Any recommendations regarding a first caribbean cruise

[Canugess]

Well knowledgeable folk. We are thinking of taking a cruise to the Caribbean having not strayed across the pond before.

 

So am looking for suggestions for a first Caribbean cruise. Looking for between 7-10 nights in april/may 17. (The itineraries aren't out yet.)

 

We know nothing about the Caribbean, so are looking for help as to what would be good ports to visit.

 

I figure it must be an ok place to visit, if there is a whole cruise line named after it!

[sxphil]

If its your first cruise and your flying from the UK I would suggest the Freedom out of Port Canaveral[Fly direct to Miami] East or West Both are great

 

If you don't mind a two legged flight [New York > Puerto Rico] the Southern Leg on the Jewel out of San Juan is awesome

 

Assuming these ships stay in place for 2017

[champagne123]

Definitely the Harmony for April/May 2017. There are two alternating itineraries.

 

St. Thomas...St. Maartin....Nassau

 

Cozumel....Labadee......Jamaica

 

The prices are relatively low right now, but I anticipate them skyrocketing before long.

 

This is the sister ship of the Allure and Oasis...BEST SHIPS EVER.

 

Another reason....fly right into Ft. Lauderdale and the cruise port is only a few minutes away....hotels galore on 17th Street.

Edited August 27, 2015 by champagne123
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[Philly Steve]

I love the Southern Caribbean with any stops in St. Lucia, Barbados and Grenada. Flying fish and cobalt blue water! :cool:

Edited August 27, 2015 by Philly Steve

[Clarea]

I love the Southern Caribbean with any stops in St. Lucia, Barbados and Grenada. Flying fish and cobalt blue water! :cool:

I second this. I'd go for Adventure (assuming she is still sailing from San Juan) and seriously consider 14 days on a back to back cruise.

[wants2cruise2]

You know you could get as many different answers as there are people on Cruise Critic? We all have our favorite ships and/or ports.

 

Big, mid size, small ships. Lots of choices.

 

If you are a cruiser, then I'd suggest staying with a line you are familiar with to start, that's probably what I'd do the first time I plan one to Europe thinking the ports will be 'new' enough to learn. Then build your itinerary around that.

 

Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral in Florida and San Juan Puerto Rico are all fairly easy to get from a major airport to the cruise ports.

 

That's my 2 cents worth.

[bouhunter]

I second this. I'd go for Adventure (assuming she is still sailing from San Juan) .

 

 

Another vote for Southern Caribbean out of San Juan(and Adventure)especially if you like port days and may not do the Caribbean often in the future. The southern routes from San Juan visit more islands and they are all great! If your priority is spending more days on the ship and less at the ports then by all means go with the recommendations for Oasis class ships.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

The Southern Caribbean is the more exotic of the three main itineraries. I agree a Back to Back cruise from San Juan would be very nice--considering you have an expensive flight to get here. [if you have the vacation time to do that] Also, stay a couple of days in San Juan before or after the cruises. there is much to see there.

[shelby101]

I have never had a bad cruise. Been on several different cruise lines and somewhere around 40 or so cruises. So I would say that whatever one you decide on it will be great. I will say I remember my first one the most as everything was brand new (and it was a small ship back in the early 90's) After that I was hooded. Cruising is my favorite type of vacation.

[Hotel CA]

Having done all the major itineraries our of Port C and Miami/FLL we would say the following about each-

 

The Eastern trips out of Miami and Port C have only a few stops are not so interesting. The western trips have a few more stops but are also of limited interest (although if you are into scuba the wall off Cozumel and Belize are killer and Grand Cayman is always a great dive).

 

However the Southern Islands are more exotic -- Barbados, St Lucia, Martinque, Dominica, St Kitts, etc--- and are fabulous. Definitely the best if this is your first time to the Caribbean.

 

I second (or third or fourth) the recommendation for B2B out of San Juan-- gives you the best and most stops and great weather from the beginning.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

What part of April 2017 are you looking at? There are already some cruises available for that time.

[CT Sean]

for April/May timeframe, I personally would be looking for as far south in the Caribbean as I can get. The last few late April cruises I've been on have been a bit too cool for my liking, as has the water at the beach.

[printingchick]

Depends on a lot of things. Since the itineraries are not yet posted, I'll speak in generalities.

 

WESTERN CARIBBEAN:

Most of these cruises depart from Florida, but there are some from places like Texas and New Jersey. You will likely visit some of these ports: Mexico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Labadee, Belize or Roatan (Honduras). A 7-day cruise usually has 3-4 ports and 2-3 sea days. If you choose one of the mega-ships, you'll likely have the most sea days.

 

If you are looking primarily for the SHIP experience, this is a good option as many of the larger/newer ships will do this itinerary. Unless you choose an itinerary which includes the Central America locations (Belize, Hondurus), you won't get much variety. Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Labadee (private island) are all pretty commercial.

 

EASTERN CARIBBEAN:

Eastern itineraries generally alternate with Western ones, so the ships/departure ports would primarily be the same. Eastern Caribbean itineraries include ports which are the most northern islands in the southern Caribbean itineraries, with a port or two thrown in on the way so you don't end up with so many sea days. You will likely visit some of these ports: Nassau (Bahamas), Labadee, St. Thomas, St. Maarten. A 7-day cruise usually has 3 ports and 3 seas.

 

Like Western, if you are looking primarily for the SHIP experience, many of the larger/newer ships do this itinerary. Personally, this is my LEAST favorite of the Caribbean itineraries because I prefer more port days and fewer sea days.

 

SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN:

Some of these southern Caribbean itineraries depart from Florida or even New Jersey, but those are typically longer (10-12 days) and feature a lot of sea days. You need to sail a long way from the east cost of the United States to the southern Caribbean islands.

 

Typically Southern Caribbean cruises depart from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Generally it's a Voyager Class ship (currently Adventure of the Seas) and a Radiance Class ship (currently Jewel of the Seas). These cruises typically include only one sea day. (I think one of the Adventure itineraries includes 2 sea days.) Ports of call are many and varied. Some are developed and commercial (St. Thomas, Barbados) and some are very undeveloped (Dominica, St. Kitts). Some are known for their beach resorts, others for their eco-tours to volcanoes and rain forests. The ports on these itineraries include places such as: St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, Dominca, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts, Martinique...there are a lot of them, and they're close together. Southern Caribbean cruises are port-intensive and my personal favorite.

 

If you want more than 7 days, I would concur with those who recommended doing a back to back out of San Juan. You'll get 9-10 ports of call, which is incredible!

 

When you've decided what experience you want, it will make it easier for you to chose the cruise that best fits your needs.

Edited August 27, 2015 by printingchick

[OCruisers]

Most from the UK taking a Caribbean cruise want it to be for at least 10 nights. Taking a B2B is frequently done.

Since you've never been to the Caribbean, any of the itineraries would be enjoyable to you. :)

 

LuLu

[cb at sea]

The Caribbean is a lovely, laid-back vacation! I would stick to the Southern or Eastern routes, trying to avoid the Bahamas or Bermuda (which are NOT Caribbean countries at all!)

 

I would also advise reading up on your potential ports, so that you get the most of your time ashore! I don't think you can go wrong on a Caribbean cruise!

[Deeliteful]

I'm from the UK too and have done several Caribbean cruises. Firstly it's easier (and cheaper) to cruise out of Florida rather than San Juan but it can be done. As others have said, it depends what you are looking for in a cruise. If you just want to chill out and enjoy the beaches then I would recommend Freedom out of Port Canaveral but be aware that these bigger ships have a lot of families travelling with children, that could be a plus or a minus for you.

I have enjoyed Eastern, Western and Southern but have to say this last trip was the best of them (western) for just chilling out and enjoying the beaches and the vibe. I love sea days too so don't like a cruise that is too port intensive. A b2b would be perfect seeing both Eastern & Western IMO but whatever you choose you are sure yo have a great cruise.

 

Enjoy.

Pat

[awhfy]

You could also look at Celebrity. Their 2017 cruises are out thru April. I'd recommend the 14 night out of Ft Lauderdale or Miami. Hits the southern & eastern Caribbean islands

[impatientlywaiting]

If you don't have children, and don't need all the bells and whistles of the "bigger" ships, I'd stay with the "smaller" ships and go the routes that take you to Grand Cayman (7 mile beach is one of the best and don't forget to pick up some Tortuga Rum while you're there), Aruba/Curacao and St. Thomas/St. John (60% of St. John island is national park and the snorkeling is awesome and is a short ferry ride from St. Thomas). :)

[RocketMan275]

Somethings to consider since you're travelling from Europe to the US for your cruise. Most of the cruise lines will be relocating their ships from the Caribbean to Europe in mid-April. Two implications:

 

One, only RCI will be sailing Caribbean itineraries after mid-April. All the other lines will be elsewhere. RCI will be your only choice

 

Second, you could take advantage of this by flying to the US and doing a Caribbean cruise and then do a transatlantic cruise back to Europe perhaps on RCI or another line.

[judatt]

If you go early enough in April I'd suggest a sister ship to RCCL - Celebrity Summit out of San Juan. It is a very nice ship and midsize - I think about 2,200 passengers. It is port intensive with 5 ports and only 1 sea day per cruise. You can do a b2b and hit 9 ports - St Thomas is on both itineraries. We have done both - not a b2b but one each December for a couple of years. Highly recommend this option!

[luv2cruz64]

Another vote for southern out of SJ. It was our first cruise, loved the port intensive itinerary and sailing out of SJ had such a fun, party's already started feel.

[American Bear]

If its your first cruise and your flying from the UK I would suggest the Freedom out of Port Canaveral[Fly direct to Miami] East or West Both are great

 

If you don't mind a two legged flight [New York > Puerto Rico] the Southern Leg on the Jewel out of San Juan is awesome

 

Assuming these ships stay in place for 2017

 

 

I'd agree with both of your suggestions, and I'd include that since the OP is coming from another country, do a back to back!

An eastern and western Caribbean on the Freedom, or a 2 week cruise out of Puerto Rico would both be nice!:)

Maybe all 3 eastern, western, and southern!:D

[Canugess]

Well as you can see from my signature, we have booked! We have chosen a Mid March Southern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse. Because we've booked early we have got some OBC and a free drinks package. Thats got to be worth a bob or two!

 

Thank you for all you advise and suggestions.

[awhfy]

Well as you can see from my signature, we have booked! We have chosen a Mid March Southern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse. Because we've booked early we have got some OBC and a free drinks package. Thats got to be worth a bob or two!

 

 

 

Thank you for all you advise and suggestions.

 

 

You'll love it, we've done the itinerary 3 times, twice onConstellation & last March on Eclipse -- enjoy!

[rodenboy]

Definitely the Harmony for April/May 2017. There are two alternating itineraries.

 

St. Thomas...St. Maartin....Nassau

 

Cozumel....Labadee......Jamaica

 

The prices are relatively low right now, but I anticipate them skyrocketing before long.

 

This is the sister ship of the Allure and Oasis...BEST SHIPS EVER.

 

Another reason....fly right into Ft. Lauderdale and the cruise port is only a few minutes away....hotels galore on 17th Street.

 

 

A UK cruiser cannot fly direct into Ft Lauderdale. I either have to fly to Orlando or Miami.