Eastern on Regal vs. Western on Caribbean

We are debating a 7 day on the Regal (Amber Cove, St. Kitts, St. Thomas...never been to Amber Cove & it's been 17 yrs since we have visited St. Kitts) versus a 7 day on the Caribbean Princess (Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel...only been to Cozumel). We're Platimum, but have not been on either of these ships - we have liked the grand class ships.

So, your thoughts & advice are welcome...which would you do? Have you done either itinerary? Pluses/minuses, pros or cons?

We are debating a 7 day on the Regal (Amber Cove, St. Kitts, St. Thomas...never been to Amber Cove & it's been 17 yrs since we have visited St. Kitts) versus a 7 day on the Caribbean Princess (Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel...only been to Cozumel). We're Platimum, but have not been on either of these ships - we have liked the grand class ships.

 

So, your thoughts & advice are welcome...which would you do? Have you done either itinerary? Pluses/minuses, pros or cons?

Probably can't compare these itineraries.

Caribbean Princess is a much older ship then of course the newest in the fleet The Regal.

I think pick the itinerary you want to go to and then if you like a smaller ship choose the CB or if you like the larger choose the Regal,etc. The price is probably less for The CB?

I have been to Cozumel, Roatan & Belize and I took Princess tours and loved them both.(went to Gumbalimba park- saw the beach, had a monkey & bird sit on our shoulder) In Belize we did the tour that took us to see the black howler monkeys,Belize zoo,baboon sanctuary,had a typical Belize lunch, and explored nature) Loved both of these tours and we typically don't do tours, we usually do it on our own.

We are going to Amber Cove in November, so don't have feed back on that yet. But our plan is to take a Princess tour-The Outback Adventure tour(go to a school, typical D.R. lunch, go to a home, see a ranch, go to the beach, etc.) to get out and explore D.R. and not stay at the man made port(pool,zipline,waterslide) If you just want to relax at a pool then staying at the port in Amber cove is fine, no beach though at the port.

As far as St. Thomas I have been there twice,but it has been awhile. Once I went to the beach and the other time just walked around town and ate lunch at Gladys cafe. This time we plan to just go to the beach.

Happy deciding. I think being on any cruise I would love,so any you choose you can't go wrong.:)

Julie

I love Roatan and really like Cozumel. If you don't mind an older Grand Class ship that might be the better itinerary. If you want to try the newest of Princess' ship than go for the Regal. I hear the buffet is amazing. I can't wait to try it in 4 months.

Perhaps look at some of the port reviews as well and that might help you decide which itinerary you might prefer.

Try the Regal to check if you will also like it like the grand class.

We are debating a 7 day on the Regal (Amber Cove, St. Kitts, St. Thomas...never been to Amber Cove & it's been 17 yrs since we have visited St. Kitts) versus a 7 day on the Caribbean Princess (Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel...only been to Cozumel). We're Platimum, but have not been on either of these ships - we have liked the grand class ships.

 

So, your thoughts & advice are welcome...which would you do? Have you done either itinerary? Pluses/minuses, pros or cons?

We have been on the Caribbean Princess three times when it was "newer". I read some stuff recently that it is run down. The regal also does a 7 day to the western caribb, which we will probably book. If you are familiar with the Royal, it is the sister ship to the Regal, which is the new one. I love Cozumel. I guess it is a personal preference if you prefer the east to the west. Based on your post, it looks like the eastern only has 3 ports, western 4. Of the ones you listed, I like the western ones best.

They are all great!

marge

We are debating a 7 day on the Regal (Amber Cove, St. Kitts, St. Thomas...never been to Amber Cove & it's been 17 yrs since we have visited St. Kitts) versus a 7 day on the Caribbean Princess (Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel...only been to Cozumel). We're Platimum, but have not been on either of these ships - we have liked the grand class ships.

 

So, your thoughts & advice are welcome...which would you do? Have you done either itinerary? Pluses/minuses, pros or cons?

Regal because of the much better ship.

Just to throw a wrench in your equation...I vote for Western on the Regal :)

We did the Western earlier this year on the Regal and will do the Western again on the Regal (two new ports for us). I was a regular on grand class, then stepped foot on the Regal...wow...that is all I can say.

I say go on the Regal it's a new and great ship.

