7-day W. Carib vs. 4-day Bahamian?

[squirk]

I know this is a subjective question, but I’d still appreciate various opinions and points of view on it.

We always cruise during Mardi Gras week, because our kids get the week off of school and the rest of the country does not. As such, fares seem to be a little lower. And while we love Mardi Gras, we have done it enough where we no longer feel obliged to stay in town for the whole two-week celebration.

We have cruised the E. Carib itinerary four times now and love it. However, this coming Mardi Gras week, the Fantasy is running the W. Carib itinerary, which we have never done.

Maybe it’s just “fear of the unknown,” but honestly, we can’t seem to get excited about Cozumel, Grand Cayman or Falmouth.

I will freely admit that that bomb scare in Cozumel has us a bit spooked about the destination. Further, we do not like doing group excursions, preferring to make our own way around each port destination. Just reading the anecdotes on this board, it seems the consensus for Falmouth is to “stay with a group”, which if true, totally kills our buzz.

So, I am mulling over switching to a 4-day Bahamian cruise that week, and maybe taking another small cruise next fall (‘19). A longer cruise is always better than a shorter one, but it just seems silly to pay for a 7-night cruise where I will be paying port fees for ports where I don’t even want to get off the ship.

Any opinions? Are the W. Carib routes notably more “sketchy” than the E. Carib? Or am I worrying about nothing?

Thanks in advance for your input,

Squirk

 

[KashasMom]

We love the Western itinerary (don't like the Eastern or Bahamas). The Western has more active excursions - Eastern is more beaches and shopping (which we find boring). We mostly do our own excursions. It's been a while since we've been to Grand Cayman but the Stingray Excursion there is supposed to be excellent.

In Falmouth we did the Heritage Walking tour - just us and the guide. We never felt unsafe. Last time there we went tubing on the Rio Bueno. It was a small group (5 of us) through RCI. It was such a blast we're doing it again in November.

In Cozumel we did a sea turtle release excursion, which we LOVED. We also went to Paradise Beach by taxi - nice beach, GREAT pool, and very good food. We've also done a dolphin encounter at Chakanaab National Park. We'll be going back there - by taxi - in November to hang out at the beach and explore the park. There is plenty of shopping near where the ship docks and personally I am not concerned about being there. The areas where there have been incidents are not near the port - and if there really was any danger, the cruise lines would not be going there.

BTW, many people consider Nassau "sketchy" too. IMO many cruisers tend to be over-cautious travelers and many stick to cruise line excursion for one reason or another. There definitely is a balance. Just be aware of your surroundings, don't flash cash/jewelry, etc. Same as you would in most places around the world.

 

[dclpluto]

Don’t let Jamaica scare you it’s nasty but it has some very nice excursions. Grand cayman you can swim with stingrays. Cozumel I don’t know what bomb scare you are talking about guess I need to google it.

 

[squirk]

Don’t let Jamaica scare you it’s nasty but it has some very nice excursions. Grand cayman you can swim with stingrays. Cozumel I don’t know what bomb scare you are talking about guess I need to google it.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ferry-mexico-local-official/story?id=53471413

 

[DietCokeMommy]

I don’t really care for he Bahamas or Nassau. I’d rather do the western and if there are no excursions that we’re interesting I’d stay on the boat and it enjoy it being mostly empty. Id really enjoy that itinerary I think but I’m a big beach person though, which is why I enjoy the Caribbean.

 

[lklgoodman]

We did a WC in 2017 and I never felt unsafe. There are plenty of excursions to choose from in Cozumel that don't involve going on a ferry if you are worried, plus I believe they caught the people who were involved in that. GC has beautiful beaches and is very safe. I have family who goes to GC every year for vacation with their kids and they would never do that if it wasn't safe. If you do a Disney excursion on Jamaica, you will be fine. I've only done 7nights, so I would much rather do a longer cruise than a short one. We've done 2 EC(we went to San Juan, St Maarten, and St Thomas) and are doing another next Jan(this time to Tortola and St. Thomas). I would rather go back and do a WC, but the timing worked out better for the EC one.

