caribbean cruises

gettingtheresometime

Went on Britainnia last November to the Caribbean and it was the first holiday I can remember not wanting to come home from.

In a fortnight's holiday we had 4 formal nights but if you didn't want to 'dress up' you could go to the restaurants that didn't require you to follow the dress code though it had to be a minimum of smart casual. Having said that nearly everyone dressed up so I would imagine you'd be more out of place if you didn't lol.

Never felt I was on a ship with 3500+ people on board.

Did have an issue with the entertainment though but when you're trying to entertain that many people you won't satisfy everyone ....having said that we were never clicking our heels.

My main advice though is to try a mini cruise first....can't imagine anything worse than booking a 14 day cruise and finding out you hate that type of holiday.

stoneman

The Caribbean is over rated. There is just no culture or history. Just hassle and being hassled. We did the Caribbean 3 times and after the first never bothered to leave the ship.

Try NCL, they are more laid back than the others and you can eat when and where you want unlike some lines that make you sit at the same table with the same people at the same time every night.
We have started to cruise the Med now. Much more to our liking and the weather is more stable.

gettingtheresometime

stoneman wrote: »

The Caribbean is over rated. There is just no culture or history. Just hassle and being hassled. We did the Caribbean 3 times and after the first never bothered to leave the ship.

Try NCL, they are more laid back than the others and you can eat when and where you want unlike some lines that make you sit at the same table with the same people at the same time every night.
We have started to cruise the Med now. Much more to our liking and the weather is more stable.

I would agree with you about being hassled but in our experience that was only at the port gates and 99% of the time they accepted a polite no thank you and left you alone....the only exception bein Jamaica and tbh I never ever want to go back to that island again....spent a total of 35 minutes on Jamaican soil, didn't feel safe and returned to the ship. If I did call again at a port in Jamaica the only way I'd leave the ship is on an organised tour.

We opted for the freedom dining on Britannia which meant that whilst we were allocated a restaurant, we could choose when we ate and with whom we ate with....if we preferred our own company we could have a table for two and were lucky enough never to have to wait either though I appreciate this wasn't the case for everyone who wanted a table for two.

[Deleted User]

stoneman wrote: »

The Caribbean is over rated. There is just no culture or history. Just hassle and being hassled. We did the Caribbean 3 times and after the first never bothered to leave the ship.

Try NCL, they are more laid back than the others and you can eat when and where you want unlike some lines that make you sit at the same table with the same people at the same time every night.
We have started to cruise the Med now. Much more to our liking and the weather is more stable.

This,I'm afraid,is the reality of Caribbean cruising once you strip away the hype of the advertising.
Many ships are rammed with Americans who love cruising because they can eat vast quantities of food as part of the deal and can gamble in the on-board casinos which allow smoking.
A few get off at an island and waddle a hundred yards up the road to buy the same tat you see on every island and a few of the more adventurous ones will take a bus tour to a carefully sanitized tourist attraction.
But most stay on board to sit around the crowded pools necking another gallon jug of weak beer and hi-fiving their fellow mullet-wearers.
Don't get me wrong - lots of Europeans enjoy these cruises and there always plenty to see and do on board.
But European cruising is infinitely more civilised and the destinations far more interesting with a lot more chance of DIY sight-seeing.

Goldiegirl

michele-p wrote: »

Thanks everyone, we will definitely consider all options. I was scanning US cruise sites, and saw this offer, with took my fancy!
http://www.cruises.com/sc.do?tab=media&i=896307&c=64&v=894&month=all

Though we would need to go next year to be able to save up first! My worry with the bigger ships would be that they are stuffed full of too many people, it's a very byast view as I've never been on one though!

Hubby says he would wear his suit once or twice so that's progress.

We would ideally do all our own trips and excursions, very used to DIY holidays, and hate being ripped off, or being in huge groups with strict timescales. And we would hopefully get flights through my husbands loyalty scheme, he works for an airline, we've never had a free or cheap flight, or even allowed in the lounge before, but he's been there over 25 years now, so new rules should kick in next year!

It's fine to do your own excursions, but do remember to allow plenty of time to get back to the ship, as they won't wait for you if you are late back - they'll sail without you!


In some ports, such as Civitaveccihia for Rome, it's much easier to do cruise line excursion, due to the travelling time to Rome.


Also, it's a similar concept if arranging your own flights - allow plenty of time for delays and flight cancellations, as if you have not embarked by the time the cruise is ready to depart, they won't wait for you. P&O scores highly for Caribbean cruise flights - they are charters, and all the passengers are fellow cruisers - so if the flight is late, the ship will wait. Plus, there's the added advantage of checking in your baggage in at the UK airport and the next time you see it is in your cabin.


If you decided to do a Med cruise instead you can sail from a UK port, and cut the flight out altogether