Which Itinerary would you choose?

[Oldgoat61]

My two cents...…..Royal, 2, 1.  ABC's are incredible.

[hrmkr]

3 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

We always

We always fly in the day before.  I remember a few years ago when it snowed on Halloween in Philly.

You just have to factor in all of the variables when comparing the two choices.  The higher airfare and hotel costs with the december cruise on an older RCI ship, versus paying more for the Horizon, but be on a newer ship with lower air and more cheaper hotel choices.  Good luck with your decision.

For either cruise, we would fly in the day before.

 

If this changes anything, the Dec 1 RCI cruise is cheaper than one the Horizon (Oct. 6).  With the added price increase flying to SJ over Miami and flying the day after Thanksgiving, the price would be very close to each other.  Within $100

[hrmkr]

Still trying to decide...

 

The Freedom and Horizon size wise are very close.  Now the difference is that the Horizon is the newest ship for Carnival.  the Freedom is 13 years old but it was state of the art when it came out.  It is not an old, rundown ship. 

 

By the way, I checked the RCI price and it went up some from yesterday.

[Tapi]

40 minutes ago, hrmkr said:

Still trying to decide...

 

The Freedom and Horizon size wise are very close.  Now the difference is that the Horizon is the newest ship for Carnival.  the Freedom is 13 years old but it was state of the art when it came out.  It is not an old, rundown ship. 

 

By the way, I checked the RCI price and it went up some from yesterday.

Royal does a fantastic job keeping their ships looking good. We have sailed on ships as new as the Allure of the Seas during its inaugural season to the 29 year old Empress of the Seas last summer. One  of the things that caught my attention about that last one was that the ship was in great ship, and while she was indeed older and smaller, she had been recently updated. We felt the same way when we sailed on Enchantment of the Seas, another one of their older ships.

 

Carnival’s newest ships definitely look good but unfortunately, my opinion is that their older ships aren’t kept up well. They look outdated and you can spot maintenance issues frequently. 

 

Personally I’d be very happy with either one of your two finalists. Throw a dice. 😂

Edited March 27, 2019 by Tapi

[Tapi]

On 3/25/2019 at 2:09 PM, hrmkr said:

Looking at the least expensive pricing, we would do the Horizon on October 6 and the Freedom on Dec 1.

One thing to consider when sailing in October is that you’re closer to the peak of hurricane season (mid sept) so your chances are higher that you may go somewhere not on your original itinerary. One good thing is that the ABC islands are outside of the normal path of hurricanes but you may still find yourself with an itinerary change if a hurricane threatens Florida, Grand Turk or the Dominican Republic. Just more food for thought. 

 

With that said, anything is possible. We cruised during Thanksgiving week one year when they had a very busy hurricane season (I forgot the year, but it was so busy that they ran out of names so they started using the Greek alphabet). One of our ports was replaced and we spent the rest of the week running from TS Gamma. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by Tapi

[BETSY DOLL]

I love Amber Cove! 

[OCruisers]

46 minutes ago, BETSY DOLL said:

I love Amber Cove! 

 

Where did you go there and what do you love most about Amber Cove?

[Kaylee196]

3 - 2 - 1 gets my vote!!!!

[marshalltp]

Without factoring in the ship....#2, #1, #3.

 

Eastern out of SJ is crazy fun and beautiful.  Our family had so much fun bobbing for hours in the surf in Barbados.  St. Lucia is probably the most beautiful island in the Caribbean.  There is a small boutique day resort overlooking the port in St. Kitt with an infinity pool that we felt like we were in heaven.  We did this on the Liberty so it was awesome (not sure I would book on the Fascination)

 

Western just brings so much beach/diving/snorkeling adventures.  Love Nachi Cocom in Cozumel (be there on Monday in fact), Roatan has a rich culture with friendly residents and great off beach snorkelling.  I would say I am ready to get a better look at Belize (only took snorkel tours that left direct from ship).  Grand Cayman has lots of stuff to do and explore after your morning swim with the Stingrays.

 

Southern itinerary:  Grand Turk has a nice beach, Jacks Shack, and a big ass Margaritaville if you like that commercial vibe.  Not been to La Romana but have not heard people say they loved it.  Would like to go to Curacao and Aruba but its a long drive for only two ports that I would be interested in.

 

Bottom line is any day at sea is a better day than at your desk.....Can't go wrong any way...

[SNJCruisers]

5 minutes ago, marshalltp said:

Without factoring in the ship....#2, #1, #3.

If you had read the thread completely, then you would have known by reading post # 59, # 77 and # 78 from the OP that the decision has been made with the Southern itinerary winning out and the decision has come down to either the Horizon sailing on 10/6 or the Freedom of the Seas on 12/1.

