Eastern vs Western Caribbean

We are trying to decide on which cruise to take. Any ports you did not care for? Any ports in the eastern or western that are a must see? St. Thomas, Tortola, Philipsburg, Grand Cayman, Hondorus, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Jamaica? I need help narrowing down our choices! We will be traveling with 2 children ages 6 and 10.

My first cruise was the western.....grand cayman has stingray city....pop a life jacket on your kids and they will be touching and feeding stingrays........cozumel has many beautiful beaches and at the national park you can snorkel from the beach and walk the paths of a re-created Mayan ruin.....that would be my choice.....if you choose tortola take the excursion to virgin Gorda to the famous BAths.....Google some pics of this amazing area.....whichever you pick the other will be there for next tine....enjoy!

I think either one is fine and ultimately I would do both so start with whichever one works best for your schedule.

Jamaica is one of my least favorites but you don't have to like every port.

Keith

All of these ports have a lot to offer. Like Keith, Jamaica is probably my least favorite only because of the number of people who will approach you to sell you trinkets or weed. However, if you plan your day and book a tour with either the cruise line or an independent tour guide, you'll be fine. A couple of my thoughts on these ports....

Costa Maya: Like more and more Caribbean ports, there is a beach/shopping area right off the ship. Get out and explore! We visited Chacchoben, a Mayan ruin about an hour drive from the port, with our then-7, 11 and 15 year-old sons through "The Native Choice," a local tour company (one of the owners grew up near the ruins). You can visit the ruins only or add lunch with a local family - we had lunch, and it was a great experience for our kids.

Roatan (Honduras): Not sure if you would be docking at Coxen Hole or Mahogany Bay. The latter is another gated cruise ship beach/shopping area. It's very nice - we opted for it this past summer on a cruise that we booked for lazy beach days. There's food, music, and the beach is nice (although crowded if two ships are in port). However, if you've never been to Roatan I'd recommend an island tour with Victor Bodden. His company can customize your tour for you according to your tastes. (My sons loved the Iguana Park.)

Cozumel: We've visited four times and gone to Paradise Beach all four times. Our sons love it. This past summer we asked whether they'd like to try something else and they looked at us in horror - NOT go to Paradise Beach?:eek:

Grand Cayman: Agree with searoses, a tour to Stingray City is in order. An alternative is the Turtle Farm. Yes, they raise turtles for the meat - but they also raise a lot for release in the wild (those are the ones you see), and they have a really nice park with a shark exhibit, a nice pool, an aviary, and a restaurant.

On the the Eastern ports....

St. Thomas: The first time we went we did a Godfrey tour that provided two hours of shopping, a two hour island tour, and two hours at the beach of our choice. We opted for Coki Beach, which is where Coral World is located. The second time we did a catamaran sail and snorkel.

Phillipsburg: It's been almost six years since we visited, but you can take the water taxi from the port right over to Phillipsburg. I haven't done it, but the kids might like a visit to Maho Beach - it's right by the airport and planes fly right over the beach.

Tortola: It's absolutely gorgeous. We did another catamaran sail and snorkel, sailing right across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Norman Island.

In short....

I don't think you can go wrong with either an Eastern or Western itinerary. We love them both, as do our sons.

It's a personal preference. I'd narrow it down to 1-2 cruises in each of the hemispheres & then have a family meeting / vote. If you otherwise don't have a reason to pick one over the other, let your kids choose. They will feel so grown up & empowered. :)

The wonderful thing -- East or West -- you can't make a bad decision! :D

LuLu

WE are not fans of Mexico, so the western is out....

We also do not like Jamaica.

Children -- I would choose the eastern over the western.

Check all the ports for the length of time you are staying in them.

Choosing a cruise, based on the ship and the itinerary, can be fun. Trying to decide what to do at each port can be a challenge. To help you decide, take a look at the excursions available at each port of call. Read the passenger reviews (if available). There's a section on here titled "Ports of Call", with lots of helpful information and reviews. Decide on which ports and excursions would best suit you and your family, and which would be of least interest to everyone. That might help in choosing which itinerary to go on, Eastern or Western. And, whichever one you don't do this time, you can save for the next cruise.;)

If it weren't for Stingray City, I would never book another cruise in the western Caribbean. I am seriously underwhelmed by Cozumel, and don't feel safe in Jamaican ports.

I much prefer the ports in the Eastern and southern Caribbean.

I agree with Jamaica, the locals and vendors are pretty aggressive. However, so are the vendors on Orient beach on St Martin. However, you probably don't want to go to Orient beach with the kids anyway, it's on the French side of the island and part of it is totally nude, the rest of it is topless.

I personally love Mexico, and have done 3 Western cruises. I won't look at intins with Jamaica on them though. We had a great time in Tulum but it's a long day.

The kids will love Stingray City. It's so much fun.