Caribbean Cruise

Hello All,

I am after some valuable advice from you seasoned cruises.

In 2019 both Hubby & I will be celebrating our 50th Birthdays & want to do a special cruise. We've had the email advising us that the 2019 cruises go on sale shortly so are keen to get something booked.

We cruise fairly regularly & are looking at the possibility of doing a Caribbean cruise.

However, we don't fly, so it would have to be a round trip from Southampton.

Apart from knowing we'll need to take 3 weeks off work, we know absolutely nothing about the Caribbean in terms of what time of year is best to go (obviously sailing from Southampton we're limited to when the ships sail!) & what ports are considered a 'must'.

Basically, I'm after any advise from those of you who have been to the Caribbean to help us make an informed decision.

If we decide the Caribbean isn't for us then we'll look at doing the other med ports we haven't done so far.

Thank you.

If you want to go on a round carribean cruise the least amount of days is 24. We have been going on these cruises for the last 5 years but are lucky to be able to for 35 nights as we are both retired. We highly recommend this cruise so much so we do not want to sail anywhere else.

With regards to which islands to visit you will love them all! There are many advantages of not flying. Firstly no restrictions on luggage and no hanging around in airports.

About the time of year to go we recommend december, january or february.

We sailed to the Caribbean end of October/beginning of November and the weather was fabulous. The sea days before we arrived at the islands were very relaxing. We joined a cruise critic group and they arranged trips to various beaches...it was fabulous. We had a blast. I wouldn't hesitate ....book it

Caribbean cruises operate during our winter season, from October to March. A round trip cruise can be 24 days upwards. There are a lot of sea days but they stop approx half way in the Azores or Madeira/ Canaries. For me the best island is Barbados and most of the cruises stop there. Weather wise, seas are usually calm and the temperature progressively increases day by day.

Brian

I think the most reliable weather is found in the Caribbean from January to March. It also has the benefit of being away during the coldest months of the year. We too went to the Caribbean for a special celebration, had never been there before and didn't really know what to expect. We did go on a fly cruise and had a wonderful time. We've since been back quite a few times and really love the Caribbean. We too don't do so many fly cruises these days and would much prefer to do a Southampton to Southampton. My advice would be to choose a cruise which gives you the most days in the Caribbean. Also don't be put off by scare stories about the Bay of Biscay. Yes sometimes it can be annoying but we've had far more times when it's been smooth and no problem at all. Just make sure you have some Stugeron or similar and if the Captain mentions things might be a bit bump, take a tablet! The sea days are wonderful, give you time to really relax before you get to the islands. On the return it's so much nicer sailing back to Southampton and avoiding that horrible overnight flight back and for us landing at Gatwick at 5am on a freezing cold morning. Enjoy your trip, I'm sure you will.

My advise would be avoid P&O, take a look at their ratings - you deserve better.

Celebrity is the better choice for Caribbean or the Med.

I would say that December onwards would be best. You should consider whether you want to go before, during or after Christmas. If you want to stay at home for Christmas, then I would recommend late January or February. As the winter starts to settle in, it is nice to look forward to sipping cocktails on a Caribbean beach. I wouldn't say there is any destination which is a 'must'. You will get a mix of ports and will be able to enjoy all of them. Most people have their favourite destinations but the only must I would say would be to enjoy a Caribbean beach.

My cruises in the Caribbean have been fly-cruises so I can't give you any advice about the no-fly cruise but in your shoes, I wouldn't hesitate to choose a Caribbean cruise rather than the Med. Enjoy your special cruise, whatever you decide.

We do a Caribbean Round Trip every year as I don't fly and we can't highly recommend it. The feeling when you're lying on the beach in St Lucia when it's freezing cold at home is fantastic!

The 24 day itinerary isn't so good as you spend too long getting there and don't have long enough in the Caribbean. We did it once and wouldn't do it again. You visit a good selection of mainly Eastern Caribbean islands on the 28 days plus the Azores or Madeira. On the 35 dayer, you usually do either Caribbean, New Orleans and Florida or the other itinerary is Caribbean, Central America and the Panama Canal. The weather seems to be a bit more reliable early in the year and for those itineraries I'd recommend Ventura over Oriana simply because it's great to have a balcony (on C deck!) for all that lovely weather.

It's not a sight-seeing holiday like it is in the Mediterranean but it's really about enjoying the local towns, culture and of course the fabulous beaches. P&O sells the usual shore excursions but it's so easy and much better to get around the islands using taxis If you look up the Ports of Call boards on cruisecritic you'll get some brilliant ideas of what to do in the different islands.

Thank you everyone for your comments & advice it's really helpful.

We'll have to see what the itineraries are when the 2019 cruises are announced & then (more importantly) see what time our bosses will allow us to take off work :D

If you are looking to go from late October 2019 onwards, you will probably need to wait until March 18 for P&O as I think it is only summer itineraries that will be out next month. Cunard itineraries will go up until December 19 and they have QM2 and possibly either QE or QV doing round trips to the Carib from Southampton (QM2 via New York).

Thank you everyone for your comments & advice it's really helpful.

 

We'll have to see what the itineraries are when the 2019 cruises are announced & then (more importantly) see what time our bosses will allow us to take off work :D

Presumably you're aware that Caribbean cruises for the first three or four months of 2019 are already out and have been for some time?

Presumably you're aware that Caribbean cruises for the first three or four months of 2019 are already out and have been for some time?

No, had no idea!

Thank you, I will have a look now.

I will be 50 next year. My husband already is. We did the 24 night Southampton to Caribbean and back last Christmas and loved it. Total relaxation. We've now booked it for my 50th year, Christmas 2018-19 (28 nights). Christmas will have more of a mixed age range, as it's easier for those of us working to take longer off (bank holidays and holiday from 2 years makes a 28 day holiday easy to fit in)

You may find at other times of year, a long cruise will be mostly retired people. May or may not be of concern to you...

You need to be happy to entertain yourselves (we like watching the sea and reading, etc) on the long crossings, but we did also partake in guest talks, quizzes, line dancing, art classes, port talks, etc.

 

You may find at other times of year, a long cruise will be mostly retired people. May or may not be of concern to you...

 

You need to be happy to entertain yourselves (we like watching the sea and reading, etc) on the long crossings, but we did also partake in guest talks, quizzes, line dancing, art classes, port talks, etc.

We find there are lots of business owners on the Jan / Feb cruises who have to take time off at that time of year or by the time they get to 50 or thereabouts they've got staff they can trust.

We love the Caribbean & did the 24 night round trip on Arcadia in 2015. We sailed October as this time of year suits us work & family wise. Lovely weather.

We had a brilliant cruise & one we will definitely do again. We did know before we booked that we loved sea days.