Thinking of taking a Western Carribean Cruise to see Mayan Ruins etc Recommentations?

[Nemo2]

We've sailed on 15+ cruises on 6 different lines.

DW was talking to a lady at Tai Chi today who likes the Princess line; we haven't been on them, and from the little I know their ships appear to be, in general, larger than we'd like......are you familiar with them?

 

[Rustic23]

We have settled on Royal Caribbean. One main reason. They have inside cabins with large bay windows. These are usually anywhere from $300 to $500 per person cheaper than water windows/balcony.

 

[Scuba]

I haven't been on Princess. We have done Regent Seven Seas, Windstar and Celebrity. I think there are cruises for everyone, but which one is right for you depends on your interests and preferences. We prefer smaller ships that can get into the smaller island ports without tendering. We don't care about nightlife and shows on the ship. Our priorities are the itinerary, outdoor activities offered, age profile of typical passengers (we prefer no or limited # of kids), and good food with flexible dining options. We don't like "formal nights." So for us, smaller ships are perfect. But if you enjoy dressing up for dinner, having several nightlife options, and are ok with 3000-5000+ passengers of all ages, the bigger ships like RC and Princess may appeal to you. The larger ships are definitely less expensive so that's another consideration.

 

[Nemo2]

I haven't been on Princess. We have done Regent Seven Seas, Windstar and Celebrity. I think there are cruises for everyone, but which one is right for you depends on your interests and preferences. We prefer smaller ships that can get into the smaller island ports without tendering. We don't care about nightlife and shows on the ship. Our priorities are the itinerary, outdoor activities offered, age profile of typical passengers (we prefer no or limited # of kids), and good food with flexible dining options. We don't like "formal nights." So for us, smaller ships are perfect. But if you enjoy dressing up for dinner, having several nightlife options, and are ok with 3000-5000+ passengers of all ages, the bigger ships like RC and Princess may appeal to you. The larger ships are definitely less expensive so that's another consideration.

For us, smaller, older, ships are the ones we prefer...there's a German (IIRC) line, (the name of which escapes me at the moment), that operates with small(er) ships that can access (European) ports that the behemoths can't get into......(no interest in the Caribbean....been there, etc, although the three weeks from today departure hits a few southern spots).

We wouldn't travel on one of the newer Leviathans unless the deal was so good that they were virtually paying us to go on them.

Totally agree on the formal nights/shows/nightlife, (although on one HAL ship they had a great lecturer giving historical background on the European ports we visited).

Food.....as long as it's edible...we're not foodies, but do require refueling periodically.

Kids....since we generally do repositionings they're pretty rare, but most of (not all) the ones we've encountered have been pretty good...(one trip a woman, Swedish I think, had three or four, max age five or six, that she handled all on her own and did a superb job).

À Chacun Son Goût........(a phrase that I've used often lately)