Where would you rather vacation? (Floridans please visit..)

[Meractik]

Please give supporting reasons, especially if you've been to either of the two locations. I will be choosing one or the other...

Would you... choose....

Grand Cayman, Cayman Island - Costa Maya, Mexico, and Cozumel, Mexico

OR


St. Maarten, St. Thomas/St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands



Both would include a visit to Castaway Cay's so that is not really a determining factor.


This is for a Disney cruise out of Flordia for two adults (which is why the following question is relevant.. I wish to travel with least amount of children)


Also anyone from flordia if you could please please let me know when most of the area's children go back to school, it also has an impact on my vacation plans.

Thanks!

P.S. also anyone whose been on a disney cruise please feel free to chime in, this'll be my first time!

 

[nickbits]

All those places are pretty much the same IMHO, I've been to all of them, granted I didn't do much exploring.

Paradise island in Cozumel is the only place that I remember.

 

[Jumpem]

I couldn't be paid to go to Mexico.

And why would you take a Disney cruise if you want the least amount of children?

 

[Meractik]

All those places are pretty much the same IMHO, I've been to all of them, granted I didn't do much exploring.

Paradise island in Cozumel is the only place that I remember.

What made it different that you remembered it?

 

[Meractik]

I couldn't be paid to go to Mexico.

And why would you take a Disney cruise if you want the least amount of children?

I don't mind children, well behaved ones - but I do not want to run into a ton of bratty children that are just let loose on the ship by their parents. To avoid this I figured it would be best to cruise once most kids are back in school. Nobody does it like disney, I went to Disneyland for the first time ever within the past couple years and it blew my mind.

It might be mexico, but its not tijuana....

 

[bigrash]

I don't mind children, well behaved ones - but I do not want to run into a ton of bratty children that are just let loose on the ship by their parents. To avoid this I figured it would be best to cruise once most kids are back in school. Nobody does it like disney, I went to Disneyland for the first time ever within the past couple years and it blew my mind.

It might be mexico, but its not tijuana....

It's a kids cruise. No matter if kids are in school or not, it'll be full of bratty children.

 

[K1052]

It's a kids cruise. No matter if kids are in school or not, it'll be full of bratty children.

This.

Look at Princess, Celebrity, or Norwegian instead. You couldn't get me onto a Disney boat with a cattle prod and a can of mace.

 

[Meractik]

This.

Look at Princess, Celebrity, or Norwegian instead. You couldn't get me onto a Disney boat with a cattle prod and a can of mace.

I trust Disney and their operations more than any of those others. Plus I am a big kid at heart. I simply do not want it to turn into a nightmare due to bratty kids - I am personally interested in experiencing all the Disney experiences.

 

[Sinsear]

No casinos on disney boats

 

[nickbits]

What made it different that you remembered it?

"Free" food and drinks. Boat ride there was great (Twister speed boat that did 360s). Guacamole was really good. Water trampoline and slides and other things. It was the most fun I've had at any of the excursions I've been on. My wife also agrees on that assertion. My brother and his wife also went there on a different trip and it was their favorite part of their cruise as well.

My biggest disappointment was probably Atlantis in the Bahamas. It was expensive and was more pretty than it was fun. That wasn't on your list anyway.

 

[Midwayman]

All those places are pretty much the same IMHO, I've been to all of them, granted I didn't do much exploring.

Paradise island in Cozumel is the only place that I remember.

You sure you're thinking of Coz? I've been there numerous times and I don't remember any Paradise Island. (Well unless its a resort or something.)


OP- The USVI is the better cruise itinerary. Grand Cayman is nice enough, but Cozumel and Costa Maya I don't think are great stops for a cruise. Cozumel has great diving, but if you're not a diver there isn't a ton on the island and the snorkeling isn't great. Costa Maya is a recently built strip just south of Cancun. Okay if you just want to hang on the beach.

USVI has a lot more going on typically and the trip should be shorter- Maybe longer port days or another day that is a stop, not a sea day.

 

[Meractik]

No casinos on disney boats

I got Vegas for that.

 

[nickbits]

This.

Look at Princess, Celebrity, or Norwegian instead. You couldn't get me onto a Disney boat with a cattle prod and a can of mace.

I wouldn't recommend princess. Boarding process was terrible and everything was always crowded. Maybe I got there too early but I think we waited around 2 hours at the port before we got on the ship. RCI and carnival were nearly instant.

My brother praises Celebrity though.

