Eastern or Western???

[Ms.Fixit]

We are planning our next cruise and have never been on a Western Carribbean cruise, just Eastern and Southern Itinerary. I have heard some mixed views on Western. Are there opportunities to visit beaches on Western and are the waters crystal clear with white powdery sand (not asking for too much am I)? When is it the busiest time of year to travel Western Carribbean? I have been spoiled by Eastern Carribbean beaches, especially Trunk Bay and wondered if there were just as nice beaches on the Western route.

Finally, I have two boys 10 and 14 and wonder if they would enjoy this route better.

 

What is your favorite Western Carribbean route???

Thanks!

[dougp26364]

From what I've read, shopping is best on the Eastern route and water sports is best on the western route. We've only done the 5 night western and didn't bother to get off the ship in Cozumel. We didn't care for the tenders they were using and we just don't care much for Mexico.

 

Next year, we'll do the 6 night western on Radiance. I think we'll book some snorkle excursions at that time and see how it goes.

[bulldogmom]

I have been to the Eastern Caribbean twice (two different itineraries) so I went to the following places: San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Dominican Republic, and Nassau, here is my opinion (for what it is worth) on all of them:

San Juan: I have left out of port here as well as been here as a stop on a cruise. I've never done a shore excursion, we just got off the boat and shopped close to the ship. I have however, been to their beaches (when we left out of port there) and I have to say I wasn't that impressed, maybe it was the beach where we were but the sand wasn't blindingly white like it is in other places that I've been to in the Caribbean. I have read that San Juan isn't the safest of places to be at night as well so you might keep that in mind if your ship docks and stays after dark.

St. Thomas: I have been here 3 times total now and I have loved it every single time, the whole island is just beautiful and the people are nice and not pushy. The first two times I was there we just got a taxi into town ($3/pp) and shopped and stuff like that. The 3rd time we actually did an excursion called the Ultimate Island Experience (this is thru Carnival but I'm sure Royal Caribbean offers something similar) and it was really good. We took a tour of the island in an open air vehicle, went to Drakes Seat, Magans Bay and Blackbeards Castle and then into downtown again where we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and caught a taxi back to the boat. Everything I've saw in St. Thomas is really pretty. Every picture you take there ends up looking like some kind of postcard.

St. Maarten/Sint Marten: I've been there twice, once on a cruise ship and once as a week long vacation, the island is nice, when we went there on the cruise we just did an island tour and I literally fell asleep LOL. It wasn't that interesting needless to say. When we were there for a week though I got to explore all the beaches and shop at all the little shops and market area downtown. We also snorkeled there and it was good but nothing spectacular. I would recommend St. Maarten as a good place to do some souvenir shopping, they have lots of local crafts.

Dominican Republic: We didn't see much of the island really, the ship docks in a sort of unusual spot, you can't see anything that resembles a "town" anywhere near you and the excursion we did that day was a beach break, we got off the ship, got on another boat that was right behind the ship and went to a private island and then back to the ship. The "town" is a shuttle ride away from the boat so I can't tell you much about this island. The little private island we went to was pretty though, the sand was beautifully white (and hot hot hot on our feet) and the water was pretty. The shoreline didn't gradually get deeper though, it went from really shallow to pretty deep fast. They had snorkel equipment that you could rent and there were some rock formations right there at the beach that you could snorkel around at your leisure. They also had chairs and a bar where you could get drinks from.

Nassau: I wasn't impressed with this island AT ALL. It is probably one of my least favorites. As soon as you get off of the boat there are people hassling you to braid your hair or take a tour or something and everything was really dirty there, they have a straw market which I'd heard was a good place for souvenir shopping but honestly there is just a little path between booths and it was as hot as blue blazes in there and it smelled (like B.O.) My best friend and her hubby went to Nassau as well but they took an excursion to Paradise Island and toured the Atlantis resort and she said it was okay so I'd highly recommend that is what you do if you go there. I just was not impresesd with this island at all, I probably wouldn't get off the ship if we were to go back.

