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Hurricanes peak at around the end of August and into September.
Summer wouldn't be a good time to take a Caribbean cruise due to the heat and humidity.
Most of the Caribbean cruises stop for part of one day in the ports. I haven't been on a cruise but am looking into it. These are not ports that sound very interesting, imo. The island nations are mostly poverty stricken and you will get people hawking their goods.
People have told me that the best ports are on the private islands that some of the cruise ships own.
Well I haven't actually been on a cruise before so I don't know what I want or if i'd like it. I want a cruise that is about 4* and not full of loud drunks i.e. not a teenage castaway but at the same time not an old age cruise. I want a cruise with a lot of entertainment, I seen a cruise on the travel channel with a lot of shops is this common?
I wanted to goto the Caribbean as i've always wanted to go there and i've already seen enough of the Mediterranean. I've looked at Royal Caribbean and it looks nice. I don't know what way the stopovers work, do they stop for a few days or just a few hours?
I kind of want a cruise that does a stop for a day or so at each port.
None of the Caribbean mass market lines stop for more than a day in any port.
Given your parameters you might look at Princess, a bit nicer than Royal Caribbean but a much younger crowd than HAL for example. Royal will nickel and dime you to death as well. Princess is three star, Royal Caribbean is 2-3 star.
If you want four star you will need to book a luxury line, and then you are looking at the age demographic rising. Azamara, Regent, Oceania, although I din't know that any of them have ships in the Caribbean in the summer. They will all have entertainment, but it might not be the big production shows I think you want.
In all honesty I think you are going to have to make some choices, I don't think you'll find a large ship with a lot of young adults, activities, entertainment, and no drunks. Disney might actually be the closest. They are 3.5 star, if you go for a suite it will be 4 star. They have a lot of activities, but you don't find the level of drunkenness you would on some of the other large ships (in my experience). That said, Disney tends to have less 18-25 year olds than Royal and Carnival.
Some ships have a lot of shops, some have only one smaller one.
All that said, I don't think you are going to like the Caribbean, I think you will come back complaining it's too "poor" and depressing.
Weather in the Caribbean doesn't vary much temperature wise during the year.
During the summer most ships are sailing in Europe and Alaska. However, there are still some lines sailing the Caribbean year-round. However, the longer itineraries are usually done in the winter.
So, you can look at doing what is called a back-to-back.
Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas alternates 7 night eastern and western Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Ft Lauderdale, FL.
Royal Caribbean also has the Liberty of the Seas out of Bayonne, NJ (across the harbor from NY City). During the summer she does a 9 night Caribbean and a 5 night Bermuda. You can combine these for 14 nights.
Bermuda is extremely popular. And drop dead gorgeous! It is heaven on earth!!!!!!!!
I've never been, but a good friend of mine goes to Bermuda yearly. She has relatives who own a condo there, so for basically the cost of airfare and for putting up with relatives , she gets an amazing vacation every year.
There are plenty of 8+ days cruises as well. As for NYC/DC/FL - perhaps the OP prefers to cruise. If you haven't done so, it's an experience. We LOVE to cruise and do so at least once a year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summerwhale
Well I haven't actually been on a cruise before so I don't know what I want or if i'd like it. I want a cruise that is about 4* and not full of loud drunks i.e. not a teenage castaway but at the same time not an old age cruise. I want a cruise with a lot of entertainment, I seen a cruise on the travel channel with a lot of shops is this common?
I wanted to goto the Caribbean as i've always wanted to go there and i've already seen enough of the Mediterranean. I've looked at Royal Caribbean and it looks nice. I don't know what way the stopovers work, do they stop for a few days or just a few hours?
I kind of want a cruise that does a stop for a day or so at each port. Also what are the ships like when moving, do you feel it?
There are no cruiselines I know of that stop for a day or so at a port. Especially in the Caribbean. The islands are quite small and a day is plenty to see most of the important places.
Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland
Hurricanes peak at around the end of August and into September.
Summer wouldn't be a good time to take a Caribbean cruise due to the heat and humidity.
Most of the Caribbean cruises stop for part of one day in the ports. I haven't been on a cruise but am looking into it. These are not ports that sound very interesting, imo. The island nations are mostly poverty stricken and you will get people hawking their goods.
People have told me that the best ports are on the private islands that some of the cruise ships own.
The private islands are mostly hold little interest to my husband and me. Although it's a nice time to spend on the ship relaxing and not dealing with crowds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk
None of the Caribbean mass market lines stop for more than a day in any port.
Given your parameters you might look at Princess, a bit nicer than Royal Caribbean but a much younger crowd than HAL for example. Royal will nickel and dime you to death as well. Princess is three star, Royal Caribbean is 2-3 star.
If you want four star you will need to book a luxury line, and then you are looking at the age demographic rising. Azamara, Regent, Oceania, although I din't know that any of them have ships in the Caribbean in the summer. They will all have entertainment, but it might not be the big production shows I think you want.
In all honesty I think you are going to have to make some choices, I don't think you'll find a large ship with a lot of young adults, activities, entertainment, and no drunks. Disney might actually be the closest. They are 3.5 star, if you go for a suite it will be 4 star. They have a lot of activities, but you don't find the level of drunkenness you would on some of the other large ships (in my experience). That said, Disney tends to have less 18-25 year olds than Royal and Carnival.
Some ships have a lot of shops, some have only one smaller one.
