7 Day Eastern Caribbean - RCL or Princess?

[jhmoore143]

We just got off our first cruise ever (Monarch) and are not looking for a 7 Night Southern/Easter Caribbean (St. Thomas. St. Maartin, St. Kitts, Aruba, etc).

 

I have been "shopping around" and I like so far what I have seen from both Royal Caribbean (Freedom of the Seas) and Princess (Emerald Princess).

 

They both stop at their private islands, St. Maartin and St. Thomas for starters.

 

The pro's and con's for me personally are:

 

Pro (Royal Caribbean): we have been through Port Canaveral already and loved the ease of getting in and out of there.

 

Pro (Royal Caribbean): It is also closer to home than Port Everglades. Dont know if Port Everglades have the similar "features".

 

Pro (Royal Caribbean): We have already cruise with them, so we will be adding to our cruise credits.

 

Pro (Royal Caribbean): Having been to Cococay - I know how and where I want to snorkel/dive (now). :)

 

Pro (Princess): One more stop (Grand Turk) than Royal Caribbean which results in ->

 

Pro (Princess): One less Day at Sea. Princess has a total listed 2 Days at sea versus the total listed 3 days at sea for Royal Caribbean.

 

Pro (Princess): Current costs - Princess is $828.32 less total costs (suite costs, tax and fees) (Royal Caribbean = $4,272.50 versus Princess = $3,444.18)

 

Now, having only one cruise under our belt, we really have no "loyalty" to anyone, but we really liked our experience on a Royal Caribbean ship. I work with a lady who prefers Princess because according to her, they "tend to have more days at sea" - but in this case, they don't.

 

I have about a year to work on this, and that $800 can be used towards excursions, but is Princess worth the added drive to Port Everglades (and the unknown aspects of that port) or is this the case of "You get what you paid for"

 

I would appreciate any information from anyone who has been on both of these ships and if possible, ports, to give me their personal comparisons. .

[Cruzaholic41]

You can not go wrong with either of these choices. Emerald is a beautiful ship and Freedom is a "Wow" ship. You will have a great cruise on either one.

 

What is more important to you; the ship, or the itinerary? If your priority is the ship, definitely the Freedom. If itinerary takes at least 51% of your priority, I think Emerald is your ship.

 

Princess is not a "get what you pay for" cruise line. Usually, their prices are right in line with RCI. It's the cruise lines that are always cheaper you should avoid.

[jhmoore143]

Thanks for the info.

 

What is more important to you; the ship, or the itinerary?

 

Right now, having only been on one ship, the priority of importance between ship and itinerary is about 50 - 50. I want to be on a good ship - but I would also like the "wow" factor for the ports as well.

 

I have been all over the world, so now we are starting to check out "our back yard" with the Bahamas and Caribbean. Eventually we will get a New England/Canada, Alaska and Northern Europe (London - Norway - St. Pete Areas) but for right now, going to the islands is where we want to be.

 

I guess I will read as much as I can and talk to as many people as I can. Honestly, I am leaning towards the Freedom for two reasons - 1.) the ease of getting to and using Port Canaveral and 2.) the initial ease of the wallet for the deposit requirements. But I cant get the extra port / less day at sea out of my head either. . .

 

I know I am going to get flamed for this, but I have no desire to sail on Norwegian or Carnival. I have looked at Holland America and Celebrity but they either didn't sail to or from where I wanted/needed to be or were too expensive for my wallet right now. My wife would love to sail on the QM2 and if I could, I would make it happen. (She also wants a room on The World too, - but I need a lottery ticket for that ;-) )

[Cruzaholic41]

Don't worry about getting flamed. Everyone knows what appeals to them and if someone else can't handle that, they are people you don't want to be associated with anyways.

 

To support you leaning toward FOS, I will say that Coco Cay is my favorite private island.

 

Also, if you choose FOS, do not miss the ice show. It is one of the best shows afloat and no other cruise line can compete with this venue. Of course, no other cruise line has anything to compete with FOS anyways!

 

Also, I see what you mean about port ease. I tend to cruise out of Miami or Fort Laud. since I live here.

[tmitchell82]

We did the Eastern Caribbean on Princess last year. You had mention a plus about visiting Grand Turk on Princess. Grand Turk was nice when we visited, granted it was just 9 week after getting hit by the hurricane last year. Island is know for it's diving and snorkeling. Not much shopping and such. In my opinion, not a lot of scenery on the island itself. The port was built and owned by CCL and it seems like a little private CCL area. Nice island, but not something I would base my decision on a cruise completely on.