Now for the Western Caribbean: I've been to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize, and Roatan Island Honduras.

Cozumel: I've been to Mexico several times and I've never been all that impressed with any of the places I've been. In Cozumel we got off the ship and got a taxi into the "downtown" area and shopped, there are lots of stores that seem to stretch on for miles, there are a lot of the same stores repeated though, and there were tons of jewelry stores. We ended up getting some pretty good deals on trinkets and souveniers to take back home and all in all it was a nice, relaxing day. keep in mind that the taxi drivers drive like mad men but luckily all their taxis are regulated by the government so you know exactly how much you are going to pay up front.

Grand Cayman: This island was super nice, it was almost like being in an American town. You have to tender in to this port which can be a little aggrivating if you have to wait in line but it wasn't that bad at all for us. We had a shore excursion booked for the afternoon so we got off the ship early and walked around right at the port, there are tons of stores and you can find a lot of high end merchandise there, we had lunch at the Hard Rock (we are Hard Rock fans LOL) and then met up with our guides for the shore excursion, we swam with the sting rays and it is not an experience I will soon forget. We boarded a smaller boat and went out into the ocean like 45 minutes where we dropped anchor on a sandbar that goes from knee deep to well over your head and there were literally hundreds of sting rays all around you. It was surreal. At first I was weary of them because they just come up to you and touch you as they swim by, I have to say it kind of freaked me out LOL. After a while I got used to them though and we had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend this excursion and this island to anyone.

Belize: We went to Altun Ha, the Mayan ruins on this island as well as did an island tour, the tour was neat and very informative and the ruins were really neat. It was literally like 115 degrees the day we were there so the heat was almost unbearable but it was neat to see all the ruins there still standing after all these years. If you go here I would recommend taking some bug repellent if you are going to be doing anything outside at all, much of the island is rain forest and the mosquitos are as big as dogs! Our table mates did the river tubing and they came back with mosquito bites all over. I had on capris and a short sleeved shirt and I still got bit. You can take some stairs to the top of the ruins if you want, I didn't LOL, my DH climbed up there and took some pictures though, to me it wasn't worth the climb in the heat (call me lazy, I'm on vacation!) LOL

Isla Roatan Honduras: This is a fairly new port as far as I've heard so hopefully in the next couple of years it will improve, from what I saw while Iwas there I won't be going back unless it does. They didn't offer that many excursions and the one that we wanted was booked full so we just got a taxi to take us to a new resort that had just been built there, the resort was really nice and the beach there was beautiful, the taxi driver told us that the sand on the beach at the resort had been hauled in, I thought that was funny. We just meandered around the resort for a few minutes and got a taxi back into the town. Our taxi driver told us that he had the "newest car on the island" and he pulled up in in like a 70's model Dodge! I laughed so hard. I have to say though that after visiting this island I almost felt guilty for being on a cruise because on the way to the resort we went thru the island and it wasn't pretty, lots of these people are living without things like plumbing and power, you see these shanty towns on TV and it really does look like that in person. I don't want to see stuff like that you know? Maybe with the cruise ships coming in it will help generate some revenue for them but until then I won't be visiting again. The smell in these towns was terrible because there was literally raw sewage just on the street in the ditches, I'm not being vain but I didn't even want to be sitting in that cab because I was wondering about the germs. Needless to say I wouldnt' recommend that one.

You asked which one of these itiniraries I would recommend and I guess it really doesn't matter, both of them have their strong points and their negative ones, I love St. Thomas and I love Grand Cayman. The beaches are usually pretty no matter what side you are on, I've saw beautiful white sand all around the Caribbean, the water is literally crystal clear in most ports right there where the ship docks. I've been to the Eastern Caribbean in both the spring and the fall and the weather was the same both times, however in the fall you take the chance of running into hurricane problems. Yes, there are opportunities to visit the beaches on both sides, Eastern and Western. Your boys would definately enjoy Grand Cayman, especially if you do the sting ray excursion, it is something they would talk about forever I'm sure.

I've also been to the Southern Caribbean and this is BY FAR my favorite route, ALL the beaches there (that I've been to) are white and powdery and the waters crystal clear and the islands as a whole are much cleaner and the people there don't hassle you as much. If you have your choice I'd definately choose the Southern Caribbean route, even if you do have to fly out of San Juan.

I hope this helps you some and let me know if you have any more questions, I'll answer them as best I can. I've just discovered this website in the last few months but I wish I'd have known it was here before all my other cruises.

Good luck!

[alb38]

We are planning our next cruise and have never been on a Western Carribbean cruise, just Eastern and Southern Itinerary. I have heard some mixed views on Western. Are there opportunities to visit beaches on Western and are the waters crystal clear with white powdery sand (not asking for too much am I)? When is it the busiest time of year to travel Western Carribbean? I have been spoiled by Eastern Carribbean beaches, especially Trunk Bay and wondered if there were just as nice beaches on the Western route.

Finally, I have two boys 10 and 14 and wonder if they would enjoy this route better.

 

What is your favorite Western Carribbean route???

Thanks!

 

I did the Western last February with my family and then the Southern with just my mom in November. I would have to say that the Southern was my favorite and I would definitely do that one again (with my kids & DH).

 

Since we had never cruised before we didn't have anything to compare the Western Caribbean to so we enjoyed all the islands. I will just give you a brief description of what we did -

Grand Cayman - snorkeled with the stingrays. This is a must do at this island. My kids were 14 and 12 when we cruised and the 12 year old didn't care for this - it freaked him out with all of the stingrays swimming around and it took myself and my 14 year old a little while to get used to them all swimming around us.

Costa Maya - We did a dune Buggy excursion through RCCL - this was alot of fun, unless you are stuck behind somebody who is afraid to drive at a faster pace through the sand. We did this once, wouldn't ever need to do it again. We drove for about an hour and then stopped at a lovely beach and had snacks and drinks.

Belize - if you stop at this port it is someplace you want to have an excursion planned. We did the cave tubing and this was my kids favorite excursion.

Cozumel - we spent the day at Paradise Beach and could not have asked for a better day at the beach.

I would have to agree that the beaches on the Southern Route were prettier but I couldn't find anything to complain about the Western Route!

[jmps]

I love to snorkel and scuba so Western is the best for me. Eastern sure is prettier though. I love the sand and look of the islands. Here is my take on Western ports:

 

Cozumel - hit hard by the Huricane but recovering. GREAT diving. Snorkeling was great but have heard the shallow reefs have been cleaned of life so shore snorkeling is pretty much gone. Chaukanaub (sp?) park is gone at least for now. Paradise Beach sounds nice for a beach day. My daughters LOVE to shop there. (15 and 13) Beach on the east side has NO crowds but swimming is dangerious. West side is iron shore with man made beaches.

 

Roatan - Great diving and snorkeling just off shore. I love the West End. It seems like you have stepped back in time. NOT the usual cruise port. Bring bug repellant for the sand flies.

 

Grand Cayman - Snorkel with the rays. Expensive shopping. Good shore diving within walking distance from the ship. Seem to miss this port a lot because of rough seas.

 

Belize - nothing right in port. Dive from the ship or take a snorkel/beach day. We are trying cave tubing in March. This is a hoot from what I have read here.

 

Costa Maya - haven't been there yet but sounds like a good place to pick a place along the beach to relax in town. Diving sounds good but limited ops.

 

Costa Rica - Take a tour and see a banana plantations. Makes you think when you pick up those bananas at the grocery. :-) Cheap GREAT coffee at the local supermarket. Go with Lester!

 

Panama - Ferry tour thru the locks a must do.

 

This is the slant from someone who doesn't want things to look or feel like at home when I travel abroad. I do want it safe and not a health risk though.

