lesm

I am planning to go on a cruise with my boyfriend in Jan. 05 to the S. Caribbean. I have narrowed it down to the RCCL Serende out of San Juan, or the Celebrity Constellation out of San Juan. Both have similar itineraries, and make about 5 stops at different islands. Has anyone been on these ships? Any recommendations about the lines/ships? We are going to try and stay in a room with a balcony. Any suggestion on rooms/meals/activities?

Thanks to all!

Cruiser

lesm:
Decide on your ship, and a cabin selection with help from the forum. The meals and activities can be decided on board.!

Don't think you could go wrong with Celebrity---my favorite cruise line. RCCL might have more activities for an active age group though.

If you want more help, try www.cruisecritics.com.

Happy cruising!

Lisey

I've sailed on both Celebrity and RCCL cruise lines and in terms of food, Celebrity has the best bar none!

Lisey

happycruiser

Both are nice, but Serenade will fit young couple better and it is very beautiful. You will not go hungry on either one, and food is not the #1 priority, for me at least.

diann

We sailed the Constellation last January and before RCCL Radiance of the Sea. As far as lines go they are so similar as are the Islands. The food was very good but for some reason I liked RCCL somewhat more. I just liked the feel better. Difficult to explain and neither cruise was bad, I just liked RCCL cruise more so.

etc0414

My husband & I cruised the Serenade of the Seas in April. We loved the ship, crew and food. We had a balcony room on Deck 9; aft. It was fabulous. We took the beach tour to St. John's and saw Trunk Bay Beach. I would suggest doing all beach excursions; it's the water that is the main attraction. A lot of people took taxi's on their own to beaches and returned in plenty of time to get back to the ship. St. Lucia's catamaran excursion is wonderful, worth the money and fun. St. Lucia is gorgeous; quite surprised by the lushness and mountains. I would go on the Serenade in a heartbeat again. E m ail me if you need more info. Have a great time.
s

katybird

I highly recommend doing a day sail in St. Thomas. There are several to choose from.We went with Captain Steve Marsh on the Nightwind. What a day! If interested, I would be happy to answer any questions about it.

lesm

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful and insightful comments. I am definitely going to try some of the beach/water/sailing excursions that were mentioned. I can't wait to see St. Lucia. Cruise critic was very interesting, thanks for that tip. Food is very important, at least to my boyfriend, so thanks for the comments on that.

I think we are going to book a balcony cabin. Any suggestions on room #s or good locations on either boat? The balcony is worth the extra few hundred bucks, right? I love the water, so hopefully it is.

Tries2PakLite

I haven't cruised with RCCL, but have been on 2 Celebrity cruises and I'm preparing to go on my 3rd (to Bermuda in 2 weeks!). I thought that the amenities and the service on Celebrity were terrific. We had a regular room the first time and a balcony room the second. I'd definitely spring for the balcony again. Even though the standard, ocean-view room was nice; relaxing on the balcony in our Celebrity robes after a day at the pool was a highlight.

As for the food, it was delicious. It was all so, so good -- prepare to be tempted to overeat.

After all that, I must admit that I've heard that RCCL caters to a younger more active crowd, so you will have to decide what is more important to you. Good luck and have fun.

lesm

We decided on the Constellation after much debate! Anyone have suggestions on shore excursions in Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, or Dominican Republic?


katybird, can you elaborate on the day sail in St. Thomas. Did you book it through the cruise ship? Or did you find it once you got to shore? Was there snorkeling on the trip?

katybird

Lesm,
We booked the day sail through the internet before we left on the cruise.
www.sailyachtnightwind.com will tell you all about it. E-mail Steve and he will reply promptly with pricing and any other details you need. We took a cab for about $8.00 each [each way]to the marina and the cab driver was there waiting for us to take us back to the ship when we finished the sail. Yes, there was snorkeling and Steve supplied the gear. You'll see all about that on the web site.
There were 8 in our group and we all agree it was the highlight of our trip and would book it again in a heartbeat!!

lesm

Anyone have suggestions on shore excursions in Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, or Dominican Republic?

peru

We just returned from Celebrity Constellation cruise in Euope and have cruised 5 times with RCCL. My choice is RCCL for activity and fun. Our Celebrity cruise was about 80% seniors(may have been the itinerary)and the ships layout isn't as nice as the RCCL ships we have been on especially in the buffet resturaunt and the foyer. The food is excellent on both lines. "Balcony the only way to go." Have a great cruise.

petlover

In St. Thomas, I highly recommend the BOB excursion (riding the little motor bikes on the oceans floor) It was so much fun and very safe. Great fun crew!
We booked independent directly with the company. This is their website:
http://www.bobusvi.com/

The price is $99. per person...well worth it! It was very easy and the ship crew is fantastic in helping you. There are skilled divers with you at all times so you're never alone. There is no skill needed and you don't even have to be a good swimmer. You will see thousands of beautiful fish and coral. You will stay underwater for approximately 25 minutes and go in groups of 6. While others are down, they provide snorkel equiptment and snacks....or you can just take in the sun on a sun deck.