Advice Needed - Book Now, or Wait Until 90 Days Out

[Ferry_Watcher]

We will be disembarking a HAL cruise late October in Fort Lauderdale.  We are considering booking a Celebrity cruise sailing within a few days later.  Two sailings could work. 

 

the Eclipse Southern Caribbean: 10 night, 6 ports, 4 sea days - (Tortola BVI;  St John, Antigua;  Bridgetown, Barbados;  Castries, St Lucia;  Basseterre, St Kitt & Nevis) 

or

the Beyond Western Caribbean & Perfect Day 7 nights, 4 ports & 3 sea days - )Coco Cay; Cozumel, Mexico; George Town Grand Cayman

 

The last time we were in the Caribbean was for our honeymoon decades ago (Caneel Bay St John VI).  We tend to be cool weather folks, and pretty much stay out of the sun.  That said, we thought since we are already in Fort Lauderdale, why not book a cruise.  I prefer sailing Aqua Class on Celebrity, and there doesn't seem to be much inventory available on either ship.  I am wondering if Aqua room availability will increase around the 90 day mark.  As for the ships themselves, I will be on the Edge (Alaska) later this year, so I will have had experience that class of ship.  I am a little worried about all the reports of creaking noises on the Beyond.  I love the Solstice, and have sailed on the Millie, so I imagine the Eclipse will be just fine.

 

Any thoughts on the itinerary, or the ships?  Should I grab a stateroom now, or let it float in hopes of better availability?  Or grab an Aqua Class room and try for a Move Up to a suite (nothing to lose). Going on a Caribbean cruise after getting off of a 21 day HAL cruise isn't a do or die situation, but it could be a fun option. 

 

Any help, insight, thoughts are appreciated.

 

Thanks, my friends!

[hcat]

Eclipse is S Class so older,  but still modern S Class like Solstice..Millie is M Class. 

 

Eclipse is a longer cruise with a  great itin compared to BEYOND itin..  our least fav ports.. 

 

Fav ports are included on ECLIPSE. We were  recently on Tortola and St Kitts with excursion to NEVIS on Ascent...Amazing!  Other ports are also excellent

 

BEYOND was  very nice..but lots of creaking reports..no way to know if u will be lucky or unlucky.

 

I would grab an AQ on Eclipse and  try a move up if you want..but we love BLU..  see what others post!

[SbbquilterUT]

Personally the southern cruise on Eclipse would be my choice as these are my favorite islands.  If there is a lot of availability you might wait but we had to accept a guaranty 12 months out for an atypical sailing.

[hcat]

P.s.  What are your ports on HAL?

[Ferry_Watcher]

18 minutes ago, hcat said:

P.s.  What are your ports on HAL?

[Ferry_Watcher]

25 minutes ago, hcat said:

P.s.  What are your ports on HAL?

It's the 21 day Seattle / Panama Canal / Fort Lauderdale cruise on the Eurodam after the Alaska season ends.

California 2 ports; Mexico 3 ports; Guatemala 1 port; Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera) Costa; Aruba 1 stop; lots of sea days., 

Edited March 18 by Ferry_Watcher

[1Virgo]

my vote.  Eclipse Southern Caribbean.    IMO, better ports.   Have fun

[Mr. Click]

If you are happy with the price grab it now.  If the price goes down between now and your final payment you should be able to get it re-priced, if not you have your cabin locked in.  S class vs E class, I pick S any day.  I really do not like the idea of paying for a veranda that is not a  real veranda.....

 

We are on the Eclipse going from Iceland this summer and I have already had my TA re-price it twice as volcanic stuff has scared people away...

[mahdnc]

Eclipse itinerary sounds so much better by a long shot.  We've been on Eclipse and Solstice multiple times--the ships are quite comparable.  

 

Whichever one you pick, I would book now than later because cabin availability will go down and prices will go up.  If a better cabin becomes available, you can certainly switch to it.  Good luck.

[jelayne]

We are not fans of the Caribbean, particularly the Western Caribbean.  At this point we rarely get off the ship in the Caribbean.  If itinerary is the key factor then the Eclipse wins.  If the decision is based on which ship then for us  the  Beyond wins.  
We love the E class ships; the modern look, the 4MDRs, the new venues and specialty restaurants,  the theater  and entertainment are all great.  
We have the Eclipse booked for October, we have been on her many times but chose her for the itinerary.  I’m having a hard time getting excited about the cruise wishing it were on a new ship.

 

Edited March 18 by jelayne

[Ferry_Watcher]

Update - I booked the 10 day West Caribbean in an Aqua Class room.  Thank you for all the insight.  We are looking forward to our first Caribbean cruise.  It will be interesting checking out the Fort Lauderdale homeport threads, as well as reading up on the cruise's ports-of-call, especially as I spend most of my time chatting about Alaskan cruises out of Seattle.

Thanks again!

[keysey222]

Eclipse all the way. The ports are so much better. My husband and I got married at Caneel Bay a few months before it was destroyed. IMO, no other Caribbean island I've visited has lived up to my experience on St. John and Caneel. As for booking now or waiting, it really depends how much you want a specific room type. A warning about Solstice-class ships, if you do decide to try and move up to a suite just know that many suites sit below the Oceanview Cafe. I stayed in one of those once and hated every second of it. The rolling carts above in the wee hours of the morning and late into the night were loud and very disruptive to my sleep. Please keep that in mind before spending the extra money.

[Jeremiah1212]

If you're wanting Aqua on that Eclipse sailing I would book soon. There are only a handful of cabins left. I wouldn't anticipate any significant number to open up. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

20 minutes ago, keysey222 said:

My husband and I got married at Caneel Bay

 

How lucky you were!  Caneel Bay was so beautiful. We always hoped to return to celebrate an anniversary, but then that hurricane came, and that was that.  I still have my necklace that has the Caneel Bay logo on it.  

Looking forward to exploring these new island destinations while cruising on the Eclipse.  Thanks for the tip re possible Move Up locations of suites.  We really like Aqua, so we really are satisfied with what we booked (especially so late in the game - at least for me).

 

Thanks again! 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Just now, Jeremiah1212 said:

If you're wanting Aqua on that Eclipse sailing I would book soon. There are only a handful of cabins left. I wouldn't anticipate any significant number to open up. 

 

Thanks!  I did book the cruise, and got one of the 7 or so Aqua staterooms that were still showing on the website.

[Mrs_Tiki]

I think that you were smart to go ahead and book the AQ on Eclipse. The ports are much better, and Blu’s location and views on the S-class ships are superior to those on E-class.

[hcat]

5 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Thanks!  I did book the cruise, and got one of the 7 or so Aqua staterooms that were still showing on the website.

GREAT MOVE..you will not be disappointed!