Used to be Cruise vs Island, now the upcoming Aruba trip. (1 Viewer)

[Quez]

A beach is a beach. By the 10 drink does it really matter if you are sitting on a beach in Virginia, Texas, FL, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or Blizzard Beach.

what you are saying is that drinking is drinking- does it really matter by the 10th drink if you're passed out in the gutter in Gary Indiana, or on a beach somewhere.

I was kind of being sarcastic, but it is somewhat true. The scenery may be different, particularly mountainous places, but for the most part the beach experience is pretty similar on most beaches. Some are more crowded, some are more eroded & smaller, sand is different, etc., but a beach is a beach.

I doubt any of these minor beach differences are reason enough to choose a specific location. I think you have to decide based on other factors. Like, site seeing, excursions, fishing, shopping, night life, etc.

 

[El Floppo]

A beach is a beach. By the 10 drink does it really matter if you are sitting on a beach in Virginia, Texas, FL, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or Blizzard Beach.

what you are saying is that drinking is drinking- does it really matter by the 10th drink if you're passed out in the gutter in Gary Indiana, or on a beach somewhere.

I was kind of being sarcastic, but it is somewhat true. The scenery may be different, particularly mountainous places, but for the most part the beach experience is pretty similar on most beaches. Some are more crowded, some are more eroded & smaller, sand is different, etc., but a beach is a beach.

I doubt any of these minor beach differences are reason enough to choose a specific location. I think you have to decide based on other factors. Like, site seeing, excursions, fishing, shopping, night life, etc.

I don't disagree with the things to do on an island being a major determining factor in picking that island/place.

I do disagree about the beaches though- I find each one particular to the place... and for us, another major factor in what brings us to a place. Anguilla beaches aren't St Maarten beaches aren't St Barths beaches... even if they're all pretty close to each other geographically. sand, water, what's next to the beach, what's in the water, the people on the beach, the stores/restaurants, proximity to hotels or villas, the wind, the plant-life, water activities. for me it's like comparing cities- yeah, you're going to get the same overall macro things in NYC, London, Paris... but each one has it's own distinct things that define them and create appeal.

 

[Michael Brown]

Well if you're too lazy to look up where to go on an island, then sure you'll get stuck being shuttled back and forth to the tourist traps. But my last cruise was to Bermuda. We are friends with a local cab driver there, who took us to a beach called West Whale Bay. It's almost totally private, and my 6 friends and I had an entire beach to ourselves for about 7 hours that day. Had some food, he gave us a few bottles of rum swizzle, and had a perfect day on the beach. Spent another day at Tobacco Bay. Awesome.

When we go to Saint Martin, we go to Orient Beach instead of the "airplane beach". In Saint Thomas, it was Magen's Bay. Not sure where these other spots are that are SOOOO awesome, but it's not like we're being dropped off at the local Margaritaville in the port. If you're taking the cruise ship excursions, you're spending a ton more money and spending about half the time there. Those people are obviously doing it wrong, but it's not some rule that you MUST do what the ship tells you to do.

 

[Christo]

A beach is a beach. By the 10 drink does it really matter if you are sitting on a beach in Virginia, Texas, FL, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or Blizzard Beach.

what you are saying is that drinking is drinking- does it really matter by the 10th drink if you're passed out in the gutter in Gary Indiana, or on a beach somewhere.

If it's a gutter you want, you can't find a better one than in Gary, IN.

 

[Fred Lane]

St Marten (French side) with a day in Anguila could be the right move.

My wife and I loved St. Maarten - we stayed on the Dutch side, close to SXM airport. Definitely would recommend this place - they are well known for their cuisine and restaurants on the island - a little research would give you good insight. Many beaches to hang out at - anything from the overcrowded nudist beach at Orient to much quieter, sandy beaches anywhere in between Orient and SXM. Would highly recommend a car, even though traffic is actually an issue. If you enjoy beaches by day and fine dinners at night, you can't go wrong. The Dutch side is a little wilder and less "regulated" (i.e. not as safe) since it is not under Dutch control (whereas the French side is under French control).

