Western Carib. on Liberty v. Southern Carib. on Serenade

[Girl Athena]

Dear all,
I've been reading this forum with great interest for a while and have learnt lots of really useful things. I'm about to book my first cruise and would really appreciate your advice. The cruise is for 4 people (1 couple aged 36, the other 65; British; haven't cruised before; aren't into shopping but like interesting scenery, sightseeing, variety and nice beaches, as well as a bit of luxury ).

I've narrowed down my chose to 2:
(1) a 7-day pre-Xmas Western Carib. cruise on Liberty, sailing out of Miami on 12/15 and calling at Labadee, Montego Bay Jamaica, G. Caymans and Cozumel.
(2) an 8-day Xmas Southern Carib. cruise on Serenade, sailing out of San Juan, P.Rico on 12/21 and calling at St Thomas, Antigua, St Maarten, St Lucia and Barbados. At sea on Xmas day.

What would you recommend for first time visitors to the Caribbean and first time cruisers? Is it better to cruise over Xmas or a week before? (The price of the two, including the flights from the UK, is more or less comparable.) Any help would be appreciated!

[tncruiseman]

With the Liberty of the Seas being the newest, biggest, and best..I would strongly consider that ship, especially for a first cruise. Both itineraries have some good and some mediocre ports plus the jet lag will be less in Miami over San Juan. Western Caribbean seas are typically smoother than southern also, but on ships of that size won't be an issue either way.