Which route

[magnus1977]

Me and my family, 2 adults and 2 children age 1 and 3 years old are going to cruise with Allure of the seas for an 8 night cruise in late april.

 

It is two alternative dates and routes we are looking at and I am now wondering of which to choose. Anybody who have some thoughts? The routes are:

 

Route 1: Labadee, oranjestad, willemstad.

 

Route 2: Labadee, San Juan, philipsburg, Charlotte Amalie and Bahamas.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

Magnus

[Another_Critic]

That is a personal decision.

 

Me, I would choose route 1 since I've never been to Aruba or Curacao but have been to all the route 2 ports.

 

Another thing is whether you prefer more ports (route 2) or more sea days (route 1).  Daily ports without a break can be quite tiring.

[leaveitallbehind]

They are both offered as they both provide different experiences.  Over time I would suggest trying both for each experience, but IMO my first choice would be  Route 1 as Aruba and Curacao hold more appeal to me than the others.  But as you apparently are traveling from overseas to experience this, Route 2 does offer a bit more variety of experiences with the more ports of call.  I can take or leave the Bahamas and San Juan (been to both many times).  But certainly St. Thomas and St. Martin are good stops.

 

Very personal decision and subjective in what people think - so take my comments and others with a grain of salt.  I would suggest doing some independent research on each of the ports of call to see what may appeal to you and go from there.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

all of these locations are nice.

That said, since your kids are unvaxxed, some of these ports may require that you must be on a RCI-purchased excursion in order to get off at a port. Some of these excursions may be pricy, some may have a min age limit.

 

If the ports don't require an RCI excursion, will you take a taxi? Are you bringing your car seats?

 

P.S. We chose trip #1 for our May cruise, mainly because we don't have a choice of the date (the kid is in school) and because we love Aruba and Curacao. Plus, we've been to St Thomas and St Maarten many times before.  If we had a choice, I may have actually chosen trip #2 because it has more ports and we love going to the beach. However, the taxes are much higher because there are more ports.

[DCPIV]

I agree that it's a personal choice, and I don't think you can make a bad choice between those two itineraries if you've never seen any of the ports.

 

We cruised with our two when they were both 1 and 3, and we also cruised with them when they were 2 and 4.  Both times were a lot of fun, and the latter of those two cruises was very port intensive (Mediterranean).  As I am confident you already are aware, children both love new experiences but also need a break on long days.  The key is to balance it properly for your family, and only you know how to do that.

 

Keep in mind that you don't have to get off the ship at every port.  Staying on board during a port day is not a wasted opportunity by any measure.  It's a quieter day, and the pool is still open.  Adventure Ocean also is open while you are in port in case you and your 3-year old could use a break from each other. 

[orville99]

With children that young, I would choose the Aruba Curacao route. While port intensive cruises can be quite educational for older children, toddlers generally don't cope that well with the sensory overload that often accompanies them.

[time4u2go]

Where in Bahamas?

[magnus1977]

Thank you all for your thoughts, I realy appreciate it😀

 

We dont mind a cruise with intensive portstops. Anyway we can just be staying at the ship if the kids are tired, but having the choice to go of the ship I think is a positive factor.

 

Though, both Aruba and Curaçao facinates me, but I am not sure if all the seadays will be a bit boring…

[leaveitallbehind]

4 minutes ago, magnus1977 said:

Though, both Aruba and Curaçao facinates me, but I am not sure if all the seadays will be a bit boring…

Not on that ship - plenty to do!  But I do understand your thoughts and would probably agree with your thinking on the more port intensive itinerary.

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise!

[Another_Critic]

20 minutes ago, magnus1977 said:

Thank you all for your thoughts, I realy appreciate it😀

 

We dont mind a cruise with intensive portstops. Anyway we can just be staying at the ship if the kids are tired, but having the choice to go of the ship I think is a positive factor.

 

Though, both Aruba and Curaçao facinates me, but I am not sure if all the seadays will be a bit boring…

Be aware, for future sailings, that there are many more itineraries for route 2 vs route 1.

[leaveitallbehind]

48 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Be aware, for future sailings, that there are many more itineraries for route 2 vs route 1.

...especially out of FL.  The Southern Caribbean routes to include Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, even Barbados, etc., typically leave out of Puerto Rico to allow these itineraries in 7- nights.  The extra 8-night itinerary the OP is looking at has that extra day to get to and from there from FL with one less port of call than usual.

Edited March 22, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[magnus1977]

Yeah, the Aruba/Curaçao route is tempting! Are those two Islands family/child friendly? What do you recommend to do at those two Islands?

[Another_Critic]

To me, Odyssey is part of the destination.  With a very port intensive itinerary, you will have limited time to enjoy the ship, unless you don't go ashore at some ports.

