cvicin

My wife and I are taking our first real getaway since our honeymoon. Neither of us have been outside of the U.S. before. The tentative budget is around $2000-$2500 for a 5-7 day trip. We are planning to travel somewhere in the Caribbean in February '04. We are in our mid-20's, have no children, and not really into the "party" scene. We would like to make a final decision in the next 2-3 weeks...any advice would be appreciated--locations, cruise or hotel, etc.

LissaJ

Cruises are awsome and my personal fav. If you don't like a real party scene, I would say maybe Princess, Norwiegan or Royal Caribbean for you age group.

I like cruises because there are tons of activities, and the food is usually amazing. What I don't like about cruise is that drinks, tips, are not included, and shore excursions can get expensive.

All Inclusives are nice if you just want a beach. There are activities at resorts, but not usually to the calabor of a cruise. What I like is you know the price before you go, more relaxing and get to enjoy the beach a bit more. What I don't like is, food (at least at the places I have been), activities get a little boring after a while, being in one place the whole time.

ParrotMom

Second the cruises...you get a chance to see different islands, be pampered and the figure with a little shopping should get yu on a god shp

jacketwatch

First of all that is high season so expect prices to be up there. You may want to look into Apple vacations for last minute get aways or "sizzlin specials" for a good price. Also look into: www.costco.com and go to their travel section. We have found some really good deals from them before. If you choose cruising you can easily beat the cost of shore excursions by NOT booking one with the cruise co. There are always cabs ready to give you a tour as you get off the boat. We had a 3 hr. tour of Martinique for $40.00 in a Mercedes cab no less and paid about the same in Barbados for a similar tour. Just look ahead of time to see the points of interest and cut a deal with a cab driver. Heck they know the sights to begin with so actually little pre study is needed. Bon voyage!

SandyFeet

To be honest your budget is a bit tight..It is high season and even an inside stateroom on the lowest deck will cost $2000.00 (Royal caribbean 7 day eateren caribbean) This is not including air fare or Dock fees..

You can do last minute deals or call a TA for Apple tours and such but you will pay more than 2500.

Patty

A cruise is definitely possible within your budget. In checking prices for 7 day Caribbean cruises for Feb 04, I found lots of options on several different cruise lines starting around $600 per person and even a few in the $500 per person price range including port charges. Cruise lines have been increasing capacity at a higher rate than they can sell cabins in the past few years so have had to resort to heavy discounting even in the so called 'high season'. Your extras would be airfare to the embarkation port, drinks, gratuities, shore excursions (whether through the cruise line or on your own), spa treatments, etc. which can add up if you're not careful.

If you go the land based route, you'll find high season pricing in effect, but even then it's possible to find moderately priced accomodations on almost any island. The bigger factor will be airfare and where you're flying from.

cvicin

Thank you for the advice. Family who have been on cruises have told me they were some of the most relaxing vacations. If we do decide on a cruise, should we go Eastern, Western, or Southern? We liked the idea of a Southern Caribbean initially, but for 7-day cruises, they were almost exclusively out of San Juan--I figure the air fare would be quite a bit more expensive (out of the Midwest US). We have since looked into Eastern. We are looking to do a little shopping and relaxing on the beach. Where will I be able to stretch my dollar for the shopping and still be able to enjoy some amazing beaches?

Patty

You're right that it's usually much more expensive to fly into San Juan than most Florida ports. The USVI (eastern itinerary) has great beaches and offers shopping opportunities as well. If you post this question under the cruise board, you'll should get lots of suggestions.