 

Have fun!

[Ms.Fixit]

Thank you all for your detailed input on Eastern vs. Western carribbean....I have to say that I have to try Western someday, as there seems to be so much to do especially with the boys, especially the history there. I have been cruising only to visit Eastern Carribbean. I still do not know which cruise will be next, but I should just pick a ship and go from there!

 

Thanks again for all your expertise!

Happy cruising!

[ebedore]

Oh gosh...do they have white beaches and clear water like the Eastern? Not exactly like the Eastern Caribbean...it's better in my opinion!!!

 

My first Caribbean dive was St Thomas and it was stunning but once I dove Cozumel...it became my favorite.

 

Ever see the pictures of Cancun's beaches? ooh I have to book another one soon.

[hstrybuf]

We are planning our next cruise and have never been on a Western Carribbean cruise, just Eastern and Southern Itinerary. I have heard some mixed views on Western. Are there opportunities to visit beaches on Western and are the waters crystal clear with white powdery sand (not asking for too much am I)? When is it the busiest time of year to travel Western Carribbean? I have been spoiled by Eastern Carribbean beaches, especially Trunk Bay and wondered if there were just as nice beaches on the Western route.

Finally, I have two boys 10 and 14 and wonder if they would enjoy this route better.

 

What is your favorite Western Carribbean route???

Thanks!

 

We've been on all three routes and had fun on all of them. We're still hitting some old favorite ports and adding new ones. I'm not sure as to the busiest time of year since we only cruise in the off season when most kids are in school.

 

Cozumel is one of my favorite places to visit on the Western itinerary. Although they were hit hard last year by the hurricane, I understand that Paradise Beach is open and running. It gets rave reviews along with the owner, Paradise Beach Tom, so I plan to check it out on our next trip there. Also, if you like to shop, Los Cinco Soles is back in business. My favorite store in all of Coz!

 

Some western itineraries include Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Key West, Playa del Carmen, Costa Maya, Belize and Roatan. We haven't made all these ports yet, but I'm working on it! ;)

 

Grand Cayman is expensive and there isn't a lot to do there. Our stingray swim was cancelled after the hurricane in 2004 so we're still trying to get back there to do the swim. You can do some beach time, snorkel or go to Hell and see the unusual formations. What a name! :eek: :D

 

If you go to Jamaica, I recommend that you go on a guided tour either from the ship or a recommended independent. It just isn't a good idea to do this island on your own. Climb Dunn's River Falls or go tubing on the river, visit plantations, Fern Gulley and the Wassi Art Pottery factory and hit Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. It's okay to take the kids and it's located in a mall area that is pretty clean and safe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorites if not our most favorite. The tourist area has been literally carved out of the jungle. This is NOT the jungle from the Tarzan movies though. It has a large swimming pool with fountains and a swim up bar, several well known shops, a couple of restaurants, vendors who can be a tad pushy and whose prices were too high without haggling, beach volleyball and massages on the beach. They also have some of the locals performing dances.

 

We didn't actually spend a lot of time here. Instead we took a taxi ($5/per person round trip) down to the village of Mahahual. Although it is growing and has several fun places on the beach, it isn't nearly as commercialized as other ports. There is still a very rustic feel to the village with sand streets and roaming musicians. We sat on the beach under a palapa with our toes in the sand and enjoyed the view. Water was warm for swimming, we had food and drink service from the restaurant across the street ($2 beer!) and my friend and I had massages on the beach. OMG! It was wonderful! We also found that some of the vendors had good quality items at much more reasonable prices than the ones back in Costa Maya.

 

I really think you and your boys would enjoy many of these ports. There is a lot to do in most of them and would be a whole new experience for all of you. :)

 

Here are links to some of the pictures we have taken in Coz, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Mahahual:

 

Grand Cayman, Coz and Mahahual

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/93847874LCZtKG/0

 

 

Jamaica

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/274178613/274193289UAVtlk

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/274178613/274193450VINyAw

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/274178613/274193662gyzTfI

[jane02]

Thanks everyone for that info - just what I as looking for as well. We are about to book JOS to do eastern & western Caribbean for March/April 07 back to back. I was a bit worried it would just be beach after beach but it sounds as though there are heaps of interesting things to do as well as shopping.

Jane;)

[Ms.Fixit]

We've been on all three routes and had fun on all of them. We're still hitting some old favorite ports and adding new ones. I'm not sure as to the busiest time of year since we only cruise in the off season when most kids are in school.

 

Cozumel is one of my favorite places to visit on the Western itinerary. Although they were hit hard last year by the hurricane, I understand that Paradise Beach is open and running. It gets rave reviews along with the owner, Paradise Beach Tom, so I plan to check it out on our next trip there. Also, if you like to shop, Los Cinco Soles is back in business. My favorite store in all of Coz!

 

Some western itineraries include Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Key West, Playa del Carmen, Costa Maya, Belize and Roatan. We haven't made all these ports yet, but I'm working on it! ;)

 

Grand Cayman is expensive and there isn't a lot to do there. Our stingray swim was cancelled after the hurricane in 2004 so we're still trying to get back there to do the swim. You can do some beach time, snorkel or go to Hell and see the unusual formations. What a name! :eek: :D

 

If you go to Jamaica, I recommend that you go on a guided tour either from the ship or a recommended independent. It just isn't a good idea to do this island on your own. Climb Dunn's River Falls or go tubing on the river, visit plantations, Fern Gulley and the Wassi Art Pottery factory and hit Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. It's okay to take the kids and it's located in a mall area that is pretty clean and safe.

 

Costa Maya is one of our favorites if not our most favorite. The tourist area has been literally carved out of the jungle. This is NOT the jungle from the Tarzan movies though. It has a large swimming pool with fountains and a swim up bar, several well known shops, a couple of restaurants, vendors who can be a tad pushy and whose prices were too high without haggling, beach volleyball and massages on the beach. They also have some of the locals performing dances.

 

We didn't actually spend a lot of time here. Instead we took a taxi ($5/per person round trip) down to the village of Mahahual. Although it is growing and has several fun places on the beach, it isn't nearly as commercialized as other ports. There is still a very rustic feel to the village with sand streets and roaming musicians. We sat on the beach under a palapa with our toes in the sand and enjoyed the view. Water was warm for swimming, we had food and drink service from the restaurant across the street ($2 beer!) and my friend and I had massages on the beach. OMG! It was wonderful! We also found that some of the vendors had good quality items at much more reasonable prices than the ones back in Costa Maya.

 

I really think you and your boys would enjoy many of these ports. There is a lot to do in most of them and would be a whole new experience for all of you. :)

 

Here are links to some of the pictures we have taken in Coz, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Mahahual:

 

Grand Cayman, Coz and Mahahual

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/93847874LCZtKG/0

 

 

Jamaica

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/274178613/274193289UAVtlk

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/274178613/274193450VINyAw

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/274178613/274193662gyzTfI

 

Deb,

Thanks for your review of the Western route. I see you have been on the Navigator! This ship is definitely one we are looking at, as well as the Mariner of the Seas.

 

We have no choice to book our cruise on a school vacation....ugh! Never had to do this before, as the kids were younger then and it wasn't too bad to miss a little school, but now that they are getting a little older taking them out of school is definitely not an option in my town!

 

I am looking more towards April of 2007. Do you know if this is a good time for Western as far as weather???? Any input is appreciated.

 

I love your pics....they are great. Yes, the beaches do look fantastic and with so much to do. I have spent all my time researching and looking at Eastern Carribbean, but it is time I think to look into Western.

 

So you do recommend staying with the ship's itineraries in these islands? Having never been there, I think I would probably stick to what the ship has to offer as far as beach excursions, etc.

 

Thanks for your great review!