Western or Eastern Caribbean

mistyque · January 9, 2005

We have our cruise vacation for next January narrowed down to either the Western Caribbean on Navigator of the Seas or the Eastern Caribbean on Explorer of the Seas but we can't decide between the two.....Please help????

Popdog · January 9, 2005

In my HO it really doesn't matter, Eastern or Western. Take one then take the other.

We cruised Eastern twice last year and Western once. We like sea days and don't do alot of island excursions so we look for 3-4 sea days and 3 port days.

Maine-iac · January 9, 2005

We cruised the Western Carribean 11-night on Brilliance and now we are leaving in 14 days for the Eastern Carribean 11-night on Brilliance.

And I'm the opposite! I love all the island stops so I look for a cruise that stops as many places as possible. It works out great...ship docks in the morning, you have all day to explore, shop or do excursions, you can come back to the ship if you want and then they depart around 5:00 pm or so and you can enjoy all the evening activities, go to sleep and wake up at the next port and do it all over again.

The Eastern was great, wasn't too impressed with Jamaica but Grand Cayman, Aruba,

and Curacao were wonderful!

I'm interested in comparing the Eastern islands now on this upcoming trip.

Good luck deciding!

DaCruzNut · January 9, 2005

I, personally, prefer the Western caribbean itinerary...

A cruise to the Western Caribbean gives you a "taste" of several different, and varied, cultures. The Western route also is the "fun" itinerary, and attracts some real fun-loving people.

A stop in Jamaica shows you a "typical" Caribbean island, with magnificent scenery, mountains, waterfalls, and such. The Jamaicans are a fun-loving people and have the "No problem, Mon" attitude.

A stop in Mexico (Cozumel) affords the opportunity to visit Mayan ruins, and see life in a typical mexican town.

The third popular Western port, Grand Cayman, is far from my favorite, but does offer a lot to the first-time visitor; swim the stingrays, see the Cayman Wall from a submarine, relax on seven Mile Beach or just go the Hell with yourself...

On the other hand, the Eastern Caribbean usually includes St. Thomas, which has been ruined by the thousands of cruise passengers that are dumped into Charlotte Amalie on a daily basis! In fact, when I find myself in St. Thomas, I usually catch a ferry to St. John, only 20 minutes away... It's still unspoiled...

The stop in San Juan is usually too short, or too late. many ships arrive in late aftrenoon and only stay 4-5 hours.

However, if this is your first cruise, and first visit to the area, it doesn't make a big difference. After all, your true destination is the ship!