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Help choosing itinerary!!!

cnjoy26

By cnjoy26,
in Royal Caribbean International

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cnjoy26

cnjoy26

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Hello all! So this will probably be a long winded message so I apologize in advance. Me and my family are getting ready to book our second cruise, and our first cruise going to the Southern Caribbean (went to the Western Caribbean last time.) We are stuck between two different itineraries and would love your insight from people who have actually been to these places! Both itineraries are for March/April 2019 and both are 7 day cruises. Also both are on the same ship (freedom) which we went on last time and were so happy with. Also we are all in our late 20s to early 30s. Here they are:

 

Number 1:

 

St. Kitts

Lucia

St. Lucia

Barbados

St Maarten

Antigua

 

We’d be in each port for about 8 hours (8-5 or 11-7)

 

Number 2:

Aruba

Curacao

Bonaire

St Maarten

 

With this one, we’d be in each port for 12 hours or more (7 am- 11 pm)

 

We are so conflicted with this and would love your opinions! What one would you choose and why? At this point for some reason I feel like Antigua is the prettiest beach so I’d be bummed not going there and we also all really think we’ll love St Lucia and are excited to go to the volcano! However, on the other side, we heard Aruba has the best sunsets and would love to go on a sunset cruise there. It would also be nice to stay in each port for longer and not have to be so concerned with time. So we’re pretty much choosing between more/better ports vs being in each port for longer so it really comes down to each port and which ones we would enjoy more.

 

Things to consider:

 

-We love and prefer beaches and things that go along with that. We loooooooved grand cayman on our last cruise and are looking for a few stops with those white sand beaches and clear clear water like grand cayman.

-We want a mix between beach ports as described above where we can snorkel and do things on the water vs more adventure ports where we can go to a cool waterfall or go to a volcano.

-We are not interested in shopping or walking around towns—we more prefer water stuff and adventure stuff (snorkeling, parasailing, going out on a boat, zip lining, etc.)

 

We are excited to hear your opinions!!! Would you be upset not being able to go to St Lucia/Antigua but would be able to go to Aruba and Bonaire for a longer period of time? Or would you prefer the latter? Which are your favorite ports of those listed and why? Which itinerary would you choose and why?

 

Sorry this is so long-We truly appreciate your help as we think it will help make our decision!

 

 

 

 

 

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cnjoy26

cnjoy26

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Aruba and Curacao have wonderful beaches. I did both itineraries and I loved option number 2. More sea days, less port intensive and more relaxing. The ABC islands are amazing!

 

 

Cindy

 

 

 

I’m new to this...are the abc islands referring to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao? Why are they called the abc islands? Lol I’m so new :)

 

 

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Armac

Armac

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We have about 25 Caribbean cruises under our belt and have been to all these islands multiple times, I do not think you could go wrong with either itinerary I personally would favor the Aruba Curacao, Bonaire cruise. Aruba has great beaches that are easy to get to by bus or cab. Curacao is a beautiful island with beaches and snorkeling. Bonaire is not a beach island (rocky shoreline) but the diving and snorkeling is the best in the Caribbean. There is also a Donkey preserve on Bonaire that the kids would like. Golf carts are road legal on Bonaire, on our last visit we rented one for the day and had a great time. Good luck choosing your cruise, remember there is no wrong answer

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papaflamingo

papaflamingo

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Can't go wrong with either. I've been to every place except Curacao. Loved them all! If you are more into lying on the beach though, you might enjoy number 2 for the extra beach time.

As mentioned, Bonaire is a diving/snorkeling island. Most beautiful snorkeling ever! So keep that in mind.

Aruba is a flat island with beautiful beaches. I have been there many times and love it, but for the beaches. We did do a Sunset Champaign Cruise through RCCL when there last. It was fantastic!

St. Lucia is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. We did a great catamaran snorkeling tour that took us to see the Pitons. But lot's of stuff to do there.

Barbados is interesting too. We did a cave tour there.

Anyway, as you can see, I am split. I love both the itineraries. What you need to do is Back to Back! Do them both!

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OceansOfTravels

OceansOfTravels

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I would personally choose the first one, because I have a strong love for St.Maarten and Barbados. Grand Case has been the best Caribbean beach for me, I think you will enjoy it. Carlisle Bay in Barbados is also stunning. Antigua is actually famed for its 365 beaches, so I imagine you cannot go wrong in Antigua in terms of beaches (I have not been). ANd then, if you want some adventure based activities, you could take the catamaran tour to Nevis in St.Kitts, or visit the Brimstone Hill Fortress and do the train tour. In St.Lucia, you can go in volcanic sulfur springs, hike up the Pitons, and really get immersed in the jungle. St.Lucia and St.Kitts do not have the idyllic blue water that Grand Cayman does (still crystal blue, just a little more turquoise), but their eco adventures make them stand out.

