All things being equal...which would you choose?

[runningnurse]

Hello Cruise Critics! I need your help. My two best friends and I are going on a cruise, and we've narrowed the choices down to two after much deliberation. If these were the two choices in front of you, which would you choose and why? I've been on two Carnival cruises before, but not on either of these ships.

 

We're not too picky about more sea days vs. more ports...we're pretty much beach bums so we'll either lay on the sand or lay on the deck!

 

Choice #1. Triumph.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Half Moon Cay 9-4

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 8-6

Day 5 San Juan 7-3:30

Day 6 Grand Turk 11-5:30

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

 

Choice #2. Valor.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Nassau 7-2

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 9-8

Day 5 St. Maarten 7-6

Day 6 Sea

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

[Dihead]

If the ports don't really matter to you, and you're just going to hang out on the beach or pool deck for the most part, I would just choose whichever one is cheaper.

[bubbles1209]

Valor has my vote, port time, rest time at sea, 2 ports, then 2 sea days. Enjoying ports & enjoying the cruise itself. St.Maarten & St.Thomas are gorgeous, there are pics of both ports in my signature. We went to St.Thomas on the Elation and on the Valor, and also while on Valor we went to St.Maarten. For me that would be the cruise to enjoy the whole cruise experience. The Triumph is good, but no real "down time" there. True you get Half Moon Cay (which has beautiful water, that's it in my avatar, were there on Elation), as I was saying, you get Half Moon Cay then a sea day, but then 3 port days which will wear you out (if ya let it), then 1 sea day, and that's spent getting ready to de-bark the next day.

Just my .02 cents worth but I would choose Valor. You'll be on a cruise whatever you decide, have fun!

[runningnurse]

Money actually isn't an issue...when you factor in the airfare difference from a Saturday to a Sunday, the two end up being within $10 of each other.

 

I love St. Thomas (we took the ferry to St. John), and am kind of "eh" about both Nassau and San Juan. San Juan might turn into another sea day for us! Have heard good things about HMC...how about Grand Turk? Good trade for St. Maarten? I remember good shopping in St. M but not much good beach time...

[Essiesmom]

Grand Turk has nice beach, too...But great pool a few yards away at Margaritaville. Not much else there. EM

[vickie_bernie]

tough choice, I would say do back to back, do Sat to Sat first, stay overnight in Miami then board the Sun to Sun....

[chitown cruisers]

two sea days on the way back is nice, because you can reallllly enjoy a full day without packing up.

[Glama]

Valor!!!!!!!!!!!

[PaulMedik]

....... If these were the two choices in front of you, which would you choose and why? ...........

 

 

I'd choose Triumph for Half Moon Cay, St Thomas & Grand Turk all being excellent 'beach bum' choices.

 

Choice #1. Triumph.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Half Moon Cay 9-4

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 8-6

Day 5 San Juan 7-3:30

Day 6 Grand Turk 11-5:30

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

 

 

Valor's ports are nice too and St Maarten nearly trumps Grand Turk & Half Moon Cay, but not quite. Either choice will make for a fine cruise! :)

[murcielago]

I would pick the Valor. Its a bigger ship and St. Marteen is beautiful. Rent a jeep and explore it on your own time. St. Thomas is also very nice. Take a water taxi to St. John and visit Trunk Bay Beach, you willnot regret it.

[bthorn1108]

If you are basically looking for sunning and swimming (beach or pool), I would go with the Valor, for several reasons. It is a newer ship and the itinerary is geared more to beach days. IMHO, there are not any real good beachs in San Juan . In Nassau, you can take the bus over to the Wyndham for short money and in St. Marteen and St. Thomas there are no shortages to the number of beaches available. This is just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

[rain_bowbrite]

Yippie...two great cruise options to choose from! However for me the choice would be the Triumph all the way! St. Thomas and St. Maarten are really nice but I am not a Nassau fan and would much rather spend a day meandering through Old San Juan versus going to Nassau. The Triumph itinerary has great beach options!!

 

Half Moon Cay has to be the most beautiful beach that I have ever seen and if you haven't been there yet I would do this itinerary just to go there again.

 

In St. Thomas I would do Sapphire or Coki Beach which are both great beach options.

 

In San Juan I would meander through and make it a shopping and foodie day. There are hotels however near the port that will allow you to use their beach.

