CruiseMates Cruise Community and Forums - Eastern or Western Caribbean?

CruiseMates Cruise Community and Forums (http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/)

- Caribbean & Panama Canal (http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/caribbean-panama-canal/)

- - Eastern or Western Caribbean? (http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/caribbean-panama-canal/379394-eastern-western-caribbean.html)

Eastern or Western Caribbean?

We are trying to plan a cruise for this June and were wondering what's your opinion? Would the Eastern or Western Caribbean cruise be more fun? We are going with RCI's 7 day cruises. For the west, the ports are Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico. For the east, the ports are CocoCay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Let me know what you think!

They have a killer zipline in Labadee I have always wanted to try...
YouTube - Zip Line in Labadee

I enjoy the deep diving sub in Grand Cayman.

Not really crazy about the Bahamas, but all the other ports sound good!

If I had ny druthers, I would say the Southern, but, between those 2 eastern is my fave.

If you are a lover of water sports,and beach activities, the western is the better of the two...islands are a bit more rustic...also, they have all the ruins:):)

Eastern is, in my opinion, the better for shopping..it also has some great beaches,and a bit more interesting to tour around on excursions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bastephens05 (Post 1341727)

Going to Haiti ,Jamaica and Mexico might limit shore excursions due to crime problems

I personally love St.Maarten .

For me it would be the Eastern, just have done too many
Westerns the last few cruises....Have you already cruised in the Western Caribbean, if not, those are some good ports along with Labadee, great beach day.

There are many many options in the Caribbean. Frankly, you have to decide what is right for YOU. Is your main objective beaches? natural beauty? marine life? history? exotic shopping? What I like might bore you, and what you like might kill me.

A very good idea is to read over the ship's shore excursions for each port. Whether or not you decide to go with the ship's excursions, this is a starting point to get an idea of what is available at that port.

We have done Eastern, Western, Southern, hodge podge, canal, all sorts of Caribbean cruises and enjoyed them all. Check out our trip report and pictures at Cruising with the Halls for some ideas.

And Zack ... I am NOT getting on any zip line!! :D

so much depends on your own personal preference: Western is our choice- we love to snorkel in Cozumel, interact with the StingRays in Grand Caymen, Labadee is a blast, beach party! In Jamaica we either go to an all-inclusive beach resort, lazy river tubing, dunns river falls, all depends on our mood and who we are cruising with. Eastern offers breathtakingly beautiful beaches with good snorkeling, and really good shopping, and a poke around the islands type of atsmophere

The Wonderful Thing about Cruising

Quote:

Originally Posted by LisaK (Post 1342215)

Now there is the wonderful thing about cruising. There is hardly a single thing on Lisa's list that we would do, either Eastern or Western Caribbean.

Western Caribbean is a place where we have seen wonderful ancient ruins, had great Mexican cooking classes, and been to a gorgeous spa in Honduras! But NO StingRays for me!

Eastern Caribbean gives a chance for aquariums, aloe factories, interacting with the sea lions, historical sites, and of course my DW has to have her shopping.

Even without an inch of overlap in our experiences with Lisa's, there is so much to do in the Caribbean for everybody! Once again, YOU have to decide what is right for YOU!