Eastern or Wester Caribbean with Kids?

[crzgrl66]

I was reading a thread on the RCCL board and seemed like many prefered Eastern. I think many posters were older and not traveling with children. So for those of you that have traveled with children which did you choose and why? BTW I have 3 active boys 14, 9, & 6. TIA

[crusinmama06]

ACTIVE is the key here.

 

Personally, yes, I LOVE Eastern. BUT, my youngest is 4.

 

When you want an active itinerary, then you go Western.

 

Many of the ziplining canopy tours, climbing waterfalls, cave tubing, river tubing, swimming with stingrays - yep, mostly western.

 

As far as these tours....

Dolphin swims - Nassau and Cozumel

 

Swimming with stingrays - Grand Caymen Stingray City and Nassau (Blackbeards on a much smaller scale)

 

Ruin Tours - Western

 

So yes, if you want the MOST ACTIVE cruise, then go Western. I am not saying that Eastern is totally sedate. But you will have more options on the Western.

 

With that being said, the AGES of your youngest kids may be a problem for you right now. The 6 and 9 year old won't be the minimum age for all of the tours. I know, we've been there. ;)

[vavasmom]

We have done both the Western (twice) and Eastern. I have one daughter who is fairly active. She is now 13.5 but has been cruising since she was 10.

 

For us the Eastern wins out over the Western by a very small margin.

At her age she enjoys the extra sea day on the Eastern. We were just on the Freedom of the Seas and we only had two "early" port mornings (St. Thomas and St. Martin). We did not arrive in San Juan until 3pm so she was able to do the later evening teen activities and hang out by the pool with her new friends like a sea day. The beaches in St. Thomas were beautiful and we zip lined in St. Martin (very active).

 

However, which Western Posts the cruise stops can make it a close call. We liked Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I personally did not enjoy Montego Bay (did not feel safe). Key West was also a nice part-day stop. We have also enjoyed all three "private islands" we have visited (Castaway Cay, Labadee, and Coco Cay).

 

Edited to add - a Sea day for my 13 yo really implies sleeping until 9:30 ish; then using the pool, ice rink, rock wall, watching the flowrider, maybe mini-golf. Did I mention she really liked the ship!

[mom2girls]

I really love Western! But, with what's going on in Mexico right now I think I'd hesitate doing Western at this time.

[Baxter]

Another vote for eastern. Our kids are under 3, and we find the eastern itinerary to be a bit more laid-back.

[Peace2U]

Personally I would prefer Eastern over Western. Jamaica, to me, sounds kind of scary crime-wise, so I wouldn't want to have to worry about a child when someone possibly comes up and asks you to buy drugs, etc.

[Lady_Jag]

You know, I never thought about the itinerary when we booked our cruise (DD-3 first cruise). We just looked at:

• Which cruiseline we wanted to sail (Carnival)
  
• The port we wanted to leave from (Port Canaveral is only 2 hours away)
  
• The dates we wanted to travel (this coming Saturday)
  
• The length of the cruise (7 nights)
  
• Price
  

After all the above contingencies, an Eastern itinerary was the best fit. As it so happened, 2 of the 3 ports of call were ones we had never visited, which was an added bonus.

[Warmer Climes]

Personally I would prefer Eastern over Western. Jamaica, to me, sounds kind of scary crime-wise, so I wouldn't want to have to worry about a child when someone possibly comes up and asks you to buy drugs, etc.

 

We had our best shore excursion ever in Jamaica with our DD (9 at the time) and our then-17 y.o. son and his 17 y.o. cousin. We rode horses at Hooves and then went and ate jerk chicken in Ocho Rios and walked back to the ship. The only thing we were offered was hair braiding. I'm not saying that no one has had problems in Jamaica but we have been there twice and it is a very beautiful place.

[Peace2U]

We had our best shore excursion ever in Jamaica with our DD (9 at the time) and our then-17 y.o. son and his 17 y.o. cousin. We rode horses at Hooves and then went and ate jerk chicken in Ocho Rios and walked back to the ship. The only thing we were offered was hair braiding. I'm not saying that no one has had problems in Jamaica but we have been there twice and it is a very beautiful place.

 

Oh, I am glad there are some happy stories. I have heard some doozies about Jamaica and it just made me a little wary. Thanks for the info!

[AJMissal]

I havent done the Eastern but have done the southern and western. we really enjoyed the western and I have two boys 10 and 14. we did the falls and tubing in ocho rios, went to chakanaub park to swim with the dolphins in cozumel. We all had a great time and would go back in a heart beat.

[Warmer Climes]

Oh, I am glad there are some happy stories. I have heard some doozies about Jamaica and it just made me a little wary. Thanks for the info!

 

As I said, we have had good times in Jamaica but it is like several other places the cruise ships go in that I would definitely take a known and well-reviewed shore excursion and not wander around on my own. Have fun!

 

Barb