Eastern vs. Western Caribbean Cruise?

[CorbsVWL]

Can anyone who has been on both the Eastern and Western Caribbean cruise recommend one versus the other?

Is there one that might be better for younger children (ages 5 and 6)?

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Chris

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

I have done both, and personally I like the Eastern better for the fact that I LOVE the extra day at sea. The shopping is so much better on the eastern too. Some things I didn't like about the Western were: Key West (not a family town - next time we'll stay on the ship), Grand Cayman (even though the snorkeling was great, the shopping was so expensive), and the biggest reason was one less day at Sea. The one thing I loved about the Western was Cozumel. We did the dolphin swim which was outstanding. If we do a Western cruise again, we will spend the whole day at Chankanuubb (sp?) Park and do their Seal Swim. The park was beautiful, and the shopping in town was awesome.

 

[ragdoll]

I really thought that I would prefer the Western because I like to visit more ports. Surprisingly, I preferred the Eastern just because it was more senic. I would however do the Western again. For some reason I always like doing something better when I know what to expect.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

I like the Eastern better. And with kids, that extra day at sea is better. If yours are like mine, they want to be in the clubs 24 hours a day and would rather spend and extra day in the clubs rather than on another island.

 

[inkkognito]

I definitely prefer the Western...we've done it three times and the Eastern only once, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if we had enough vacation days. The Eastern seems to be geared towards shopping and beaches, while the Western has all that and more. I love Mexico, and particularly Cozumel. There issuch a wide variety of things to do there, from the jeep tour to horseback riding to swimming with the seals and more. The stingrays at Grand Cayman are so cool, and I love to explore Key West on foot. I do miss the additional day at sea, but the extra port is worth it.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

Western, Western, western & western. Those are my choices in that order. I don't dislike eastern, but if I had the choose one over the other, no question western.

BUT, it really depends on what you like. If you like to spend time looking at the scenery, bargain shopping for jewelery & perfumes, and relaxing, go eastern. If you, like myself, prefer more action, watersports, beautiful beaches, junk shopping (t-shirts, chatchkis, liquor, blankets & hammocks, etc.) more activity and nightlife, definitely go western.

 

[brack]

We've done 3 Eastern and 1 Western. By far we prefer the Eastern. The extra day at sea is great and I like the ports better.

We have booked our 5th cruise for January 8, 2005 ... it is an Eastern!

 

[Annie12345]

We just returned from back to back cruises and we like them both equally. We rebooked for next year based on the week we wanted, and didn't even ask which itinerary it was until we were in the process of finalizing our booking... They are both so different but wonderful in their own ways... Either way, you will have a great time...