Eastern caribbean v western caribbean

[areweindisneyyet]

Which would be your first choice and why?

 

[beachcat]

The islands in the Eastern Caribbean are more beautiful. Just went to St. Maarten and St. Thomas and I loved seeing the mountainous islands and scuba diving their reefs. Mexico and the Caymans are beautiful just not as much.

 

[conan979]

I agree, eastern for sure. We like the extra day at sea with the kids. And theres no way I would pass up the opportunity to stand on the Airport Beach in St Maarten while the planes fly overhead. That's an experience.

 

[alicia1506]

for me, western is the one i most want to do. we want to see the pyramids as we love the ancient mayan history and would love to experience that side of things.

we are doing the eastern this year (2013) as we couldn't fit the western in with our travelling group and our dates/timeframes, so by the time i come back from that, i am sure i will love the eastern itinerary.

just saw the disney 2014 itinerary for western -- hoping that they release more dates soon. trying to plan a star wars weekend + western caribbean cruise trip and we need to include costa maya for the pyramid port adventure. so far, no costa maya included in the itineraries for the dates we want

sorry for the ramble. my choice would be western

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I agree, eastern for sure. We like the extra day at sea with the kids. And theres no way I would pass up the opportunity to stand on the Airport Beach in St Maarten while the planes fly overhead. That's an experience.

That does sound like an experience. Am going to add Airport Beach to my wishlist of things to do.

I couldn't decide either whether East or West looked more appealing. After hours of googling, I booked the Eastern. It was the look of St John's beaches that won me over in the end.

At the end of the day though, if I was doing this cruise mainly for the ports, I would probably be cruising in a completely different part of the world. It's the ship itself (Fantasy) that has me all excited. Bring on September!

 

[battymum]

Google maho beach!

We did eastern on freedom of the seas, loved it, but you are right it's more about the ship than the ports!

 

[australiankaren]

I'd do the cruise with the most port days.... Much the same .....we are doing b2 b of both and one has one more port day .....bonus!

 

[Travel Mum]

As long as I was on Freedom of the Seas, I couldn't care where I cruised to!

However, now that I've done Southern (7 nights ex San Juan) and Western (7 nights ex Port Canaveral), I'd probably pick Eastern (which covers some of the same ports as Southern) over Western. Our day at Tulum Ruins on our Cozumel port day was great (that was mainly for DH and mother-in-law who are very interested in the Mayan culture) but it was a whole day off the ship and, for me, I love ship time. On our Southern Cruise, we'd tend to go into port for the morning but be back on the ship for a late lunch and to spend the afternoon on it while it wasn't so crowded. In saying that, Labadee, RCCL's private island on the Western route is fantastic!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

google maho beach!

love it!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Loving your work, so Freedom of Seas vs Oasis of the Seas if it is more about the ships.

Remember I get sick in a bathtub so planning cruises is just not me thing and it is time to try. Still planning for 2014 although I know its going to be 2015. Miracles happen.

 

[battymum]

I think oasis sails from Fort Lauderdale doesn't it? I'd choose freedom purely because port canaveral Is so close to Disney !

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I think oasis sails from Fort Lauderdale doesn't it? I'd choose freedom purely because port canaveral Is so close to Disney !

Also, the Oasis and Allure are no cheaper than the Disney ships. Add to them the cost of getting to Ft Lauderdale, and I priced them out to be about the same (if not more expensive) than the Fantasy.

In saying that, I would still love to cruise on the Oasis one day. I think having the option to go to a broadway show like Hairspray whilst onboard a ship would be fabulous.

 

[beachcat]

Just be careful of August, September and October on a cruise ship. I did the Fantasy from October 20th to the 27th. We caught Hurricane Sandy on the 26th and 27th which made us miss Castaway Cay. A wonderful ship and a great 6 of 7 days of a cruise. I would not like to see anyone come all the way from Australia or New Zealand to catch the 30 foot seas we had the night of the 26th. A lot of sick people on board. Timing is everything.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Just be careful of August, September and October on a cruise ship. I did the Fantasy from October 20th to the 27th. We caught Hurricane Sandy on the 26th and 27th which made us miss Castaway Cay. A wonderful ship and a great 6 of 7 days of a cruise. I would not like to see anyone come all the way from Australia or New Zealand to catch the 30 foot seas we had the night of the 26th. A lot of sick people on board. Timing is everything.

Thanks for the heads up. I think most of us Hurricane season travelers weigh up the pros and cons and decide the risk is worth it. I could never afford a cruise on the Fantasy during most other parts of the year. Not to mention that I have no interest in the Theme Parks during the busier times of the year. None of my family are patient enough to spend half our day queuing.

At the end of the day, I don't mind if all my ports get changed; I'm cruising for the ship rather than the destinations. However, I do hope that Disney learnt from their mistakes during Hurricane Sandy and do everything in their power to avoid putting people in that situation again.

 

[australiankaren]

we cruise during sept/oct, and have had some rough nights...but the great weather and smaller crowds and cheaper fares make up for it.....

 

[Kangarucci]

Eastern caribbean- prettier islands. St. Maarten have a Dutch and French side. St. Thomas- beautiful harbour, expensive set taxi fares to beaches if more than two of you.
Costa Maya- yew. Went to a nearby beach. Scenery not the best. Didn't feel too comfortable near the port.