 

The other itinerary will be very nice in terms of beaches, but considering those islands are very flat, with the exception of St.Maarten, you would be stuck to mostly land-based adventures, unless you wanted to visit the desert in Aruba. Aruba is nice, but VERY touristy. The longer port times will be nice, but the experiences you will have in Barbados, St.Kitts, St.Lucia and Antigua will easily make up for it. All of those ports offer unique shore excursion opportunities, while offering cheap beaches alternatives. The ABC islands are mostly famed for their hotels, crowded beaches, and scuba diving. Go with Option 1, you will not regret it! :)

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sg1phileshipper

sg1phileshipper

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I’m new to this...are the abc islands referring to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao? Why are they called the abc islands? Lol I’m so new :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Yes, I am referring to Aruba Curacao and Bonaire. As for why they are called that, I honestly have no clue. Even a trip to google doesn’t help. But I am sure someone here knows why they are called that [emoji12]

 

 

Cindy

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DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

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Here is another vote for the ABC islands. The 3 islands a very close together so you have longer port times. Aruba has nice beaches. We usually take a taxi to go to the high rise beach. That is not the real name [i think it might be Eagle Beach] But, this is where the high rise hotels are and we rent chairs/umbrella and enjoy the beach. We have also taken a short island tour before the beach. It is a very interesting island.

 

Curacao is an interesting island to visit too. we have never gone to the beach there. Both times we visited there we toured the island. The first time was an island tour and it was OK. The second time we walked from the ship and toured the city on our own. That was better. Curacao is very picturesque. The pastel houses, the swinging bridge and the harbor are must see sights.

 

We have been to Bonaire twice. On our first trip we took a Catamaran snorkel tour with Woodwind. They are the BEST company! [JMHO] We did 2 drift snorkels around Klein Bonaire. This is some of the best snorkeling in the world. They only take about 20 people. They provided UV wet suit shirts if you wanted to wear them. they also had snorkel masks in the various eye glass prescriptions. So those that wear glasses have clear views. They are so professional. [this is my favorite excursion from any cruise] The second trip we took an island tour and enjoyed seeing the salt production and flamingoes. However, the next time we will go on a snorkel again.

 

We have been to the islands on the other itineraries. We enjoyed visiting each of them. Many more cruises visit these islands. If you continue cruising you will have lots more opportunities to see these islands.

 

YMMV Happy cruising!!

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printingchick Great Review Rare

printingchick

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Number 1:

 

St. Kitts

Lucia

St. Lucia

Barbados

St Maarten

Antigua

 

We’d be in each port for about 8 hours (8-5 or 11-7)

 

Number 2:

Aruba

Curacao

Bonaire

St Maarten

 

I'm going to go against the seeming ABC trend here and recommend Number 1 because it offers so much variety. You mentioned liking beaches, but also wanted some more "adventure" options, like volcanoes and waterfall hikes. Here's a quick breakdown of the islands on the first itinerary.

 

  • ST. KITTS: One of the most lovely islands I've visited - a fact I didn't fully appreciate until returning home and going through my photos! I've done a couple different island tours on the island (of those I most highly recommend Royston's tour). We're visiting here again in February and going with Javin to tour the Black Rocks (on his tour, you actually climb down to sea level, rather than only viewing from above), hiking in the rain forest, some snorkeling at a sunken ship and some beach time. His assistant tour guide is his pet monkey, who even participates in the snorkeling! Really looking forward to it!
  • ST. LUCIA: Wow...amazing island. The pitons! The volcano! The hot mud baths! The waterfalls! The snorkeling! This port has it ALL. I recommend Herod's Land and Sea tour in order to see as much as possible. The downtown may be a bit off-putting. Don't let that set the tone for your day. This place is awe-inspiring!
  • BARBADOS: Here is your beach island. Barbados is very modern. No eco-tourism type excursions here.(Unless you consider touring Harrison Caves via tram to be eco-tourism. It is enjoyable.) I highly recommend Calabaza catamaran for snorkeling, but there are many beach and water options here.
  • ST. MAARTEN: This island is a cruise passenger favorite. I didn't fully appreciate it until my last visit, when I toured with Bernard's. I think I'd stuck too closely to the typical tourist stuff and failed to fully appreciate the wonders of the island. That said, there are also great beaches on St. Maarten. If you're into boating, there is a place (Boathouse Rentals, I believe), where you can rent a small motor boat and tour the island by water. We did that once and it was a lot of fun.
  • ANTIGUA: I really like this island. It's not modern and developed, like Barbados, but we found it clean and friendly. I highly recommend the Paddles excursion, which includes a great tour, snorkeling and kayaking. It offers a lot for the money - a tremendous value. Try to get out to Bird Island. The views are breath-taking!

I like the ABC islands, and am doing them (minus Bonaire - we have St. Kitts instead) in February. But in general, I prefer the more port-intensive cruises. They require you to pace yourself, so as not to become completely exhausted, but oh how much you get to see!

 

ENJOY!

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houlacruiser

houlacruiser

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Based on what you're saying I would choose the first one. Barbados has my favorite beaches in the Carribean!!!! Also, I did a volcano hike in St. Kitts and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!!! St. Maarten will have some cool stuff - You can visit the airplane beach and we rented cool little cars once and zoomed around in them. Good luck choosing!!!

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