REVscene Automotive Forum - I visited the West Indies....

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Originally Posted by Kilinim (Post 8613286)

How long was your trip? What's it like on board? Mind if I ask what cost was? TIA!!!

Thanks!

We went on a 7-night cruise out of Miami on the Celebrity Reflection... it's a beautiful ship, the newest one in their fleet. Gorgeous design / artwork and beautiful modern amenities. Great food and pretty good service. Our room:

http://markborland.com/cruise/room.jpg

Celebrity is Royal Caribbean's more upscale cruise line, mainly catering towards upper middle class couples in the 35-65 age range. There weren't many kids at all but my fiancee and I are in our late 20's and didn't feel out of place at all.

For both of us, the cruise cost ~$4k USD, which included food and tips but not flights, booze, or activities (ie. shore excursions, spa services, casino, etc). We were in an "Aqua Class Suite" (big room with balcony and some other perks), which was much more expensive and not at all necessary. A similar 7-night Caribbean cruise in a "normal" cabin is usually around $800-$1200usd per person on Celebrity, and as little as $500 on other cruise lines. IMO cruising is the best and most economical way to see the Caribbean -- it's like a moving 5-star all-inclusive resort with much better food and service.

Our cruise stopped at 4 ports: Cozumel (decent), Grand Cayman (heaven on earth), Ocho Rios Jamaica (meh), and Labadee Haiti (bleh). We have taken two previous Caribbean cruises (southern and eastern itineraries) and would recommend most of those islands over the western Caribbean stops, although Grand Cayman rocketed to the top of my 'favorite islands' list and is definitely worth visiting.

After the cruise (which ended back in Miami), we stayed in Miami Beach for 4 nights and checked out the Florida Keys and the Everglades. South Florida is beautiful and definitely worth visiting, but to someone just looking for a week in the sunshine I'd recommend just going on a cruise and saving Florida for a separate trip when you have time to explore it properly.

Hope that answers your questions. Always happy to share feedback about my past vacations, lets me re-live the good times, haha.

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