East vs. West Caribbean

[georgiaguy]

Trying to decide between possible cruises. Thoughts?

[nolesrule]

Which ships and itineraries were you considering? It can make a difference.

 

Personally I prefer Eastern.

[kayehall]

I prefer the Eastern also. I will not spend my dollars in Mexico. And Jamacia is getting iffy. Although I do like Grand Cayman.

[mrobstad]

I think most people prefer eastern or southern, which are typically pricier than western.

 

 

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[CruiseDude_83]

I would do Eastern. We have only done the Western once...Easter 3 times.

[George C]

Depends on ports, have done both over a dozen times each. I used to perfer Eastern now its a toss up. Research your ports.

[georgiaguy]

Should mention this will be in mid to late Sept. 2014

[chelllll]

I would choose Eastern but only because I have done Western twice now. Plus I really would like to sail on the Allure..:)

[Rdytogo2]

When is the Freedom of the Seas going to be in Fort Lauderdale (as indicated in the poll)?

Edited February 3, 2014 by Rdytogo2

[georgiaguy]

My mistake. Port Canaveral. At this point I will be flying to which ever ship and these particular departure ports will all be relatively the same for me travel wise.

[Georgiagolfer]

Georgiaguy, I picked FOS Eastern, simply because DW and I sailed FOS Western last year.

[garnetpalmetto]

I picked Eastern. I loved St. Thomas and St. Maarten and Coco Cay is a guaranteed beach day already included in your fare.

 

On the Western itinerary, I thought Grand Cayman was overrated, especially since neither me or my wife are big shoppers. Cozumel was OK, and I've heard nothing good about Jamaica.

 

The drawback, at least to me, on the Southern itinerary is getting from one of the Houston airports to Galveston. No decently priced shuttles like there are from Orlando to Port Canaveral, and renting a car only for it to sit for a week in a garage that you're also paying for makes little to no sense to me.

[printingchick]

I prefer southern itineraries. I don't like a lot of sea days (3 is too many for me) and I prefer "real" ports of call to the Disney-like private islands.

 

Of the options you listed, I choose the Freedom western route - despite having visited Cozumel more times than I can remember - because it's a little more port-intensive. I've done the Roatan and Belize route and would have LOVED the itinerary if they'd managed to work in one more port of call. Sea days are great, if there are 1 or 2. To me, they get boring after that.

Edited February 3, 2014 by printingchick

[comxkid]

Eastern - Better Beaches and Better Shopping

Western - Better Snorkeling/SCUBA / Mayan Ruins / More Adventuresome Excursions

 

If you like sea days, take the cruise with more sea days. If you don't, take the one with more port of calls.

[Dave85]

In addition to what others have already said, time of year matters too. Weather can be iffy in the Western Caribbean in the winter months, while you're significantly further south in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.

 

Case in point from just a few weeks ago: I had a friend on a cruise (Liberty OTS) in the Western Caribbean while my parents were simultaneously on an X cruise in the Southern Caribbean. My friend on Liberty had a couple of very cool days (low 60s) with lousy weather, while my parents reported sunny weather in the 80s the entire time. I've personally experienced choppier seas in the winter months in the Western Caribbean. Part of it is luck, of course, but it's worth noting.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Dave85

[edeneyes]

We like Eastern or Southern better. Most of the RCCI western itineraries include Falmouth, Jamaica, which we absolutely did not like. Mid September is peak hurricane season in the Atlantic basin. If you can, consider moving to October for Eastern or Southern.

 

 

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[georgiaguy]

I have thought about it but I will not be able to take any vacation Jun-Aug, so I would rather not push it much longer than that though hurricane season is a concern.

[comxkid]

I have thought about it but I will not be able to take any vacation Jun-Aug, so I would rather not push it much longer than that though hurricane season is a concern.

 

This is a valid concern. If there is an active storm, the ship will most likely go the other direction, i.e. if the storm is in the Gulf, you will most likely go on an Eastern itinerary and vice versa.

[The Grumpus]

Of those three cruises I would choose Freedom - Eastern. However, being there is a "Another Cruise" option, I chose that one. I would always choose Allure or Oasis over those three choices.

[DonTreadOnMe]

We loved Eastern, St Thomas and St Martin are great. Do some reading however on how often Cococay gets skipped due to rough seas (as it did for us in Jan). 4 Days at sea is a bit on the boring side. I would probably not do an Eastern Itinerary again if it only had 3 stops and 1 was Cococay. Freedom is fantastic!!!!

Edited February 3, 2014 by DonTreadOnMe

[georgiaguy]

For those who said "another cruise" do you have another suggestion?

[PSCruiser]

Doing the first two choices this year.

I think of Eastern as a lot of beach time, Western as excursion intensive.

I voted for Western.

[georgiaguy]

After a long summer without a break at work, I am thinking relaxing on Caribbean beaches sounds great. I am all about the take it easy kind of cruise.

[OCruisers]

FreedomOTS Eastern would be our choice! Extremely nice ports of call! :)

 

LuLu

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[yesplease]

Great question. I was curious about this too. Thank you!