RCI and Celebrity would be my choice. Actually I have a $300 coupon on RCI I have to use this year or it expires. Not sure if it will get used or not. My cruise last year was messed up by the hurricane so everyone got coupons. At the time I didn't realize they were going to expire. Kinda sucks.

 

[Midwayman]

Celebrity is great, but its not a kids line. Older crowd, less kids stuff. I'd go RCI over Celebrity with kids.

Edit- Just re-read he wants to avoid kids. Yah, Celebrity is great then. I also like Norweigen for the mass market lines. Carnival I wouldn't touch. Not only is the atmosphere annoying, but they have had a lot of errr... maintenance issues lately.

 

[Meractik]

You sure you're thinking of Coz? I've been there numerous times and I don't remember any Paradise Island. (Well unless its a resort or something.)


OP- The USVI is the better cruise itinerary. Grand Cayman is nice enough, but Cozumel and Costa Maya I don't think are great stops for a cruise. Cozumel has great diving, but if you're not a diver there isn't a ton on the island and the snorkeling isn't great. Costa Maya is a recently built strip just south of Cancun. Okay if you just want to hang on the beach.

USVI has a lot more going on typically and the trip should be shorter- Maybe longer port days or another day that is a stop, not a sea day.

Thanks for your input, I will take that advice into consideration, the USVI is actually cheaper too...

 

[nickbits]

You sure you're thinking of Coz? I've been there numerous times and I don't remember any Paradise Island. (Well unless its a resort or something.)

Whoops got the name wrong, it was called Passion Island. Full excursion name was "Isla Passion By Twister"

 

[K1052]

I trust Disney and their operations more than any of those others. Plus I am a big kid at heart. I simply do not want it to turn into a nightmare due to bratty kids - I am personally interested in experiencing all the Disney experiences.

I suppose I'm biased since I want an absolute minimum of rugrats around when I'm vacationing. The few parents I've known who have gone on a Disney Cruise with their kids all had favorable things to say.

 

[Midwayman]

Oh... one thing check out cruise critic. Its a cruise forum. Find your departure date ahead of time and hook up with people to do independent excursions. They'll be 1/2-1/3 what the ship charges. Also try cruisecompete.com Its a system where you put your cruise in and agents bid to get your business. Depending on the line you might not get a lower price, but you'll normally end up with some free credit on your cruise line account for free drinks, etc.

 

[Meractik]

Oh... one thing check out cruise critic. Its a cruise forum. Find your departure date ahead of time and hook up with people to do independent excursions. They'll be 1/2-1/3 what the ship charges. Also try cruisecompete.com Its a system where you put your cruise in and agents bid to get your business. Depending on the line you might not get a lower price, but you'll normally end up with some free credit on your cruise line account for free drinks, etc.

Cool! thanks a lot for those tips!

 

[Glitchny]

Cayman

 

[AstroManLuca]

So you don't like being around children but you love Disneyland?

 

[Meractik]

So you don't like being around children but you love Disneyland?

Just bratty children that misbehave whose parents cannot control them. Those are the ones I do not like being around.

 

[Fern]

I'd go to the cruise with St. Maarten, St. Thomas/St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

I've been to the USVI, unlike a number of Caribbean isles they are not flat. There were lush green high hills (can't really say 'mountains'.) I suppose they are old volcanoes protruding up out of the sea.

If you like snorkeling or diving there is no real reason for a boat there. The coral encircles the islands and you can just enter from the beach. As these were volcanoes there is no need to swim out far, the bottom slopes down fairly dramatically.

I've never been to St. Maarten but would like to go there. Anytime you have a former French colony you're going to have great French food. Eat on the French side and party on the Dutch side, sounds about perfect to me.

Fern

 

[OutHouse]

none, all are just tourist traps and way way way too many people for me. find a vacation rental on homaway.com or vbro.com and have a much better time away from being herded around like sheep. for the price you are paying for that disney cruise with airfare you could get a modest 1 week vacation home rental for about the same price if not cheaper.

 

[Meractik]

I'd go to the cruise with St. Maarten, St. Thomas/St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

I've been to the USVI, unlike a number of Caribbean isles they are not flat. There were lush green high hills (can't really say 'mountains'.) I suppose they are old volcanoes protruding up out of the sea.

If you like snorkeling or diving there is no real reason for a boat there. The coral encircles the islands and you can just enter from the beach. As these were volcanoes there is no need to swim out far, the bottom slopes down fairly dramatically.

I've never been to St. Maarten but would like to go there. Anytime you have a former French colony you're going to have great French food. Eat on the French side and party on the Dutch side, sounds about perfect to me.

Fern

Thanks for the inputs, I appreciate them.