primetimegirl Posted March 22 #1 Share Posted March 22 We are thinking of doing the Panama Canal 11 day from Miami January 2025. Both the Gem and Pearl do the partial Transit from Miami back to Miami. The only difference I can see is the Gem Stops at Grand Cayman and the Pearl Stops in Ocho Rios. Both ships depart in January, just different weeks. Which ship should I choose? Grand Cayman or Ocho Rios?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted March 22 #2 Share Posted March 22 5 minutes ago, primetimegirl said: We are thinking of doing the Panama Canal 11 day from Miami January 2025. Both the Gem and Pearl do the partial Transit from Miami back to Miami. The only difference I can see is the Gem Stops at Grand Cayman and the Pearl Stops in Ocho Rios. Both ships depart in January, just different weeks. Which ship should I choose? Grand Cayman or Ocho Rios?? Jamaica is under a level 3 travel advisory from the US Department of State due to a high crime rate. The Cayman Islands are only listed as level1-take normal precautions so it's a safer destination but a bit on the bland side. The ships are near twins, both part of the Jewel Class so your onboard experience should be similar on either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted March 22 #3 Share Posted March 22 Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are both fairly anti-gay places, Jamaica possibly worse from what I've read. Neither would be on my current wish-list of itineraries. As @njhorseman has said, the Gem and Pearl are sister ships. I haven't been on the Pearl, but I've sailed on the Gem six times (including three full transits of the Canal), and she's among my favorite ships. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bostonjetset Posted March 26 #4 Share Posted March 26 On 3/21/2024 at 8:38 PM, Turtles06 said: Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are both fairly anti-gay places, Jamaica possibly worse from what I've read. Neither would be on my current wish-list of itineraries. As @njhorseman has said, the Gem and Pearl are sister ships. I haven't been on the Pearl, but I've sailed on the Gem six times (including three full transits of the Canal), and she's among my favorite ships. Jamaica is much more anti-gay than the Cayman Islands if that is a concern. Same-sex activity is illegal in Jamaica whereas it's not in the Caymans. Civil Unions [though not gay "marriage"] are actually legal in the Caymans as well. From a solely LGBT perspective, Grand Cayman would be a much better choice. That said, even if one disregards the LGBT thing, Jamaica is not really a friendly place; people are aggressive with sales tactics and will try to push marijuana on you. The beaches are quite beautiful but it's not an island I have much interest in going back to. Grand Cayman is a bit bland as stated above but it's more civilized and has a higher end vibe. The only negative is that it's a tender port but I'd still pick it over any port in Jamaica. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primetimegirl Posted March 29 Author #5 Share Posted March 29 Thanks everyone. The Gem it is!! Jan 2025 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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