zodiac6573 Posted November 21, 2013 #1 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Hello again! I've noticed there is quite a difference in Caribbean itineraries and I was wondering which one most people here would think was better for my partner and I. Again, we are in our early 40's, no kids. Itinerary 1 Mon Nov 10 Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:30pm Tue Nov 11 At Sea Wed Nov 12 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 8:00am 5:00pm Thu Nov 13 At Sea Fri Nov 14 Cartagena, Colombia 7:00am 4:00pm Sat Nov 15 Colon, Panama 8:00am 6:00pm Sun Nov 16 Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 7:00am 6:00pm Mon Nov 17 At Sea Tue Nov 18 Belize City, Belize 9:30am 6:00pm Wed Nov 19 Cozumel, Mexico 8:00am 5:00pm Thu Nov 20 At Sea Fri Nov 21 Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am Itinerary 2 Thu Nov 13 Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm Fri Nov 14 At Sea Sat Nov 15 At Sea Sun Nov 16 St. Maarten 8:00am 3:00pm Mon Nov 17 Soufriere Bay (Cruising) Mon Nov 17 St. Lucia 5:00pm 6:00pm Tue Nov 18 Barbados 8:00am 5:00pm Wed Nov 19 Mount Pelee (Cruising) Thu Nov 20 St. Kitts 8:00am 5:00pm Fri Nov 21 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 8:00am 5:00pm Sat Nov 22 At Sea Sun Nov 23 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 8:00am 3:00pm Mon Nov 24 Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am Since I'm pretty clueless about the Caribbean it would be great to hear what people here think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted November 21, 2013 #2 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I've been to all of these ports. I think they are both great and they each include some very nice ports. I would go with either one. What cruise line(s)? Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzeluver Posted November 21, 2013 #3 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Both are excellent, but I would give a slight nod to the first option just because I particularly love Cartagena, Colon and Limon. Cartagena is maybe my favorite port of all time. The history, beauty and architecture of the old city is amazing! Colon itself isn't all that great but it serves a way to get to the Panama Canal for part of a day. And Limon, Costa Rica is also great. The rainforest is like being transported to another world and we met some of the friendliest people there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorisis Posted November 21, 2013 #4 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I prefer the ports of option 2. Maybe you can read up on the ports of all and make your decision. based on what you feel you would enjoy seeing and then book the other area for your next Caribbean cruise. It's you cruise and only you can decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted November 21, 2013 #5 Share Posted November 21, 2013 We have been to all those ports. JMO - I like itinerary #2 better. Having been to Cartagena several times -- we are not impressed with that port. Which cruise line are you sailing on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted November 21, 2013 #6 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Get a guidebook on the Caribbean...see what all the places have to offer, and then make your decision about WHERE you want to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebr.cruiser Posted November 21, 2013 #7 Share Posted November 21, 2013 It's a close call, but I'd vote for #2. However, if you haven't seen the canal, # 1 would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted November 21, 2013 #8 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) Get a guidebook on the Caribbean...see what all the places have to offer, and then make your decision about WHERE you want to go! Or you can save the money and time and do your research very easily and comprehensively on line. No need to go out an get a guidebook. Edited November 21, 2013 by leaveitallbehind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted November 21, 2013 #9 Share Posted November 21, 2013 You won't go wrong with either itinerary. We've been to all those ports and give a slight edge to itinerariy #2 but that is only our personal preference. Both are good, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mom says Posted November 21, 2013 #10 Share Posted November 21, 2013 As you can see from the previous posts, the answer is VERY subjective. No one can tell you which cruise would be best for YOU. I agree that the best thing you can do is do your own research on each of the ports and decide which ones appeal most to you. Are both of these cruises with the same cruise line? If not, then you would also have to look closely at each of the lines/ships to see if the on board amenities are similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warm Breezes Posted November 21, 2013 #11 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) Since I haven't been to a lot of the ports on both itineraries and would like to try either one of them, MY decision would be based on timing, ship, and cost. I'm sure YOUR deciding factors would differ from MINE. Edited November 21, 2013 by Warm Breezes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted November 21, 2013 #12 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) If you have not been to the Panama Canal, Itinerary #1 would give you the opportunity to take a shore excursion to see it on the day of your port stop in Colon, Panama. LuLu ~~~~ Edited November 21, 2013 by OCruisers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted November 21, 2013 #13 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Please let us know which you choose. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Kat Posted November 21, 2013 #14 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I would go with #1, to see Catagena and Panama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtwingcpa Posted November 22, 2013 #15 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I've been to many, but not all of the ports in question. If I were going back, I would prefer #2. But if you haven't seen the Panama Canal and #1 includes that as an excursion option, then #1 might be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headhunterke Posted November 22, 2013 #16 Share Posted November 22, 2013 While ports can be very personal wheather you like them or not, I must agree nr. 2 is slightly more attractive. But you might like the other ports better of course. Do some internet research to get a little in touch with each port and then you can decide. HAL has a very nice option on the website to read some info on every port as well as the excursions in that port. Maybe that way you can see which sailing is more to your taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05mak05 Posted November 23, 2013 #17 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Both are excellent, but I would give a slight nod to the first option just because I particularly love Cartagena, Colon and Limon. Cartagena is maybe my favorite port of all time. The history, beauty and architecture of the old city is amazing! Colon itself isn't all that great but it serves a way to get to the Panama Canal for part of a day. And Limon, Costa Rica is also great. The rainforest is like being transported to another world and we met some of the friendliest people there. I agree. You've stated it perfectly. We were blown away by Cartagena. We've only been there once. Perhaps we were so impressed because we had lesser expectations. The skyline is magnificent while the city was spotlessly clean and modern. We booked our excursion through the ship as we thought we'd err on the side of caution. That was such a huge mistake. We stopped at a roadside flea market for all of 15 to 20 minutes. It was intriguing with magnificent artwork and piecework wall hangings. We'd love to go back and hire a private driver as we didn't even skim the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac6573 Posted November 23, 2013 Author #18 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Thank you to everyone for their help with this one. Unfortunately it ended up being our jobs that made the decision for us! Due to dates and the amount of time we have off, it looks like we are taking the first option. I won't lie - I was more keen on the second one as I wasn't sure if some of the destinations on the second were safe. But we are going with an open mind, on the Celebrity Equinox I never considered visiting the Panama Canal but everyone here seems to speak highly of it. And the cave tubing in Belize sounds like a great day out. Now all we have to do is pay for the cruise, and count down the days! We are still wondering whether paying the extra money for a suite is worth it, since you're basically just in your room to sleep? Here's some of our past trips but this will be our first time on a cruise: http://blog.travelpod.com/members/andrewjerome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerin Posted November 23, 2013 #19 Share Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) I'd pick #2, but that is because I'm not a fan of Mexico, Caymans, or Columbia. Dates, cruise line, and price would be a factor however. Oh oops, looks like you picked #1. That'll be fun, Panama is great. Edited November 23, 2013 by Lerin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseapril Posted November 25, 2013 #20 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Have a great cruise. We would choose 2 because we like all of the ports- but the Canal will be very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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