Southern Carribean Explorer vs. Eastern Carribean

[hanyuezhao]

Hello!

I am trying to decide between two different cruise boats and cruise routes for the Princess. However, I am having trouble dieciding the routes. I dont know much about the islands visited and do not know the characteristics of these islands. Can anyone lend some advice and summarize what is it we will experience? This way I can decide which cruise to take.
I am age 25. I enjoy a mixture of great turquoise seas, nice secluded islands, watersports (snorkel, windsurfing, etc), great nature (waterfalls, volcanoes, and hikes), exotic local cultures, and most importantly, great food experiences!!! What would you recommend?

Thanks! THe two routes are below:


$588interior Southern Caribbean Explorer
Caribbean Princess
San Juan → Charlotte Amalie → Dominica → St. George's → Bonaire → Oranjestad → San Juan



$969interior Eastern Caribbean
Emerald Princess
Ft. Lauderdale → Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island) → Philipsburg → Charlotte Amalie → Grand Turk Island → Ft. Lauderdale



And a third route by Celebrity......

$642interior
Southern Caribbean
[Ship rating 4.87] Celebrity Summit
San Juan → Philipsburg → Roseau → St. George's → Scarborough → Bridgetown → San Juan

[Sailaways_]

The two southern Caribbean routes (Caribbean Princess & Summit) are a bit different than the eastern (Emerald). The southern ones will be pretty port intensive (not many sea days). Dominica has some amazing nature (waterfalls, snorkelling) and eco-tours and is very well-preserved. Snorkeling is amazing in Bonaire as well - one of the top reefs in the world. Grenada is known as the spice island, and has a beautiful beach at Grand Anse. St. Thomas, Aruba, and St. Maarten are all good for shopping and beaches. And, every place has local culture, you just need to look for it!

You will find beaches and watersports on all of these islands, really. You'll probably enjoy the two beach days in Princess Cays and Grand Turk...there's not much to do in either other than relax and enjoy the beach. If beach days are really important to you, I would go with Emerald. If you'd like more of a mix, go with the southern routes. Don't forget the cost of airfare to San Juan for the southern routes - even though the cruise may be cheaper, airfare to SJ will be more expensive than FLL.

[tmitchell82]

We have done both and I think the S. Caribbean is more exoctic and interesting in terms of the islands you visit. The Eastern tends to be more shopping and touristy. Southern is very port intensive so if you are looking to spend quality time on the ship at sea, go with the Eastern. For more interesting ports, go with the Southern. St. Thomas is on both. The airfare tends to be more expensive to get to San Juan than FLL.

[Tak8]

Airfare will be more expensive, but I would go with the Southern route. I like the extra port day. You can always stay on board with one of the days and enjoy a less crowded ship if you decide you need a break. Also look at port times. Sometimes on the eastern route, you don't have a full day in a port. Aruba has excellent beaches. Bonaire is great for snorkeling. Grenada has some nice beaches and great place to pick up spices. St. Thomas has some nice beaches or a great day to do a day sail.

[caribbean2000]

We have done both and will be doing that southern route again in January on CB. I agree with others here that the southern route is more exotic. Even in the relatively short time we've been cruising (12 years, 12 cruises on Princess, one RCA, one Carnival) we have seen some changes in the over-all "vibe" of the islands. While it is true that you can find an authentic Caribbean feel on STT, SXM and the others on the Eastern route, it is getting harder - what tmitchell82 said is quite accurate - shopping seems to be more and more of a focus on those islands. Not a bad thing if you like that of course, but we want more of the laid back Caribbean vibe that we fell in love with when we started cruising and you certainly find that the farther south into the islands you go. Five ports and just one sea day can be hectic though if you plan a lot of activities (not to mention expensive!) so keep that in mind. In any case, you really can't go wrong with either!