbean to have have "winter swells" and not as hot weather, so we don't cruise during peak winter because I want warm to hot weather when I'm on a cruise. Even April seems to be perfect for us.

 

We have cruised Carnival many times, yet I do find other lines to be more upscale. Are they perfect? No, of course not. You have lots of choices so maybe narrow it down by where you want to go and then look at dates/ships? We haven't had a bad cruise yet. I personally would be looking at newer ships before older ones. And most cruiselines include the same things in your cruise fare.

[widallas]

We have only sailed on RCCL, but are going back with them next June on a larger ship (Mariner to Liberty). Out last cruise was Thanksgiving week, and though there were tons of kids, we still had a great time. Our boys are teens now, and are already looking forward to the teen club...and time away from us! We are in our mid-forties, and RCCL has plenty of activities when we want them -- for everyone in our group -- and options for just the two of us as well.

 

We have friends who love and will only sail Carnival -- I do think there is a slightly rowdier "vibe" and that's why they love it. ("Non-snooty" were the words they used. :o) Their kids love the slides and the kids programs. They are in the late 30s.

 

My in-laws have cruised a lot and love Princess for the quality of food and service, but it's more adult oriented...I don't think so many family activities.

 

I do think if you get to cruise at all....it's a good vacation!

Edited August 16, 2015 by widallas
typo

[legaljen1969]

I think Celebrity offers a great product for the money. The feel is truly "modern luxury." We cruised in 2010 and 2012 on Solstice. We were in our 40's. No children- never had children so it's not a "post kids" season of life for us.

 

There was enough to do the ships that if a family had children, they would be entertained. However, it is not a "family cruise" vibe with kids running around all the time.

 

We cruised in late April both times. We found that most of the kids were back in school. We found that time of year to be a reasonable time to sail. Not too hot.

 

We just cruised Freedom of the Seas for our 20th wedding anniversary in April of this year. Again, the sailing was late April. We found it not to be overrun with children. Most have finished spring break, and are not yet out for summer vacation. There was plenty to do for adults. It was a wonderful cruise.

 

As for the January/February time frame, we cruised Royal's Mariner of the Seas in 2006 and 2008 out of Port Canaveral. We found the weather agreeable while at sea, but quite chilly upon departure and return to Port Canaveral. It is probably not the pre-stay and post-stay some might hope for at the beach. It is quite nice in April.

 

We have only done Royal and Celebrity, so I cannot offer any feedback on other lines.

[americandream]

You mentioned that NCL had not appealed to you, is there a reason? NCL Escape is coming out in the fall and it was appealing to us! I really like the NEW ships - guess I like the beat up and unused part about them.

I understand what you mean about Carnival crowd. I have thought that before but when we were on the ships in the past I just tried to ignore it lol.

 

 

We've avoided NCL because it seems they have gone more ala carte than the other lines. That and their marketing just isn't appealing to me. If the right itinerary came along, we would probably do it. We've moved away from the Caribbean and are sailing to see the world.

 

New ships are great! So are newly refurbished ones. Personally, I like the smaller ones. There aren't any of those being built right now.

[americandream]

 

 

That is a true story.

 

 

 

And that is good advice. It's generally what we do.

[aimcat]

We have narrowed it down to Regal Princess and Norwegian Escape either in December. The NW Escape is brand new first sailing in October. Just looking at these because they fit in with pricing and time frame. What would be the pros and cons of these? Anyone been on the NCL Breakaway that is similar to Escape? How about Regal Princess?

[searoses]

Regal is a gorgeous quite new ship and she plays the love boat song when leaving ports....made me laugh every time.....adult pool with cabana type things to rent....

The food was much better than my 2 ncl cruises.....the buffet area was amazing.....kept finding little places I missed....Has it's own pastry shop....we did not go to any shows so I can't comment on them......very few children as we went mid jan....would hop on her again over ncl any time....

[dolita22]

My DH and I are in our mid-30s, no kids, and prefer NCL. We generally travel at the end of January each year to escape the cold and snowy Midwest!

 

I've sailed CCL before and he sailed Azamara. We sailed NCL, then RCCL for our honeymoon, but went back to NCL. We LOVE the freestyle dining aspect, and IMO, while other lines offer some version of freestyle dining (eat when you want, where you want), none of the other lines we've been on have the idea down as well as NCL.

 

We've got two cruises on the Escape booked - a quick 3 dayer on the inaugural, public US sailing in early November and a week-long sailing in January, to check out all we miss in November!

 

As you can guess, I would go with the Escape, simply because it's really a brand new ship. They just floated it out last weekend!

 

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have a wonderful cruise!