Help me choose...a cruise..

[Jen & Rich 2006]

My Boyfriend is treating me to a cruise in September for sticking to my diet and dropping 50lbs :-) :o :o :o :o :o

Here are the 3 choices I can pick from that are all within driving distance from our home,

which would you choose and why ??

Zenith 7 nights Bermuda ( Hamilton, St George, 2 sea days )

Explorer of the Seas 9 nts ( St Thomas, Saint Maarten, Puerto Rico, Labadi, 4 sea days )

Norwegian Spirit ( St Thomas, Tortola, Kings Wharf Bermuda, 4 sea days )

Jennifer

[NJBear]

My Boyfriend is treating me to a cruise in September for sticking to my diet and dropping 50lbs :-)

 

Here are the 3 choices I can pick from that are all within driving distance from our home,

which would you choose and why ??

 

Zenith 7 nights Bermuda ( Hamilton, St George, 2 sea days )

 

Explorer of the Seas 9 nts ( St Thomas, Saint Maarten, Puerto Rico, Labadi, 4 sea days )

 

Norwegian Spirit ( St Thomas, Tortola, Kings Wharf Bermuda, 4 sea days )

 

Jennifer

 

Write them all down on a paper and throw a dart!! When you read reviews here on most cruises you may wonder if how the reviews can be so different when the people were on the same ship. There are many experiences , depending on what the cruiser actually does aboard..some lay by the pool and never go ashore, other live in the casino..still others live in the buffet room and some have even stayed in their cabins reading and using room service...I doubt anyone can help you with what cruise you should go on except one person.......................................You :D :D

 

Whatever you decide, go with an open mind and a good attitude and you're sure to have a great time..Congratulations on your life changes that resulted in the weight loss

[nu2cruzin03]

Obviously, the choice will be your own personal preference. I'm sure you will have a great time, regardless of your choice. Keep in mind that September is prime Hurricane season. You probably will be fine, but there is always the risk of itineraries being changed, etc. Here is my opinion:

 

Celebrity Zenith - Bermuda (we did this cruise about a year ago)

 

Positives -

 

If you want an intensive Bermuda experience this is the way to go. This cruise is Saturday - Saturday; you are in Bermuda from Monday morning to Thursday afternoon, moving from Hamilton to St. George on Wednesday morning. You have plenty of time to visit all of the attractions and beaches. Horseshoe Beach is a must. You can tour Hamilton and St. George at your leisure. Purchasing a three-day bus pass is a great way to see the island.

 

Negatives -

 

We did enjoy the Celebrity cruise, but they have the traditional dining experience. The food was good, but not that much different from that of NCL. Also, the Zenith, although it is basically well-maintained, is an older, smaller ship. A big negative for us was that there are no balconies.

 

Explorer of the Seas - 9 Nights

 

We are booked on a similiar cruise for next May. Our cruise is stopping at King's Wharf instead of Labadee. We visited these islands during our April Norwegian Dawn cruise and had a great time. St. Martin and St. Thomas are goregeous, with beautiful beaches. Royal Caribbean does have the traditional dining experience, not freestyle. The Explorer of the Seas is a huge ship. Friends of ours really enjoyed the Explorer, and all of the activities on the ship.

 

Norwegian Spirit - 8 Nights

 

Freestyle NCL ship, visitiing St. Thomas and Tortola. Both of these islands are beautiful, with Tortola having a unique, fairly mountainous topography. Cane Garden Bay Beach in Tortola was great. You can visit the Baths/Virgin Gorda in Tortola, which again are beautiful. A plus is that you will visit Bermuda for a day and can get a taste of the island.

 

Again, you cannot go wrong with either choice. If visiting Bermuda is your primary reason for the cruise, go with the Zenith. The Caribbean, I would choose the Explorer and for visiting both Bermuda and the Caribbean, I would choose the Spirit. One fairly minor point is that both the Zenith and Explorer of the Seas leave out of Bayonne, which is much easier to drive to than NYC. Also, parking is alot less expensive than in NYC.

 

Hope this helps.

Rick.

[Stevie17]

First, congratulations on your weight loss...way to go! Man, those are some tough choices. All the lines are so very different from each other. The first question that you probably should ask is whether you want traditional dining vs. freestyle. If you like the concept of an assigned dining time with assigned tablemates, then Celebrity or RCCL should work nicely for you. If that idea doesn't appeal to you, the decision becomes easier....NCL Spirit. Also, these ships vary greatly in size...you may want to check the layout of the ships to see if you get a "feel" off of one of them. I haven't been on any of the enormous vessels yet, but I did find the Grand Princess to be a bit large. I tend to like the 70,000K-90,000K size.