 

[Michael Brown]

If getting hammered, being loud and obnoxious, and total gluttony is your idea of a vacation, then do a cruise.

I don't understand this. Are you taking cruises with Carnival during spring break? Pay a little more and go on a nice Royal Caribbean or Celebrity ship. Having been on like 10 cruises and having stayed at probably the same number of island-type resorts, I'm gonna say certain people get hammered no matter where they are. But suggesting that this behavior is specific to a cruise line, is just silly.

 

[Michael Brown]

St Marten (French side) with a day in Anguila could be the right move.

My wife and I loved St. Maarten - we stayed on the Dutch side, close to SXM airport. Definitely would recommend this place - they are well known for their cuisine and restaurants on the island - a little research would give you good insight. Many beaches to hang out at - anything from the overcrowded nudist beach at Orient to much quieter, sandy beaches anywhere in between Orient and SXM. Would highly recommend a car, even though traffic is actually an issue. If you enjoy beaches by day and fine dinners at night, you can't go wrong. The Dutch side is a little wilder and less "regulated" (i.e. not as safe) since it is not under Dutch control (whereas the French side is under French control).

I would say Orient Beach is overcrowded in the main bar area, but in the nudist section there's tons of room to stretch the ol' legs.

 

[E-Z Glider]

If getting hammered, being loud and obnoxious, and total gluttony is your idea of a vacation, then do a cruise.

I don't understand this. Are you taking cruises with Carnival during spring break? Pay a little more and go on a nice Royal Caribbean or Celebrity ship. Having been on like 10 cruises and having stayed at probably the same number of island-type resorts, I'm gonna say certain people get hammered no matter where they are. But suggesting that this behavior is specific to a cruise line, is just silly.

I agree with this. I dont see much difference between a cruise and an AI resort (other than its easier to "get away" from a resort).

And Im not suggesting that "everyone" does this, but when you mix unlimited booze with unlimited opportunities to make an ### of yourself (karaoke, games/contests, shows, etc) these tend to be the people you remember.

 

[Chemical X]

this is honestly a 50/50 proposal if you ask people. we have done both, cruised about 8 times and have gone to PR, Aruba, Barbados, St Maarten, Cancun........we found that, for us, the cruise offered enough of both. we liked the convenience of all the boat had to offer, pools, spa, meal options, entertainment, with multiple locations. heck, 6 nights on a caribbean island is the same at any island IMO, so why not see a couple? you can do some things adventurous, not just sitting and drinking in a tourist area. in fact, once or twice we didn't even get off the boat, usually at their owned island. this leaves the boat empty and all to yourself. its easy to tell someone to rent a villa, but you need to get there, which could be expensive with stopovers. not everyone has FBG villa rental money. you can drive to the port and save some money by sailing from florida. 2 of our favorite cruises were RCCL, deep southern that left from PR and European that left from Barcelona. a cruise is what you make of it, same as an island. i just think a vacation needs to be relaxing and a cruise offers that a bit more than an island, where you really need to make all your own arrangements and hustle.

 

[El Floppo]

I get the idea of cruise ships- there's something to be said for going to sleep and then waking up at a new, cool place.

but for me- dealing with all the people, the lack of freedom to do what I want when I want... not relaxing. opposite. for me, researching a spot to go and getting there is easy- and then I'm someplace I want to be, in a quiet spot (usually) on the beach. If I want to this that or the other- I do it. I don't have to wait to get to port, for the shuttle boats, for the taxis, etc, etc. and I'm not surrounded by people unless I choose to be (which I am at home in NYC, and typically looking to avoid when on vacation).

but again- each one offers it's own thing which is an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the person.

 

[doowain]

Where would you be leaving from?

Columbus, OH

Look, I know today is Back to the Future Day, but we don't have flying cars....let alone flying cruise ships.

