Eastern or Western Caribbean???

[Zaffaris]

I am taking my mother and grand-mother on a June or July sailing on the Navigator. Although we have all cruised before, none of us have ever done the Caribbean and we can't decide between the Eastern route and the Western route. Any advice? Pros and Cons for both? Any advice (especially from those who have been both routes) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[TrentS]

IMO Southern is best, then Eastern... I don't care for Western at all, they're boring islands to me, and Jamaica is downright nasty & dangerous.

 

Navigator's Eastern itinerary is my favorite Eastern itin. The islands are beautiful and have everything - Awesome beaches, great shopping, great sightseeing! They're everything the Western isn't... It's no contest to me.

[Sheffie]

If they want to see Mayan ruins, the Western is where you find those. (I agree w/ skipping Jamaica.) The Eastern islands are hilly and pretty. Aruba and Curacao weren't very interesting (IMHO). We are going to the Southern to the east on our next cruise, so I don't know about those yet.

[kbt2]

Same order here for me as well:

1 - Southern

2- Eastern

3- Western

 

Have a great cruise!

[cruiseapril]

Southern, Eastern, Western here too. Too much tendering on Western for older woman, perhaps?

[capnlars]

Depending on when you are cruising - it might be a moot point. For the last two summers, our July "Eastern" cruises have been rerouted for weather.

 

If you are planning to go mid-June through Sept - there's definitely a good chance you won't do the planned route based on the last two year's storm activity.

[TrentS]

Depending on when you are cruising - it might be a moot point. For the last two summers, our July "Eastern" cruises have been rerouted for weather.

 

If you are planning to go mid-June through Sept - there's definitely a good chance you won't do the planned route based on the last two year's storm activity.

That can happen to ANY itinerary in the Caribbean during hurricane season, Western is just as likely to get rerouted as Eastern is at that time of year... Hurricane season is June 1st through November 30.

[TravelQN]

Don't make a decision - do both!:p

 

For me it would depend on island choices and ship choices.

[smrtypnts]

If you're into beaches and shopping then eastern or southern is the way to go. If you're more into interesting excursions, then (imho) western is the way to go. we most recently did western and we did cave tubing and mayan ruins amoung other things.

 

although another poster was right about tendering. more tendering can be the way with a western route.