Tony

I have been to all the ports except the DR which is fairly new. I have been on the CB 2 weeks so far this year and will be on her again later this year for a TA. Contrary to other posters, the CB is in good condition and we have been very happy with her including time last year as well. The CB is a grand class ship but an updated version of the original grand class with one more pax deck etc.

The Regal is a completely new designed ship as is its sister the Royal. It is a really nice ship and the newest in the fleet. We were on the Regal earlier this year.

At Roatan the ship will dock at Mahogany Bay, a port built by Carnival Corp, and is really nice. Of course though you will want to book a tour of the rest of the island. West End is where many go as the beach is expansive, well visited and sandy. Costa Maya is also a port built by Carnival Corp on the Yucatan. There is a nearby town, Majahual that is still a nice place to visit. There are several Mayan ruins located near the port. Belize is a tender port (~20 minutes each way). The beaches are a good distance away on an island. There are Mayan ruins available some close and some far away. The big events are cave tubing and the river cruise.

Since I have never been to Amber Cove (going next year) I can't comment.

I would pick the best itinerary for you and don't worry about the ship. I like to go to ports I have not been to yet but now have been to most ports. We will be calling on St Kitts next spring again!

I have been on both ships and my favorite is Regal. I have two more cruises booked on Regal which will be cruise number 6 & 7 on her. Can you tell she is our favorite ship!

You didn't mention what class of cabin you plan to book. If you're planning on booking a balcony or up, there are very significant differences.

Caribbean Princess has some really nice balconies.

Regal/Royal balconies are very, very small.

The Western itinerary is far more appealing from a cultural standpoint. There are rain forests, Mayan archeological sites, flora and fauna galore. The Eastern itinerary is more "typically" Caribbean with beaches and shopping. So it depends what interests you. Personally, I would never let the ship dictate the outcome since the itineraries are so different. For me, I wouldn't pass up a trip up river to a Mayan village just because the other itinerary was served by a shiny new ship. Besides, as satxdiver points out, it's not as if CB is a run down ship. It is still quite nice.

I did a Western itinerary on the Regal - loved every minute of it for ports and ship. Try her out if you haven't yet.

The Regal is my favorite ship with the Caribbean Princess coming in second. Hubby and I have had wonderful experiences on these two ships. We've been to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. We enjoy the Western as there are better opportunities for snorkeling and really enjoy the beaches.

We choose our cruises based on the itinerary, but earlier this year we wanted to experience the newer and bigger ship and went on the Regal. We are going back on the Caribbean Princess for our next two cruises. Yes, it's based on the itinerary and it's on my one of my favorite ships. [emoji4]

We've also been on both ships. We're were on the Regal last December and loved it so much that we've booked our first B2B on her for this December and will be sailing the Caribbean Adventure where the ship goes Western then turns around and does the Eastern. Best of both worlds. We anticipate this being such a great trip that we've booked the same room for the same trip next year under the Sip & Sail promotion.

We have been on both ships and while the Regal is newer, we prefer the Caribbean Princess. While the buffet on the Regal is a big improvement over Horizon Court on the Caribbean, we love the "Wheelhouse Bar", Explorers Lounge, Club Fusion and Skywalkers in the "handle". Having a cocktail and looking at the sea from up there is what vacation is all about.

However, I prefer the itinerary on the Regal, so whatever you decide - Enjoy!

Arizonaperson can you tell me more about your tour with the howler monkeys?

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We so much like Caribbean Princess (the only Caribbean Class ship in the fleet). While older, she would be our choice. :)

What do you love about the Caribbean Princess? I have been on Royal and Regal so I hope Caribbean doesn't s like a let down because it is a bit older.

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This is a similar thread started recently. I can't vote on this because we are doing both. We love the Royal/Regal class ships and have the Royal booked in February doing the 10 day southern Caribbean because of that itinerary which includes Bonaire, Dominica and Grenada. The Caribbean Princess will be our ship for a New Year's Eve voyage to the western Caribbean and that's because of the holiday celebration.

We have done the western Caribbean visiting Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel twice before and enjoy the raw unfinished atmosphere of the first three ports. The Caribbean Princess being a little older has some nice ambiance missing in the newer ships.

The Royal Class ships have some great new features such as a vastly improved buffet layout in the Horizon Court with great variety of food choices with excellent quality. The added dining area of Alfredo's is really good and offers nicely prepared Italian fare. The production shows in the Princess Theatre are excellent and the overall beauty of the ship is tremendous.