Which caribbean cruise is better?

Question

I am having trouble deciding between two cruises. One (with carnival) leaves Ft Lauderdale and travels to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios Jamaica. The other (with Royal Caribbean) also leaves Ft Lauderdale and travels to Key West, Belize, and Cozumel Mexico. I'm open for any suggestions & input from anyone who has been on either of these cruises or to any of these destinations. I have never been on a cruise so this is all new to me. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

i would say to do the one that leaves from ft lauderdale and goes to key west belize and cozumel,

i have yet to go to belize but key west and cozumel are great,

they have good shopping, things to see, places to drink! ( a very important thing! )

grand cayman is honestly kind of boring a lot of banks and you can swim with the sting rays but that's about it once you are done swimming with them you do not have much to do,

jamaica is fun but when i went there they told us not to roll the windows down on our taxis becuase people come around with machettes and try to take your money by grabbing your hands so maybe avoid jamaica cuz wellit's pretty its not worth being robbeD!

Answer 2

I would say that depending on your age Carnival may or may not be best suited for you. It is more for a younger crowd who likes to drink and party alot. I think that in all honesty I would go with Royal Caribbean. I think Key West is a beautiful place and its right off the coast and their is alot of cool things to do on the island. Ft. Lauderdale is one of the best departing ports ever the staff is so nice and they have people who direct you and its just very organized. I have never been to Belize but I hear it is a really nice port. Cozumel is really nice as well and they have this island that you can take an excursion to over in Playa de Carmen and its really really nice. I think that would be your best choice. Although, Grand Cayman is a wonderful island with all the people and everything and the beaches are wonderful that migth be a tough decision. I've been to Jamacia once and will never go back. I like Dunn River Falls but you have to go through this flea market to get out and this kid infront of us got grabbed by a shop owner and dragged into their store so that kind of scared us from ever going back and I thought it was kind of dirty and lots of people dont like it because some of the people are really rude but a couple of our waiters were from Jamacia and they were the nicest people ever.

Answer 3

I would choose the one to Cozumel.  I think it is much nicer than Grand Cayman.  If you don't mind travelling, there are good cruises out of Port Canaveral and Tampa.  We are going on a cruise on the Carnival Glory to Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya, and Nassau.

The food alone is worth the cost of the fare.  I enjoy just being away from cel phones (although you can use them on the ship), e-mail, work problems, and just general life.

Answer 4

I personally would go with Carnival, better prices and I think better personal service

as far as where that is all wonderful and all in what you want.

try to search the port and see what they have to offer, that is what I do, that way I can plan what I will do before we get there, are at least have a plan to start from.

Answer 5

my wife and i have done 15 cruises with all the major lines so we do have a little experience.    both of your cruises are good but alot has to do with the cruise line. rccl is a little more upscale but we found the dinning experience disappointing. (very little variety in the dinning room).the newer ships are beautiful but the cabins are still pretty small.  carnival has put alot of  effort into overcoming the party barge image and it is beginning to show.  the food in the main dinning room has improved 1000 %  in the last 10 years.        the shows on carnival are second to none but the ships still tend to be loud and full of sales pitches for spa products and other cha-ching things. carnival staterooms are much larger. as for the itenteraries, i prefer grand cayman to belize (unless you are divers) but i like cozumel better than ocho rios.  jamaica is not very safe at all,if you choose this cruise DO NOT WALK ANYWHERE, take a taxi and make d**n sure it has a taxi licence plate. the shopping plazas are gated to keep the cruise passengers in and the local thugs and assorted bad guys out! we were there in 1996 on the inagural cruise of the carnival destiny and the day before cruise ship passengers had been robbed on a shore excursion. if you use common sense you will be fine. belize isnt a great port of call yet. it is new to the cruise industry and  unless your a diver there isnt alot to do. each cruise has one so-so port but if it was my choice my love for cozumel would probably beat out the negative for rccl and i would do key west,belize and cozumel.

Answer 6

I have only been on Carnival but as far as the islands go Key West is fantastic. Belize was a bit scary and disappointing , Cozumel is still recovering from the hurricane. Grand Cayman was OK, I felt pretty safe there. Alot depends on if you re looking for excursions or hanging around and doing your own thing. Ive been on 4 cruises this year and love them . They can be relaxing or as busy and wild as you want. I do recommend booking your excursions thru the ship and before leaving home. That way they are paid for and you have a better selection because they do sell out depending how full your ship is. Have fun

Answer 7

I'll recommend Carnival. Find a best cruise that most suit your need, visit this website: http://www.cruisedirect.org/