 

I lean toward smaller / older ships for port intensive itineraries, as they are often cheaper than the larger / newer ships.

[Zach1213]

I vote for the one with less ports. Port-intensive cruises are exhausting to me...even if you don't plan to do much, it still involves some planning, some research, some thinking. A sea day allows you to do as much or as little as you'd like, whether it be nonstop action or sitting around and doing 16oz curls all day. I feel like having a good balance of port days and sea days also allows you to put more resources in to the port days, for example spending more money to do an excursion or activity that you really want to. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Zach1213

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, magnus1977 said:

Route 2: Labadee, San Juan, philipsburg, Charlotte Amalie and Bahamas.

 

OP, where in Bahamas?  That would influence my decision.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

7 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

sitting around and doing 16oz curls all day.

with a 1 and 3 yo kids in tow? Lol.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

32 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

To me, Odyssey is part of the destination. 

it's Allure. 🙂

 

3 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

OP, where in Bahamas?  That would influence my decision.

Nassau.

 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Cruising | Labadee, Haiti | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Philipsburg, St. Maarten | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | Cruising | Nassau, Bahamas | Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

[Zach1213]

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

with a 1 and 3 yo kids in tow? Lol.

 I've seen it!

[oldmom]

20 hours ago, jljlinda said:

Jerry & Linda from West Virginia - 58th anniversary on May 3;  Maybe we will see you on board!!

WOW-58 years! That is awesome! Happy Anniversary-hope to see you.

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

55 minutes ago, magnus1977 said:

Yeah, the Aruba/Curaçao route is tempting! Are those two Islands family/child friendly? What do you recommend to do at those two Islands?

in Curacao we first went to the beach and then to look at the floating bridge and a ship that passed through the canal at that time. We were there in November, and it was EXTREMELY hot. So hot that even my heat-proof 5 yo was complaining. We are from GA if that tells you anything about our own heat tolerance. My own is not too great, I am afraid.

 

Aruba was lovely. We went to the butterfly sanctuary first and then simply crossed the road to go to the beach at Eagle beach area. All the beaches are public and free, and so are the chaises. We took a taxi. However, if you are not going to have your car seats with you, I don't know if I would trust local taxi drivers with my kid's life. Mine was in a booster for travel purposes and was the size of a 6-7 yo.  I think there are small public buses available for just a couple of dollars pp - they might be a lot safer.

 

Divi Phoenix hotel beach at Eagle Beach

 

 

 

Too bad Bonaire is not included on this itinerary.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

7 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 I've seen it!

I've seen it too. Mom was taking care of the kids through the entire cruise, while dad was having non-stop fun. Doesn't mean that OP is like that.

[Lane Hog]

Personal decision, I'd stay up north and do Route 2.  Days at sea are fun for the adults who just want to lay out in a chair with a book.

The ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) are also the letter grades people give them as a destination... 

I spent two weeks on Curacao for work, and found it to be a desert island with a brewery and refinery.  Yes, there are a few great resorts, and some nice downtown area shopping, but really not a whole lot more.  I wouldn't go out of my way to return.

Aruba, totally different story.  Worth the trip.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Lane Hog

[taglovestocruise]

8 hours ago, magnus1977 said:

Thank you all for your thoughts, I realy appreciate it😀

 

We dont mind a cruise with intensive portstops. Anyway we can just be staying at the ship if the kids are tired, but having the choice to go of the ship I think is a positive factor.

 

Though, both Aruba and Curaçao facinates me, but I am not sure if all the seadays will be a bit boring…

Oasis Class ships were built to be the destination, port stops are secondary. 

[lenquixote66]

10 hours ago, magnus1977 said:

Me and my family, 2 adults and 2 children age 1 and 3 years old are going to cruise with Allure of the seas for an 8 night cruise in late april.

 

It is two alternative dates and routes we are looking at and I am now wondering of which to choose. Anybody who have some thoughts? The routes are:

 

Route 1: Labadee, oranjestad, willemstad.

 

Route 2: Labadee, San Juan, philipsburg, Charlotte Amalie and Bahamas.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

Magnus

I would do number 1.I have been to both several times and prefer number 1.

[smplybcause]

9 hours ago, magnus1977 said:

Thank you all for your thoughts, I realy appreciate it😀

 

We dont mind a cruise with intensive portstops. Anyway we can just be staying at the ship if the kids are tired, but having the choice to go of the ship I think is a positive factor.

 

Though, both Aruba and Curaçao facinates me, but I am not sure if all the seadays will be a bit boring…

 

Whether it's boring or not depends on if you cut off your kids access to the carousel or you let them ride it all day!