First time cruiser! Help!!!

[cruisequeen16]

Hello all, Im a new cruiser and i am looking for a cruise to celebrate my birthday in april. i have narrowed it down to 2:

 

carnival glory departing miami on april 21st with stops in nassau,st thomas,san juan, and grand turk.

 

freedom of the seas departing port canaveral on april 14th with stops in labadee,falmouth,grand cayman and cozumel

 

Which cruise should i take?

 

Im in my early 20s, im not much of a partier and the food doesnt really matter to me as ill eat just about anything lol. this is my first cruise so i have no idea on which ports are better. im just looking for a good relaxing time with my best friend.any suggestions as to which cruise i should take?

[spookwife]

do a little more research on the ports to see which ones offer more that appeals to you. Not just here on CC, but just in general.

 

WE are die hard Royal lovers and will never willingly sail Carnival again. But that's us.

 

assuming all other things being equal( price for the same type of cabin, etc) it's about the ports..UNLESS your focus is to be the ship and its amenities( which is how we prefer to sail)

 

if that is the case, then compare the ships themselves and what each one offers.

 

for us, the food on Carnival and Royal is pretty comparable. it was the other little things that led us away from C and towards RCI.

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

For a first cruise, you will have a wonderful time. After a few cruises, you may find you prefer one of these lines over the other, but for now either will be fun

[Keith1010]

For your first cruise either one will probably be fine.

 

You may want to read the member review writeups for each ship to get a feel for what others thought.

 

Keith

[Gunner22aa]

One of the more dangerous places cruise ships stop. Not to say stay on the ship but just exercise a little more caution than normal. Now if you are looking to score some good "Gangie" than this is the place for you. Lots of young local vendors will be all over you offering the islands finest. Just don't get caught as the penalities there are quite stiff. I lived there for six months teaching at their military Staff School. Not one of my favourite destinations.

[luddite]

spendsome timereadingcruise critic

thereis a lotof infohere lol

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Just my opinion, but I would opt for your first choice. Or you can go with us in April on Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel, a really good itinerary.

[KKB]

Hello all, Im a new cruiser and i am looking for a cruise to celebrate my birthday in april. i have narrowed it down to 2:

 

carnival glory departing miami on april 21st with stops in nassau,st thomas,san juan, and grand turk.

 

freedom of the seas departing port canaveral on april 14th with stops in labadee,falmouth,grand cayman and cozumel

 

Which cruise should i take?

 

Im in my early 20s, im not much of a partier and the food doesnt really matter to me as ill eat just about anything lol. this is my first cruise so i have no idea on which ports are better. im just looking for a good relaxing time with my best friend.any suggestions as to which cruise i should take?

 

Nicer cruise line overall.

Ports--it's a wash. Both itineraries are nice for different reasons.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I would choose RCI Freedom of the Seas -- JMO.

[kingoftheicedragons]

I have only cruised Carnival, so I can't comment on RCCL at all, however, depending on the person I talk to about cruising, I do sometimes encourage them to look at what RCCL may offer in terms of on-board entertainment (i.e., Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Comedy, surfing pool, etc.).

 

Based on the itineraries you listed, though, I would go with the Carnival one. I loved St. Thomas and San Juan, and both of those are places that I would very definitely want to go back to.

 

But I agree with the others who have said that either one of these cruises would be very good for a first time cruiser. If you decide you like cruising, you will definitely be going to those other destinations at some point.

[narrow56]

Hello all, Im a new cruiser and i am looking for a cruise to celebrate my birthday in april. i have narrowed it down to 2:

 

carnival glory departing miami on april 21st with stops in nassau,st thomas,san juan, and grand turk.

 

freedom of the seas departing port canaveral on april 14th with stops in labadee,falmouth,grand cayman and cozumel

 

Which cruise should i take?

 

Im in my early 20s, im not much of a partier and the food doesnt really matter to me as ill eat just about anything lol. this is my first cruise so i have no idea on which ports are better. im just looking for a good relaxing time with my best friend.any suggestions as to which cruise i should take?

 

I would DEFINITELY go with Freedom of the Seas. It's a beautiful ship and there is so much to do. It's also bigger than the Glory.

[trish1c]

The ports are better on the Glory. Freedom of the Seas has more to offer as a ship. Take the cheaper one. You'll have fun either way.