Which ship?

[Readyt0cruise]

My husband and I are trying to plan a cruise. I have been on 3 previous cruises and he has been on 0. We are debating between the Mariner of the Seas and the new Liberty of the seas. Mariner goes to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and CocoCay. Liberty goes to San Juan, St. Maarten, and Labadee. I personally have only been to Labadee out of those places and loved it. I wasn't sure if some of those ports are better than others???Liberty is supposed to be the biggest thing out there and am afraid it will be super crowded? Any advice? Is new and big not necessarily better? We are looking to go in May, which will actually be the maiden voyage of the Liberty. Any comments/recommendation are welcomed!

 

Thanks!

[Aquahound]

All the Voyager ships are crowded. I just got off the Freedom and the crowds were noticed. That being said, the Mariner is a favorite of alot of people. Between those two ships, your choice should be based on the stops. Personally, I'd say Mariner.

[jerick]

I agree that the ports/itinerary should be your main consideration. We just got off the Mariner from the Eastern Carib. itinerary and really enjoyed it. I haven't been to Labadee, but thought Coco Cay was very nice. I have been to San Juan. Some people love it. Lots of history. St. Thomas also has a lot of history, but no huge castles. Lots of pirate lore.

 

Our sailing was sold out. I only felt that the Mariner was crowded on a few occasions where there was a special event (Captain's party, parades, etc.) or sale in the Grand Promenade area. If you don't want to participate, these are easily avoided. Rarely had to stand in a line, etc. I would guess that the Liberty should be similar. The Voyager and Freedom class ships have very similar designs.

 

I'd probably be happy with either ship, but would probably choose the Mariner, all things being equal, because I'm more familiar with it.