Eastern or Western cruise~Pros Cons

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Hoping to try the Magic in 2006!!! Please give me pros & cons of each cruise!!! Mom has been to the Caribbean, I have not.

Thanks,
Allison

 

[musicgirl]

We've only done the Eastern and we loved it. We'd like to try the Western, but wouldn't mind if the group we are going with want to go on the Eastern.

We loved Capt. Nautica which is a speed boat/snorkeling trip at St. Thomas.

If you want to go out on your own at St. Martin, the taxi's are very easy to use. Just make sure they know exactly where you want to go and be picked up.

St. Martin has a very nice beach and shopping a hop skip and a jump away from the pier. It was very convenient and quick.

3 days at sea on the Eastern!!!!!

Lorie

 

[webray]

When we decided which to choose, we chose by the ports we wanted to see first. My hubby has traveled the world and I hadn't been anywhere..so Mexico (don't laugh) was a big deal to me. We did the western and absolutely loved it. We had the best time. The local people are wonderful to talk with.

Keep in mind..we are the kind of people..we don't run back to the ship for every meal to save money. We try out the local restaurants/pubs etc and visit with the locals after looking around.

 

[ruvidu]

We have been on both the Eastern and Western and we liked the Western best.
We enjoyed walking around Key West, riding the trolly and then watching the sunset celebration at Mallory Sq. A late night steak dinner at Topsiders made a great day better.
Watching the sun rise above Cuba the next morning was a sight I will not soon forget.
Of course our favorite thing was swimming with the Sting Rays in the Caymans.
Our least favorite port was Cozumel, too much selling, but it was still nice with good bargins.
We hope to go on the Western again next year.
You will have a ball no matter which you choose.
Russ

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies!!! 2 for the Western so far! Any other opinions?

Thanks,
Allison

 

[kcashner]

Eastern has one more sea day than Western. Because of that, it also has an additional adult programming series. They bring someone from Disney on board who does a series of 3 lectures on the sea days. We had the guy who played Gaston on Broadway, a vice president of imagineering, and a guy in charge of the development of Celebration. Basically they get a free cruise with their family in exchange for the lectures....

Guess that means we've done 3 Easterns...although I think there was another. We've done at least 2 Western. I like the ports better on Eastern....but that's really a personal preference thing.

I may have to figure this out...I know we've done 10 trips on the Magic. 2 were 4 day (before the 7 day started).....oh, we did one "creative" itinerary...due to hurricane season, the ship was scheduled for Eastern but went to Key West, then St. Thomas and Castaway.....

You can't go wrong with any cruise on the Magic! That's where we go rather than a particular island or route.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing!! Anyone else?

Allison

 

[Rock'n Robin]

We did the Western and loved it, but we want to do an Eastern next. We were surprised by how much we enjoyed the sea days. The kids were in their clubs all day (although next time DD#1 will be in the Stack and I worry more about that). The Eastern is also less expensive.
Robin M.

 

[MarcyIn Florida]

We've done eastern and western itineraries on other cruise lines, and I prefer the western itineraries because I've done the eastern ports many times. For me, St, Thomas is not particularly exciting unless you want to buy a lot of booze, and the other stops are okay. We're doing western on DCL this time around because (1) I love Key West and never get tired of it; and (2) We love Mexico. Grand Caymans are great without little kids, but we're not as excited about it now because we have two little ones.

Now I'm just babbling about myself. Sorry.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for the comments. The eastern has a lure because of the extra day @ sea. I wasn't aware though that it was cheaper!! That's another thing to consider. Thanks

Allison

 

[feiste]

As far as I'm concerned the boat could just float in circles around the ocean and I would be happy never getting off!!!

 

[gometros]

I didn't care much for St. Martin, but St, Thomas and St. John are beautiful islands with some of the most gorgeous beaches you will ever see.

On the other hand, the western gives you three stops - Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

Another thing to consider is that the eastern gives you three sea days, where the western gives you only two. If sightseeing is what you want, go with the western. But, if you're looking to enjoy the magic of the Magic, I'd go with the eastern.

Some day I hope to be rich enough to do both back-to-back.

 

[DoomBuggieDriver]

I definately think it can be broken down to one question:
Are into shopping and sightseeing on the trip, or would rather be off the hook from that stuff and really relax.

I cannot sit still, and when we got to the ports (Western) I drove my family nuts suggesting possible activities.
That extra sea day on the Eastern curbs this enthusiasm, and allows everyone to enjoy hanging on the verandah, reading, sleeping, and wandering around the ship. That said, you can easily do the same thing on the Western, but if you have that type A personality, you will be driven to go ashore......
Kathy

 

[tinkgrl]

Originally posted by feiste
As far as I'm concerned the boat could just float in circles around the ocean and I would be happy never getting off!!!

Hi,

I would like this too!!

Allison

 

[TinkHappy]

I too, enjoy the extra day at sea!! I think the shopping on both are about the same (just different stuff )
I know that this is not an easy choice, but when you stop and think about it, you are going on a Disney Cruise, you really can't go wrong

 

[the4nitz's]

We choose the Eastern first because of the extra day at sea. We enjoyed the cruise so much that we booked the Western for next year. St. Thomas & St. Johns were beautiful islands. St. Maartin was OK.