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Which Southern Caribbean Cruise Would You Rather Take?

_beachgirl_

By _beachgirl_,
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_beachgirl_

_beachgirl_

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Posted

Which one of these 2 cruises appeals to you more and why?

 

7 Night Southern Caribbean

Adventure of the Seas

Departing from: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call:Philipsburg, St. Maarten • Kralendijk, Bonaire • Oranjestad, Aruba • Willemstad, Curacao

 

OR

 

7 Night Southern Caribbean

Jewel of the Seas

Departing from: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. • Basseterre, St. Kitts • St. John's, Antigua • Bridgetown, Barbados • Castries, St. Lucia

 

The only 2 ports of call we've been to are St. Maarten and St. Thomas so one off each choice. We're an active couple that loves snorkelling and water sports as well as adventures on land. We like tours as well. We aren't huge shoppers but we like to look around at the local goods.

 

We've never been on RC before so don't know much about the different ships and what they offer (we are a fan of larger ships with more to do). Any advice you can give would be much appreciated on both the ships as well as the ports.

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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We've been on both ships. Adventure would be my choice. We like the entertainment options on Voyager-class ships.

 

Jewel is beautiful with all its glass, but it was the most boring ship we've ever been on. Shows, entertainment and activities were all sub-par.

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davekathy

davekathy

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Posted (edited)

OP...can't go wrong with either itinerary or ship. Been there, done that and doing it again.

Two different class ships and each ship does offer something different. Based on your comments you may want to consider the Adventure. Grab a brochure or go on RCCL website and do a side by side comparison of the two ships.

Edited by davekathy
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OCruisers

OCruisers

Posted
Posted

7 Night Southern Caribbean

Adventure of the Seas

Departing from: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call:Philipsburg, St. Maarten • Kralendijk, Bonaire • Oranjestad, Aruba • Willemstad, Curacao

 

Don't miss the chance to go deep south to the ABC islands.

Bonaire has wonderful snorkeling! :)

 

LuLu

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printingchick Great Review Rare

printingchick

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Posted (edited)

Both itineraries are great. I've been to most of the islands and provide my thoughts (for the 2-cents they may be worth) below.

 

Adventure of the Seas

As others have said, if you prefer larger ships with more to do, you'd likely prefer Adventure over Jewel. (I'm the exact opposite and prefer smaller ships with more ocean views an unmatched service.) Adventure is a great ship. She was my first RCL vessel and caused me to fall in love with the line.

 

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

You mentioned having been here, so you don't need my assessment.

Kralendijk, Bonaire

I've never visited.

 

Oranjestad, Aruba

Lots of people LOVE Aruba, but it's not a favorite of mine. Some lovely beach resorts and great shopping, but I prefer the less developed ports of call. Additionally, the majority of the island is quite barren - more desert-like than tropical.

 

Willemstad, Curacao

Love this port. The pastel buildings, the floating bridge, the marketplace, Hato Caves...

 

OR

 

Jewel of the Seas

Jewel is a smaller ship. Radiance class is my personal favorite, due to the outdoor seating at the Windjammer, the omnipresent views of the ocean and the more intimate size. Based on your stated preferences, you'd likely prefer Adventure, but don't rule out Jewel. I booked my first Radiance class cruise for the itinerary, expecting to be disappointed with the smaller ship with fewer bells and whistles. I was shocked to discover I really prefer the smaller ships.

 

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

You've been here already, but I would recommend taking an excursion or the Red Hook Ferry over to St. John if you visit again. Incredibly beautiful!

 

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Have been here twice and never cease to be amazed by the beauty of this island. Take an island tour. (I recommend Royston, but there are others who are highly recommended.) You really need to see as much as you can on St. Kitts.

 

St. John's, Antigua

Going here on my upcoming cruise and repeating the same excursion I did last time, Paddles. Unfortunately, that means I've seen very little of the island, but I can highly recommend Paddles. Any excursion that takes you to Great Bird Island is worth consideration. It's a pretty incredible little uninhabited paradise.

 

Bridgetown, Barbados

I have cruised from San Juan several times and therefore have been to Barbados several times. It's a main-stay of southern Caribbean itineraries. To be honest, it's not one of my favorites. I find the beaches crowded and the beach vendors uncomfortably pushy. It's very touristy and developed, and I've already mentioned I prefer the less developed ports. We're going here again next month and will be on Calabazza Catamaran. I expect that to be a very enjoyable experience.

 

Castries, St. Lucia

I'll be here next month and I'm so looking forward to it. We've booked a Land and Sea tour with Herod. Looks like an amazing island that has a lot of the eco-features I enjoy.

