Eastern vs Western Caribbean

[Laurie7724]

We have only done the Eastern Caribbean with stops at Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. We are considering trying a Western Caribbean for December with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya. Looking for advice from anyone who has been on this itinerary or both to compare? Is the Western just as nice? How are the beaches there? Any replies welcome :)

[Frankieee]

We have only done the Eastern Caribbean with stops at Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. We are considering trying a Western Caribbean for December with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya. Looking for advice from anyone who has been on this itinerary or both to compare? Is the Western just as nice? How are the beaches there? Any replies welcome :)

 

 

 

We are doing Western Caribbean although not till March 21 2020 on Vista our of Galveston can’t wait

 

 

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[BoDidly]

I would say the eastern even though we enjoy Coz.

[Frankieee]

I would say the eastern even though we enjoy Coz.

 

 

 

Thank you [emoji41]

 

 

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[teknoge3k]

I've done eastern and western (and southern) and I'd MUCH rather go to eastern over western. MUCH nicer imho but that's just me.

[evandbob]

The western does have some nice beaches like Tabayana in Roatan, and the stretch of Mr. Sancho's, Nachi Cocum and Paradise on Cozumel, that almost compare to the beach at Grand Turk. Then the eastern itinerary doesn't even have a beach at Amber Cove, and the western beaches are better than those in San Juan.

 

What the western itinerary does offer is other options like cave tubing, the best snorkeling in the hemisphere, and Mayan ruins that do not exist on the eastern itinerary. Since this is JMO, the best way.to compare is to do each a few times yourself and decide what suits your personality, likes and dislikes. Enjoy!

[LuckyZ]

I've done eastern and western (and southern) and I'd MUCH rather go to eastern over western. MUCH nicer imho but that's just me.

 

Completely agree. Much nicer ports of call as we do not like Jamaica and similar ports (although we like Grand Cayman and Cozumel)

[evandbob]

The OP is looking at "a Western Caribbean for December with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya".

Not sure if a post about Jamaica helps any.

[firemanbobswife]

I love them both but have enjoyed the Western more actually. There are always 2 ports every cruise on a typical Eastern and Western that I don’t care for. Those are San Juan and St Thomas for Eastern and Belize and sometimes Grand Cayman on Western although the last 2 times was fun because we chartered a private boat and did the stingrays and Starfish Beach avoiding the cattle boats through the ship.

 

Never have been to Amber Cove but I almost made it. It didn’t look that enticing so I had a Pool Villa booked but then we changed ships and went back on Glory in April. Costa Maya once on Celebrity. We just drank a lot at one of the bars right there. It was a cold and rainy day so not much else to do.

 

I adore Half Moon Cay as long as I get a Villa and Grand Turk is good when I go down to Jack’s Shack. Mahogany Bay is my all time favorite due to Little French Key, and Mr Sanchos makes Cozumel a load of fun. So actually I would say Western wins out slightly due to the 2 ports that we always have a blast at.

 

My ideal cruise would be HMC, Mahogany Bay, and Cozumel. I wish they went back to 3 sea days as I really enjoy them. I say go Western and find out for yourself. You’ll never know until you try.

[LuckyZ]

The OP is looking at "a Western Caribbean for December with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya".

Not sure if a post about Jamaica helps any.

 

Somebody urinate in your corn flakes this morning? I was just giving my opinion on Western vs Eastern.

 

But if you want to get sticky about this, I’ll throw Belize into the mix of non desirable ports of call. Can’t stand the begging that happens at the port

 

Let me also add if there was a choice that included Southern, that would win hands down

[ABQrobin]

I have to disagree with most of the posts so far....

 

It TOTALLY depends on what type of person you are, what you do at your port stops, etc.

 

ME..... I LOVE the Western ports as DH and I are active adventure type people. We are not beach sitters.

Belize + Roatan + Cozumel are our favorite ports, and that is MY favorite itinerary, yes, done it 3 times and plan to do it again soon.

 

Belize is like a Natural Jungle, with tons of adventure type activities, wild animals, ziplines and cave tubing, Mayan ruins to rival anywhere else, etc. People are so friendly and welcoming, and since English is the language you have zero problems getting around. There are also hundreds of tiny barrier islands for beach people.

