Can't decide between eastern or western Caribbean.

[ToyStory3]

We've finally decided that we want to go on a Fantasy 7 night cruise this October or November. But, we can't decide between Eastern and Western. We've been on the Western itinerary a couple times previously but it was several years ago on another cruise line. And, we are going on an Eastern itinerary next June with my family but it's not the same stops as DCL. The prices aren't that different and they both leave out of Port Canaveral. Several of the dates work for us so that's not really a factor. Which itinerary do you prefer? We'd like to not have to spend a lot on shore excursions. We like to just get off the boat and tour around a little on our own without putting down lots of additional money. Our kids are 10 and 13 and have never been on either itinerary. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[My2Qtz0205]

I personally preferred the Eastern, though we do excursions through DCL.
My kids are close to your kids' ages. In fact, when we did the Eastern my kids were exactly those ages.
St. Thomas is my favorite port so far. We snorkeled with the sea turtles. It was awesome! In Tortola we did the half-day Baths excursion, which my daughter still talks about.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Eastern has one more sea day than Western, so one less port.

 

[Happy100]

We have done both and enjoy both. You really can't miss with either one but if I had to choose I like the Western. Mexico is cheaper then the Virgin Islands.

 

[ToyStory3]

Do St Thomas and Tortola have places or beaches close by that you can walk to or take a short cab ride to visit?

 

[g3pak]

We did Western on the Fantasy a little over 3 years ago and Eastern back in March. Western was Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and CC. Eastern was Tortola, St Thomas, and CC. Our DD's were on the trip in March and they were 15 and 11 at the time. 4 years ago it was just wife and I.

I liked them both, but I prefer Eastern. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Tortola and St Thomas was very nice, too. For Tortola we rented a jeep and drove to Long Bay Beach- rental was just a few dollars more than taxi fare for 4 people and it was SO much more fun. We drove along the beach going there and over the mountain coming back. Long Bay Beach has a rocky bottom from close to the edge to a ways out, so if your kids want to play in the water, you may want to try another beach. It is possible to get past the rocks and it still be shallow enough to stand and play, but it is risky getting out to where it clears out. That said, the beauty of the beach and the fact we saw maybe 10 people that day made it the most beautiful beach setting I have ever seen. So, if you just want to grab a lounge chair under a palm tree while the kids build sand castles, that is the place for you.

St Thomas we explored the city in the morning and then took a taxi to Magen's Bay Beach after lunch. It was EXTREMELY crowded but our girls liked that we didn't encounter any rocks.

Now, if Costa Maya is on the Western itinerary, check out Maya Chan. It was our favorite stop on the Western, other than CC of course.

I say- you can't go wrong either way, so enjoy.

 

[stephmarty]

Do St Thomas and Tortola have places or beaches close by that you can walk to or take a short cab ride to visit?

Walk, not really. Short cab ride, yes. We found it very easy to take an open air cab to beaches on both islands. They are more like 15-20 minute rides, but they are beautiful rides on both islands as you go up and over the mountainous terrain. Amazing views of the ship below, then of the coast on the other side. The islands are similar. Loved them both. Don't let the group open-air "cab" worry you. It's only a little frustrating that you'll have to wait for them to fill up before departing, but usually less than 5 minutes. Such a unique experience. Edit--the town in St. Thomas is an easy walk. Beaches will require cab. Can't recall what you might walk to on Tortola.

 

[lorimay]

I like the Western itineraries but I LOVE the extra sea day of the Eastern......... Whichever you do you will have a great time.

 

[RedStars]

We did Western in Nov 2014 and we're doing Eastern this Nov.

I didn't like Falmouth and Cozumel was 'ok', GC was great but we just took a cab to the beach.

I'm looking forward to the extra sea day on the Eastern.
From my research, it sounds like both Tortola and St Thomas have options for cabs-to-beach which I like because I'm leaning towards not booking an excursion.