 

Let us know what you choose. As everyone has said, both ships and itineraries are GREAT!

Edited by printingchick
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_beachgirl_

_beachgirl_

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Both sound fine, but I also like bigger ship, love the ice show, so I would go with Adventure, are they the same price??

 

They were within $50pp of each other. I honestly don't even remember which one was the more expensive. I'm looking into going Sept, Oct of 2017 but those dates aren't available yet so I was just checking out Jan/Feb 2017 to gauge pricing and itineraries.

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_beachgirl_

_beachgirl_

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Both itineraries are great. I've been to most of the islands and provide my thoughts (for the 2-cents they may be worth) below.

 

Adventure of the Seas

As others have said, if you prefer larger ships with more to do, you'd likely prefer Adventure over Jewel. (I'm the exact opposite and prefer smaller ships with more ocean views an unmatched service.) Adventure is a great ship. She was my first RCL vessel and caused me to fall in love with the line.

 

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

You mentioned having been here, so you don't need my assessment.

Kralendijk, Bonaire

I've never visited.

 

Oranjestad, Aruba

Lots of people LOVE Aruba, but it's not a favorite of mine. Some lovely beach resorts and great shopping, but I prefer the less developed ports of call. Additionally, the majority of the island is quite barren - more desert-like than tropical.

 

Willemstad, Curacao

Love this port. The pastel buildings, the floating bridge, the marketplace, Hato Caves...

 

OR

 

Jewel of the Seas

Jewel is a smaller ship. Radiance class is my personal favorite, due to the outdoor seating at the Windjammer, the omnipresent views of the ocean and the more intimate size. Based on your stated preferences, you'd likely prefer Adventure, but don't rule out Jewel. I booked my first Radiance class cruise for the itinerary, expecting to be disappointed with the smaller ship with fewer bells and whistles. I was shocked to discover I really prefer the smaller ships.

 

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

You've been here already, but I would recommend taking an excursion or the Red Hook Ferry over to St. John if you visit again. Incredibly beautiful!

 

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Have been here twice and never cease to be amazed by the beauty of this island. Take an island tour. (I recommend Royston, but there are others who are highly recommended.) You really need to see as much as you can on St. Kitts.

 

St. John's, Antigua

Going here on my upcoming cruise and repeating the same excursion I did last time, Paddles. Unfortunately, that means I've seen very little of the island, but I can highly recommend Paddles. Any excursion that takes you to Great Bird Island is worth consideration. It's a pretty incredible little uninhabited paradise.

 

Bridgetown, Barbados

I have cruised from San Juan several times and therefore have been to Barbados several times. It's a main-stay of southern Caribbean itineraries. To be honest, it's not one of my favorites. I find the beaches crowded and the beach vendors uncomfortably pushy. It's very touristy and developed, and I've already mentioned I prefer the less developed ports. We're going here again next month and will be on Calabazza Catamaran. I expect that to be a very enjoyable experience.

 

Castries, St. Lucia

I'll be here next month and I'm so looking forward to it. We've booked a Land and Sea tour with Herod. Looks like an amazing island that has a lot of the eco-features I enjoy.

 

Let us know what you choose. As everyone has said, both ships and itineraries are GREAT!

 

Thank you so much for the details of each port. I'm leaning towards the ABC islands simply because we love being in the water so much, but I didn't know if I was going to miss out on something great at one of the other ports the Jewel sails to that I know nothing about!

 

Too bad I can't do both!!

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ken_nyc

ken_nyc

Posted
Posted
Which one of these 2 cruises appeals to you more and why?

 

7 Night Southern Caribbean

Adventure of the Seas

Departing from: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call: Philipsburg, St. Maarten • Kralendijk, Bonaire • Oranjestad, Aruba • Willemstad, Curacao

 

OR

 

7 Night Southern Caribbean

Jewel of the Seas

Departing from: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ports of Call: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. • Basseterre, St. Kitts • St. John's, Antigua • Bridgetown, Barbados • Castries, St. Lucia

 

We did the second one on our last cruise on the Adventure and loved it. Originally wanted to do the first cruise but the dates did not work for us.