[marshalltp]

7 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

If you had read the thread completely, then you would have known by reading post # 59, # 77 and # 78 from the OP that the decision has been made with the Southern itinerary winning out and the decision has come down to either the Horizon sailing on 10/6 or the Freedom of the Seas on 12/1.

Thanks for being the hall monitor.  Still trying to figure out why you don't have many friends?

[NYHartChapp]

On 3/22/2019 at 7:43 PM, hrmkr said:

Hello,

 

We are trying to decide which itinerary to choose for our next cruise.

 

Do not take into account the prices, which ship or if we have been to any of the ports before.  Only the itinerary.  

 

Option 1:

Grand Cayman

Mahogany Bay

Belize

Cozumel

 

Option 2: 

Amber Cove

St. Thomas

San Juan

Grand Turk

 

Option 3:

Grand Turk

La Romana

Curacao

Aruba

 

We can't go wrong on any of them.

3, 2, 1

[SNJCruisers]

1 minute ago, NYHartChapp said:

3, 2, 1

Deja Vu. 

 

22 minutes ago, marshalltp said:

Thanks for being the hall monitor.  Still trying to figure out why you don't have many friends?

Remember when your teacher said to read all of the instructions before starting the test and the last instruction was just to sign your name and your test was done?  You were one of those students that ignored the instructions and started answering all of the questions wasting your time.

Congratulations, you did it again.

[chill6x6]

OP...

 

I prob missed it....what cabin type are you looking at?  What other cruise lines/ships have you all ready been on?

 

I have to say, getting to see the ABC islands in one whack is a very worthy itinerary AND one that isn't offered every day.  I can practically guarantee you that the Freedom class ship will not disappoint.  It will be a completely different experience than a CCL ship.  The cost of getting TO San Juan has always been one of my limiting factors for those cruises.  If you haven't cruised out of San Juan, it's probably the best cruise port there is.

 

On the other hand, it's SO easy to get to Miami.  You also have a choice of airports too.  The 8-day itinerary of the Horizon IS appealing.  What's better than a 7-day cruise?  An 8-day one!  A brand new ship is too.  I'd sure want a Havana cabin if I did this cruise.  

 

I'm really going thru a similar situation.  I have two cruises booked for the same week in November and of course I'll have to pick....Celebrity Summit S! and a Horizon GS(Havana access).  Airfare kills me to SJU so it will probably be the Horizon for me.  

[soonernstlouis]

8 hours ago, chill6x6 said:

.  Airfare kills me to SJU so it will probably be the Horizon for me.

You may be driving from Alabama to Miami so it’s understandable the cost savings for you over SJU.  When I booked our cruise out of SJU, the cruise cost was about $200 less per person than Horizon (which is still on my bucket list) so I booked the cruise before I secured the flight.  About a month later SWA opened their flight schedule for September.  Booked a 1-stop round trip flight to SJU for only $100 more pp than the cheapest I could have flown to Miami or Ft Lauderdale.  

 

So don’t give up on cruising out of SJU if it is on your bucket list.  Maybe consider flying out of Tampa or Miami if you can get a hotel with park & fly.

Edited March 28, 2019 by soonernstlouis

[hrmkr]

I think I am actually get close to deciding.  Strongly leaning toward the Freedom of the Seas.

 

Here is what I am down to with comparisons:

• Ship size= equal
• Quality of ship- Yes, the Horizon is the latest and greatest for Carnival but the Freedom is still a very good ship even though it is 13 years old.  At the time, it was the largest ship in the world and state of the art.  It is not like it is night/day.  Maybe dawn/day.  slight advantage Horizon.
• Price- The Freedom cruise would cost about $150 less even after i use my Amex discounts from Carnival.  The Horizon prices are inflated because it is currently the newest ship and everyone wants to go on it.  We can maybe go in a year or 2 when the prices come back down to earth.
• Food=equal
• Entertainment= Advantage Freedom
• Itineraries= Advantage Freedom.  Both go to Aruba and Curacao. Freedom gives me Bonaire and St. Maarten while Carnival has Grand Turk and La Romana
• Airfare= Advantage Carnival.  Flying to Miami would be cheaper than SJ.  Especially since we would fly to SJ on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  The airlines always jack up the prices during the holidays.  I will jump on the flight when Southwest releases the fares for Nov/Dec in May.
• Hurricane possibility= Advantage Royal. For the Horizon cruise, it is Oct 6 which is smack in the middle of hurricane season. The Freedom cruise is in December.
• Length of cruise= Carnival. It is an 8 day cruise.  An extra day of relaxing.  This is the biggest factor which is basically keeping me from finally deciding.

I am also posting this on the Royal Caribbean site to get that sides opinions.  One nice thing, both sides have not been slamming each other.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

[marshalltp]

10 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Deja Vu. 

 

Remember when your teacher said to read all of the instructions before starting the test and the last instruction was just to sign your name and your test was done?  You were one of those students that ignored the instructions and started answering all of the questions wasting your time.