 

[KashasMom]

I love the Western, not so much the Eastern. We've done the most amazing excursions in Cozumel - baby sea turtle rescue and release, dolphin swim at Chankanaab National Park, and took a taxi on our own to Paradise Beach (nice beach, beautiful pool, great food). In Falmouth my daughter and I did river tubing on the Rio Bueno (it was a blast!). We've also done the Heritage Walk which we've really enjoyed. Not sure what your other port is...if it's GC I'd go to the beach...didn't much like the island. If it's Costa Maya we did a fantastic excursion through Native Choice to Chacchoben Ruins.

As far as Eastern - we've been to Tortola three times and are finally going to the Baths on our upcoming cruise in August. I'm sure this will be better than our other experiences there. St. Thomas is too much shopping-oriented for my liking and I honestly was not that impressed with Magen's Bay Beach so we're going to St. John in August.

The extra sea day on the Eastern itinerary (unless it's a Very Merrytime Cruise) does not appeal to me. Pools are big for us and Disney's single pool is way too small to enjoy. If you're just looking to go to the beach, you can do that easily on any island. There are always taxis/vans waiting to take people. For most islands you can get off and explore on your own - sometimes it will just be shopping very near the ship but you can grab a taxi and do a private excursion of the island at a reasonable price. Enjoy!

 

[Quellman]

For some reason we have sailed the Eastern three times and never the western. We like the sea days most of all and usually do not get off the boat. Our last cruise missed tortola and instead stopped at San Juan. St Thomas is an easy island and you can access St. John from there, and even Tortola if feeling adventurous. So lots of choices for beaches and activities, Disney or not. St Thomas, St. Maarten, and San Juan all have easily accessible areas right off the ships to see and do things in the port cities.

 

[mom4fun]

If you are a beach family and like to relax, go with the Eastern. If you are an on the go adventurous family go with Western.

 

[kiford]

We've done Western more than Eastern but that's primarily due to timing, not a specific preference. We actually liked the Eastern because it had fewer ports so more sea days which we like. If there are no ports you simply feel you have to/want to see, I'd pick the one that has the most convenient schedule, least expensive, most selection of staterooms to choose, better/cheaper flights, etc. rather than focusing on whether it's Eastern or Western. We had a great time in Falmouth last year on our Western cruise, didn't get off at Grand Cayman, spent only a little time at CC. I originally had planned to do the Eastern since we'd done Western twice before; both weeks were fine schedule-wise but we also planned to spend time at WDW either before or after and the resorts we wanted were less expensive and had more availability with doing the Western and flights were less expensive so that's what decided us.

If we did the Eastern again, we'd probably stay on board for St. Thomas and maybe would do something at the other ports depending on what's available and if we'd been there before. All of the ports on both cruises are conducive to just doing a port walkaround, a bit of shopping or going to a beach or grabbing a drink or snack at a local place if you don't want to do excursions.

 

[mlayton14]

For scenic beauty and just getting off at last minute - no doubt the Eastern with its beautiful hills and landscapes and generally more affluent

For activities, less expensive options, and all inclusive options with larger beaches - definitely the western

 

[WDWChloe]

We did western 2 years ago, eastern last year and again this September. Eastern is a little more laid back with the additional sea day, Tortola and St Thomas offer quick cab rides to beautiful beaches! even staying on the ship at those ports are gorgeous with those views! We love snorkeling in St Thomas with sea turtles and taking the sky ride up to paradise point - great adult beverages at the top

Western was fun, we enjoyed Grand Cayman! We felt like we needed to book excursions in Cozumel and Falmouth though. Very commercialized in Cozumel unless you get to a beach, Falmouth was actually deemed unsafe by our servers, without a guided excursion :/

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

I did western 15 years ago, and eastern this year. If you're looking for "cultural" excursions, then the western is better. But overall, I liked the eastern better - the islands and ports were Just a little nicer than the western ones, and the extra day at sea was great. I also felt, and this could have just been conicidental, that we were the only ship out there on the eastern. On the western, we were never the only ship docked, and we always passed other ships on the sea. I loved the more secluded feel of being at the most eastern edge of the sea, with nothing but the ocean beyond.

 

[ToyStory3]

I think we've decided on the Eastern itinerary. We love the idea of relaxing beach days and an extra day at sea. Thanks!