 

[Fennis]

all the culture talk at Sandals resort is pretty funny

 

[Copeman]

What are the rooms like on cruise ships?

 

[Dentist]

Cruises are for people that aren't smart enough and decisive enough to plan a good, safe vacation on their own, which in the internet era seems insane with how good websites like trip adviser are.

Cruises dump you off at cruise ship hubs.. which are generally the worst spots on the island for authentic experiences.

The people that we saw in for cruises saw Bridgetown, Barbados, which was the worst part of Barbados I saw... and those people were stuck at crappy tourist traps. I got in from my deep sea excursion and the cruise people were taking pictures of me and my wife with our Wahoo's... I HAD a cool experience even if I wouldn't necessarily do the deep sea fishing there again... those people were taking pictures of someone having a cool experience.

Advantage non-cruise people.

No mention of cost in all of that, huh?

You of all people should acknowledge how much more economical a cruise is.

True. Probably the only thing I spend excessive money on is vacations. If I'm going to take time off from work I want a premium experience.

 

[comfortably numb]

What are the rooms like on cruise ships?

we got one with a balcony

Was fine, like a hotel room, just a bit tighter and no tub but then again im easy to please.

Kids had a bunk bed.

My moms room was a non balcony or small window room.

Again, just like a smaller version of a hotel.

I could see people wanting the balcony but meh...I wasn't on it too much.

 

[Mr.Pack]

Cruises are for people that aren't smart enough and decisive enough to plan a good, safe vacation on their own, which in the internet era seems insane with how good websites like trip adviser are.

Cruises dump you off at cruise ship hubs.. which are generally the worst spots on the island for authentic experiences.

The people that we saw in for cruises saw Bridgetown, Barbados, which was the worst part of Barbados I saw... and those people were stuck at crappy tourist traps. I got in from my deep sea excursion and the cruise people were taking pictures of me and my wife with our Wahoo's... I HAD a cool experience even if I wouldn't necessarily do the deep sea fishing there again... those people were taking pictures of someone having a cool experience.

Advantage non-cruise people.

How many cruises have you been on....... Just wondering

 

[Chemical X]

What are the rooms like on cruise ships?

you can get a windowless inside box or something much much more. we usually get an oceanview, sometimes junior suite with balcony. of all the places I am on vacation, the room generally is not one of them. I like a nice space, but I use it to ####, shower, sleep.

 

[E-Z Glider]

Cruises are for people that aren't smart enough and decisive enough to plan a good, safe vacation on their own, which in the internet era seems insane with how good websites like trip adviser are.

Cruises dump you off at cruise ship hubs.. which are generally the worst spots on the island for authentic experiences.

The people that we saw in for cruises saw Bridgetown, Barbados, which was the worst part of Barbados I saw... and those people were stuck at crappy tourist traps. I got in from my deep sea excursion and the cruise people were taking pictures of me and my wife with our Wahoo's... I HAD a cool experience even if I wouldn't necessarily do the deep sea fishing there again... those people were taking pictures of someone having a cool experience.

Advantage non-cruise people.

No mention of cost in all of that, huh?

You of all people should acknowledge how much more economical a cruise is.

If you're looking to indulge all week, then yes, a cruise will be your most economical way to do that. You can definitely travel cheaper though.

 

[Dentist]

Cruises are for people that aren't smart enough and decisive enough to plan a good, safe vacation on their own, which in the internet era seems insane with how good websites like trip adviser are.

Cruises dump you off at cruise ship hubs.. which are generally the worst spots on the island for authentic experiences.

The people that we saw in for cruises saw Bridgetown, Barbados, which was the worst part of Barbados I saw... and those people were stuck at crappy tourist traps. I got in from my deep sea excursion and the cruise people were taking pictures of me and my wife with our Wahoo's... I HAD a cool experience even if I wouldn't necessarily do the deep sea fishing there again... those people were taking pictures of someone having a cool experience.