 

In Grand Turk you can hang out at the beach located at the port but I would take a cab to another beach. I have been the the Bohio Dive Resort and their beach is beautiful with awesome snorkeling right off their sandy beach and they have a really good restuarant there.

 

I have some pictures os HMC and the Bohio Dive Resort if you click on the picture link in my signature. Have fun making your choice and happy cruising:D !

[smw3012]

I just returned from the Truimph and think that would be a great choice.

Both the beaches on HMC and Grand Turk wonderfull and you are just a tender ride away from HMC and a 5 minute walk from the ship to Grand Turk. The pool at Margarittaville is fresh water with a DJ and a G-rated spring break atmosphere.

 

Except if you purchase drinks they are both days where you will not spend alot of money. There are no transportation costs and no chair rental.

I my opinion spending time at the beach is much more relaxing than sea days and if you get sick of the beach there is alway shopping.

[jpg1747]

I'd chose Triumph. In fact, I did just that. I wouldn't go on a cruise that included the Bahamas, so it's a no brainer for me.

[nealstuber]

tough choice, I would say do back to back, do Sat to Sat first, stay overnight in Miami then board the Sun to Sun....

 

Not realistic for most folks, but nice to think about.

 

If beach days are your thing, adjust your air for a beach day in FL before or after your cruise. Take the cheaper cruise and the cheaper airfare and use it for a hotel in Southbeach!

[DqALEX]

Hello Cruise Critics! I need your help. My two best friends and I are going on a cruise, and we've narrowed the choices down to two after much deliberation. If these were the two choices in front of you, which would you choose and why? I've been on two Carnival cruises before, but not on either of these ships.

 

We're not too picky about more sea days vs. more ports...we're pretty much beach bums so we'll either lay on the sand or lay on the deck!

 

Choice #1. Triumph.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Half Moon Cay 9-4

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 8-6

Day 5 San Juan 7-3:30

Day 6 Grand Turk 11-5:30

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

 

Choice #2. Valor.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Nassau 7-2

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 9-8

Day 5 St. Maarten 7-6

Day 6 Sea

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

I would go with the Valor. Its a newer ship. I was not happy with the Triumph

[tggs726]

This is a tough one. Each has its pros and cons.

 

Ship wise i would say go with the Valor.

 

However itinerary wise i would go with the Triumph.

Half Moon Cay is one of the nicest beaches i have ever been to. I think ive been to nassau one too many times hence why i dont find it to be a great port. and the margaritaville at grand turk is great

 

One other thing to consider is if days off from work are an issue would u rather have a saturday to get to the ship(valor) or having a sunday to rest up before heading back to work(triumph)

[flowerchild]

I had to make the same choice recently. I chose the Valor.

 

Why? I liked the 3 sea days. I am traveling with my husband, 8 yo daughter, mom and sis. The three sea days seemed fabulous for everybody's enjoyment of the ship, my daughter's enjoyment of Camp Carnival, and afforded her dad and I some down time. I love ports but three in a row can be exhausting. Her dad and I also thought that a few hours in Puerto Rico was not enough to really enjoy all that this beautiful island has to offer (Bio Bay, El Yunque rainforest, etc.) and that we would HAVE to spend several days there instead!:p

 

Nassau is not my favorite port either, but I'll make do by seeing some of the less visited attractions. I hear St. Maarten is fabulous and of course, St. Thomas is a shoppers mecca...

[IGGY63]

I would choose Valor. ST. Maartin is way more beautiful than San Juan. I have done both of these private excursions which are exceptional:

 

Saint Maartin

http://www.stmaarten-shoretrips.com/lordsheffield/

Best excursion in the Caribbean...

 

St. Thomas

http://www.sailwinifred.com/

Private sail, fantastic

 

The Valor is a bit bigger which means more people hungry when you are. I prefer the smaller ships (Spirit Class: Miracle).

 

The days at sea are just as good and the more at sea the more relaxing the vacation.....

 

Cheers!

[Wennfred]

I have been on both ships so this is a very hard choice to make, but I have to go with the Triumph, only because I haven't been to those awesome ports like Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. One other thing that stands out on the Triumph cruise is that you will spend a full day in San Juan, other cruises San Juan is cut short as the ship arrives late around 5pm.

 

If both are new to you then I would select the Valor 1st !!!

 

Choice #1. Triumph.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Half Moon Cay 9-4

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 8-6

Day 5 San Juan 7-3:30 Extended time

Day 6 Grand Turk 11-5:30

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

[cruisersunsetbrat]

Hello Cruise Critics! I need your help. My two best friends and I are going on a cruise, and we've narrowed the choices down to two after much deliberation. If these were the two choices in front of you, which would you choose and why? I've been on two Carnival cruises before, but not on either of these ships.

 

We're not too picky about more sea days vs. more ports...we're pretty much beach bums so we'll either lay on the sand or lay on the deck!

 

Choice #1. Triumph.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Half Moon Cay 9-4

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 8-6

Day 5 San Juan 7-3:30

Day 6 Grand Turk 11-5:30

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

 

Choice #2. Valor.

Day 1 Miami

Day 2 Nassau 7-2

Day 3 Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas 9-8

Day 5 St. Maarten 7-6

Day 6 Sea

Day 7 Sea

Day 8 Miami

 

We have been on the Triumph 2x. Have not been on the Valor so my opinion is based on the ports. I have been to San Juan 3x and do not care for it. On the other hand, our favorite port is St. Maarten so the Valor would be my choice.

[winddawn]

Hands down, my choice would be the Triumph. I'm cruising on this ship for the second time next week, but the itinerary that includes Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay would be the reason. Especially if you are beach people, this would be the best choice.

 

http://www.grandturkcc.com/

 

Grand Turk has a beautiful beach right at the pier. Explore that website for pictures under the "Image Gallery" tab and then choose "Cruise Center."

 

Half Moon Cay has been voted Best Private Island for seven years in a row by Porthole magazine readers, including this year. All those cruisers must know something.

 

Both of the ports are on my must visit list for 2008. I wish you smooth sailing.

[JMS920]

WOW I just got off the Triumph last Sat.... It was my 7th carnival cruise. We are beach people also. If we go to a new port, we usually do an island tour, then beach. We had a wonderful, relaxing trip. The only thing that would make this cruise perfect would be to drop San Juan and make it a sea day. IMHO 2 sea days aren't enough, as some have said you spend part of the day Friday packing up. I've done the Valor also. These ports are also beautiful, but IMHO having to worry about getting where we wanted to go took too much time away from the beach. In HMC you tender in, which went quickly, and you're there. The beach is beautiful, clean and the water was warm. The sand is like babypowder! You don't have to worry about money, because drinks or anything you buy go on your sail & sign card just like on the ship. Just lay back and relax.

 

Grand Turk was relaxing and lots of fun. The huge pool is right on the beach so you can take your choice. Or do both! Drinks in Margaritaville are VERY expensive. We had a lttle issue with our bill. We ordered "Yard" drinks because the server told us they were $9.50 and $7.50 for refills. 5 of us heard her say that. When the bill came the "yard was $14.95 and refills were $9.95!!! Glad I only had 2!!! At this point there was no arguing with her. She suddenly lapsed into an "I don't understand you" mode....arguing would have ruined our day.....I know we could have asked for a manager but it wasn't worth it. As much as I hated to do it, we gave her a bit less tip, since she lied to us. She knows... BUT we didn't let it ruin our great day! I would go there again but be more careful with what I order and maybe not run a tab.

 

In St. Thomas, we love Sapphire beach (however I've read it hasn't been up to par in the middle of a big managment change) So we went to Secret Harbor. It was ok and we enjoyed our day. However, it didn't live up to Sapphire. Friends told us they went to Morningstar and it was wonderful and not crowded.

 

No beaches nearby in SJ so we got off the ship and picked up a local tour for $10 for 1 1/2 hour. It was well worth it. However, if I had it to do over, I would probably have stayed on the ship and enjoyed a lounge chair.

 

I would say you can't go wrong with either ship, but I'm still "high" on the Triumph. Also, for the age of the ship, I found the Triumph to be in good shape and clean.

 

Whatever you decide, just have fun!

 

JoAnn

[Maxax]

I'd go with the first one!

[bluejeans]

Haven't been on either ship, but the Valor has my vote due to the ports, I simply love St. Maarten, and Orient Beach is NOT to be missed.