 

Good luck and congrats again!

[cruisequeen10]

I would choose the Explorer of the Seas. You deserve it. Way to go. Congratulations.

[judyf]

My Boyfriend is treating me to a cruise in September for sticking to my diet and dropping 50lbs :-) :o :o :o :o :o

Here are the 3 choices I can pick from that are all within driving distance from our home,

which would you choose and why ??

Zenith 7 nights Bermuda ( Hamilton, St George, 2 sea days )

Explorer of the Seas 9 nts ( St Thomas, Saint Maarten, Puerto Rico, Labadi, 4 sea days )

Norwegian Spirit ( St Thomas, Tortola, Kings Wharf Bermuda, 4 sea days )

Jennifer

 

Of what you listed I would choice NCL Spirit, I will be sailing on her next month.

 

Why? I love the freestyle dining that's # 1 and the main resaon I've choosen NCL for my last three cruises and looking at NCL for April 2007. I've loved all the cruises I've been on no matter what the line by-ut freestyle makes it more of a vacation woth the freedom

 

I like the itinerary of both the NCL and RCCL. I like the 9 days of RCCL it's the same itinerary I did on the Voyager. I also like the adult only pool on RCCL. But I didn't like the older crowd that goes on RCCL.

 

It would be a hard choice between these two for me. I would look at price per day not the total price but still feel freestyle would win out.

 

You will have a blast on amy of the ships. Congrats on the weight lost!

[Don Haynes]

I like the Spirit's intinerary, but the others aren't bad. Where do you wish to go? And how much do these cruises cost? How much can you afford? These three questions usually sort themselves out.

[NJBear]

:D :D Throw the dart...Throw the dart...Throw the dart :D :D

:D

[ce2000]

Congradulations on the weight loss, I know that was not easy. I began Nutrisystems on February 15 and have now lost a total of 29 pounds, and still need to lose 15 more. (I am a 51 year old male)

I have sailed with all three of these lines, you will have a great time on any of these. All things considered I would recommend the Explorer of the Seas, but I don't have any problem with just throwing the dart also. Which ever one you hit will be a great cruise.

[silkhair1]

I love freestyle. We did our first NCL cruise in March and it was great. We booked another one right after for 2007 we loved it so much. We do not like getting dressed fancy though. I think you will have a great time wherever you pick, but please let us know where you chose!

[monicajay]

I would pick the Explorer, only because it is 9 nights instead of 7 or 8:D

Although, I would really miss freestyle:rolleyes:

M.

[sweetpea-2]

My Boyfriend is treating me to a cruise in September for sticking to my diet and dropping 50lbs :-) :o :o :o :o :o

 

Here are the 3 choices I can pick from that are all within driving distance from our home,

which would you choose and why ??

 

Zenith 7 nights Bermuda ( Hamilton, St George, 2 sea days )

 

Explorer of the Seas 9 nts ( St Thomas, Saint Maarten, Puerto Rico, Labadi, 4 sea days )

 

Norwegian Spirit ( St Thomas, Tortola, Kings Wharf Bermuda, 4 sea days )

 

Jennifer

 

lucky you and congrat's on the weight loss.....well I think it would choose the itinerary I really wanted.....you will get mixed responses as far as which cruise is the best simply due to people's expectations of the cruise they went on....if your going simply to have fun and relax I think you will be happy anywhere....you didn't say if you had ever cruised or not....so assuming not....happy cruising !

[unclepaulie]

Narrow it down by what you'd like to do and how long you have to do it in!

 

Like others have stated, would you like traditional or freestyle dining better?

 

Are you "beach" people?

> Magan's Bay Beach in St. Thomas is gorgeous! Or you can hop on a ferry and go to Trunk Bay Beach at St. John's.

> If this is your first time to Tortola, a ferry over to Virgin Gorda is a must!

 

Congrats on your weight loss!

[judyf]

I hope you post what you decide to do on this thread, I'm very interested to see what you decide and why.

 

This is the hard part then once you decided which cruise then half the fun is researching here on the boards.

[Hatsoff389]

Go with the Explorer. I've been on the Mariner and Voyager of the Seas and they are cool ships. The Explorer is also a 9 day cruise. The longer you can be on a cruise the better.:D

[CruisinMK]

I like freestyle but I like the sound of the other two itineraries better.

Pure Bermuda itineraries might be extinct in a couple years so I'd be tempted to hop on the zenith. On the other hand the extra days on the 9 day one sounds nice.