Advantage non-cruise people.

How many cruises have you been on....... Just wondering

I've known a lot of people that went on cruises

 

[beavers]

Where would you be leaving from?

Columbus, OH

Just made reservations from Cbus to Turks for this November

 

[Beef Ravioli]

Where would you be leaving from?

Columbus, OH

Just made reservations from Cbus to Turks for this November

Can you give me a ballpark price? All inclusive?

 

[saintfool]

what are you looking to do and interested in:

just sit on a beach? see a place with some history/culture? see someplace tropical/rainforesty? lots of people? quiet? casinos? foody type place? etc, etc.

lots of amazing islands out there- and you can count mexico and central america too. each with their own specific things to appreciate.

wife and I used to travel a lot up and down the caribbean- trying out different places, so we have a bit of info on a bunch of spots depending on what you're into.

Like Long Island! Staten Island!!

and by that you mean taking in the west Indian parade in Brooklyn, right?

You!!! City Slicker!!!

 

[Drifter]

St Marten (French side) with a day in Anguila could be the right move.

Reverse that and you're correct.

 

[Michael Brown]

I get the idea of cruise ships- there's something to be said for going to sleep and then waking up at a new, cool place.

but for me- dealing with all the people, the lack of freedom to do what I want when I want... not relaxing. opposite. for me, researching a spot to go and getting there is easy- and then I'm someplace I want to be, in a quiet spot (usually) on the beach. If I want to this that or the other- I do it. I don't have to wait to get to port, for the shuttle boats, for the taxis, etc, etc. and I'm not surrounded by people unless I choose to be (which I am at home in NYC, and typically looking to avoid when on vacation).

but again- each one offers it's own thing which is an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the person.

THIS is the type of feedback you should be listening to for anti-cruise commentary. Fair comments that explain the legit reasons why someone might not like it.

 

[George Jefferson Airplane]

The most uninteresting people I know are always going on cruises. Never thought about it until this thread.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Wow - a lot of cruise bashers here. Yes, they aren't for everyone. A mix of vacations works best for me.

But they do have some advantages, one of which is they work great for bigger groups. No one has to cook, clean, drive, or move hotels. There are plenty of things that people can do on the ship, with others or solo. Meeting at a nice dinner and talking about your day is always fun. You get to see various places, though it is usually just a small dose.

 

[Christo]

Cruises are for people that aren't smart enough and decisive enough to plan a good, safe vacation on their own, which in the internet era seems insane with how good websites like trip adviser are.

Cruises dump you off at cruise ship hubs.. which are generally the worst spots on the island for authentic experiences.

The people that we saw in for cruises saw Bridgetown, Barbados, which was the worst part of Barbados I saw... and those people were stuck at crappy tourist traps. I got in from my deep sea excursion and the cruise people were taking pictures of me and my wife with our Wahoo's... I HAD a cool experience even if I wouldn't necessarily do the deep sea fishing there again... those people were taking pictures of someone having a cool experience.

Advantage non-cruise people.

How many cruises have you been on....... Just wondering

I've known a lot of people that went on cruises

Is that like an "I have some black friends" answer to someone questioning whether you're a racist?

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Cruise ships are gigantic floating Petri dishes.

Man I think they are the worst way to spend a vacation.Go to an island, maybe go to the Dominican Republic and take in some real culture or something.

The all-inclusive resorts are hardly a way to take in some real culture.

I wouldn't be staying in a Sandles Resort either, although that would be better than a cruise. A small resort is fine, but renting a condo or something is what I'm talking about.

 

[eoMMan]

Wow - a lot of cruise bashers here. Yes, they aren't for everyone. A mix of vacations works best for me.

But they do have some advantages, one of which is they work great for bigger groups. No one has to cook, clean, drive, or move hotels. There are plenty of things that people can do on the ship, with others or solo. Meeting at a nice dinner and talking about your day is always fun. You get to see various places, though it is usually just a small dose.