 

[Rachfamilyof5]

We did the western (3 kids 3,5,8) in January 2018 and loved it. We did an all inclusive place in Cozumel that was recommended here on the boards. Took a taxi to get there all u can eat and drink, pool, beach, chairs and umbrellas. Water sports activities for a fee. We did a Disney excursion in Jamaica to another all inclusive resort for the day. I’ve done the Dunn falls before, but I’m not into big group excursions, so not my thing. Cayman we just took a taxi to a beach area that was beautiful!! We had a fantastic time and I would do it all again!
We’ve done the 3 night merry Xmas Bahamas cruise and it was great but just too short!!

 

[Shanti]

I know this is a subjective question, but I’d still appreciate various opinions and points of view on it.

We always cruise during Mardi Gras week, because our kids get the week off of school and the rest of the country does not. As such, fares seem to be a little lower. And while we love Mardi Gras, we have done it enough where we no longer feel obliged to stay in town for the whole two-week celebration.

We have cruised the E. Carib itinerary four times now and love it. However, this coming Mardi Gras week, the Fantasy is running the W. Carib itinerary, which we have never done.

Maybe it’s just “fear of the unknown,” but honestly, we can’t seem to get excited about Cozumel, Grand Cayman or Falmouth.

I will freely admit that that bomb scare in Cozumel has us a bit spooked about the destination. Further, we do not like doing group excursions, preferring to make our own way around each port destination. Just reading the anecdotes on this board, it seems the consensus for Falmouth is to “stay with a group”, which if true, totally kills our buzz.

So, I am mulling over switching to a 4-day Bahamian cruise that week, and maybe taking another small cruise next fall (‘19). A longer cruise is always better than a shorter one, but it just seems silly to pay for a 7-night cruise where I will be paying port fees for ports where I don’t even want to get off the ship.

Any opinions? Are the W. Carib routes notably more “sketchy” than the E. Carib? Or am I worrying about nothing?

Thanks in advance for your input,

Squirk

I would do the 4-night Bahamian with another Bahamian on the horizon for the next year. We sailed the Eastern on the Fantasy, and that was enough of the Caribbean for us for quite a while (so run down and impoverished). We really only want to go to Castaway Cay now, so we'd rather do two Bahamian cruises than one Caribbean cruise.

 

[All about me]

I've done the four night with Disney, the seven night eastern with Disney and the seven night western with Royal Caribbean and personally I found the ports pretty much the same so I would go with the seven night western (in fact, I am in October 2018) because longer gives me a better chance to slow down and enjoy.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We’ve done both Western and Eastern and I like Western better. Loved Grand Cayman, really a great island, you can catch a cab to 7 mile beach and stay as long as you want. The little shopping area in Falmouth is hreatbor take a longer excursion is you want - anything in Ocho Rios is about an hour away. As far as Cozumel goes, that was one thing, there are multiple ships in that port everyday and there are very few instances of danger. The percentage of tourists being harmed and tourists visiting is extremely low.

 

[Big Mo]

Cozumel is a heck of a lot nicer than Nassau, plus 3 extra days on board.

The choice is pretty obvious.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We've done 2 Westerns, an Eastern and a grunch of BAH cruises. If given the choice, I'd go Western. As was mentioned above, very active opportunities in the ports; Grand Caymans and snorkeling/diving is divine. Jamaica is rough, but Cozumel is a ton of fun. I remember the bomb scare as it happened right before our last Western. If you avoid the mainland ferry, there's no problems. Tons to do in Cozumel from shopping to beach/ocean fun. There's also a really neat little museum within walking distance.

