How do you choose?

[cnpsnana]

I have only been on 2 cruises but am totally hooked. First cruise was to Mexico on Carnival and just returned from 9 day NE and Canada on RC. Absolutely loved everything about it except the temperature, lol. We were hoping for a break from the heat. I am recently retired and normally travel with family. We saw the Mayan Ruins on our first cruise, walked the Freedom Trail in Boston, and explored some of Acadia NP on our last cruise. We are hoping to cruise to Alaska in 2021 (gotta save up some money) but would like to do 1 or 2 before then. We are not really beach people, and not extremely adventurous. We enjoy history, old architecture, local culture and of course, food. We were thinking about Eastern Caribbean, San Juan, but with the political climate now, have reconsidered. Any suggestions would be appreciated!! Thanks!!

[mom says]

European cruises. If you don't like the heat, though , don't do a Med cruise in summer. Go in shoulder seasons instead. Otherwise, there are cruises of Scandinavia, the Baltics,  or around the UK.

 

As for the Eastern Caribbean,  it can be interesting with the right mix of ports, or really boring with the wrong mix. The situation in San Juan appears to have calmed down. We'll have a port day there on our next cruise, and I'm not concerned. YMMV

Edited August 12, 2019 by mom says

[cnpsnana]

The places you mentioned sound intriguing but I would feel more comfortable staying close to the U.S., at least until I have traveled a little more. Our vacations in the past have been mostly to the beach or WDW. We have been to New York and we did a 2 week Grand Circle tour. We also go to NOLA quite frequently. 

 

Which ports in the Eastern Caribbean do you recommend? What plans do you have for San Juan?

[mom says]

My favorite ports are in the Lesser Antilles. Since Barbados is my very favorite, I'll take any cruise going there. I think mostly 10-14  day cruises ( many of them out of San Juan) go there, and many are listed as Southern Caribbean cruises, even if they don't hit the ABC islands. We also like St Lucia, St Kitts, and St. Maarten.  Celebrity has a 10 night Lesser Antilles in Jan that I really wish we could take. Alas, we've already booked our cruises for this winter.

 

We love just walking around old San Juan. Their tourist board has a self guided walking tour that is good. We also like starting off at the top of the hill and exploring the forts before winding our way down hill towards the ship. And stopping off at Ben &Jerry's for an icecream treat.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

On our first time in San Juan, we did a 2 hour tour by Segway. Brilliant way to see the town, covering far more than you would on foot.

[JimnKaren]

Consider cruises from close to your home. There are several ports along the Gulf of Mexico that offer nice itineraries and you won't be spending too much money on air fare, etc. Look at the options, then check out the Ports of Call forums for lots of good information.

 

Jim

[cnpsnana]

I usually travel with my adult daughter. Often we will have other family members come along, usually women.  Our first cruise was a 5 day and our second one was a 9 day, so I would prefer at least a 6 or 7 day. There are no ports close to us in Middle Tennessee, lol.  We embarked in NOLA for out first cruise and since we have been there several times it's easy enough to drive to, though I prefer to fly. We embarked in Baltimore for our last cruise and it was so much easier than NOLA.  Budget will definitely be a factor and we thought if we could narrow it down to a couple itineraries we might even find a last minute deal.

 

[gadaboutgal]

Best bet for last minute itineraries would most likely be to the Bahamas or Western Caribbean.  Though you say you are not a beach person, you may still enjoy Bermuda.  We have been there several times, never to just go to a beach.  There are many interesting sights there;it is just a lovely island to travel around.

I would also encourage you to go to San Juan.  The ships dock in the historic old section so it is easy to get around and see.  Don't give a second thought to their local political issues, they do not interfere with tourism.

[JimnKaren]

Carnival sails from Mobile, Alabama; and Jacksonville, Florida is not too bad. They also sail from Galveston, Texas and Port Canaveral (fly into Orlando for a short transfer to the port).

 

Jim

[CM1984]

I am reading your posts about San Juan.  We have been there twice and walked around only, no excursions or beach breaks.  We are cruising there again in November.  In looking at a website that shows ships in port for the day, there are approximately 10,000 cruise ship passengers in port that day.

 

What would be your best suggestions for the day?  DH is thinking about staying on the ship!  😳

[sparks1093]

Every island in the Caribbean has history, culture, old architecture and food, certainly enough to fill most of a day on a port visit. We typically decide where we want to go and then find the cruise line that will take us there for the least amount of money. We've sailed CCL, NCL and Royal and find them to be so similar as to not really enter into the equation. For our upcoming cruise we decided to go to Bermuda and settled on CCL to take us there on a 6 day itinerary (with about 48 hours in port).

[Krazy Kruizers]

Europe would be my next choice.

 

But if you can't go there before you do Alaska, then think about the Southern Caribbean -- ports like Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao.