Western Carribean

[CanadianMAG]

We went on our first cruise Eastern Carribean in May on the Zuiderdam, and we LOVED this ship. We are ready for another cruise and were thinking Western Carribean we had a SS room before and want to do it again. I am looking for some help.

 

What are some MUST have stops in your opinion? I am not keen on the Mexico stops if it is a spot like Mazatlan. I have been there before and didnt like it and I have stereostyped Mexico as "Mazatlan". (which is not good I know! :cool: )

 

I would like to cruise with HAL again, but there are some decent cruises on Royal Carribean but don't know much about them. We are not looking for a party boat, and enjoy the "older" crowd.

 

How is the Veendam, and Westerdam compared to the Zuiderdam?

 

Any help would be appreciated!

[luv2cruise450]

HAL is our favorite cruise line and I personally love HAL's S-class ships which the Veendam is part of. They are smaller than the Vista class ships like the Zuiderdam, OOsterdam, Westerdam (and debuting next year the new Noordam). Among other differences they do not have the glass elevators on the outside like the Vista class ships. The Lido on the S-class ships do not have the 'food stations' like the Vista class ships have. We have cruised on the Veendam and she is an elegant ship.

If you loved the Zuiderdam...than perhaps you might want to book your next cruise on the Westerdam which will be closer to what you found on the Zuiderdam. My understanding is that the Westerdam in decor and color scheme is more understated than the Zuiderdam. We have sailed on the OOsterdam, found her to be a beautiful ship and enjoyed our cruise very much. We've done several Caribbean cruises and for a 'western' Caribbean cruise itinerary...enjoyed Grand Cayman and Cozumel very much. Cozumel is a great place to book an excursion either to Talum or Chichen Itza and learn a bit more about the fascinating Mayas and their world.

Welcome to cruising and happy sailing on whichever ship you choose for your next cruise...

[Charliesmom]

We have done the Western Caribbean several times. The best excursion we have ever been on is Sting Ray City at Grand Cayman. They take you out to a sand bar (along with many other boats) - you get out of the boat and swim (wearing a flotation device) to the bar. There they give you pieces of fish to feed the sting rays who are tame and come up to you and go around your legs. You can also snorkel there (they give you snorkel equipment). I even held a sting ray in my arms. It was quite a thrill.

 

We don't usually do a lot of excursions.

 

If you haven't seen the Mayan ruins there are several on the western Caribbean routes. We have been to Tulum (which is on the ocean) and to Chichen Itza, which is reached from Progreso. The Mayans had a very advanced civilization. They had a system of tracking the Sun and the planets, especially Venus, that worked. They built whole cities. They used human sacrifices and had very developed games. We found the look at a different civilization extremely interesting.

 

If you like silver jewelry, you will find lots of it in Cozumel. Be careful where you buy. My cousin bought some silver jewelry, and the silver peeled off in a couple of months. A place we have dealt with many times without adverse incident is Los Cinco Soles (The Five Suns). They have a wide array of Mexican handicrafts and silver jewelry, as well as some clothing.

 

Others have gone swimming with dolphins in Cozumel. We have not, as yet. My brother and sister went diving at Cozumel and had a wonderful time. They arranged their excursion with a group not from the ship.

 

We have been very careful to eat only on the ship when we go to Mexico. We usually bring water from the ship, too. It's the best way to avoid Montezuma's Revenge.

 

We do not like Ocho Rios. We find the people there to be very pushy. We usually do not get off the ship there.

 

Roberta

[Vic The Parrot]

We do not like Ocho Rios. We find the people there to be very pushy. We usually do not get off the ship there.

 

Roberta

 

 

 

"Pushy" is not the word ....

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

 

I'd say my choices, but I might get banned from here.

 

:cool:

[CanadianMAG]

Bad news, HAL only has those 3 ships in Western Carribean and 2 if them do not have Suites left and the other itenerary doesn't look appealing.

 

Thanks for all your help and recomendations, when I spoke to my TA he said the Celebrity is the closest ship to HAL in terms of service and quality. Is that true? or do you have any other cruise line suggestions, I'd hate to "cheat" in HAL...

[FlorenceItaly]

You will not be disappointed in Celebrity. If you LOVED HAL then you will more than LOVE Celebrity. You are in for a treat...TOP NOTCH service with Celebrity!

 

Marie

[CanadianMAG]

Marie, thank you for the fast response.

 

They are starting to look good on Celebrity, they were a little less expensive then Princess and Royal Carribean so I was beginning to wonder.

[FlorenceItaly]

I am VERY surprised to hear the rates are less. Book it before that changes. I have cruised RCI, but not Princess. I have cruised Celebrity, HAL, Carnival and RCI. Celebrity is my #1 choice, but of course, I love HAL too. I just found the service to be better on Celebrity vs HAL, especially in the dining room. Let us know what you decide :).

 

Marie