Yeah....good eating, a bunch of entertainment options (shows, casino, etc), bars, etc etc.

 

[El Floppo]

Wow - a lot of cruise bashers here. Yes, they aren't for everyone. A mix of vacations works best for me.

But they do have some advantages, one of which is they work great for bigger groups. No one has to cook, clean, drive, or move hotels. There are plenty of things that people can do on the ship, with others or solo. Meeting at a nice dinner and talking about your day is always fun. You get to see various places, though it is usually just a small dose.

Yeah....good eating, a bunch of entertainment options (shows, casino, etc), bars, etc etc.

I've only been on one cruise- and it was a long time ago. But I remember the food being pretty uniformly bad (I've had the same experience at AIs).

is food something that's actually considered a plus on cruises?

 

[culdeus]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Wow - a lot of cruise bashers here. Yes, they aren't for everyone. A mix of vacations works best for me.

But they do have some advantages, one of which is they work great for bigger groups. No one has to cook, clean, drive, or move hotels. There are plenty of things that people can do on the ship, with others or solo. Meeting at a nice dinner and talking about your day is always fun. You get to see various places, though it is usually just a small dose.

Yeah....good eating, a bunch of entertainment options (shows, casino, etc), bars, etc etc.

I've only been on one cruise- and it was a long time ago. But I remember the food being pretty uniformly bad (I've had the same experience at AIs).

is food something that's actually considered a plus on cruises?

Yes, as no one has to cook it and it ranges from fair to very good. I have heard comments "it was worse than Denny's" but that's just nonsense.

 

[comfortably numb]

I've only been on one cruise but if the food is bad in this day and age...you picked an North Korean cruise line or something.

The food is great.

I mean I get it if buffets aren't your thing but there are a half dozen very good restaurants that you get get in some sort of dining packages.

Even the restaurants not in the dinning package are pretty good.

This was Norwegian so my only experience but I assumed food on most cruises nowadays are very good

 

[Northern Voice]

Well if you're too lazy to look up where to go on an island, then sure you'll get stuck being shuttled back and forth to the tourist traps. But my last cruise was to Bermuda. We are friends with a local cab driver there, who took us to a beach called West Whale Bay. It's almost totally private, and my 6 friends and I had an entire beach to ourselves for about 7 hours that day. Had some food, he gave us a few bottles of rum swizzle, and had a perfect day on the beach. Spent another day at Tobacco Bay. Awesome.

When we go to Saint Martin, we go to Orient Beach instead of the "airplane beach". In Saint Thomas, it was Magen's Bay. Not sure where these other spots are that are SOOOO awesome, but it's not like we're being dropped off at the local Margaritaville in the port. If you're taking the cruise ship excursions, you're spending a ton more money and spending about half the time there. Those people are obviously doing it wrong, but it's not some rule that you MUST do what the ship tells you to do.

Best post in here, IMO. Cruises are a lot of fun but you should STILL do all your own research for each of the ports, there are a lot of options beyond the excursions offered by the ships. Booking this stuff yourself gives way better options, away from the cookie cutter tourist stuff if that's what you want and saves you money.

 

[HellToupee]

The new Mac Vs PC & IOS Vs Android is Island resort Vs Cruise

 

[Fennis]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Maybe its just me, but given a choice of hanging out with fat, drunk people on a boat or skinny, sober people on a beach, I'm picking the fun tubbies.

 

[culdeus]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Maybe its just me, but given a choice of hanging out with fat, drunk people on a boat or skinny, sober people on a beach, I'm picking the fun tubbies.

Yes, that's exactly it.

 

[eoMMan]

With cruises, keep in mind that that there are many different cruise lines that cater to different folks. For example...

Carnival is generally regarded as the bottom tier. It's the cheapest and I don't mean to insult Carnival cruisers here but the typical Carnival cruiser is a little bit....umm....trashier.

That being said, Carnival is more of a party boat and they have more stuff going on late (bars, clubs, etc.).

