Western or Southern Caribbean?

[RumpunchGirl]

I really like both of these itenararies. Western leaves from Por Canaveral, Cozumel, Costa May, Belize and Roatan. The Southern is out of Fort Lauderdale, Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Aruba and Curacao. I don't get to go on very many vacations and I and torn between these 2. Western is on the Dream and the Southern is on the Miracle. Any thoughts?

[emporess]

If you don't travel often, go for the Dream since it is a newer and grander ship.

[katiecat]

I think the miracle going southern is the better way to go.

The ship is easy to get around and getting that far south is hard to come by out of florida. You can get to the western side by many ships but the miracle is the only way to get to Aruba. Carnival ship anyway!

Have fun planning:)

[Sovereignmark]

In my opinion definitely south Caribbean. We did 2 x 14 day sth Caribbean last year in March and April. We are doing 3 x 7 day again in March this year, after we do 2 x 7 day Mexican. The ports on the sth are awesome. Grand Turk is beautiful, Aruba is great and the other ports are all worth while. We have done a lot of cruises, and at the end of the day, the ports are great, but the best part is all the people you meet on board. We are from Australia and try and do 6-8 weeks cruising each year. Life is short, do what ever you feel you want, but I would go sth for sure.

[MrPete]

Personally, the Western is my least favorite itinerary.

 

But any cruise ship that would take me to Aruba and Curacao is a sure thing.

 

On a Spirit class vessel is a bonus!

[Tapi]

The southern itinerary is more unique. Not many ships these days call on Aruba, Curacao and La Romana. Plus it's an extra night! You can always visit the Western itinerary, not only on the Dream but also on many other ships from various cruise lines.

 

Yes, the Dream is larger and newer, but size doesn't translate into a better cruise. The Miracle is part of the Sprit class of ships which consistently gets the best feedback from passengers (better layout, better passenger/space ratio).

 

I'd vote for the Miracle/Southern.

[zqvol]

I really like both of these itenararies. Western leaves from Por Canaveral, Cozumel, Costa May, Belize and Roatan. The Southern is out of Fort Lauderdale, Grand Turk, La Romana DR, Aruba and Curacao. I don't get to go on very many vacations and I and torn between these 2. Western is on the Dream and the Southern is on the Miracle. Any thoughts?

 

 

Southern. the ship doesn't matter Carnival doesn't have any old ships, even in the Fantasy class. The ports in the Western are nothing to waste you time on. The southern ports are the true Caribbean.

[huxlemo]

Southern is my vote. Western is getting old for me. Been there too many times. We did a Southern cruise last May on the Victory. It was the best cruise so far. It was so exciting to see exotic islands like St Kitts, St Lucia, etc. I would do it in a heart beat again! :D

[Frank12]

Southern. You won't be sorry.

Plus the Miracle (Spirit Class) is the best ship design in the fleet IMO.

[jilllofalltrades]

Most ships that do the southern trips leave from Puero Rico. So doing a southern from Florida is a definate plus. We do the western thing when joining friends new to cruising since we been there so many times.

[gail811]

My vote is the southern itinerary, and I LOVE the Miracle. Spirit class ships are my favorite. The Dream is nice too, but if this was going to be my only vacation for a few years, I would take the Miracle.

[keyguide]

Another vote for Southern and Miracle...the Dream is not so much...the Southern Islands are better and Spirit Class is the best design(same as Vista class on Holland)

[Loves_Dogs]

Without a doubt I would take the Southern route. That is a KILLER itinerary (love Aruba and Curacao.) Which ever you decide, have GREAT cruise!

[cuted126]

I would definitely do the southern!

[dst]

Also another vote for Southern - the itinerary is wonderful (we booked for next year) Aruba and the rest of the Islands are not over crowded Islands and will give you a true experience of the Caribbean.

 

The Dream is a huge ship, Miracle smaller and easy to get around....don't get me wrong, I'll take any ship but if you have limited time/resources make it a memorable trip and do an itinerary that is not offered everyday.

 

Either way - have a great trip

[RumpunchGirl]

Thanks everyone for your input. We just invited friends to join us on a cruise. We are waiting to see which on they are interested in. Western is on day shorter, therefore less expensive. I am secretly hoping they pick the Southern route. I just decided I want to book a Vista Suite on the Miracle!

[KroozFoolz]

I would say go for that Miracle itinerary while Carnival is still offering it.

With the "test" of skipping HMC on some Liberty sailings to save fuel and such, it would not surprise me if Carnival stopped those 8 day cruises for Miracle out of Fort Lauderdale to the Southern Caribbean when the schedules for 2012-2013 are released.

[gail811]

Thanks everyone for your input. We just invited friends to join us on a cruise. We are waiting to see which on they are interested in. Western is on day shorter, therefore less expensive. I am secretly hoping they pick the Southern route. I just decided I want to book a Vista Suite on the Miracle!

 

Go for a Vista Suite on deck 4 (Main deck) They connect (inside) to the stateroom next door. In my opinion, the best cabin on the ship!

[RumpunchGirl]

Our friends have until the end of the week to decide if they want to cruise with us or not. If not, we are booking the Miracle for next Jan. 29th. However, the Deck 4 Vista suites are not available through Carnival. Had a Rep call us today. He said those can only be assigned by a certain Travel Agency and he didn't know which one. But we will try for Deck 6, 7 or 8. I am pumped!

[dst]

Our friends have until the end of the week to decide if they want to cruise with us or not. If not, we are booking the Miracle for next Jan. 29th. However, the Deck 4 Vista suites are not available through Carnival. Had a Rep call us today. He said those can only be assigned by a certain Travel Agency and he didn't know which one. But we will try for Deck 6, 7 or 8. I am pumped!

 

 

We are booked on that cruise, we have a roll call started so come over and say hello :)

 

There is also a Cruise Critic group going.....we did not book with the group but were excited to find out that some many fellow "cc ers" will be on the ship with us......

[RumpunchGirl]

I will join the roll call as soon as I book! If our friends decided to cruise with us, they may opt for the Western Caribbean on the Dream, its one day less, therefore a little cheaper. We want them to pick as this would be their first cruise. Keep your fingers crossed for Southern!!