I am having the hardest time making a decision!

[shayelle]

This has never happend before! I can't make a decision. I think part of the reason is none of the itineraries are knocking my socks off.

 

DH and I (leaving the kids at home) are going on our 12th cruise to celebrate our anniversary. For various reasons, we have to go March 9 or 10, 2013. We have sailed most on RCCL, 1 Celebrity, and 1 Carnival.

 

I am looking for a cruise to sit on the beach and drink umbrella drinks all day. I would love to do the new Celebrity Reflection that week (it's spring break in a lot of places, including TX where we live so we figured less kids) but the itinerary is pretty weak, IMO. San Juan from 3-10 and St. Thomas and St. Marteen (which I love).

 

The ideal one is the Mariner out of Galveston (we live about a hour away) but I'm afraid it will be packed with families since it's spring break in TX (I don't have a problem with that, it might just bum me out not to have my kids with us).

 

The others we are considering are Freedom of the Seas with CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen or Oasis with Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Marteen.

 

The best itineraries, IMO, are out of San Juan so it's either the Adventure of the Seas or Brilliance of the Seas, but neither of those ships are exciting me. We did enjoy the Serenade though and I believe Brilliance is similar?

 

We have sailed on Monarch, Majesty, Enchantment, Navigator, Voyager, Serenade (some more then once). We have yet to do a Freedom or Oasis class ship.

 

So, if you were 2 adults in your mid 40's celebrating your anniversary, wanting to lay on a beach with a few drinks, with the least amount of children (considering it's the start of spring break!) which one would you pick? We do normally take advantage of speciality dining as well.

 

I want to re-iterate, I LOVE kids. I have no problem sailing with children. We've never had any issues with out children or other children on board any of our cruises.

[KAWS]

I'd either go with Freedom or Oasis. I would prefer Cococay over Nassau, but with Oasis, you can just pretend you're at a floating all inclusive so if Nassau doesn't thrill you, it's no biggie.

 

So much extra to see and do on Oasis though. And for a celebration where you will really want something a little different, I'd lean more towards that one.

[C Cruise Dude]

You stated it correctly, it's Spring Break and you are gong to have the College kids. I have done two Spring Break cruises (2011 and 2012), don't think I will do it again next year. You might find a quiet beach. Best to you.

[Trekker954]

there will be less kids on Celebrity Reflection and she's brand new with most kinks out by then. I'll be doing the inaugural sailing. So if you want to avoid kids, I'd go with her.

[kccrzr]

Sounds like your choice comes down to ship vs. itinerary.

 

We often sail during spring break. Our cruise out of Galveston had MANY kids on it - great when we were sailing with our kids but maybe not so great if you will be somewhat homesick for your kids. Plus leaving from a port so close to home may not get you in the same mood as leaving from a more distant port.

 

IMO the southern caribbean itineraries are just so much more interesting. We love the Brilliance and that would be a good choice - I see it goes to St Maarten, which you love, as well. We have also been on Adventure but like Brilliance a bit better. Those cruises are more port intensive so if you are more interested in the ship then the larger ones may be a better fit. It really comes down to what you want to do and where you want to spend your days.

[Clarea]

This has never happend before! I can't make a decision. I think part of the reason is none of the itineraries are knocking my socks off.

 

DH and I (leaving the kids at home) are going on our 12th cruise to celebrate our anniversary. For various reasons, we have to go March 9 or 10, 2013. We have sailed most on RCCL, 1 Celebrity, and 1 Carnival.

 

I am looking for a cruise to sit on the beach and drink umbrella drinks all day. I would love to do the new Celebrity Reflection that week (it's spring break in a lot of places, including TX where we live so we figured less kids) but the itinerary is pretty weak, IMO. San Juan from 3-10 and St. Thomas and St. Marteen (which I love).

 

The ideal one is the Mariner out of Galveston (we live about a hour away) but I'm afraid it will be packed with families since it's spring break in TX (I don't have a problem with that, it might just bum me out not to have my kids with us).

 

The others we are considering are Freedom of the Seas with CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen or Oasis with Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Marteen.

 

The best itineraries, IMO, are out of San Juan so it's either the Adventure of the Seas or Brilliance of the Seas, but neither of those ships are exciting me. We did enjoy the Serenade though and I believe Brilliance is similar?

