can't decide - old or new boat

[lesd75]

Hi, really need some help deciding what boat to book. Found a good deal on the Summit in Aquaclass to southern carib but I am hesitant to fly to san juan (no direct flights from ontario). Our other option is to book the new Reflection for eastern carib at a increase in price of $500 but easy 3 hr direct flight to miami. Any pros or cons to help me decide would be great! PS. this would be in early Dec, and our first Celebrity cruise, 2 adults. :confused:

[sailawayjack]

Hi, really need some help deciding what boat to book. Found a good deal on the Summit in Aquaclass to southern carib but I am hesitant to fly to san juan (no direct flights from ontario). Our other option is to book the new Reflection for eastern carib at a increase in price of $500 but easy 3 hr direct flight to miami. Any pros or cons to help me decide would be great! PS. this would be in early Dec, and our first Celebrity cruise, 2 adults. :confused:

 

:cool:I never book a cruise based on the ship. Always go itinerary. If two are same, then look at ship. I like Southern Carib over east. Save the $500, go down a day early in case of bad weather, look at hotel Milano in Old San Juan, and enjoy your cruise:cool: Spend the $500 enjoying the sun in San Juan

[Lil' Baba]

Hi lesd75,

 

I too live in Ontario. A few years ago we boarded a cruise from San Juan. Thank God we had flown in a day earlier...

 

Our flight from Ottawa to Detroit was delayed by three hours. The majority of people on board we're connecting to a second flight, which most of us had missed. We did not land in San Juan before 11pm; we would have missed the ship.

 

Sooooo... either get to San Juan a day early or go direct to Miami. I would go to Miami and save the aggravation of a connecting flight.

 

Just my two cents...

[Wj420]

So many questions, before the right answer.... If the ship is a big part of the destination; I'd go new, the Reflection. more days at sea? Easier flights for sure and the money you save takes care of the $500 and more! If the islands are the destination then the other may be better. Enjoy!

[frankdp]

I've had the experience of flying into the SJ airport and believe me, I'll never do it again. Could be one of the worst airports on earth. At the risk of putting my PC card in jeopardy, I would not sail out of SJ either because the demographic is not what I am looking for. The average pax is younger and far more into partying than I like. More kids will typically be on board as well. If you like that kind of thing and you don't mind the SJ airport this might be a good choice for you. If not, get all over that Reflection trip.

[fredflint]

It has been a while for me but Southern Caribbean is a much better cruise as far as ports go.

 

For a SJ cruise you want to fly in the day before or overnight in Miami

 

tell us which cruises and you might get a better answer

[epbucky]

Prior posters all have valid points. I have flown into San Juan twice and I share frankdp's opinion of it. Very hard to get to from anyplace except Florida and not a real great place to be once you get there. That being said, wj420 is also correct that the most important question is itinerary vs ship, and if the latter -than bigger vs smaller. We have done all 3 Carribb. (east,west & south) and I would definitely rate southern as the best. In fact we took the Summit on a 7 day southern in April of 2011 and it was an enjoyable trip (except for getting into and out of San Juan). The Reflection is almost brand new and one of the larger "S" class ships that almost everybody loves. We have been on the sister ship Expedition and while they are definitely some of the most beautiful ships at sea there are some downsides to the increased passenger load. If you have cruised other "megaships" (close to or even more than 3,000 people is my definition) and are not bothered by the numbers than you will definitely love the Reflection. We prefer slightly smaller headcounts and actually prefer the 4 "M" class ships which includes the Summit. Assuming you have cruised more than once or twice, I would stick to the size demographic you are most comfortable with. But dealing with the San Juan flight logistics is definitely a real pain! Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise. Hope this helps at least a little.

[Lois R]

I love Summit~sailed her times and going again in November:)

The new ships are really nice too. It just really depends on you.

As for arriving a day early? I try to arrive the day before I sail on every

cruise no matter what port it happens to be.

 

We are all different...some folks book for the ship, some for the

itinerary and some for both.

 

Epbucky, have a question for you:) (maybe I misunderstood your

post) but did you say Xpedition was the sister ship of one of the

regular ships? I think Xpedition is in a class of her own....

The S class ships are sisters....Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Sillhoutte

and of course Reflection which is not finished yet;)

[epbucky]

Epbucky, have a question for you:) (maybe I misunderstood your

post) but did you say Xpedition was the sister ship of one of the

regular ships? I think Xpedition is in a class of her own....

The S class ships are sisters....Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse, Sillhoutte

and of course Reflection which is not finished yet;)

 

My bad. What can I say except it has been a long week and my fingers are tired. I meant the Equinox but it certainly did not come out that way. Maybe I was just having a flashback to my Galapagos cruise on Xpedition which is definitely a "must do" for those of you that have not taken it as yet. An absolutely FANTASTIC experience and one that is definitely in our top 3 all time favorites. I will now crawl back in my hole and hide.