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lauraodonnell86

lauraodonnell86

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We are headed on our 3rd cruise on the Adventure of the Seas in January and have gone to all of the islands on the non-ABC cruise you listed. We would love to do the ABCs though soon because we've heard great things about them. I have never been on the Jewel but have been on her sister ship, Serenade and they are wonderful ships. But we prefer the Adventure class ships because of the Royal Promenade. The entertainment, shopping and bars are really fun to experience. Can't go wrong with either but I'd recommend the ABCs on the Adventure! You are going to love Royal!! :D;)

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bup1224

bup1224

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We have done the 2nd one on the Jewel - loved it - have been on the Jewel twice. 5 ports was a bit much for us with only 1 sea day.

 

We are booked on Adventure for Sept. 17, 2016 and have done all the ports except Bonaire, which we can't wait to visit. We absolutely LOVE Curacao (it is our favorite island and have vacationed there twice) and like Aruba.

 

I would say Adventure even though the Jewel holds a special place for me (it was my first and second ship!).

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emeraldcity

emeraldcity

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Well, somebody has to offer the opposing view. If it was me, I'd cruise on the Jewel. I also seriously need to infuse my cruises with some active shore excursions, along with a sprinkling of history/tours. But when it comes to a choice of ship class, I'll take sea views over an uptick in entertainment options.

 

My take on shore excursion options:

 

Aruba - the beach is great and furnished with plenty of rentable water toys. We had a blast on "the giant whoopee cushion" they tow behind a speed boat. Twenty minutes of non-stop belly laughs. Couldn't get much advance info on costs so I guessed how much cash to bring with me ... it wasn't enough for the waverunners :(.

 

Bonaire snorkeling is over-hyped. I was disappointed. Next time I go to the Southern Caribbean, I'll be looking to try St. John's for snorkeling. Of course, it's been really hard to find a snorkeling trip that impresses me after having been to Hawaii, but Dominica came close. The Bonaire snorkel site is rather deep, so you're really not very close to the undersea flora and fauna ... unlike Champagne Bay in Dominica.

 

Curacao - incredibly picturesque ... but take a tour or something ... don't shop here unless your pockets are lined with gold.

 

vs.

 

St. John's - I've been to St. Thomas multiple times and have always been put off by the logistics to get to St. John. I've heard great things about the snorkeling there and I'd love to take a cruise that stops there and avoids the ferry hassles.

 

St. Kitts - awesome zipline. I don't repeat excursions as a rule, but I might consider this an exception. We had a blast.

 

St. Lucia - I haven't been there (my Southern route out of San Juan did Dominica). I've heard so much about the incredible beauty of this island that it will figure highly in any Southern itinerary I go shopping for in the future.

 

St. Thomas - Shopping, shopping, shopping ... or better yet, try a tour. There are also a number of snorkeling excursions to other islands offered here, but one doesn't want to overdo the snorkeling thing. If I did it on St. John, I'd pick something more varied here.

 

Barbados - beautiful, but over-developed. This is the place to see sea turtles, but the spot tends to attract a couple hundred other like-minded tourists. I'm likely to check out other options next time, like the zipline. That would give me the chance to see more of the island en route to the venue. We also saw plenty of water toys here ... not sure where you could rent them, but I bet you can ... therefore, another possibility I'll look into next time I go there is a waverunner rental ... I love waverunners.

 

As for the ship ... I'm not a big fan of the Royal Promenade ... it's OK, but it's without a view of the ocean ... and I really crave that ocean-view.

 

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful cruise.

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DonnaK

DonnaK

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Posted

St. John's - I've been to St. Thomas multiple times and have always been put off by the logistics to get to St. John. I've heard great things about the snorkeling there and I'd love to take a cruise that stops there and avoids the ferry hassles.

 

 

The St. John's in this itinerary is the port city in Antigua, not St. John, USVI

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Choozin Croozin

Choozin Croozin

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Posted (edited)
If you love snorkeling, then you cannot miss a chance to go to Bonaire.

 

I'm with Bob. The ABC islands are my all time fav as we also love to snorkel. Curaçao is also very good. We have been to Porto Mari (Curaçao) 2x and while they are working on rebuilding their reef system, there are some real different fish than you see other places. We went with the Woodwind snorkeling tour (Bonaire) and it was so great. It was like snorkeling in an aquarium. The best of all the Caribbean islands IMHO. Aruba can be a good cheap beach day. Take the bus to one of the gorgeous beaches OR when we were there this past January we did this. http://www.trikes-aruba.com My husband LOVED it and we are not bikers. I was kind of a nervous wreck, but his normal driving scares me :eek: so there you have it. You can't really go wrong with either, but the fact that we love to snorkel whenever we can, I definitely would choose the ABC islands again. And the towns are all nice to walk around too. Curaçao has the cool swinging bridge.

Edited by choozin' cruzin'
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