BAH or WCARIB? I'd go Western

 

[Carrie in AZ]

7nt Western without question!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've done the Western on the Fantasy twice. The second time we did it was because I got a really good price on the cruise and we didn't mind spending more time on the ship than in the ports. I would agree that, other than Grand Cayman, the ports are less than stellar. In Cozumel, we didn't go to the mainland. We did Passion Island by Twister which was a blast! I just wouldn't drink the alcohol or eat the food there (yuck). We didn't even get off in Falmouth the second time, though, I really wouldn't hesitate to do a cruise excursion (we were considering Good Hope). That being said, I would still take the 7-night western over the 4-night Bahamian unless there is an extreme price difference. We really enjoy just relaxing on the ship and four nights isn't enough. Plus the Bahamas isn't any better than the western ports, IMHO.

 

[kylaura]

We did the western (3 kids 3,5,8) in January 2018 and loved it. We did an all inclusive place in Cozumel that was recommended here on the boards. Took a taxi to get there all u can eat and drink, pool, beach, chairs and umbrellas. Water sports activities for a fee. We did a Disney excursion in Jamaica to another all inclusive resort for the day. I’ve done the Dunn falls before, but I’m not into big group excursions, so not my thing. Cayman we just took a taxi to a beach area that was beautiful!! We had a fantastic time and I would do it all again!
We’ve done the 3 night merry Xmas Bahamas cruise and it was great but just too short!!

Which places did you go to at Cozumel and Grand Cayman? Thanks!

 

[jeepnjudy]

I would opt for the 7 day cruise mostly because the 4 day is too short. We have done the western itinerary many times, book our own excursions and have not had any problems. Just be diligent of your surroundings and you should be fine.

 

[Jess_S]

We are booked on the western you are considering, so that was obviously my choice. We are booked on a private tour in cozumel and doing resort for a day in Jamaica. Grand Cayman would be easy to DIY based upon my research, so there do seem to be non DCL options at each port.

 

[Rachfamilyof5]

Which places did you go to at Cozumel and Grand Cayman? Thanks!

In Cozumel it was called Nachi Cocum. We booked the tickets on line as they advertise that they only let 130 people in a day. It definitely was Not crowded at all. Very nice, quiet, and I felt it was safe. Many people on here recommend it. We rented paddle boards there and tried that. Servers wait on you at the beach. Pool was big (very chilly though). It was maybe around 140$ for all of us for the day.

Cayman we went in a van taxi to 7 mike beach area. I can’t remember for sure where we got off but it was like a resort area. They stopped and most everyone got off. There was an outdoor bar area and water sports like snorkels to rent. If I can find the name I’ll update you!
There were beach chairs if you could grab one. Lots of people and you could see the cruise ships in the distance. But beautiful calm water and room to build sand castles, and that’s all we need!

 

[squirk]

Thanks, all. Objectively, I know worrying about the ferry safety in Cozumel is silly, and that DCL would not be stopping in Cozumel if there was a real threat, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my head.

But setting all that aside, I was thumbing through my DCL Unofficial Guide, and I just could not get excited for these ports. The fact that all of the MX ruins are roped off bummed me out, too.

Hearing that several of you found great things to do eases my concerns. I will go back and re-read my UG with a fresh set of eyes.

 

[Quellman]

Thanks, all. Objectively, I know worrying about the ferry safety in Cozumel is silly, and that DCL would not be stopping in Cozumel if there was a real threat, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my head.

But setting all that aside, I was thumbing through my DCL Unofficial Guide, and I just could not get excited for these ports. The fact that all of the MX ruins are roped off bummed me out, too.

Hearing that several of you found great things to do eases my concerns. I will go back and re-read my UG with a fresh set of eyes.

Sounds like you are a get off the boat kind of crowd. You would probably easily be able find many private tour groups who are reputable. As for the roped off ruins, yes that changes how you can experience them, but they are still a magnificent sight and full of historical and archeological importance. Would you bypass going to the Eiffel tower just because they didn't let you go up?