Caribbean cruises

[Justtheoneplease]

I'm bored and probably can't afford it anyway regardless but always fancied going on a cruise around the Caribbean. So help me plan my fantasy holiday.
I.e best time of year to go.
Where to visit.
Must haves.
Who to book through.
And realistic costs.
Just me and DH, both late 50's. Minimum 14 nights.

The cruises are between oct and mar. I would personally go with P&O or Royal Caribbean. We usually fly to Barbados (organised with the cruise)

Itinerary varies with each cruise slightly as does cost. Best to check out the websites but we have paid less than £1500 each incl all food.

If it is a fantasy cruise you’re after, then spare no expense and go for a private yacht charter.

www.fraseryachts.com/en/yacht-charter/

A million pounds a week well spent.

Million pounds a bit steep but say budget was around £5000? Also quite like the idea of staying somewhere for a week or so afterwards. Tui seem to have some very reasonable deals.

Big floating Petri dish 🧫....no ta! If someone gets an illness half the ship usually gets it.

I have a friend who worked as crew on super yachts for a few years and she said her favourite Caribbean destination was Trinidad & Tobago. So I'd go there... I've visited Antigua in a previous life when I had money which I thought was beautiful and fascinating for a short visit.

Big floating Petri dish 🧫....no ta! If someone gets an illness half the ship usually gets it.

It depends a lot on the hygiene standards of the cruise line. Princess Cruises had a disproportionate number of coronavirus cases - meanwhile I've had around 100 nights at sea on Royal Caribbean and not been sick once.

DP has been an avid cruise do'er, he has done 22 cruises, 14 of these round the Caribbean.

He has been on P&O and TUI, both are great.

Cruise and stay is a good first choice of cruise, because if you don't get on with the cruising, you know you have a week on land at the end.

However, he says he guarantee you will book two weeks on the ship next year.

£5000 is more than enough for a fab holiday and for this money you may be able to get a balcony cabin.

Best time - Anytime between Oct and April
Islands do vary, each has it's own personality. So any combination would be a good one.

Go with Tui if you want cruise and stay
And P&O for the full cruise experience.

If you get sea sick, you can have an injection, about £70, which will sort the problem.

It's a fabulous holiday and ignore the comments about petri dishes. They are very clean and constantly cleaning and making you wash your hands. A balcony is good and if you drink try and get a 'free' drink package.

I was recommended a particular TUI cruise by 2 friends who had both been on the same ship on separate cruises. I was so excited after their raving about it.

My god, it was awful. Never again

Caribbean cruises are generally shorter than 14 nights, but you could bolt 2 together

Royal Caribbean are really good. They have huge ships or smaller ones depending on what you like to do.

Nicest places - San Juan (Puerto rico), Barbados, grand cayman, St Lucia.

I wouldn't cruise with TUI - they are a package holiday company not a cruise company.

I wouldn't do a long one personally as a first go. A friend booked on a ten day one and hated it after the first two days. She said the best bit was the bar staff and spent most of it lightly drunk.

I have done a couple of Caribbean cruises, I would go for it, you get to see lots of islands in a short time! Have done nearly all the major cruise lines, and enjoyed them all. I wouldn’t do a stay and cruise as I know someone who did that and was bored in the hotel and wished they had just had a longer cruise. You could try out a shorter one for a week in the med to see what you thought! can’t wait till CV is gone and I can go back to cruising!

Most of the p&o cruises are 14 nights to Caribbean. You can also do a transatlantic crossing which is 21 nights with no flying.

It is truly an amazing holiday, for 5k you could go with a good company like P&O or RCI definitely.

We have done well over 100 nights on board with the kids from babies and none of us have ever been sick. My parents have done double that and never got sick.

I agree re cruise and stay, i know a couple of people who did and said it was pointless. You do lots of port stops on Caribbean cruises so can see some lovely places. Do your research into the beaches before you go and you will find out the best ones to go to.

Sorry I also should add I would not do a TUI type cruise at all. Anyone I know who has done them said it was a floating butlins. Cheap and cheerful.

Re who to book with, it really depends on whether you want a relaxing, grown up atmosphere or more of a party vibe.
If you like a bit of sophistication and adult environment, try Celebrity or Princess.
If you like entertainment and a more lively atmosphere, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian.
Some ships are large, some small, although the smaller ones tend to be more expensive.
Do you like dressing up? P and O and Cunard still have formal nights. The American lines tend not to.
Which islands interest you? Have a look at the various routes that are offered e.g Southern, Eastern. What sort of things do you like to do?
CruiseCritic website has loads of information.
Be warned, it is addictive. But only if you choose the line that is right for you.

I've done a transatlantic and enjoyed it, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it for a first timer! If it turns out that cruising isn't for you, there's little worse than a week of back-to-back sea days!

We went on an azamara cruise last December around the Caribbean. I liked St Lucia and St Barts the most, but all really beautiful

Very tempted, please tell me more about Royal Caribbean. Can't get full prices unless I go all the way through the booking. I want to know what's included, prices of drink packages etc.

Also is there a cruise section on mumsnet?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impacts_of_tourism_in_the_Caribbean
Enjoy your cruise - but remember the environmental impact

Prices vary massively with drinks packages. If you contact someone like Hays travel they can provide quotes on their online chat or by email.

@Justtheoneplease search online for the cruisecritic website. It has all the information you need. I've found it really helpful for planning cruises.

You can sometimes get drinks packages thrown in and it honestly depends on how much you drink. I would imagine now that they are around $80 per person per day for the premium one which will
Include cocktails, beers, wine by the glass etc. Plus all soft drinks. A cocktail on RCi is around $12-15 plus tip which I believe is now 18% , a beer day $8 -10 so it's not cheap. The drinks packages have gratuity included

They are worth it for us as we like a drink!!
They also used to give you cold bottled water if you have a package which is useful when you get off for the day.

With Royal Caribbean, you can get the cruise price just go through the first part of the process.

It includes your cabin price, all food (unless you pay extra to go to the a l carte restaurants but you pay for that onboard) and all port taxes and fees.

Drinks and gratuities are extra. You can either pay gratuity at the point of booking and it's split between the room attendant, your head waiter/table waiters etc or pay on board.

Royal Caribbean are also (I believe) at the moment guaranteeing a change of booking etc if you need to for Covid to get people to book.

I would advise you look at prices but probably contact a company like Trailfinders who have cruise specialists and can advise of best itinerary etc to suit you

if you don't get the drinks package included as you do with Tui/Marella, Celebrity at the moment, NCL at the moment for a small cost then it's normally just under £50 per day each. Individual drinks are expensive but cheaper on P&O. Tips are included with P&O and Marella and optional with the other cruise lines.
I've cruise 10 times so ask away if you have any questions.