Any kind of cruise there, we visit never before the Caribbean.
Just where and which cruise will be nice.
We like to start in USA Florida and from there to nice places in the Caribbean.
There are so many cruise that leave from Florida
I would talk to a TA to find one that suits your budget, interests ..Too many to narrow down here
Most of the Caribbean is nice so do some research on the different islands & see what suits your interests
I think your choices would be either an Eastern or Western Caribbean...You can start by checking itinaries for the different cruiselines and start to narrow your search down. What kind of activities do you enjoy, lots of water stuff, more shopping??
First thing first is deciding what what one enjoys seeing or doing. I can only speak for myself....so here goes...Here's what I have done and can recomend.
WESTERN CARIBBEAN Cozumel Mexico: Island tour, swim in Caribbean, Mayan ruins to San Gervasio.
An excursion to Tulum Mayan city overlooking the beautiful ocean. Costa Maya Mexico the Mayan ruins of Kohulich
Progresso Mexico Uxmal Mayan ruins and colonial city of Merida. In 2 months I'll visit the famous Chichen Itza Belize Jungle 4x4 adventure. Xunantunich Mayan city Roatan An island tour to see shipwrecks, a native village, and Marble Farms Colon Panama A tour through the Panama Canal & 2 locks. Limon Costa Rica a jungle tour via train & boat Grand Cayman an island tour through Hell and back
EASTERN CARIBBEAN Nassau city tour including 2 forts and a pirates museum San Juan El Yunque rain forest hike. Walking tour of Old San Juan to include a visit to the massive forts. St Thomas a ride out to the US National Park on St John. An island tour of St Thomas itself. Antigua beautiful beaches. English Harbour where Lord Nelson was onced posted. Barbados an island tour on 4x4 Dominica lovely waterfalls St Kitts Brimstone Hill Fortress St lucia island tour
Like others have stated asking "what's good in the Caribbean" is a very BROAD question. We all enjoy different things....obviously I love history so my "recommendations" don't mean much to someone NOT into history.
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I know the Carnival Glory has itineraries to both sides of the Caribbean in August, and likely some other ships as well. Carnival or Royal Caribbean is usually what first time cruisers choose, mainly due to pricing.
nedstar - you probably would get much more information if we moved your post over to our "Ask CruiseMates Staff" board, would that be ok with you?
As a first course of action you really should go sit down and talk with a local travel agent, pick their brains, it doesn't cost anything and thats what they are there for, don't let them pressure you into anything, get some good ideas, get information and brochures, go home and really look them over at your leisure
If you want culture, shopping, and beaches, the second cruise is better. When are you planning to book?
January 2010. We have been to St. Maarten on our Transatlantic cruise last year. But that is the only Caribbean port I have been to. I'm on the West Coast so I have cruised: Mexican (Riviera/Baja), Alaska, and Eurpore (SP?).
We are now looking at the Caribbean; is there a big difference bewteen the cruises? Cause I can get a non stop flight for Cruise A, but I can't get a non stop for Cruise B. I would hate to lose my luggage and spend vacation time sitting in an airport. Forget Culture let's talk shopping and beaches. Is there good shopping and beaches in cruise A? Or does cruise B have much better shopping and beaches?
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St. Thomas and St. Maarten are well known for shopping. St. Maarten also is a dual cultured island. The western Caribbean option is primarily for beaches and water sports, with the main cultural influences there being Spanish and Mayan. With San Juan you get a taste of Spanish culture and add in Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin and you add Dutch and French influences as well. Everywhere in the Caribbean has great beaches, and with the time of the year you are planning, water sports(outside of diving and snorkelling) activities are especially excellent on the west and north shores of Sint Maarten/Saint-Marten. I believe, for what you want out of it, the Eastern Caribbean is your best bet. I wanted a similar experience myself, and I wound up booking the Liberty on Oct. 31 for that same cruise out of Miami.