 

Roatan is also a jungle, but an island off the coast of Honduras. Wild jungle stuff again, plus amazing scuba diving and snorkeling with fabulous reefs. We have been going there for years to dive, on land based trips. Love the place and people.

 

Cozumel is like a second home to us, been there a dozen times for week-long vacations over past 18 years. Never bores me. A zillion things to do.

 

So.... it all matters who YOU are and what YOU want to do.

 

robin

[evandbob]

We have only done the Eastern Caribbean with stops at Amber Cove, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. We are considering trying a Western Caribbean for December with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay and Costa Maya. Looking for advice from anyone who has been on this itinerary or both to compare? Is the Western just as nice? How are the beaches there? Any replies welcome :)

 

Somebody urinate in your corn flakes this morning? I was just giving my opinion on Western vs Eastern.

 

But if you want to get sticky about this, I’ll throw Belize into the mix of non desirable ports of call. Can’t stand the begging that happens at the port

 

Let me also add if there was a choice that included Southern, that would win hands down

 

 

Nope, and I don't even eat corn flakes. Just pointing out that your answer would be of little help to the OP, who is going to ports other than the one you mentioned.

 

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but it might be better used when it has a relationship to the OP's question.

[LuckyZ]

I've done eastern and western (and southern) and I'd MUCH rather go to eastern over western. MUCH nicer imho but that's just me.

 

Let me try this again to please evanbob

 

Completely agree. Much nicer ports of call as we do not like Belize and similar ports in the Western itinerary

[KarimaJ]

We liked Roatan due to Little French Key. I hear Tanyana beach is beautiful too. There is also a lot to do in Cozumel, Paradise beach and chankanaab. Costa maya has a nice water park and you can take the trolley to a bunch of beach bars. I went to Harvest Cay (NCL) while in Belize so didn’t get to see real Belize yet.

 

 

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[jsglow]

To the OP, we have been to most of the ports you list. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. I would tell you that I like each itinerary essentially equally and would advise you to try something new simply for that sake. So happily venture west for the first time. Perhaps when you return home, you might end up with a new favorite.

 

It's funny how opinions form. While we love St. Kitts, we now feel like we've been there so often that we don't need to return soon. We have great affinity to San Juan as a wonderful urban experience in beautiful Old San Juan. Grand Turk? I sure do miss an afternoon at Jack's Shack. Belize? Incredible unspoiled natural beauty that reminds me more of lovely Dominica rather than St. Thomas. See how this goes? Find YOUR perfect spot by exploring them all. Enjoy.

[Joebucks]

Try them both! Do one now and one later!

[iriecruising]

I have been to Cozumel, Belize and Mohagany Bay in Roatan. We did enjoy this cruise a lot. We did a cave tubing and zip-line excursion in Belize that was great. (It was a long excursion so I would recommend booking through Carnival for that) Have benn to Cozumel a few times. Have shopped, hit Senor Frogs, Gotten a cab for a little tour of the coast and then to the beach. The beaches were nice and there are places for great snorkeling in Cozumel. In Roatan we just grabbed some lounges on the beach under the palms and enjoyed a beautiful beach day but friends of our did grab a cab for an Island tour and said it was really nice. I have not been to Amber Cove, Grand Turk or San Juan yet so I can't compare to those only tell you what I know about the Western.

[JayDeeJay]

We like to “B2B” eastern and western - there are excellent “beach days” and excursions in each port ; Cozumel and Costa Maya are two of our favorites, but we do other stuff (eat ! ) than beaches. The outdoor venue in Coz at Pancho’s Backyard with marimba music, ice cold adult beverages, fabulous guacamole, nachos, oh boy, I can’t wait to get back there!!!

[cruisinqt]

We’ve done all of these ports many times. The main difference between Eastern and Western itineraries IMHO is that Eastern itineraries are predominantly beach themed tours and Western itineraries have lots more non beach related tours to choose from. So if we are in the mood to do lots of beach related activities like all inclusive beach resort day passes, jet skis, beach massages, etc. we do Eastern itinerary. If we want to explore the jungle, look at Mayan ruins, zip lines, cave tubing, etc. we do a Western itinerary. Both are good, it’s just up to you as to what you’re looking for.