What are the positives and negatives of going on a cruise in the Caribbean, and what cruise line is good?

Question

Next spring time I am planning to go on a cruise in the Caribbean. What is there to do? I am wondering if it may be boring or I wont like it. From someone who has been on a cruise or heard about them, how was it like and what is a good cruise line to go on?

Answer 1

I have been on two different cruises to the Caribbean, both with Princess cruise lines. My favorite was going to St Thomas and then trunk bay for a snorkeling tour. They have an underwater park with paths and signs as you float along. Really cool. I also loved the grand Caymen where the shopping is really grand and the Tortuga rum cakes are to die for. The only negative thing I can think of about any cruise is that you are only in one place for one day. Sometimes you want to stay longer, but that just gives you a reason to go back. The other negative is you can gain up to 1 pound a day on a cruise if your not careful. But hay, you are on vacation.

Answer 2

I have only traveled Royal; however, I have also been told that if you go on a Royal then another cruise line like Carnival, you will be very disappointed with the 'others'.  Royal is supposed to be the top as far as treatment from what I have been told, not experienced.  

Since you have never cruised before, I suggest taking a short cruise.  Once your on the ship, you are there till the end.  

Cruising is definately a different experience, but I find it intriguing becuase I am able to visit different places to see if I would want to go back for a longer stay.  

You may also want to check out cruisecritics.com, they have a lot of good info on there as well.  

If you do like the cruise and want to go on another, be sure to book while on the cruise.  Royal, not sure about others, give you on-board credit for your next cruise.  The amount of the credit depends on your cruise length.  

My personal favorite cruise thus far, is the Western Caribbean.  We went to Jamiaca, Grand Caymen, Cozumel and Royal's private island in Tahiti.  

Happy sailing!

Answer 3

I thought the same thing before I went on my first cruise, but it was a "family reunion", so I "had" to go.  Wow, was I surprised!  I loved it and now I'm hooked!

You will only be bored if you need to be entertained 24/7 and don't know how to relax.  There are numerous activities going on at all times of the day, everything from trivia games, art auctions, bingo, crazy pool games, wine tastings, to disco, karaoke, production shows, etc.  You won't have enough time to do them all.  

Pros:  you meet lots of interesting people, you get to try many different types of food you might not otherwise try, you get to see new places and only have to unpack once...and on and on.

Cons:  You don't get to spend too much time in any one port, you may gain weight because it's very hard to resist the great food, you might get seasick - I'm sure there are more, but not many!

I suggest you get a book on cruising from your library, to give you an overview of what it's like.  You can also go to a website like CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards" and/or "Reviews" and read what others think about cruising - it has more info than you could ever need.

For a first cruise, depending on your age/interests, I'd suggest you try Carnival, and a trip of at least seven days.  In Spring you need to plan around Spring Break/Easter/President's Week, etc to either avoid or join crowds of kids.

Good luck and have fun with your research.  I hope you find just the right cruise - but beware that you just might get hooked, too!

Answer 4

ROYAL CARIBBEAN!!!! It is deffinatly the BEST cruise line there is! They keep you so entertained with hundreds of things to do yet at the same time if you just want to go and hang by the pool deck and relax you can! The Caribbean is very nice. St.Thomas is a good one and RC's private island Labadee is GREAT!! Jamaca was also nice. Also Nassau in the Bahamas was great too that was on one of the caribbean cruises as well. They are all very nice and warm! Hope you enjoy! Consider Royal Caribbean!! you won't regret it!