Celebrity is a very nice cruise line. The food is some of the best on the various cruise lines and they do a good job of keeping the crowds low (maybe lower passenger numbers?). The main downside to Celebrity, imo, is it typically caters to the older folks. You'll see more 60 year old people than 30 year old people on a Celebrity cruise.

I think Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are the best.....with the edge going to RC. They do a great job of activities, food, keeping the ship looking good, and the cruisers are a good mix of people.

And once again, regarding pricing, cruising will almost always win. Go look at upcoming 7 day cruises on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas (largest cruise ship). They are showing balcony rooms for November at $749 and then $866 for a different November sailing. It really is a fantastic deal.

 

[Rick James]

I get the appeal of a fully packaged vacation that a cruise offers. Planning a two week vacation to Italy this past summer wasn't easy, but it was the best thing I've ever done. If I DID want to have a packaged vacation planned for me, I would go towards one of those adventure vacations-- hike the alps or biking around Italy for a week.

 

[Michael Brown]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Yeah look at these slobs

Oh god hide your eyes!

Another heifer

(And yes I just created that account solely to make this post, because I have no idea what my old account was )

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Yeah look at these slobs

Oh god hide your eyes!

Another heifer

(And yes I just created that account solely to make this post, because I have no idea what my old account was )

Dude, you look like a creeper with a pocket full of "roaches."NTTATWWT on a cruise, but still.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

I've done 3 all inclusive islands and 2 cruises. Out next vacation will be a cruise. Love both, pros age cons but cruises have ultimately been more memorable... likely a lot to do with ports/excursions/destinations.

Ditto.

 

[HellToupee]

And once again, regarding pricing, cruising will almost always win. Go look at upcoming 7 day cruises on the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas (largest cruise ship). They are showing balcony rooms for November at $749 and then $866 for a different November sailing. It really is a fantastic deal.

We cruise on RCL and those prices on Oasis are $1000 cheaper than we sailed in August. November & December have some real bargains available

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

LHUCKS went on a lot of cruises IIRC.

 

[Michael Brown]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Yeah look at these slobs

Oh god hide your eyes!

Another heifer

(And yes I just created that account solely to make this post, because I have no idea what my old account was )

Dude, you look like a creeper with a pocket full of "roaches."NTTATWWT on a cruise, but still.

No idea what this means. A creeper? Because I took pictures and hung out with people?

You must be a blast in real life

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Yeah look at these slobs

Oh god hide your eyes!

Another heifer

(And yes I just created that account solely to make this post, because I have no idea what my old account was )

Dude, you look like a creeper with a pocket full of "roaches."NTTATWWT on a cruise, but still.

No idea what this means. A creeper? Because I took pictures and hung out with people?

You must be a blast in real life

I really am, some guys at FBG have hung out with me.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Plus I'm just busting your balls.

 

[Michael Brown]

Plus I'm just busting your balls.

Sorry, I'm trying to pretend the Mets being in the World Series doesn't bother me. Putting me a little on edge...

 

[RUSF18]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Yeah look at these slobs

Oh god hide your eyes!

Another heifer

(And yes I just created that account solely to make this post, because I have no idea what my old account was )

Dude, you look like a creeper with a pocket full of "roaches."NTTATWWT on a cruise, but still.

No idea what this means. A creeper? Because I took pictures and hung out with people?

You must be a blast in real life

Hmm. I always figured you actually looked like George.

 

[Michael Brown]

Cruises are so cheap. If you just want to get hammered and be surrounded by fat people all day then go that route.

Yeah look at these slobs

Oh god hide your eyes!

Another heifer

(And yes I just created that account solely to make this post, because I have no idea what my old account was )

Dude, you look like a creeper with a pocket full of "roaches."NTTATWWT on a cruise, but still.

No idea what this means. A creeper? Because I took pictures and hung out with people?

You must be a blast in real life

Hmm. I always figured you actually looked like George.

I only wish