choose between carnival destiny or adventures of the seas

I am planning a cruise for myself and my son foe next summer. We want to go to the southern caribben and are trying to decide betwen carnial and royal caribbean cruise line. any suggestions from people that have been on these ships would be appreciated. also how do i get the best deal. sshouldi get airfare thru cruise line or on my own. THANKS

[Donna]

Hi Yogi,
I'd suggest Royal Caribbean mainly because of all the activities for kids and families, plus its an itinary that you are looking for. There is so much to do on these ships, plus the entertainment with the parades, ice shows, etc.

As for getting prices, I always start here at the "bargain finder" and see what travel agents can offer, its a great place to start and once you find a travel agent you find helpfull, book with them, here is the link:

http://www.cruisemates.com/CF/bargfind/index.cfm

[Sara]

I have been on Royal Carinbbean (a different ship) and the Carnival Destiny. I have been on 6 cruises and founf that i enjoyed the Destiny the most of all my cruises. Just a wonderful ship. As for your airfare, book seperately, just make sure you leave enough time to make it to the ship from the airport. You will find it is much cheaper that way.

To Yogi:
I'm the family cruise editor here and was wondering what the age of your son is. The Adventure of the Seas is great for kids who are in grade school or older because of all the activities (rock wall, ice skating, mini golf, etc.). We sailed Adventure last year when my daughter was nine and she absolutely loved the ship and also the excellent youth program. The southern Carib. itinerary was a nice one too.
Let me know.
Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey Gaynor

[Sara]

Good Point. If your son is a teenager, he will love the rock climbing wall and whatnot. I would even enjoy that stuff. So really, which has the better itinerary? Where do they go as I have been on 6, going on 7, cruises and may have visited some of those places. Maybe that will help you out.

In our experience, Royal is a MUCH better cruise line than Carnival. The rooms and service were better and the kids programs were very much better. Our kids had a really good time on Royal.

[Sara]

See now, I have been on Carnival twice and RCCL once. I thought the rooms were larger on Carnival and that the food was about 80% better as they had just switched their food vendor or whatever. Anyhow, that one cruise on RCCL last year completely turned me away from the altogether. I know that is just my opinion and some people love RCCL, so my suggestion is just to go on the one that has the itinerary you are looking for.

[dan]

I agree with Sara. It depends on what southern islands you want to visit to pick your ship. The AOS is a 140-150 thousand-ton ship compared to the 100,000 ton Destiny. The AOS is a bigger ship with ice skate and rock climbing wall. If you have kids that will enjoy those activities, then go with the AOS. The cost per person for the AOS will be higher than the Destiny. I, however, always prefer Carnival because the adult activities stay open much later.

My son is 14 years old and i will also be taking my 16 year old nephew. Since I have placed this message i have already booked the "Destiny" for june of next year. Hope i have made the right choice!

[rns91294]

You will NOT be dissapointed. I went on the destiny for my honeymoon and it was my 5th cruise so I had experience with other cruise lines. Since then I have been on RCCL and in 2 months will be on the Grand Princess. So far, the destiny was my favorite and it made Carnival my favorite cruise line, but I always like to try new things each time. I am planning a vacation for next year and I plan for it to be on Carnival again. Have a wonderful time. You won't regret it.