[Lois R]

My bad. What can I say except it has been a long week and my fingers are tired. I meant the Equinox but it certainly did not come out that way. Maybe I was just having a flashback to my Galapagos cruise on Xpedition which is definitely a "must do" for those of you that have not taken it as yet. An absolutely FANTASTIC experience and one that is definitely in our top 3 all time favorites. I will now crawl back in my hole and hide.

 

It is ok really:D....I have sr moments all the time:eek: no need to

crawl back anywhere......;)

[A Sixth?]

I LOVE San Juan and the best part of starting your cruise from there is that you are in the tropics starting day one. No worries about any potential cold nasty Florida weather in Dec - Feb. Fly in a few days early and explore Old San Juan

 

The Airport there is just fine IMHO, planes fly in, planes fly out... the worst airport on this side of the Atlantic is probably the older terminals of JFK if you want to avoid somewhere.

 

Having said that newer ships are great, so decide for yourself. Guaranteed great weather or a ship destination.

[backyardponder]

One major difference is the number of days at sea.

 

If you want a port intensive cruise, then Southern Caribbean out of San Juan is great. If you like your days at sea, then going out of Florida might be better for you.

[Lsimon]

I Just don't see or understand some of the negative posts about San Juan above. My experiences have been the same as A Sixth cited above and we've really enjoyed sailing from San Juan and the Southern Caribbean itineraries available from there. The only better way to enjoy the Southern Caribbean itineraries are with the 14 night Eclipse cruises from Florida which have extra sea days to travel to and from the ports and a more relaxing itinerary.

 

Yes it is true that San Juan, while part of the USA, is very different from the USA mainland in many respects. If you dislike experiencing other cultures then you might not like it. But we've enjoyed our pre-cruise stays in San Juan as much as we've enjoyed our cruises from there. I would definitely plan on a minimum of one night pre-cruise in San Juan both to avoid potential travel problems and to get a little chance to see the city. Two nights would be better. Stay in Old San Juan if you go!!

 

As for the ship itself it's been many years since we've sailed the Summit, but we've sailed the Summit's M class sister ships more recently. The ships are very nice and I'm sure you'll enjoy them. They are also a little smaller than the newer ships. The Reflection will be Celebrity's largest ship with one more floor of cabins than it's sister S class ships and since it's not sailed yet no one has experience on how this will impact the crowds around the ship but I would not think it will be an issue. The older ships are kept in good repair but there will be some signs of age. This has never bothered us and doesn't bother most guests but there are some who are much happier on a ship that has the "new" look and feel that only ship that is actually newer can provide.

[A Sixth?]

I Just don't see or understand some of the negative posts about San Juan above. My experiences have been the same as A Sixth cited above and we've really enjoyed sailing from San Juan and the Southern Caribbean itineraries available from there. ........ I would definitely plan on a minimum of one night pre-cruise in San Juan both to avoid potential travel problems and to get a little chance to see the city. Two nights would be better. Stay in Old San Juan if you go!!

 

I know, different strokes I guess.

 

If Holiday Inn is your only hotel standard you may not like San Juan and it's abundant choice of funky hotels (we've also stayed at the completely acceptable, but "Vanilla" Sheraton)

 

The Milano IMHO isn't what it used to be, but if you are daring try a couple of nights at the The Gallery Inn. I guarentee you've never satyed at a more unique hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

[librarylady19]

Ive done both itineraries and prefer the S. Caribbean itinerary (loved Dominica). I loved San Juan too so it was nice to spend time there (did not enjoy it as a short port stop though).

I will be on Summit in 2 weeks again and sure hope it's as nice as it was the first time.

I love the S class ships too - so many great spaces - I just wish they would have some different itineraries.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[muffin]

only flown into SJ after a transatlantic. Only advice is DO NOT TAKE THE ShIP TRANSFERS to the airport. Get a cab, and take your luggage with you in the trunk. On the transfers, you get put into a large bus and your luggage is hauled in big open sided trucks. IT is just stored in there at random, with no consideration as to who is on what bus. You arrive at the airport, and then wait until your luggage turns up on a following truck. Chaos. On top of the lack of organization, you and 100's of others are left in the full heat of the sun, with nowhere to sit, or get water, or find shade. Honestly, we and all the others waited well over an hour to get our luggage. It was just unloaded from the truck onto the driving lane, and people were very aggressive in getting to theirs first. Some smaller, older customers, were nearly trampled.

In the cab, you get taken to the front door, remove your luggage in a civilized manner, and go inside to a relatively cooler place...at least with cover and some seating and water. Bon voyage, whatever you choose.