Go to you local public library; look for both cruise ports & Carib. island books. I especially like Frommers, Fodors & Lonely Planet. These are updated every few years so look for most recent. These authors also have excellent websites
I also am planning my first caribbean cruise there are so many choice it can be confusing. Which is better* of these two:
Cruise one
Cozumel Mexico
Grand Cayman
Montengo bay Jamaica (SP?)
Cruise Two
San Juan
St Thomas
St. Maarten
*By "better" I mean better beaches and more to see and do. Such as shopping or culture.
I'm biased... I love the Eastern Caribbean. But I liked Grand Cayman (we went to see the stingrays in a private tour) and Cozumel (beautiful beach).
I've been to San Juan a number of times. Ive been through Old San Juan and the fortress and I have been up to El Yunque. They are both wonderful things to do.
For St. Thomas... we aren't shoppers, but the highlights for us in the numerous times that we have been there was going to see the synagogue and a walking tour of town. (The synagogue has a sand floor and in front is one of the oldest parking spots I have ever seen!) But now we generally grab a taxi to Red Hook, grab the ferry to Cruz Bay and go to one of the beaches on St. John... usually Trunk Bay. (If you are a member of the national park system, bring your card.)
For St Maarten / St-Martin we have been all around the island, both the Dutch and the French sides, we have even driven a car around the full island, once. If you just want the beach, our favorite is Baie Orientale which they call in English Orient Beach, but should be Orient Bay. Be aware that it's on the French side and is not a beach for prudes, since women are allowed to be topless. There is a nudist club called Club Orient at the far right side of the beach (facing the water). They sometimes wander into the other parts of the beach. To be honest, there really isn't much to see and when I did wander in to see, I had deep regrets and have thought about burning my retina out. Most of the people who were nude... should not have been... deep deep regrets. On the other side, the closer your chair rental is to Club Orient the cheaper the chairs. We generally go to Kakao (not the Ks). We paid $7 for a chair last time we were there. The chairs closest to Club Orient were $7 a chair with a free drink.
The most beautiful of all the islands, if you ask me was St. Lucia with the Pitons. But we have loved almost all of the Eastern Caribbean, though not all the beaches were equal.
If you are up to taking a flight to San Juan the Southern Caribbean cruises are the best. They offer the most ports and fewest sea days. This gives you a chance to see many islands cause your flying closer to the ports. For Katlady this would definately be your best option because flights from California to San Juan are in about the same price range as flights to Florida. I just got back from the classic Southern Caribbean cruise on Caribbean Princess and highly recommend this trip. You visit 5 ports in 7 days plus if you fly in a day early or stay an extra day you can see San Juan as well. Puerto Rico is a must see. Don't know what the rates will be in January when they start offering sales, but I just did a 7 day inside cabin that left on 3/29 returning 4/6 for $399 per person for an inside cabin. I noticed they are offering similar sales for November, but they have not started discounting 2010 sailings yet. No matter what cruise line you go with the itineraries out of San Juan offer the most ports, but if you want a lot of sea days go for an Eastern Caribbean cruise out of Florida. Only draw back is you only see 2- 3 islands. Western Caribbean cruises usually visit Mexico, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. These are nice places for snorkeling and water sports, but not as nice if you want to stay on land.
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The Western Caribbean cruises with Cozumel, the Yucatan, or Costa Mesa do have one thing for those who don't enjoy water sports. The allow the opportunity to see the historical sites of the only surviving of the Mesoamerican Empires, the Maya, though the current Mayans are far removed from their former glory, due to the white man's typical penchant for conquering and assimilating.
nedstar - you probably would get much more information if we moved your post over to our "Ask CruiseMates Staff" board, would that be ok with you?
As a first course of action you really should go sit down and talk with a local travel agent, pick their brains, it doesn't cost anything and thats what they are there for, don't let them pressure you into anything, get some good ideas, get information and brochures, go home and really look them over at your leisure
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First thing first is deciding what what one enjoys seeing or doing. 
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