Can't decide on itinerary

[rr1954]

My wife and I are planning a cruise for this Spring with our 8-yr.d old daughter. We cannot decide between the Serenade (St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados) and the Mariner (Jamaica, Cozumel, Grand Cayman). We have never been to Antigua, St. Lucia or Barbados and the Serenade sounds wonderful. Our problem is that one of the things we like to do on vacation is snorkel. Any chance we would be disappointed with the Serenade's itinerary if we want to some snorkeling? Thanks for any insight!

[negc]

I'll leave it to those who snorkel frequently to compare the itineraries. I believe that Grand Cayman is high on their list, but there are some great beaches in Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Thomas (especially if you take the ferry over to St. John) and Barbados so I am sure you would find a number of good, if not great, snorkeling sites at any and all of those ports. In addition, the Serenade is a beautiful Radiance class ship which we actually prefer to the Voyager Class. Whichever you choose, I don't think you will be disappointed.

[daveky]

My wife and I are planning a cruise for this Spring with our 8-yr.d old daughter. We cannot decide between the Serenade (St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados) and the Mariner (Jamaica, Cozumel, Grand Cayman). We have never been to Antigua, St. Lucia or Barbados and the Serenade sounds wonderful. Our problem is that one of the things we like to do on vacation is snorkel. Any chance we would be disappointed with the Serenade's itinerary if we want to some snorkeling? Thanks for any insight!

 

You won't be dissapointed with the Serenade and the Southern route and the snorkeling. With the Western route, Grand Cayman is excellent but never been thrilled with the snorkeling on the other stops. Not been on Serenade but have been on her sister ship and was beautiful.

Only other difference if you were to take a Voyager class ship, I believe there might be more for your 8 year old to do. I'll let others comment on that as mine have grown up and sailed away (smile) and they never got to experience the Children's program on the Voyager class ships.

Happy cruising.

 

Dave

[DiverDavid]

Our first cruise with our then 16 year old was the Jamaica/Cozumel/Grand Cayman itinerary. We love to snorkel and make sure we plan as many opportunities as possible when cruising. In Cozumel, we went to Chankanaab Park where we could snorkel right off the beach. We also splurged on the "swim with the dolphins" experience for our daughter. We went on a snorkel/swim with stingrays excursion in Grand Cayman - not to be missed! In Jamaica, we did not snorkel, but climbed Dunns River Falls. To date only Curacao has equaled snorkeling in Grand Cayman!

 

We are doing the Serenade itinerary you outlined in January. We already have plans to snorkel in St. Thomas, Antigua, and Barbados. In Barbados, you can snorkel with sea turtles!

 

See the island specific boards for lots of discussions on different vendors.

[pokyd]

Do the southern route with Serenade. She's an absolutely beautiful ship and I prefer her class to the Voyager class a million times over. DO take the ferry to St. John from St. Thomas for some of the best snorkeling ever - but St. Thomas also has the best shopping bar none! St. Maarten is also good for shopping so maybe do that there. Barbados and St. Lucia also have good snorkeling; Antigua has the greatest beaches if you want to lounge and do water sports.

 

These are some of my favorite islands and I never get tired of visiting them. Have a great time!

[pjbrock]

Seranade is great - have done that route and will again this next April (on the Adventure) We too love to snorkel and the Southern Route is the best. The best snorkeling is off a boat -not from the shore with the notable exception of Trunk Bay on St Johns ( you can go there from the St Thomas stop but allow the whole day so if you want to shop for half the day in St Thomas-that's out. But St Thomas also has good snorkeling from some of the beaches- coki point is probably the best. Book some tours in the islands -private not from the ship and enjoy!!!

[daveky]

To date only Curacao has equaled snorkeling in Grand Cayman!

 

I agree with your quote. Been to Curacao several times, the lastest being this past September and have been really impressed with the snorkeling there.

As you can see from my crusing list, been to the islands many times and the snorkeling in Curacao was fantastic. The blue parrot fish were hugh... in addition to all of the other fish we saw. And plenty of them.

 

Dave

[firstcruise05]

I hear that Grand Cayman is great for skorkeling but the Mariner is a large ship and oftentimes they have to skip GC because the tender can't handle choppy water. I've read many reviews of disappointed cruisers who despite beautiful weather had to skip Grand Cayman due to the waves. Not to say that it will happen to you but my advice is not to pick that sailing JUST because you want to snorkle in GC because it may not happen. Otherwise, I am going on the Mariner next Sunday and will post my review when I get back but I understand that the Voyager Class has tons and tons of things to do for kids/teens.

[syndyj]

We did the Serenade itineary on Adventure of the Seas,and are doing the Western Caribbean in 2006 on the Freedom.

 

If you choose the Southern itineary and want an excellent snorkelling experience I can personally recommend Eli of Antigua's Adventure Eco Tour. I did this tour on a land vacation on Antigua and had a blast! Here is a link to his website:

 

http://www.adventureantigua.com/

 

I agree with someone's comment about shopping in St. Maarten, I found their prices to be the best of all the islands we visited.