Which do you prefer - Eastern or Western 7 day cruise?

[FredS]

How to decide? Those who have done both, which do you prefer, the Eastern or Western cruise?

 

[bkline]

I have done the eastern & western, but only the eastern on Disney. I like the beaches and snorkeling better on the eastern. That's my favorite reason for cruising: several or many islands in a week. You didn't list it as an option, but my absolute favorite is the Southern. I hope Disney, someday, will be sailing from San Juan.

 

[AnnMorin]

I agree a Southern would be GREAT!!
We have done both with Disney and are doing the Eastern again.
I really enjoy the extra day at sea, I felt kinda rushed on the Western.
Grand Cayman (stingray city) is hard to beat though...
So for snorkling/water activities the western is best but for relaxation and shopping the eastern wins.

 

[FredS]

so that doesn't mean a lot, but can't decide if the extra day at sea is a positive or a negative. We have NEVER cruised, so I really don't know what to expect. I had heard more positive overall about Western route, but it appears that our best time to travel will be an Eastern week for the Magic, so I am trying to figure out if that may work just as well, if not better.

What are some plusses for the Eastern cruise? Anything a not miss or something you never want to do again? (Thanks for any input, especially on the Eastern route.)

 

[Señor Ferrari]

I'll cast another vote for the eastern. Some of the plusses for me are the extra day at sea, St. John, no stop at Cozumel, the free flow of Heineken on St. Maarten, and did I mention the extra day at sea? Also, I've posted this before, but I have a really hard time getting up early on the first day of the western at Key West. I like having Sunday at sea.

Some of my highlights for the eastern are:

-The St. John eco-hike
-Kayaking in the mangroves
-Dawn Beach at St. Maarten
-Marigot
-Cinnamon Bay on St. John

I do like Grand Cayman, but can really take or leave Cozumel, it's my least favorite DCL port. I really think both are very enjoyable. You really can't make a bad choice, in my opinion.

 

[bkline]

In general, I think you can enjoy what the ship has to offer with the extra sea day. I enjoyed the rainforest room in the spa. It was fun to attend the wine tasting. My DS, then 7, loved the autograph sessions. I believe they get in basically the same activities on eastern as western. I think the pacing is better on the eastern. Look at the Navigator's for eastern and western to see a good example of what the schedule of events are like on each route. It might help you decide. You can see copies of the Navigator at: http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/brigham/612/

 

[FredS]

Thanks so much for the link, bkline!

 

[AnnMorin]

Key west is my major drawback on the western. It seems like such a rush to get up and out the day after you get on the ship. I love the two at sea days in a row on the Eastern to get you to St. Maarten. The changes and water color and air temp really make you feel like you are getting farther and farther away, whereas the western did not seem the same, probably since we arrived in port the morning after we left Cape Canaveral. The Eastern in my opinion seemed much more tropical and remote. I did really enjoy Grand Cayman however.

 

[Señor Ferrari]

One of my favorite things about the eastern is on Monday morning. By this time, the ship is down to about Hispanola, and the ocean is usually very calm, like a very (very) large lake. We usually do a late Palo brunch on this morning, and just hang out on the back of deck 7 for a few hours beforehand.