Congratulations, you did it again.

Creative and funny......I had a huge reply, but not really worth it.   I'll just accept that you are you.

[marshalltp]

6 minutes ago, hrmkr said:

I think I am actually get close to deciding.  Strongly leaning toward the Freedom of the Seas.

 

Here is what I am down to with comparisons:

• Ship size= equal
• Quality of ship- Yes, the Horizon is the latest and greatest for Carnival but the Freedom is still a very good ship even though it is 13 years old.  At the time, it was the largest ship in the world and state of the art.  It is not like it is night/day.  Maybe dawn/day.  slight advantage Horizon.
• Price- The Freedom cruise would cost about $150 less even after i use my Amex discounts from Carnival.  The Horizon prices are inflated because it is currently the newest ship and everyone wants to go on it.  We can maybe go in a year or 2 when the prices come back down to earth.
• Food=equal
• Entertainment= Advantage Freedom
• Itineraries= Advantage Freedom.  Both go to Aruba and Curacao. Freedom gives me Bonaire and St. Maarten while Carnival has Grand Turk and La Romana
• Airfare= Advantage Carnival.  Flying to Miami would be cheaper than SJ.  Especially since we would fly to SJ on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  The airlines always jack up the prices during the holidays.  I will jump on the flight when Southwest releases the fares for Nov/Dec in May.
• Hurricane possibility= Advantage Royal. For the Horizon cruise, it is Oct 6 which is smack in the middle of hurricane season. The Freedom cruise is in December.
• Length of cruise= Carnival. It is an 8 day cruise.  An extra day of relaxing.  This is the biggest factor which is basically keeping me from finally deciding.

I am also posting this on the Royal Caribbean site to get that sides opinions.  One nice thing, both sides have not been slamming each other.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

Sounds like the FOS is a great choice......

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, marshalltp said:

Creative and funny......I had a huge reply, but not really worth it.   I'll just accept that you are you.

Thank you for the backhanded compliment.  All I was doing was just pointing out that you should at the very least scan the responses before you leave a lengthy response that was no longer valid to the discussion since the OP had already narrowed the decision down to the Freedom and the Horizon, which are both Southern itineraries.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, hrmkr said:

I think I am actually get close to deciding.  Strongly leaning toward the Freedom of the Seas.

• Price- The Freedom cruise would cost about $150 less even after i use my Amex discounts from Carnival.
• Airfare= Advantage Carnival.
• Length of cruise= Carnival. It is an 8 day cruise.  An extra day of relaxing.  This is the biggest factor which is basically keeping me from finally deciding.

 

Thoughts?

Assuming that the bottom line price is about the same or maybe slightly more for the Freedom because I assume that the airfare and hotel stay for SJU will be higher than the 150 savings on the cruise, I would choose the Horizon for 1 main reason.  On comparable ships.....an eight day cruise always trumps a seven day one.

[hrmkr]

SNJCruisers.

 

Thank you for your great feedback.

 

In a nutshell, it comes down to getting the extra day on the Horizon compared to the better ports on the Freedom.

 

-

[marshalltp]

28 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Thank you for the backhanded compliment.  All I was doing was just pointing out that you should at the very least scan the responses before you leave a lengthy response that was no longer valid to the discussion since the OP had already narrowed the decision down to the Freedom and the Horizon, which are both Southern itineraries.

 

And worth it to correct and rebuke and complete stranger in whom you have zero investment?

[MauiWowie57]

On 3/22/2019 at 8:20 PM, hrmkr said:

So sorry everyone.

 

I typed in the wrong islands for option 2.  The previous option 2 would not work because of the sailing dates.

 

New  Option 2: 

St. Thomas

St. Maarten

St. Kitts

St. Lucia

Barbados

 

Does this change your opinions?

Heck yes! Option 2!! I don't care for St T., but the other three are great, especially Barbados.

[SNJCruisers]

5 hours ago, marshalltp said:

 

And worth it to correct and rebuke and complete stranger in whom you have zero investment?

I do have an investment regarding time.  If I am interested in a certain thread, I will read each response and it irks me that many will give an opinion, like the post before this one that is no longer valid since the thread has evolved and the OP's decision is now down to the Horizon and the Freedom, both southern itineraries.

The fact that this irks me and probably some others will not change this from happening in the future on this as well as other threads.

Edited March 28, 2019 by SNJCruisers

[SNJCruisers]

6 hours ago, hrmkr said:

SNJCruisers.

 

Thank you for your great feedback.

 

In a nutshell, it comes down to getting the extra day on the Horizon compared to the better ports on the Freedom.

 

-

You're quite welcome.  Once again, best of luck with your decision.  Since I primarily cruise for the ship these days, the 8th day is what would seal the deal for me.