USA41018 Posted March 4, 2007 #26 Share Posted March 4, 2007 It was the Voyager that went West. The Explorer went East. We cruised on both. Both stopped in Haiti. We've had enough of Haiti (Labadee). IMHO four ports are plenty. 3 is not enough and anything more would be exhausting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Posted March 4, 2007 #27 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I love the beaches in St. Maarten - Orient Beach and Trunk Bay St. John. I have been to many of the top beaches in the world and truly enjoyed these. I like to get off the ship early and get to the beach before it gets really crowded. As one person pointed out, if its really just beaches you want why cruise? For me, the cruise ship provides a little of everything that I'm looking for in a cruise. Great beaches, shopping, good weather, lots of various types of entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big al Posted March 5, 2007 #28 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Which cruise would your recommened based on beaches only. Not so much interested in excursions or sight seeing. We like beach days and at sea days. Thanks for your opinions! Fun-I've been to most,and as a P/T cruise agent myself,I tell people "if you like nice beaches and great shopping,do the Eastern route..if you like water sports & diving or snorkeling and some history,do the Western...if you want more exotic ports,try the Southern routes.."...we prefer Eastern because we love St.Maarten and St.Thomas because of their beaches and cheap,cheap liquor prices...we've been to both E & W routes 5-6 times each and Southern route once and NO DOUBT we like the Eastern best.Also the locals in the Western routes (Jamaica,Cozumel) can be especially aggressive and I find they bother you ALOT more than the Eastern or Southern....IMO..... Big Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fun~N~Sun Posted March 5, 2007 Author #29 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Fun-I've been to most,and as a P/T cruise agent myself,I tell people "if you like nice beaches and great shopping,do the Eastern route..if you like water sports & diving or snorkeling and some history,do the Western...if you want more exotic ports,try the Southern routes.."...we prefer Eastern because we love St.Maarten and St.Thomas because of their beaches and cheap,cheap liquor prices...we've been to both E & W routes 5-6 times each and Southern route once and NO DOUBT we like the Eastern best.Also the locals in the Western routes (Jamaica,Cozumel) can be especially aggressive and I find they bother you ALOT more than the Eastern or Southern....IMO..... Big Al Thanks for the info! We did the Destiny cruise and we loved St. Thomas (I would love to go to St. John), Barbados, and Aruba. We like nice beaches but fun. We like a little of the party scene with some music, drinks, shopping nearby. I have been to Naussau before and enjoyed that too. I would like to do the Western route just for something different but am a little concerned about safety and language barriers. The Southern route concerns me too, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, will these ports and beaches have the atmosphere I am looking for? I want to cruise from one of the Florida ports too, I prefer not to sail from San Juan EVER again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markandstacie00 Posted March 5, 2007 #30 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Thanks for the info! We did the Destiny cruise and we loved St. Thomas (I would love to go to St. John), Barbados, and Aruba. We like nice beaches but fun. We like a little of the party scene with some music, drinks, shopping nearby. I have been to Naussau before and enjoyed that too. I would like to do the Western route just for something different but am a little concerned about safety and language barriers. The Southern route concerns me too, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, will these ports and beaches have the atmosphere I am looking for? I want to cruise from one of the Florida ports too, I prefer not to sail from San Juan EVER again. I would suggest you do a western trip. There is no language berrier on the typical route (Cayman, Coz, Jamaica). The first and last speak english and practically everyone does in this part of Mexico. There also is great snorkeling. The thing I like the most about the western is the different environments. Cayman - wealthy European feel ( white, there I said it) Jamaica - Black English speaking proud population and a beautiful country, Cozumel/Costa Maya - Spanish and lots of history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabsmom Posted March 5, 2007 #31 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. Half Moon Cay is a private island. Nothing but beach and water sports. I've been to a couple of other lines private islands, but HMC is probably the most beautiful. Grand Turk is really pretty too. Nice facilities right off the dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharecruises Posted March 5, 2007 #32 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I would suggest you do a western trip. There is no language berrier on the typical route (Cayman, Coz, Jamaica). The first and last speak english and practically everyone does in this part of Mexico. There also is great snorkeling. The thing I like the most about the western is the different environments. Cayman - wealthy European feel ( white, there I said it) Jamaica - Black English speaking proud population and a beautiful country, Cozumel/Costa Maya - Spanish and lots of history. ???? Yes, the western is nice...but...did you even read the OP question...they are looking for great beaches apparently They apparently are not looking for history, ruins, cultures...but for beaches Grand Cayman seemed just like South Florida to me...except we have better beaches...7 mile was crowded like sardines Jamaica?? I enjoyed dunn's river falls but the beach was not great...you can not just walk off the ship and find a wonderful beach on your own, you really need a tour/excursion Belize?? You have to tender to a caye or private beach.... I am looking forward to Belize and Mexico but I don't feel that they are really as simply "beachy" as some of the classic Eastern ports and/or the private island type ports Have you ever been to the Eastern?? Many of the ports are quite close to spectacular beaches, you can walk right off the ship, no tenders, no fuss, and easily get to a beach day without paying huge excursion fees or setting up all sort of logistical tactics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phlydude Posted March 5, 2007 #33 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I'll give you a listing of where I have been and give you a rating of stars (1-4, 4 being excellent) Aruba - 3 - free beach was decent and easy enough to get to - not crowded at all Curacao - 0 - essentially no beaches on this island St Thomas - 4 - beautiful beaches and St John is easy to get to St Marteen - 3 - Orient beach was nice but maybe I caught it on a bad day, it was very rough Puerto Rico - 2 - beaches were small and average Jamaica - 2 - beaches were OK but I don't care for the island...too pushy Grand Cayman - 4 - Sea Grape beach was beautiful, one of the best Cozumel - 3 - Paradise beach was nice, a little murky but the atmosphere made up for the beach shortcomings Costa Maya - 3 - beaches were nice, no complaints Roatan - 3.5 - Tabyana beach was one of the best Belize - 2.5 - have to go out to the Cays to get to a beach...that takes away from the time to enjoy it Dominican Republic - 4 - beautiful beaches along Bavaro beach area Barbados - 3 - water is the saltiest I have ever experienced...guy selling "smoke" was interesting as well but the beach was nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fun~N~Sun Posted March 5, 2007 Author #34 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Thanks for the info. We went to Coki beach in St. Thomas and we liked it. We ran into your guy smelling smoke there. Barbados - we went to the Boatyard and had a blast. Locals there were very friendly and helpful but not pushy. I didn't notice the water being any saltier there than anywhere I've been. Beach in Aruba was nice but didn't think it was anything special so we went on a last minute snorkel trip that was great. We also have stayed at Atlantis in Naussau. Thought the beaches and the beach service was great but I think Atlantis itself is very overrated; especially the night life unless you are really into the casino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shan9700 Posted March 5, 2007 #35 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Fun~N~Sun, I really like Costa Maya and Coz too. For Lazy beach days because the water is as beautful as in the eastern carribean. The water was so clean and warm with a sandy bottom. There was a little sea grass in areas in Costa Maya but it was so beauitful. The best thing about mexican beachs is that the local people really enjoy you being there and your money goes a long way. My vote a day at Teq. Beach in Costa Maya. shan9700:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeolasingh Posted March 5, 2007 #36 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I recently visited Condado beach in San Juan nice Megans Bay in St Thomas awesome Malibu Beach in Barbados beautiful Pineapple Beach in Antigua beautiful In the past I visited Sapphire Beach St Thomas really pretty One of the many beaches maybe 5 min from the port in Antiqua beautiful cant remember the name it was in 2005 To me any beach with palm trees and blueish greenish turquoise water is BEAUTIFUL..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachlady58 Posted March 5, 2007 #37 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I am an avid beach goer and prefer the Western Route...Grand Caymen - 7 mile beach down by the marriott Courtyard is nice and not too crowded - Cozumel has nice beaches and the bluest water ever. We just did Eastern and the weather stunk and the beaches were OK. We did Morningstar near the Marriott and then orient beach in St Maarten. They were nice but West is better. Also Labadee is really nice on RCCL - in Jamaica there are nice beaches but it is a bit rough... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snownyet Posted March 5, 2007 #38 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. Half Moon Cay is a private island. Nothing but beach and water sports. I've been to a couple of other lines private islands, but HMC is probably the most beautiful. Grand Turk is really pretty too. Nice facilities right off the dock. Half Moon Cay has one of the very best beaches in the caribbean. Sand like flour and beautiful water. The sharing of what was once Holland Americas exclusive beach is a great bonus to carnival passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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