Freedom eastern or western?

[ryano]

Having a hard time deciding on my next cruise and Im itching to book! Its likely going to be March or April 2012 and I know I want to cruise on the Freedom.

 

Ive been to Coco Cay and loved it which is a stop on the eastern route and like the idea of going to St Thomas and St Maarten.

 

Ive been to Cozumel twice and would likely just stay on the ship but there are the stops in Labadee and Falmouth which sound appealing.

 

Which is your favorite Freedom itinerary?:) I am looking at a Promenade stateroom as I see the Freedom has a couple that are wheelchair accessible.

 

Prices are really about the same for both cruises.

[Icruzthere4Iam]

Loved Freedom and love the eastern vs. western. Hope you can decide soon and enjoy your trip! Take care, Jim

[F27TW]

Eastern Caribbean all the way. To me, Western Carib (Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti) all = BLECHHH. (Been there, done that). Crime and poverty in all three.

 

The Eastern Carib is Coco Cay, St. Thomas and St. Maarten ... definitely, DEFINITELY do that one !

[Sandinmycrack]

for my money you can not best the blue water of St. Martin, or the water taxi to St. Johns from St. Thomas. Go East and forget west.

 

Sandy

[F27TW]

for my money you can not best the blue water of St. Martin, or the water taxi to St. Johns from St. Thomas. Go East and forget west.

 

Sandy

 

 

LOLOLOL ... Sandy .. you have THE best screen name and pic of anyone else on here! (sorry, didnt mean to hijack the thread!)

[kruzerci]

Eastern hands down. My wife and I agree that the Eastern and Southern Caribbean islands are much more lush, mountainous, and beautiful than the Western. We have done the Labadee, Jamaica, GC, Cozumel cruise on the Navigator and Voyager and its not nearly as relaxing as the Eastern cruises. We like the way the ports are split up on the Eastern route and you get an extra day at sea at the end, which is a huge plus for us.

 

We're leaving on the Freedom Eastern route in just a couple months :)

[freedom1114]

Done both many times but Eastern is better for sure.

[will773]

LOLOLOL ... Sandy .. you have THE best screen name and pic of anyone else on here! (sorry, didnt mean to hijack the thread!)

 

Totally agree! So funny! :D

[Ashland]

Another vote for the Eastern...too bad it's not the 8 night..which is my favorite :cool:

[Candleonwater]

Okay, as a fan of the Western... having done enough of the Eastern to know that I'm not enthralled with the idea... someone please sell me on the Eastern?!?!?

 

We are sailing in April and so far the plan is to stay on the ship because we haven't seen anything that would lure us off the ship in either St Martin or St Thomas.

[dplusd]

Eastern Caribbean is much prettier and ports are better. I could sail the Western out of Galveston and drive to the port...but, I'd rather fly to Florida (and I hate flying) for the Eastern ports.

 

But, whatever you decide, it's still a cruise and that's the main thing!

[Chippendale]

Okay, as a fan of the Western... having done enough of the Eastern to know that I'm not enthralled with the idea... someone please sell me on the Eastern?!?!?

 

We are sailing in April and so far the plan is to stay on the ship because we haven't seen anything that would lure us off the ship in either St Martin or St Thomas.

 

In St. Thomas, go to Trunk Bay in St. John's. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (National Geographic) . We take RCI trip, but I know you can do it on your own and stay longer and pay a little less. In St. Martin, try Bernard's Tour. Great. You get to see both sides of the island with stops at Maho beach to see the planes land - amazing must see at least once and to Orient Beach. It is not just a beach trip because there are different stops along the way. Just Google Bernards St. Martin. He also provides cold beverages. We love the beach and can and have stayed all day at Orient. Good shopping at both ports but you should know prices before you go.

[EJKorvette]

I asked this very question for our upcoming sail on the Emerald Princess! We decided on Eastern since we just came back from a Western. Plus I have never been to St. Maarten and haven't been to St. Thomas in years. Plus the extra sea day!:D

[bjcruiser]

We have a hold on the western april 1st. So excited. I liked the idea of a port everyday and not so many at sea days. But after reading this thread not so sure.

[Candleonwater]

We absolutely love the western! IMHO, the Freedom is just too big for sea days... too many people.

 

We have a hold on the western april 1st. So excited. I liked the idea of a port everyday and not so many at sea days. But after reading this thread not so sure.

[CaribbeanCrush]

We absolutely love the western! IMHO, the Freedom is just too big for sea days... too many people.

 

I agree! We've found more fun stuff to do on the Western! I didn't enjoy the extra day at sea and to top it off we had to skip Cococay due to rough seas! Go West young man! :D

[MrZoey]

Just got back from an 8 day eastern.......Loved it! Much better than western (except I like Labadee a ton more than Coco Cay), but you have to go with what interests you. I like the topograpghy better on the eastern run:), and I like an extra sea day.

[ocolus8109]

The Eastern is much better than the Western. I much disagree with whoever said that about the Freedom being too big for sea days, I have rarely felt crowded on the Freedom except mid afternoon trying to find a spot on the pool deck. They are the best ships ever and the Eastern Caribbean is the best cruise of the two.

[griffy116]

We've done the E, W, and S caribbean cruises, more than once each. We love the Western and are scheduled for FOS, Western in July. Grand Cayman is one of our most favorite and is far from poverty stricken. It's safe, no vendors bothering you, has fabuous food and restaurants, town of Hell, Turtle Farm for the kids. We love love, love Labadee and prefer it over Cococay. In Cozumel, we plan to do the Dolphin Discovery. Check out their website..it's beautiful. Cozumel is one of the top diving spots in the world. Even though Jamaica is one of my least favorites simply because of the vendors being so pushy. However, if I had never been to Jamaica, I would be amazed at the beauty of Dunns River Falls. They are now doing Falmouth with tours to both Ochos Rios and Montego Bay. Every itinerary has a port that we love and one we would just as soon stay on the ship. Try one route for this cruise and plan another cruise to the other route. Trust me, you'll want to book another cruise as soon as you get back (maybe even before you get back).

[paulap70]

We have a hold on the western april 1st. So excited. I liked the idea of a port everyday and not so many at sea days. But after reading this thread not so sure.

Just back from eastern. Three sea days is too much for me, plus you don't get to St. Thomas until noon local time and shops close at 5 (back on ship 7:30 local time). Looked like western would be a bit better with one less sea day. I have been on southern itineraries with only one sea day and that seemed very hectic. I think two sea days, with one being about day two or three and the other being day 7 (to allow you ample time to pack and just relax) is about ideal. Just my opinion.

[givemeliberty009]

+1 more for Eastern. Even if you prefer port days to sea days, the ports are worth the extra day at sea. Just my $.02