Which do you prefer..Eastern or Western Cruise?

[msbinky]

We are just back from our first cruise..Land and Sea and we had a blast! So much so we are looking forward to our next cruise already. We rebooked the Western 7 day but was wondering which one Western or Eastern people prefer. Any input would be great

 

[tvguy]

We have only done the Eastern. We picked it because:
1) We like the extra sea day.
2) We wanted the kids to see the Carribbean.

Key West and Cozumel may be great place, but they aren't the Carribbean. Besides, as West Coasters were can cruise Mexico for less than half what Disney charges.

I should also mention we are not shoppers, so I can't speak to the differences in shopping on Eastern and Western. For us, the SHIP is the destination, the ports are just nice extras. Other than Castaway Cay, I could skip all the ports and just enjoy the ship for the entire cruise.

 

[zukeeper]

I am looking forward to my first Disney cruise in 2006, soooo I am speaking for other cruise lines. I love it all!!! Western was awsome! Is Cozumel in Mexico?? It seemed so Caribbean! The snorkeling there is GREAT! The "ruins" not so much. I did hit Jamaica which has good and bad, but no worries for you. I missed the Stingrays in Grand Caymen and have regretted it ever since. How was I to know I could book it independently even if the excursion was full? I ended up wandering around buying sunglasses and other souveneirs. Don't miss the excursions! Key West was the most fun EVER! We snorkeled on the only American coral reef, but I don't remember much after I stopped at Sloppy Joe's. I do, however, own a sports bottle with a straw that has the name on it.

The same stories for the eastern side, some great, some mediocre, but at the end of the day - WOW, when can I afford to go again?

Have Fun!

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

We are just back from our first cruise..Land and Sea and we had a blast! So much so we are looking forward to our next cruise already. We rebooked the Western 7 day but was wondering which one Western or Eastern people prefer. Any input would be great

We've done both and prefer the Eastern. The Western was nice, but I'm not a huge fan of Cozumel (to be honest, the people were so forceful trying to make their sales pitch that it freaked me out) and on a side note, DH works for the police here so whereever we go outside the US, he makes me take a picture of him by a police car. Well, he asked the officer if it was ok for him to just get a picture of DH posing by the car and officer didn't speak a lick of english - I was very worried! I just figured if there was an emergency, the officer wouldn't be able to understand what we were saying.... So, at the point, I went back on the ship and didn't get off again. Stingray City in Grand Cayman was cool was I didn't think I would be freaked out by the stringrays, and well, I am come to find out... So, this past cruise we did the Eastern and had a Magical time! I am doing a girl's trip next May and booking another cruise while onboard for another Eastern Plus, the extra day at sea is so great!!!

 

[aprilgail2]

I preferred the Western. I like the extra port. St Thomas and St Maarten were nice, but there was nothing really exciting for us there like the stingrays in Grand Cayman. For my then 4 year old and I the stingrays were the highlight of the trip. She still talks about swimming with the stingrays and snorkling where she saw a sea turtle and ell to this day! I was amazed at how she just jumped off the back of the boat and went right out there with the stingrays, she even fed one a piece of fish!

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I've only done the Eastern, the extra sea day is nice.
I guess it depends alot on how much you plan to do. We barely get off the ship in port, we hop off shop quickly and get right back on. The ship is the attraction for us, so the Eastern with it's extra sea day, and slightly lower price, works for us.

 

[SeaSpray]

We chose the western itinerary for our first Disney cruise because DH and I wanted to take DSs to see the ruins in Tulum. Definitely was worth it

When we were choosing for our 2006 cruise, we ended up picking the western itinerary again (although it'll be the "special" western itinerary), because we made so many great DIS friends on the first cruise, ALL of us got together (online, not in person ) and chose the DATE in summer 2006 that would work best for all of us, and it just so happened to be one of the special western itineraries. If it had been a regular western or an eastern, we still would've chosen it, just to sail again with our new friends

Do some research and take a look at what each of the ports on each of the itineraries offer, and then go from there. Or else, just pick the week that works best for your family. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

 

[goofy4wdw59]

Our family prefers the Eastern 7-day. The extra day at sea is nice and I think the Eastern is more scenic in St. Maarten & St. Thomas. We really felt like we were on a caribbean cruise when we looked out at the views.
Also, I'm not a big fan of Cozumel. We walked to the "Five Suns" shop and found the street hawking a bit much all the way there and all the way back. One man changed his price when we did stop to look at something...he wasn't too nice.
We were in port on Wednesday (I think the busiest day for cruise ships) and the post office was closed early afternoon (maybe only for that Wednesday?). It didn't make sense as so many of us tried to mail post cards and just headed back to the ships. Also, the condition of the post office was terrible. Not sure why the local gov't couldn't do a little bit to make it nicer with the amount of travellers visiting this port?...maybe something they are improving.
We may consider the Western when the kids are older and we can all go on a snorkeling excursion.
Anyway, just my experience/opinion. Both cruises have their pros and cons, so have fun whichever you choose!

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Even though we have our 2nd Western in a row booked (05 Thanksgiving) we liked the Eastern (03) better. But, with Thukey day sailors we met and are resailing with and DDs school schedule.....the Western is a necessity.....2 days at CC help ease the pain...

 

[mommasita]

I prefer the Eastern...Due to the ports...The extra sea day is great also...Having said that, I would do any cruise that worked with our schedule, if the choice had to be made.....

Lampskies, those are some amazing photos...How lucky you are to have a backyard on the water...Enjoy it.....