 

We have sailed on Monarch, Majesty, Enchantment, Navigator, Voyager, Serenade (some more then once). We have yet to do a Freedom or Oasis class ship.

 

So, if you were 2 adults in your mid 40's celebrating your anniversary, wanting to lay on a beach with a few drinks, with the least amount of children (considering it's the start of spring break!) which one would you pick? We do normally take advantage of speciality dining as well.

 

I want to re-iterate, I LOVE kids. I have no problem sailing with children. We've never had any issues with out children or other children on board any of our cruises.

I think you answered your own question. If you like the itineraries out of San Juan, and you liked Serenade, then go on Brilliance. It's almost identical to Serenade.

[temple1]

Relaxation, beaches and less kids, I would opt for the Adventure out of San Juan.

[DHADEN]

The bigger ships are designed for families and kids. The Voyager Class and up are going to be FULL of kids, teens, hooligans, rug-rats, and even more children!!! :p

 

I would go on a cruise that is more than 7 days if you can. That tends to weed out the "Spring Break" crowd.

 

If you can't, the Radiance Class ships are really great as for # of pax vs. size. Out ot San Juan, I don't know if they have Spring Break in Puerto Rico or not; if not, then the Brilliance is your pick.

 

Hope This Helps.

[lah66]

We were on Adventure out of San Juan in March....by far, our favorite cruise. Absolutely adored San Juan...spend a few days pre or post if you can! we saw Aruba, Curacao, St Kitts and St Thomas....absolutely loved all the ports..(we went to St John when we were docked in St Thomas). I would highly recommend this cruise...definitely less kids since it is sailing from San juan...

[NeuroQueen]

I think I would go with the Reflection or the Brillance. I would think both of those would have the least children, but I could be wrong. When we were on the Adventure it was discounted pretty heavily and many local families were on board which was great, but not quiet or relaxing, quite the party atmosphere in October. If you like speciality restaurants I think Reflection would fit the bill well, plus it sounds more romantic.

 

The problem with the Oasis, and don't get me wrong, i loved it and have been on it twice, but there is so much going on, and it is so large that it was a little hard to relax. If you do go on it try and get a GS or above, if it is feasible. It was much more relaxing the second time with suite perks. With free drinks a large part of the day my bar bill was minuscule, so the suite paid for itself. Some cruises you just need to kick back and drink umbrella drinks all day, I totally understand. Sorry to get carried away!

 

Have a wonderful anniversary and cruise.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

Look into Freedom's 7 day western cruise. It has 4 stops that are terrific! We have done it 3 times and have 2 future cruises planned on her. Also something to think about, the more expensive the cruise ( Freedom/ Oasis ) the less likely college kids would be able to afford it.

[shayelle]

We are still debating. I think we are going between Oasis (just because we've never been on that class and the itinerary is better) and the Reflection (really want this ship but for some reason, not thrilled with the itinerary). We ruled out sailing out of San Juan only because on one of the cruises we can't get back to TX in time to pick my kids up from the airport and the other one that leaves Saturday, we may not be able to get to San Juan in time after getting my kids safely on their flight (they are traveling for spring break as well). This is turning out to be a very complicated trip!

 

If we chose Oasis and are surrounded by kids, it will be OK. We are usually surrounded by kids so it won't ruin our cruise or anything, I'll just feel bad that my kids aren't there to enjoy it! But the sun, food, drinks, and time with my dh will help ease the pain I'm sure!

[BillOh]

You stated it correctly, it's Spring Break and you are gong to have the College kids. I have done two Spring Break cruises (2011 and 2012), don't think I will do it again next year. You might find a quiet beach. Best to you.

 

Even out of San Juan?

[Clarea]

Even out of San Juan?

I agree with you. I think there are many fewer spring breakers on cruises out of San Juan as compared to Florida, Texas, or New Orleans.

[geocruiser]

If the added cost of air fare is OK, the I would go out of San Juan. I just love Old San Juan. It is one of my favorite port. So much to see. I just love the old forts.

[C Cruise Dude]

Even out of San Juan?

 

Bill, to be honest, I'm not sure about the sailings out of San Juan. My last Spring Break cruise stopped there and the kids were on the ship. I have asked about Adventure of the Seas cruises out of San Juan at Spring Break and the response was inconclusive. Note, when I have been on the ship with the college kids, they drink (heavy) but I never had a problem with them, they are usually polite.