All that said, I don't think you are going to like the Caribbean, I think you will come back complaining it's too "poor" and depressing.
This has been the best response and advice so far in this thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ocngypz
Weather in the Caribbean doesn't vary much temperature wise during the year.
During the summer most ships are sailing in Europe and Alaska. However, there are still some lines sailing the Caribbean year-round. However, the longer itineraries are usually done in the winter.
So, you can look at doing what is called a back-to-back.
Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas alternates 7 night eastern and western Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Ft Lauderdale, FL.
Royal Caribbean also has the Liberty of the Seas out of Bayonne, NJ (across the harbor from NY City). During the summer she does a 9 night Caribbean and a 5 night Bermuda. You can combine these for 14 nights.
Having over 10 cruises under our belts, and been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival, we prefer Carnival. We also would never cruise from the NY/NJ ports again. What a waste - it takes 2 days to reach warmer weather and there are no stops along the way. Why not start at Florida or Puerto Rico.
The southern Caribbean is reached mostly from cruises leaving from Puerto Rico. Our first time leaving from there, we arrived a day early and did some sightseeing, then around noon, we checked in to the ship and then had lots of time to do some sightseeing in the vicinity of the port. It was one of the more interesting itineraries we had in this hemisphere and one of the longer ones. It was Carnival and we had a great time (I am now 65 and was in my late 50s - hmmm, time to do it again!).
The 2nd best itineraries, IMO leave out of Miami, FL. While there are many 3 day cruises, there are quite a few longer ones. Even if you opt for Carnival, if you schedule 7+ night cruises, you will not encounter too many of the early 20s, party until 4am crowd because they cannot afford them.
However, you will be traveling during a high peak/tourist time when the "kids" are out of school. So be prepared for that. Also, if you opt to cruise out of the ports up north, namely Manhattan or Bayonne, the cruise lines offer free unlimited numbers of children - and they are most often the entitled NYers. Yes, I lived in NYC for 15 years and was horrified to find out that the two times we sailed out of the city, children sailed free. Their parents took that to mean they were free of children and the children ran all over and did whatever they wanted with no parental influence or control - and staff are not supposed to be nannies! NEVER again.
Once in a while, you can find a repositioning cruise - generally not in the middle of the summer, however. These allow for different itineraries as you can hop one ship in (for instance) Miami that ends in Puerto Rico - spend a day, then grab a different ship to somewhere else.
I suggest you contact a travel agent who can help you find the best way to see the most ports.
And no, there generally are no or few ports where there is an overnight stay.
Jamaica and Grand Cayman (short cruise) is generally very much a younger, party-minded cruise. No matter the time of year.
QUESTION: Can you feel the ship moving? It really depends on the weather. In truly bad weather - we did ride a hurricane into Miami once - yes, you can feel the ship rocking a bit. Take some meclizine - brand names: Bonine, Dramamine, or Sea Legs. During calm weather, you don't feel any movement. The most stable ships, IMO, in rough seas are on Carnival. Obviously, the larger the ship, the less motion you'll feel - exception was the Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas. That was one of the roughest trips we ever experienced where every night was a storm and some nights so severe that the elevators were locked down and doors chained shut to the outside decks. And it was a hoot! I loved it.
Last edited by NY Annie; 11-16-2014 at 04:21 PM..
Reason: More info
As for NYC/DC/FL - perhaps the OP prefers to cruise. If you haven't done so, it's an experience. We LOVE to cruise and do so at least once a year.
The OP hasn't been on a cruise. I was referring to a previous thread where OP stated he wanted to spend the summer traveling to NYC, DC and FL.
Cruising is not for me. It's not well suited for those who prefer to travel solo. It's possible, of course, but you have to be prepared to pay double occupancy even if you're a single.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by apexgds
The OP hasn't been on a cruise. I was referring to a previous thread where OP stated he wanted to spend the summer traveling to NYC, DC and FL.
Cruising is not for me. It's not well suited for those who prefer to travel solo. It's possible, of course, but you have to be prepared to pay double occupancy even if you're a single.
The single person supplement is a real sticker shock and has kept me from cruising ... It's a shame that the single market is ignored by cruise and many tour companies.
Between June 2015 and Aug 2015, the longest Caribbean cruise is 9 days. You really need to consider switching to another season.
I cannot in good conscience suggest that someone take their first ever cruise for 3 weeks. At most, try ten days first to see if you like it.
Remember that if you are going solo, you will be paying 200% of the per person fare. Sometimes you can find a deal for 150%, but not very often. NCL does have a couple of ships with single cabins called "studio staterooms". Some even have a separate lounge for those singles in those cabins. Well worth considering if you are going solo, and I think the demographic and activities on NCL would suit a younger person like yourself. (You must be 21 years old to cruise alone - I forget your exact age, but I remember that you are a young guy.)
Alcohol is generally NOT included. Add $12/day/pp to the fare for staff service fees. You will also have port charges to pay. In other words, there are lots of add on costs to what you see advertise. Understand exactly what you are buying before you make a deposit (deposits are not refundable in the UK, based on my limited understanding of the subject). Also don't forget that all expenses off the ship are out of your pocket - meals, tours, bottled water, transportation, etc.
I agree with annerk (!!!!) - I suspect you will not like the islands for the reasons she already stated. My suggestion is that you consider doing a 7-10 day cruise in Europe to see if you like it. Or maybe a Baltic cruise - I don't think you've visited that region yet.
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, she gets an amazing vacation every year.
