Having a hard time deciding on a cruise

[mwalker]

My husband and I are wanting to book a cruise for the end of August this year (2008). I have been on 2 Royal Cruises and loved them both! My husband has cruised before but not with Royal.

 

We are looking at the two following 7 night cruises:

 

Adventure of the Seas - departing out of San Juan, ports: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas

 

-or-

 

Mariner of hte Seas - departing out of Port Canaveral, ports: Bahamas (have already been there), St. Maarten, St. Thomas

 

I was wondering if anyone has been on either of these cruises? And what your thoughts were?

 

I have heard mixed things about the one departing out of San Juan - basically just the type of people on the ship. That one is a lot more expensive (just the flight from the U.S.) and I don't want to spend the extra money on it if we are not going to enjoy it.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond!!

Michelle

[CLQ]

We just did the Serenade route out of SJ and had an incredible time. I do hear folks talk about mixed experiences out of SJ on Adventure, but I remain skeptical if there's much to that. The cruise itself was one of the most enjoyable we've had port-wise. And we loved the Serenade too! Those are great stops. St. Lucia was the single best day ashore we've had yet cruising, and St. Thomas is still maybe our favorite view/place we've been to (other than Prague!).

 

Let me say that our experience with the airport and the cruise port in SJ couldn't have been smoother. And we were there on a spring break week.

 

You won't go wrong either way.

[Sky616]

My husband and I are wanting to book a cruise for the end of August this year (2008). I have been on 2 Royal Cruises and loved them both! My husband has cruised before but not with Royal.

 

We are looking at the two following 7 night cruises:

 

Adventure of the Seas - departing out of San Juan, ports: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas

 

-or-

 

Mariner of hte Seas - departing out of Port Canaveral, ports: Bahamas (have already been there), St. Maarten, St. Thomas

 

I was wondering if anyone has been on either of these cruises? And what your thoughts were?

 

I have heard mixed things about the one departing out of San Juan - basically just the type of people on the ship. That one is a lot more expensive (just the flight from the U.S.) and I don't want to spend the extra money on it if we are not going to enjoy it.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond!!

Michelle

Since the two ships are pretty much alike you have to decide if you want a cruise that is more port intensive or go with the one that has a few more extra at sea days. I did the southern one out of SJ and loved it but I also enjoy at sea days. Yes the Adventure will be more expensive with the airfare. I never saw any rude people on both southern routes I did. Whatever decision you make I'm sure will be a good time.:)

[sarahboo]

We Went On Adventure Of The Seas In 2006. We Loved The Itinerary. The Only Problem We Had Was Someone Took Our Luggage From The Ship Docks (by Mistake). We Left The Ship For The Airport With No Luggage. San Juan Airport Check-in Is Horrible. I Would Go Back To San Juan On The Adventure But I Would Try To Pack Everything In My Carry-on And Backpack Bag So I Would Not Have To Check Bags In Or Leave Them Outside My Stateroom On The Last Night. I've Been On 6 Royal Caribbean Ships And This Particular Itinerary Was Our Favorite. Hope To Go Back Again Soon.

[Georgiagolfer]

Went on Mariner last Nov. and really loved it. We had the eastern route, and St. Maarten is still our favorite port. Embark and debark are extremely seamless in Canaveral, as we have ben on RCI and Carnival at that port.

[uksimonusa]

Have done both those itineries, and both those ships, as other people have said, if you want a more port intensive cruise, then go AOS, if sea days and 2 ports are your thing then go Mariner. The ships are pretty much the same, although the Mariner does have the newer style balconies, and both a Chops and Portofino. We did 2 cruises on the Adventure last year, both routes, and they were probably the best cruises we've done.

[Brianjetta]

Actually, it was cheaper for us to fly to San Juan from St. Louis than it was to fly to Orlando or Miami, which is what dictated our decision for AOS out San Juansince the cruise portion was about the same. We are flying on American for $348, but Air Tran, if they fly from your market, seemed to offer decent fares, too.

 

However, the Southern itinerary is awesome!

 

Brian

[blondeblueeyes]

We have friends that flew into SJ & they said that everything went fine, and they had the day to check out SJ instead of going to florida.

[pepsicruiser]

If you can go Sept 13, Freedom from Miami has balconies going from $898pp. That's a great price. It's western caribbean.

[mikepmcm]

noticed that the two ships you selected have the best rates for that month, or for a little more you can sail on RCCL's newest, largest ships the Liberty of the Seas and the Freedom of the Seas. We just returned May 17 from the Liberty on the Eastern Caribbean and loved every minute of it. Great ship , shows, parades, pool parties, separate kids pool/play area, activities too numerous to mention, Flow-rider surfing, Ice rink, rock climbing, .

Liberty of the Seas Aug 16 2008

SatAug16Miami, FL 5:00pm

SunAug17At Sea

MonAug18San Juan, Puerto Rico 3:00pm10:00pm

TueAug19St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 9:00am6:00pm

WedAug20At Sea

ThuAug21Labadee, Haiti8:00am4:30pm

FriAug22At Sea

SatAug23Miami, FL 7:00am

 

only three ports but actually enjoyed the days at sea, relaxing.

 

Cheapest Inside $899Cheapest Oceanview$999

Cheapest Balcony $1,099Cheapest Suite$2,349

 

Mike

[NYCRUISR]

My husband and I are wanting to book a cruise for the end of August this year (2008). I have been on 2 Royal Cruises and loved them both! My husband has cruised before but not with Royal.

 

We are looking at the two following 7 night cruises:

 

Adventure of the Seas - departing out of San Juan, ports: Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas

 

-or-

 

Mariner of hte Seas - departing out of Port Canaveral, ports: Bahamas (have already been there), St. Maarten, St. Thomas

 

I was wondering if anyone has been on either of these cruises? And what your thoughts were?