 

Norwegian Sun Spring Break 2011

 

NCL Sun Spring Break 2011 - I would not have seen this group if I was not wondering the ship. It was an extra sea day because we missed our port (medical emergency). NCL programmed a pub crawl.

 

Despite how wild it looks, I was impressed with how well the kids (young adults) behaved. It was great to see how formal they dressed in the MDR. I don't have my photos posted from my Carnival Spring Break this year (2012) but it was a little more active on NCL than Carnival.

 

 

[KAWS]

Bill, to be honest, I'm not sure about the sailings out of San Juan. My last Spring Break cruise stopped there and the kids were on the ship. I have asked about Adventure of the Seas cruises out of San Juan at Spring Break and the response was inconclusive. Note, when I have been on the ship with the college kids, they drink (heavy) but I never had a problem with them, they are usually polite.

 

 

We did a cruise out of San Juan. No problem whatsoever. I have more concerns about leaving from Fort Lauderdale during spring break than I ever did with San Juan. And.....(no flames please) but I will NEVER take another cruise that leaves from New York again.

[Scotty G]

there will be less kids on Celebrity Reflection and she's brand new with most kinks out by then. I'll be doing the inaugural sailing. So if you want to avoid kids, I'd go with her.

 

I agree with this! You can also see what the Sunshine Class ship may be like since they will be Freedom sized version of the Reflection with RCL amenities built in. It already has an additional deck beyond what the other Solstice class ships have.

A problem with the 7 night RCL cruises to the Eastern Caribbean that include Coco Cay is that if you must miss Coco Cay due to weather you will only have 2 ports of call for beach time!

[Big_G]

Freedom of the Sea western Caribbean.

 

Marriott on Grand Cayman has a reasonable day rate for a towel and chair. They have a pool and outdoor bar. They also have an artificial reef that is good for snorkeling...plenty of fish.

 

Nachi Cocom in Cozumel is an all inclusive beach club $55 per person gets you a chair, towel, thatched umbrella, all you can drink and a 4 course meal. They have a nice beach with a swim up pool bar. They limit guests to 50.

 

Labadee, Haiti is all beach all the time. I'm thinking you're already familiar.

 

Falmouth, Jamaica...sorry, I got nothing. I've only been there once and never got off the ship.

 

Whatever you decide, have a great cruise.

[OCruisers]

DH and I (leaving the kids at home) are going on our 12th cruise to celebrate our anniversary. For various reasons, we have to go March 9 or 10, 2013. We have sailed most on RCCL, 1 Celebrity, and 1 Carnival.

 

or Oasis with Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Marteen.

We do normally take advantage of speciality dining as well..

 

We would pick Oasis because she has GREAT Speciality Restaurants. YUM!

 

On this itinerary, even Nassau has pretty beaches which are warm enough to enjoy in March so you'd be all set for your "umbrella drinks beach days" . :D

[kneadsdough2cruise]

Just my two cents, DH and I took the Oasis for a week during a school break and have to say we never noticed too many kids. There was so much to do....or nothing at all but hanging on our balcony. The suite perks on the Oasis were far and above what we had experienced on other ships and CL is a nice quiet place for breakfast made to order, lunch and evening cocktails. Made it to the main dining room on the last night (very good and great service) as we had MTD and enjoyed every other restaurant on the ship.....some more than once. Relaxing with a glass of wine, order a few Tapas and before you know it POOF it was too late for the dining room.

We relaxed on Labadee with a cabana and just had a truly relaxing and romantic vacation.

As NeuroQueen said go for GS or higher for the best suite perks.

 

Have been back on Oasis twice and looking forward to Allure in March (after several trips on several ships) we truly love Oasis class and just thinking about strolling through Central Park while the music is softly playing at night........ahhhhhhh, may need to book another:)

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy, enjoy!

[sail2sea]

I'd say Oasis. This is the only ship where kids, itineraries don't matter. You will be so WOW'ed and won't notice the crowd.

[SNJCruisers]

So, if you were 2 adults in your mid 40's celebrating your anniversary, wanting to lay on a beach with a few drinks, with the least amount of children (considering it's the start of spring break!) which one would you pick? We do normally take advantage of speciality dining as well.

I would deviate and go to an adults only all inclusive for a week, so there would be no children around whatsoever. Since you're an hour away from Galveston, you should be able to get reasonably priced flights to Cancun and there are many terrific AO all inclusives in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico.