Help Me Choose, Please.....

[KevinKruzer]

I am planning a cruise for next summer. It will be a mix of veteran cruisers with several newbies......

 

Please give me some thoughts/opinions on why (or why not) the ship/itinerary....... Fwiw, I have been on the FOS (loved it), not been on Harmony or Allure...but I have been to almost all of the Eastern/Western ports of call... So, personally, I favor the Allure/Harmony (not been on either) ships, but slightly prefer the itineraries of the FOS. :confused: But, its not all about me. :o

 

Freedom (San Juan) Southern Caribb. St Thomas, Aruba, Curacao, St Maartan

Freedom (San Juan) Southern Caribb. St Maartan, St Kitts, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados

 

Allure (Ft Laud.) Western Caribb. Bahamas, Cozumel, Honduras, Costa Maya

Harmony (Ft Laud.) Eastern Caribb. St Maartan, San Juan, Haiti

 

I realize, at the end of the day, I can't go wrong with any of the ships/itineraries..... just looking for opinions & comments on both the ships, itineraries, individual ports, etc......

 

Thanks. I look forward to any comments

[Clarea]

I would strongly favor Southern Carib itineraries. I think the islands are more interesting and a bit less visited than the standard St. Thomas, St Martin, etc. Plus, there's something special about leaving from San Juan.

[RhondaC]

I completely agree with Bob. St Kitts, Barbados, etc is such a fun change from the usual ports! And when leaving from San Juan, it's like adding another day to your vacation!

 

FOS is still a beautiful and big ship. The newbies won't know the difference and the ones who have cruised before will still appreciate her.

[Ocean Boy]

I would take either of Freedom's itineraries. All of those islands are great and Freedom is an awesome ship. I am not too crazy about either of the itineraries that you listed for Allure and Harmony.

[andrew2346]

FOS with Barbados

[Beachammo]

Our Host is correct...

 

Cruises out of San Juan are the best. Plus who doesn't want to spend a few days in Puerto Rico before getting on the ship.

 

We've also found airline fares to be about the same....

 

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[Spurschick]

Our Host is correct...

 

Cruises out of San Juan are the best. Plus who doesn't want to spend a few days in Puerto Rico before getting on the ship.

 

We've also found airline fares to be about the same....

 

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We used to find airline fares to San Juan comparable to flying to Florida, but every date we have looked at for next year is over $900 from DFW. :eek: The last time we flew to San Juan about 3 years ago it was closer to $400.

[Beachammo]

We used to find airline fares to San Juan comparable to flying to Florida, but every date we have looked at for next year is over $900 from DFW. :eek: The last time we flew to San Juan about 3 years ago it was closer to $400.

Ouch....

 

A quick check of flights to SJU from my hometown of Virginia Beach October 2017 shows around $400 using Southwest.

 

 

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[Clarea]

We used to find airline fares to San Juan comparable to flying to Florida, but every date we have looked at for next year is over $900 from DFW. :eek: The last time we flew to San Juan about 3 years ago it was closer to $400.

I'm finding the same incredibly high prices from STL too. Even looking at Southwest, the least expensive fare column says "Unavailable".

[cb at sea]

I would wait to price flights...it's almost a year away. Just keep checking and when you see a price you can live with, grab it!

[domm1e]

Freedom out of San Juan . Hoping to do it ourselves also

 

 

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[Beachammo]

I'm finding the same incredibly high prices from STL too. Even looking at Southwest, the least expensive fare column says "Unavailable".

February 2018 looks good too!

 

We've been lucky so far on our SJU flights

 

 

 

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[Biker19]

Go the other way, take the train up to Newark and get on Anthem to New England. Or even easier, hop on Grandeur. Save the Caribbean for winter.

[Clarea]

February 2018 looks good too!

 

We've been lucky so far on our SJU flights

Maybe there's more competition from Norfolk. Also, I'm having to go in the middle of spring break because our Jan/Feb cruises were cancelled for the dry dock.

[Beachammo]

Maybe there's more competition from Norfolk. Also, I'm having to go in the middle of spring break because our Jan/Feb cruises were cancelled for the dry dock.

That's right....

 

I remember now.

 

I hope we have no issues in 2019. I didn't book a backup.

 

Knock on Wood!!

 

 

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[2disneydads]

How old are the people in your group? If you have any children or teens, then I'll buck the trend and say take Harmony first, then Allure. The amenities on the Oasis class ships are second to none, especially the ziplining, Flowrider, Carousel, Aquatheatre, etc. I think Central Park is one of the best spaces on any ship. Freedom also has the ice shows.

 

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[camofwilliamsburg]

Another factor is sea days vs port days. Usually those out of SJ are very port intensive. We actually enjoy the sea days more.

[molly361]

That's right....

 

I remember now.

 

I hope we have no issues in 2019. I didn't book a backup.

 

Knock on Wood!!

 

 

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That will make John very happy!!

[KevinKruzer]

Thank you all for the responses..... to answer a few at once- 1) all the "kids" in our group are now young adults (21-25 yrs of age- several sets of parents have waited for the last one in our group to turn 21 for this cruise). I have been on the Grandeur out of Baltimore (25 min. drive from my house to port) but, I can add the cost of flights to FL/PR and still come out ahead ($) on a better ship. Camofwilliamsburg- I also enjoy a few sea days mixed in......

 

The scales have tilted slightly in favor of the FOS Southern (Barbados/Antigua/St Lucia).............