I'm planning a May cruise and have narrowed down my search to the caribbean. What is the "best of the best" cruise ship to the caribbean? I've read that celebrity and princess are higher ranked.

Thank you all!!!
Natalie

Natalie:

Asking which cruise ships is the "best" is like asking which pair of pants is the best: it depends on what fits you and what intend to wear them for.

Are there particular islands you want to visit? Do you want to cruise with younger people or older people? How important is cost? Do you consider yourself a gourmet or are you generally satisfied with the food when you go to a restaurant? Do you want a bigger ship with lots onboard amenities or a smaller vessel with a more intimate atmosphere but less to do? What's your budget? Do you like more formal or less formal?

If you start with a description of yourself and your party and talk a bit about what you like to do and what's important to you, the people on this board can probably be more help.

Cheers!

Hi,

I'm looking to have a great time on the boat. I'm going with my boyfriend and we're in our late twenties. I love gourmet food, but that is not a necessity. Prices in the caribbean are all within our budget. Our budget is very flexible and would consider highly rated ships. We love to gamble and we're not into water sports per say. Any of the islands are of interest to us.

Thank you.
Natalie

Star Princess has a decent casino and the crowd was young when I cruised last week. There were at least 30- 40% under the age of 30. Skywalkers is a disc/bar on the very top of the ship which was active very late also. We saw many, many young couples and groups going to the steakhouse or Explorers Lounge in the evenings also.

This might be a good choice for you, if you like to gamble and don't want a majority over 55. In May, you will probably get some very warm weather- and there are 4 pools on the Star. They also have a dance night with a rock band on deck that the younger people all attended.

Princess, RCL and Carnival would be where I would focus. The Princess crowd is older, and the nightlife is a snore. (Lots of cruise director jokes about going to the disco if you want to be alone; poor selection of live music). I found the food and service to be better than on Carnival, however.

Any other major line (Celebrity, HAL, etc) will have an even older demographic.

You might start with RCL's Adventure of the Seas-class mega-ships--spectacular ships, lots to do. Carnival is also a blast and tends to give you the most for your money. Carnival food tends to get better reviews than RCL's; RCL's service and decor is generally thought to be better than Carnival's. However, a lot of people who've sailed claim there's little difference.

I hope this helps.

I don't think Princess, at least the Star anyway, is like it was. The nightclubs were packed. The one on top was filled with the very young and definitely not "old people's" style of music. One 7 time Princess cruiser I was with, walked in and walked right out. Dubious goings on the dark cornors, loud/loud music etc- said she felt like a parent. It was about 11-11:30pm or so. Casinos were packed at midnight plus. I just returned.

Wow--completely different experience from the Dawn last December. Just goes to show--you can't always generalize.

The absolute "best" one that gets to the caribbean occasionally is the ResidenceSea.

Peter

Natalie, your question is difficult to answer as others say...what is the best for some may not be for others. I've been on many Caribbeans cruises and my best overall experience has been on Radisson. We love to gamble and dance in the evenings to live music. The casinos on Radisson ships is smaller than the large ships but it has all the games such as Black Jack, 3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, Craps, Roulette and of course slots so the smallness doesn't bother me at all, in fact it is a plus IMO. What I like best about their ships is the high degree of service and the food is outstanding. It's also nice because liquor is included with dinner and the cruise price includes all gratuities. I also prefer these ships because there are very few children (if any) on board (no kids programs). Many of the other ships we've cruised on have too many children for my vacation.

I think on the Caribbean cruises you'll find lots of late 20 and 30 something passengers onboard regardless of which cruiseline you select.

If you want gourmet food, you will not get it on the mass market lines. You would need to sail Crystal or Radisson. These are two excellent lines. I do not think these would be a good choice for you based on the demographic they market to.

Celebrity has very good food and service but IME they offer o low key, elegant experience. It is a bit more formal than the others but I like it very much.

From you have said, I would suggest RCI's Voyager class ship. I think Adventure is the best of those ships. They are not my cup of tea, but the specialty restaurants are very good and the ports on AOS are wonderful. There is lots to do.

If spring break in Cancun or a weekend in Vegas is your idea of a good time, Carnival would be for you.

Peter:

I don't know much about the ResidenceSea. What is it that makes it so outstanding?

For a lousy $2million you can purchase a very nice two bedroom suite complete with living room, kitchen and fireplace. It basically sails around the world with 2 and 3 days stops for major events like Mardi Gras, the Olympics, running of the bulls, British Open. It does get to the caribbean and you can rent a regular cabin for an upscale price in weekly increments. Very posh.

Peter

Interesting. Must be a very different crowd than on your normal mass-market ship...