East. or West. w/ 2 little kids - which is calmer seas?

[junebaby07]

We've never cruised before and are planning a Disney Cruise for March 2011. Is Eastern or Western a better itin w/ little kids? We'd like any trips to the beaches to be as EASY as possible and quick to get on and off the ship for naps etc.

 

Also which seas are calmer generally? We haven't cruised before so would like to try to avoid seasickness if possible.

[3crazymutts]

I was told by a Disney rep that Western is smoother. I only have a few cruises under my belt, two to the Bahamas and one to the western Caribbean, and maybe it was just the weather, but the western Caribbean was definitely smoother! Hardly noticed the boat movement at all, on deck 9.

 

If you go western, I think Grand Cayman is one of the stops...the turtle farm there is awesome, little kids would LOVE it!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Eastern is better for little ones.

St.Maartin has a nice little beach right across fromth e ship. Take the water taxi ($5 roundtrip per person) to the shopping area. Walk off the dock and there is a nice beach on both sides. You must rent chairs and umbrellas but that is true any place. You can even see the ship from there. Its 5 minutes away. Plus people ther do seem to wear clothes. Most beaches on the islands are clothing optional.:eek:

Also St. Maartin and St. Thomas both have butterfly farms that little ones like.

 

St. Thomas have beautiful beaches but you must go aways to get there. No fast to and from the ship. Also St. Thomas you often tender in.(anchor in the bay and take a small boat to shore)

You also have an extra sea day on the Eastern

 

Western, no super close beaches, At Grand Caymen you have to tender and its a long one. We never found much for small kids on the Western anytime we went. Maybe the turtle farm.

 

They do have nice beaches but most are a joining with hotels where you pay to go to the beach. . Not very clean either when we went.

 

Have done both itenaries with little kids many times.

Eastern was the best for us. The Eastern islands were cleaner the people were more friendly than the Western for us too. On the Western it seems everyone wants you topay to take a photo of the places you visit. If you bring a cam corder you have to pay ot use it at several places too

 

Be sure no matter what you choose to take bottled water from the ship. No fountains anywhere. water is expensive on the islands.

 

Take umbrella strollers for easiest navigaton around. Sidewalks are often bad and narrow doorway and hallways everywhere.

 

bring travel size T.Paper, seat covers and hand sanitizer because the bathrooms are often out. Most bathrooms have an attendant who want a tip for using the bathroom. Its not mandatory but some are agressive to get a tip so carry a few quarters, just in case.

 

 

Seas are the same chance of rough seas either way.

But modern stabilizers help a lot.

 

Brign some ginger ale in yoru carry on or ginger pills they help and wont make you sleep like Dramamine or Bonine. Also the med center on deck 1 will have a dish of free pills set out during rough seas.

 

Ear patches and wrist bands help some people and are prescription only.

Never have an empty stomach if you feel queasy it will be worse on an empty stomach. If you decide to take the pills look for non drowsey and start taking them before you get ont he ship and continue as directed. If you wait until your sick they take forever to work. taking ahead of time will prevernt that queasy feeling.

 

Plus I have noticed those who worry about getting sick usually are the ones who get sick. So be prepared but think about all the fun things your doing and dont think about sea sickenss.

 

Dr. told us little kids inner ears arnt fully developed so they dont get sea sick, so no worries there.

 

The dining rooms often can get you ginger ale even though its not on the menu and for some reason green skinned apples seem to help some people. So dont be afraid to ask if you dont see them with the fruit thats set out to munch on.

 

lower decks like 1 & 2 have the least motion in rough seas. So try to book a lower room and mid ship is the most stable are. So try for mid ship. Aft is second most stable and Forward it pretty bumpy even in good seas.

 

The atrum is a great place to sit for rough seas, it is midship on deck 3 and very calm usually.

 

Of course in 30 foot seas nothing is too stable but those dont happen often. I have done 20 DCL crusies and only had rough seas 2 times. So its good odds for good calm seas.

[junebaby07]

Thanks for the tips...kind of divided opinons...anyone else?

[falconfan]

Eastern has better ports, Western has calmer seas (typically). I agree, the Butterfly farm in St. Maarten is a lot of fun, especially for the little ones. Also, if you like to shop, you will find better deals on the Eastern islands.

 

I have been to St. Thomas twice and never tendered there. Once on RCCL Mariner of the Seas and once on Carnival Freedom. Both very big ships so I know the ports can handle the Disney ships.

[jelbnl]

I'll agree with the above, calmer seas on the Western, but better ports on the Eastern. It all depends on what is more important to you. The Eastern is only "rough" when you pass over the gulf stream and then it's not all that bad. I'm partial to the Eastern, I think the ports are more child friendly.

[Modern_Viking]

I have experienced rougher seas in the western Caribbean than in the eastern (2 trips each, although none on Disney). But, the weather does change often and can't really be predicted.

 

I think that in the eastern Caribbean, as long as ships stay to the west of the islands, the seas are usually the calmest (since the islands form a barrier against the typical east-to-west wind and waves). The western is more hit and miss, but may have more large storms.

 

The western itinerary does have one less day at sea, so that might help, if you are worried.

 

As for getting to the beach, I think your only really easy options for beaches are the DCL Private Island and St. Maarten. (Please note that St. Maarten is actually split in half, with the large cruise ships stopping on the Dutch side of the island. This is the side more accommodating to American tourists and our typical likes and dislikes. The other side of the island is French and is more European -- including the rules for how little one can wear on the beach).

 

As for St. Thomas, that island has enough dock space for 5 ships to dock at the same time. So, if 6 or 7 ships are scheduled to visit on one day (I think 7 is their absolute limit), passengers from 2 ships will have to tender. As long as there are 5 or fewer ships in port that day, all the ships will dock. So if the Disney Magic is forced to tender, it isn't because of her size but because of the number of ships in port that day.