Western or Eastern Carribean Cruise?

[wendell62]

Me and my siblings are planning a cruise at the end of April.

 

Is the weather in April free of rain and storms?

 

Which cruise line would you suggest?

 

We are not that big of shoppers and prefer to spend our days on white sand and beautiful beaches. Which is the better cruise Eastern or Western?

 

Thanks!

[flvol77]

Me and my siblings are planning a cruise at the end of April.

 

Is the weather in April free of rain and storms?

 

Which cruise line would you suggest?

 

We are not that big of shoppers and prefer to spend our days on white sand and beautiful beaches. Which is the better cruise Eastern or Western?

 

Thanks!

 

a lot of people like the eastern over the western.. We love them both. Cozumel has some great beaches and Grand Cayman has seven mile beach (which can get very busy) and Rum Pointe Beach? (I think that is the name) Ocho Rios or Mo Bay is ok - Dunn River Falls is an experience and maybe have lunch at the ruins (buffet for 15pp)

 

St Maarten has some nice beaches (mostly clothing optional) St Thomas/St Johns is full of beaches. Trunk Bay in St John is one of the top 10 beaches on the world.

 

Late April is a nice time to go - in between spring and winter break from the kids - the water will be warm - the temps in the western and eastern are in the high 80's

 

Cruiselines - Princess, RCI, and Carnival are big in the Caribbean that time of year - most have a ship during April going to the eastern and western each week out of Miami or Ft Lauderdale -

 

We are going on the Caribbean Princess April 29th to the Eastern and I know the Star leaves for the Western on April 28th.

 

If you are looking for a budget cruise then Maybe Carnival is your answer -

[caribbean dreams]

If you want white sand beaches and great weather, you may want to look at the Southern Caribbean iteneraries.

[wendell62]

If you want white sand beaches and great weather, you may want to look at the Southern Caribbean iteneraries.

 

 

I live in Canada. Can you get to the Southern Carribean from Florida or do you always have to fly out of San Juan?

[caribbean dreams]

I live in Canada. Can you get to the Southern Carribean from Florida or do you always have to fly out of San Juan?

 

Yes, NCL, Princess, Holland America, all leave out of Ft. Lauderdale, they are longer than 7 day cruises, i think they are around 9 days.

I am sure there are also others.

 

You also may want to check the airfare, I was able to get a flight cheaper to San Juan that to Florida and I live in California.

[firefly333]

We did the Eastern and thought the beaches were lovely. At St. Thomas we went to Cochi (sp) some local beach that rented snorkeling equipment and gave your dog bisquits to feed the fish for only $10 and it was clearer water than the bigger beach most go to.

 

I am doing another cruise in April which includes Grand Cayman and read that the driest months are March and April, the rainy season starts in May. So early April should be perfect Im hoping.

[scotts8826]

If you are flying down from Canada, check to see how much more it is to fly into San Juan. The nice thing about leaving out of San Juan is you are already in the caribbean, so you can hit a new island almost every day instead of traveling sea days. While the islands share similar eco-systems, they will have their own culture and history which is fascinating and fun to explore. I personally like the eastern island chain starting with St. Thomas and heading south from there.

 

You will find a beach at just about any island you stop at. Since they are islands, they are relatively short stretches of beach. Not like Florida where the beach goes on for miles and miles.

[CaribbeanBound]

I vote for Eastern Caribbean, especially if you can get over to the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Martin, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and St. John).

 

Here are very detailed reviews to help you with your decision.

 

Tips for First-time Western Caribbean Cruisers

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/westerncaribbean.html

Detailed information to assist you in getting ready for your first Western Caribbean cruise.

Tips for Eastern Caribbean Cruisers

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/easterncaribbean.html

Detailed information to assist you in preparing for your Eastern Caribbean cruise.