first time caribbean cruise advice please?

[goduckskkj]

going to do a 7 night caribbean cruise in april where is the best to go Southern, western, eastern? does it matter in april for weather which we do?

 

Never have seen any of that area. i need to take off out of ft. lauderdale or miami as I have free tix with miles. is it worth doing southern out of miami?

 

which ships are best?

 

some say room with window or balcony is worth the extra is it?

 

thanks!

[goduckskkj]

this is one i was leaning toward....

 

 

7 Night Exotic Western Caribbean from $539

Brochure price $1,669. Save up to 68% off brochure price!

 

expert review:

 

 

 

 

 

Ship Name:

Carnival Valor

 

Sailing Date(s): April 12, 19, 26, 2009

 

Ports of Call: Departs From Miami, Florida visiting George Town, Grand Cayman; Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico

 

Staterooms: Interior Oceanview Balcony Suite

 

 

Prices From: $539 $659 $809 $1,129

[paul929207]

There isn't a "better" place to go. They are all wondeful in there own way.

 

Most (all?) of the southern cruises go out of San Juan, so that would eliminate them for you since you said MIA or FLL only.

[cb at sea]

We prefer the Eastern or Southern routes---just not a fan of Mexico! You can do the Panama/Southern from Miami.

[Grandpaul]

Keep leaning toward that cruise.

[April-in-NC]

There seem to be two types of cruisers :D:

 

Type 1: Cruise based on the ship and the ports are good then it is a bonus.

 

Type 2: Cruise based on the ports and if the ship is good then it is a bonus.

 

Personally, I cruise for the ports first and the ship second. Based on the itinerary you posted that sounds like a good option. I don't now a lot about the ship, but you can find lots of reviews on the site.

 

The extotic Western seems a lot more interesting than the typical Cozumel (sometimes Costa Maya)/Grand Cayman/Jamaica route that a lot of ships do. It is up to you to make the final call, but there are lots of resources on this board to help you make your decision!

 

Are you looking at any other ships or itineraries?

[goduckskkj]

are there many kids on these ships in april? that is my one concern with carnival and I did find a couple that go to southern from miami but i am wondering if it is a bad idea since there are fewer stops.

 

is the weather really that much better in april doing the southern versus western?

[WriterOnDeck]

There seem to be two types of cruisers :D:

 

Type 1: Cruise based on the ship and the ports are good then it is a bonus.

 

Type 2: Cruise based on the ports and if the ship is good then it is a bonus.

 

Or.

 

Type 3: Cruise based on outstanding fare and if the ports and ship are good then it is a bonus!

[alcpa1]

Are you searching for this April? Caribbean cruises sailing from Florida will have vacationing school children on board. San Juan departures to the southern Caribbean will have fewer. Check the availibility for your miles. You may have enough to get to San Juan.

We have been sailing the Caribbean for thirty years and have always preferred the eastern or southern itineraries. Many western itineraries stop in Jamaica and we no longer feel it is the safest port. Snorkling and scuba diving are better on a western itinerary if that interests you. Depending on the cruise line you may have to tender to a port on the western itineraries. In high seas this cannot be done safely so the port will be skipped. It doesn't happen every week but it can happen.

It seems that many ships still show availibility for cabins but the best ones, no matter the category, are surely gone by now. I would strongly recommend that if you want to sail this year you book a specific cabin and skip the guarantee if it is available. The cabin choice is yours to make but once you have had a balcony it's hard to return to and OV or interior cabin.

Before you make your decision check out the Ports of Call board for the Caribbean and look at your options for tours and topography, shopping, the people of the islands etc.

[jenphan]

i went on the western route, which was a great first time experience of the caribbean. i was stuck with an ocean-view since all the balconies were full, but i didnt make much use of the view because it was mostly sea as opposed to the balcony in Alaska with more scenic views.

[TheVegasMan]

Holland America Line

Westerdam

Departing from

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Ports of Call: Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Half Moon Cay, Bahamas | Oranjestad, Aruba | Willemstad, Curacao ***

 

 

Sail Date Interior*Oceanview*Balcony*Suite* April 5640 USD 684 USD 906 USD 1173 USD Select

[JSQ01]

I went on that same cruise on the Valor - you will love the ship and the ports!

[geoherb]

We're going on a 7-night southern itinerary next month from Fort Lauderdale on Holland America's Westerdam. We like the extra days at sea we'll get. I did not enjoy the southern itinerary we did from San Juan. There were just too many ports--every day a different island and, by the end of the week, I could not remember one from the other.

 

We went 14 years from our first western itinerary to our second one. I hated Jamaica and never wanted to go back there. Cruise lines finally started scheduling some western itineraries that do not go there. We went on the Grand Princess to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya.