East/West/South Carribbeans?

[Satchel85]

Does anyone have preferences to which region and why? We're still in the planning stages for our cruise and we're not sure which one to pick since none of us have been anywhere in the Carribbeans.

[Shanafan]

I prefer the Eastern. Having done them all several times (only twice for the Southern) I like the Eastern. I really don't think you can go wrong wherever you go. I was booked for the Western over Thanksgiving but ended up changing today to do the Eastern again. Something about it.....

[xcgsailor]

The "Eastern" for me as well....The islands are gorgous and there is so much to see on all of them...Going back this Aug for a "southern" which includes some of the virgin islands (eastern)...I have the "western" listed twice on my cruise history but one of the cruises included the grand caymans and jamaica, which I consider Eastern...Put the "Western" on your list of things to do before you die, because its a good cruise as well... :D

[SC_Sam]

Our preference is for the Eastern, as well. To do Southern, you have to either do a longer cruise (and cruise from the mainland), or fly to San Juan (or some other Southern embarkation point). As a result, I think it is generally more expensive to do Southern Caribbean itineraries.

 

As far as the islands themselves, our favorites are St. Thomas and St. Maarten, which are on most Eastern itineraries, and a few Southern itineraries. We enjoyed other Southern Caribbean islands, as well, it's just a matter of preference.

 

We like the Western ports, also, except for Jamaica. While not a blanket characterization (for that's not fair), we found the Jamaicans to be very pushy and aggressive. It's probably the only place we've ever visited where we felt even slightly unsafe. If we do a cruise that visits Jamaica again, we'll probably choose to stay on the ship. We loved Cozumel, Grand Cayman was just kind of so-so.

 

Wherever you go, you'll have a great time. OP, let us know what you decide.

[Ashlea13vb]

Great thread - I'm also trying to decide on which area of the Caribbean to cruise to next year.

 

To supplement OP's question - what are the "do not miss" ports on each of these routes? Which ports make the Eastern/Western/Southern your favorite?

 

Thanks for your valuable insight!

[cb at sea]

We prefer the Eastern, as well! I like being able to cruise out of Fla, and most of the southern routes depart from San Juan. (Not all, tho!) I have absolutely NO INTEREST in Mexico at all. None. Nada, Zilch! I wouldn't mind the other ports, but I'm not taking even 1 red cent into Mexico! And since almost all western routes go to at least 1 of their ports....

Plus, we've had smoother seas everytime we've gone the eastern route, which always makes a cruise nicer!

[Sheffie]

We love all of the itineraries, but the Southern is my very favorite! This does include the islands of St. Thomas, and St. Maarten, so, you get the Eastern thrown in as a bonus! These islands are the kind that you dream about! Most have lush vegetation, getting better the farther south you go. The beaches are gorgeous!

[Shanafan]

I agree with all of the above posts. We have found the seas much calmer on this route. Jamaica is truly the only place I have felt unsafe with my family. (And my daughter chose Jamaica for her destination wedding in May.....but in an all inclusive...go figure)

 

I love St Maarten. I can say the same for St Thomas. In St Maarten we always go to Joe's Jewelry and to Orient beach. In St Thomas we have always gone to Magans Bay. In November I plan to try another beach on both islands......any suggestions???

[Byram Anne]

:)We just loved Morning Star Beach -- it's a very quiet, beautiful spot!!:D

[Ashlea13vb]

Shanafan -

 

I haven't done this (yet!), but I understand that Trunk Bay on St. John is one of the most beautiful settings in the world. I believe you can get there by taking a ferry from St. Thomas ... I apologize I don't have the details, but it is supposedly worth the trip!!

[bobbie0253]

You really can't go wrong with any of them. I personally like western the best. It's just so laid back on those islands. (Ocho Rios was my least favorite so far though). I love Cozumel and Costa Maya. They are both great for beach days. Lots of sun and cheap beer. Cozumel is great to rent a jeep and just take off for the day. Grand Cayman is very nice, but expensive. The stingrays are amazing.

 

Eastern/ Bahamas: I love CocoCay. It's nice to have a beach day that doesn't invole taxi's and beach vendors. No need to worry about where to go for lunch or how much cash to bring.

 

St. Thomas and St. Maarten are both great islands also. We have been there many times and still feel like each time is the first. There is just so much to do.

 

Southern is nice too, but usually we feel like we need a vacation from vacation at the end. It's just so port intensive most of the time. We have been known to make a port a sea day and stay on the ship. That's hard to do with your first cruise though. You will want to try and do everything everday.

 

We now cruise for the ship first and ports second. But given the choice....it's western for me :D

[jimbug]

Having done an eastern and about to do a southern, all I can say is that they are all very different...

 

The western route (generally includes a mix of Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Key West, Jamaica, Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya) probably has the best snorkeling/diving. The reefs are still pretty healthy in most places and there are large varieties of fish, coral, etc. to see.

 

The eastern route (generally includes a mix of Bahamas, cruise line private islands [which are also in the Bahamas], Puerto Rico, U.S. and British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Grand Turk, and some others) is famous for its shopping and gorgeous, unbeatable beaches. Wow. Half Moon Cay (HAL's island in the Bahamas) was undoubtedly the most beautiful beach and water I have EVER seen. While there is certainly some good snorkeling and diving here, it is not quite what you might see on a western route. But, the beaches here win hands down, so take your pick!

 

Southern route (mix of St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Dutch Antilles [Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao], St. Kitts, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, Antigua, etc.) has some pretty unique experiences. For instance, a lot of people don't realize that Aruba and Curacao (I know nothing about Bonaire) are desert islands...and not full of lush, tropical foliage, like a lot of other stops are. Great beaches here, as well...more of the "exotic" Caribbean feel, IMO.

 

Whatever you pick, I'm sure you will have fun...western is our next cruise a year from now, and I will have "completed" the circle, minus a few islands I really want to visit.

[beachlady58]

I agree with Bobbie - I like the Western route much better - our eastern route included San Juan (dump and nothing to do except shop) and Nassau ...both times I have done the eastern route is has rained alot so ...I love the western as my family likes Mexico, snorkeling and cheap beer...weather is has always been great and not as rough as eastern - We also love labadee:D . I am planning on doing the southern next year ...

[auggiemom]

We've done both Eastern and Western, and for us, hands down EASTERN is our favorite. We love the ports, more so than the Western, but everyone has their own preference. Personally, I also like extra sea days. This year we are doing the Mariner Eastern route, based on the fact that we have three at sea days.

 

Whatever you choose, you will have a GREAT time:)

[NAHA]

Southern Caribbean, hands down, for us. We enjoy the "Aruba, Curacao" route, less port intensive. And we enjoy flying to San Juan, makes the vacation a little more exotic.

 

And since this itinerary usually includes St. Maarten and St. Thomas, our two favorite islands, we have even more of a reason to like this route! :)

[TDOTCRUISR]

Done the Eastern itinerary 3 times and the Southern one twice. As NAHA said, the Southern route (although a little more expensive usually) includes some of the Eastern ports so it was definitely the best choice for us. It offers such a variety...all the islands are very different offering beautiful beaches, lots of adventures and shopping (if that's your thing): St. Thomas & St. Maarten for jewellery, alcohol, etc., Curacao: great for ladies' shoes, purses and clothing for all and don't forget the yummy Gouda cheese in Aruba ($17 US for an 8lb wheel).

 

If it's your first cruise, then it will be great no matter where you go. My first was very port intensive, but I planned it that way b/c I was nervous about being sea sick and wanted to see as many ports as possible. It takes a few cruises before one can feel relaxed. I still overexert, b/c I never want to miss anything. It's my nature. Happy cruising!

[robtulipe]

We just did two southern routes out of San Juan P.R. in the last month and I love this sector of the Caribbean. Did Adventure to Aruba last week and Serenade to Barbados four weeks prior. There were only two ships embarking in S.J. for each cruise so you don't have the chaos of FLL and MIA at both the port and airport. S.J. is a great port with more than just shopping. El Morro and San Cristobal forts are two of the best preserved ones in that part of the world. El Yunque Caribbean Tropical Forest is fabulous to hike through. Walking through the old city or along the harbor front in OSJ is always an adventure for me since I seem to find something new (for me that is) to see. Last Sunday it was Casa Blanco, Ponce de Leon residents near El Morro fort. We strolled through it courtyard and gardens as well as seeing the inside of some of the buildings.It is fun just to watch the locals flying hundreds of kites on the El Morro grounds on a Sat. or Sun.

Then you get the rest of the best part of the Eastern route with St. Thomas and Sint Maarten with their great beaches and shopping. The rest of the islands on the southern route to Barbados are among the most beautiful in the world. Aruba and Curacao have charming capitals and great beaches.

Cost of flying to S.J. from my region (BUF) is almost as reasonable in my opinion as for me as to go to Florida, considering I am flying twice the distance. My last two total flights costs were $239 and $250 each. Even my flight cost for the Panama Canal cruise last Nov. (SJU-ACA return) was only $440. Also you avoid the two sea days for some ships (or almost two sea days for others since you get in later and have a half day in port for SJ and Nassau) when you sail from Florida. I have done both and heard the complaints afterward about not having enought time in port and the fact that many tourist sites are not open in the evening.

[Fitnessmaniac]

We've done Eastern (many times) Done Western(many times) and done 3 Southern. HANDS DOWN..SOUTHERN IS MY FAV!!!

We did Adventure to Aruba, Serenade & Celebrity's Constilation. Loved the Southern the VERY best! The islands are gorgeous!!!! They are mostly all truly tropical. :)

[TDOTCRUISR]

Rob Tulipe, do you always fly out of Buffalo? I am from Toronto & find that the airfares from here are getting ridiculous. It looks like my airfare from Toronto to Orlando for the end of Jun/beg of July is going to cost almost $600CA. Last yr's air to San Juan was $850CA. After crossing the CDN/US border, do you still have to do customs at the Buffalo airport? Will have to start considering Buffalo as an alternative to keep cruising affordable. I am totally envious of those who live in port embark areas, but then again I'd probably never be able to hold down a job if I lived there>>daydreaming of cruising...then cruising...and then daydreaming of cruising again...

[Shanafan]

Shanafan -

 

I haven't done this (yet!), but I understand that Trunk Bay on St. John is one of the most beautiful settings in the world. I believe you can get there by taking a ferry from St. Thomas ... I apologize I don't have the details, but it is supposedly worth the trip!!

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I have heard it is beautiful and I think we just might have to see for ourselves!

[robtulipe]

Rob Tulipe, do you always fly out of Buffalo? I am from Toronto & find that the airfares from here are getting ridiculous. It looks like my airfare from Toronto to Orlando for the end of Jun/beg of July is going to cost almost $600CA. Last yr's air to San Juan was $850CA. After crossing the CDN/US border, do you still have to do customs at the Buffalo airport? Will have to start considering Buffalo as an alternative to keep cruising affordable. I am totally envious of those who live in port embark areas, but then again I'd probably never be able to hold down a job if I lived there>>daydreaming of cruising...then cruising...and then daydreaming of cruising again...

Yes, I been flying out of Buffalo for years both for business (retired now) and for vacation travel. I also have flown out of Detroit (DTW) when going west. I'm in Brantford and usually it take less time to get to and catch a flight out of BUF than YYZ since you clear US customs at the border (no further customs since you are on domestic flights) and BUF is a nice compact one terminal airport with parking right by the terminal. Just parking the car at a reasonable rate is a hassel at YYZ and US custom is a nightmare most of the time. Cost are at least half out of BUF but you will not get a direct flight to SJ. I've connected in NYC, BOS, ATL and CLT to go/return from SJU.

Go to search engine kayak.com to get overall pricing and availability for flights.

[erniesband]

Southern's our favorite, specifically the port-intensive Serenade itinerary, although we also enjoyed the AOS itinerary, and our 11-night Empress cruise. We love sailing out of San Juan, and find plenty to do there exploring OSJ, and absolutely love the islands! We've found it no more expensive to do the Southern route, including the airfare to San Juan, than it would be for us to do an 8 night Radiance or Jewel out of Florida, in a comparable cabin. In fact, we had originally booked Radiance for next year, but switched back to Serenade, and will be spending less.

 

Jodi

[cayenneblue]

How about if you have teenagers who have never cruised before? We're leaning towards the Western (on Freedom), but also have looked at the Eastern (on Mariner). There is also a Southern available on Adventure, but I know the airfare will be a tad more for that one.

 

My teens like to be active, so the more to do, the better!

 

In relation to this topic, which excursions do you recommend for teens on these itineraries?

 

Thanks!

[TDOTCRUISR]

Thanks RobTulipe for your prompt reply. Is it expensive to park your car at the BUF airport? I am assuming that a smaller airport makes for less chaos, so how early do you usually arrive before a flight since you don't have to pass through customs? Thanks again!

[erniesband]

How about if you have teenagers who have never cruised before? We're leaning towards the Western (on Freedom), but also have looked at the Eastern (on Mariner). There is also a Southern available on Adventure, but I know the airfare will be a tad more for that one.

 

My teens like to be active, so the more to do, the better!

 

In relation to this topic, which excursions do you recommend for teens on these itineraries?

 

Thanks!

 

We've actually managed to find deals that have made the overall cost of cruising out of San Juan little, if any, more expensive, than out of Florida. There are tons of active things for teens to do on the Southern itinerary we like best, not to mention the activities available on AOS (which, of course, can be found on the Voyager class ships out of FL, too).

 

St. Thomas - go to St. John and hike in the National Forest, or snorkel. Or take a day sail from Red Hook, on St. Thomas.

 

St. Maarten - the zip line excursion is a blast! And then there's sailboat racing on the America's Cup Excursion.

 

Antigua - our all-time favorite excursion is Eli's Eco Tour, closely followed by the Xtreme Circumnav. Your whole family should have a great time on this - http://www.adventureantigua.com, and for a video of the Xtreme tour, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OeoOp6bO0g.

 

Barbados - SilverMoon (I or II) are really good catamaran excursions. The Boatyard would be a fun time at the beach, and there are other snorkeling/turtle excursions, too, as well as biking and hiking stuff.

 

St. Lucia - Snorkeling, catamarans, an excursion on The Brig Unicorn (a pirate ship type excursion on a ship that was in Pirates of the Caribbean), a rainforest hike - plenty to keep the teens busy and active here, too.

 

Sea day - by now they should be so exhausted, they may well sleep most of the day!

 

Jodi