 

I have heard mixed things about the one departing out of San Juan - basically just the type of people on the ship. That one is a lot more expensive (just the flight from the U.S.) and I don't want to spend the extra money on it if we are not going to enjoy it.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond!!

Michelle

 

 

 

We were on Adventure just weeks ago. Air to/from San Juan can be a bit more but there are no other reasons to not go from there. The people are fine.......no problems. Do it.

[mwalker]

Thanks for all of the responses!! I really appreciate everyone's feedback/experiences. We have to sail the week of August 31st as that is the only week my husband and I have the week off from school/work which limits our choices.

 

We would both love to do the San Juan cruise, the flight is the only thing from stopping us at this point after reading your responses/threads on this board. But we might just do it! Sounds like a great cruise!

 

Thanks again, you guys are great!

Michelle

[waterbugohio]

Michelle

 

Where are you flying from?? Depending on where, check out what the flights would actually cost.

 

We got Cincinnati to San Juan for $275. I didn't think that was to bad, although it was pre $4 gas!!!

[pcur]

I vote for the SJ cruise, also. I love leaving from there, because it's usually a night sailing, and it's so great sliding by Morrow Castle with the lights on in the dark.

 

I also love the more southern Caribbean Islands.

 

If you travel you are going to find all kinds of cultures and languages. It makes it interesting, IMO.

[Magicat]

We've done both and although they are equally great, my vote goes for the Adventure for a couple reasons. We found the crew on the Adventure the best we've ever had and the ports on that sailing are great!

[KKeeganS]

I love cruising out of San Juan. We usually go two days early, have a pre-vacation vacation. The water is warmer, the weather hotter, and coming from Boston, these are big selling points! We've done both AOS itineraries, and will likely take our next cruise from San Juan (they've switched some of the ports on AOS, so we may have to do both...again!).

 

Either way, I don't think you can go wrong, but I just wanted to add my two cents that I had no problem finding affordable airfare (although it was 2 years ago now) and now problems with anyone on board.

[DonnaK]

I would also choose AOS for the more "exotic" southern Itinerary.

 

I just wanted to add that Mariner is an awesome ship - newer than AOS with a few improvements in the design. For example, balconies are all glass, while on AOS they are metal topped with glass. This is a great cruise too, especially since it has three sea days, while the AOS itinerary is very port intensive.

 

Isn't the Bahamas port on the Mariner itinerary Coco Cay? That would be Royal Caribbean's private island, and not anywhere in the Bahamas you've been before. It's very beautiful there!

[Jockzone]

Michelle,

Since I have been on both ships multiple times, I felt compelled to chime in with my opinion - but in the end it all depends on what you both like. I will compare the two in a few categories:

 

Ships - Same size and class and both are fantastic. I think the staff is more fun on the AOS but not enough to sway my opinion away from MOS.

 

Departure Port - I am a Platinum member and have found both departures pretty easy. Arriving around 1130am usually ensures you are onboard about 12-1215pm depending on clearing customs. Especially for San Juan, I recommend getting there the day/evening before. You would be pretty exhausted trying to fly there and get to the ship etc. all in one day but many people do so - its up to you. I have stayed at Hampton Inn/Suites, Embassy Suites, and Marriott Ctyd and all are nice and pretty reasonable.

 

Passengers - Its about your comfort level. There defintely a lot of Puerto Rican people on the AOS but I have never seen a problem - or atleast more so than any other ship. PR folks are more lively and not shy and I think a lot of fun. Therefore, the MOS may be a bit quieter overall but not much.

 

Itinerary - Here is the deal breaker. Both cruises go to St. Thomas and St. Maarten so that is a wash. Then you compare Bahamas on MOS to St. Lucia, Antigua, and Barbados all on AOS. Side note: I have been to all and St. Lucia is my favorite with Barbados a close second.

 

Cost - It may be a few more $$$ for AOS, but in the end it is worth it.

 

Have a great time!! Both are great ships.

[mwalker]

We are flying from Indiana and the flights right now are about $500 per person!

 

And yes, Mariner goes to Cococay and I have been there before and it is beautiful.

 

I think we are leaning towards the San Juan cruise but we haven't made our final decision yet - hoping to this week.

 

Thanks again, I've gotten a lot of great information from these boards!

 

Michelle

[Fury1995]

Take a look at the alternate Adventure sailing that includes Aruba and Curacao. It's the week after (Sept 7th) but less port intensive and still sails from SJ. Balcony rates start at $899. I've done both Souther itineraries on Adventure and this was my favorite.

[mikepmcm]

Did you consider 7 days departing August 30, 2008 on

Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas?

SatAug30Miami, FL 5:00pmSunAug31At SeaMonSep1San Juan, Puerto Rico 3:00pm10:00pmTueSep2St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 9:00am6:00pmWedSep3At SeaThuSep4Labadee, Haiti8:00am4:30pmFriSep5At SeaSatSep6Miami, FL 7:00am

This is one of RCI newest ships, large (4,000+ passengers) tons of activities, Labadee is RCI's private port similar to Coco Cay. Price is reasonable and it departs from Miami (Cheaper to fly in to Ft. Lauderdale which is only 14 miles away).

 

Mike

[4everafter]

We are flying from Indiana and the flights right now are about $500 per person!

 

And yes, Mariner goes to Cococay and I have been there before and it is beautiful.

 

I think we are leaning towards the San Juan cruise but we haven't made our final decision yet - hoping to this week.

 

Thanks again, I've gotten a lot of great information from these boards!

 

Michelle

 

Have fun on AOS, but if you change your mind there are 70+ signed up for meet n mingle on Mariner that week.