Travelers choosing a Caribbean cruise have three options: Western, Eastern, or Southern. Each itinerary differs in starting points, number of stops, and ports visited. Western is recommended for first-time cruisers, Eastern for active travelers, and Southern for experienced cruisers seeking variety.
When travelers decide to embark on a seven-day Caribbean cruise, they typically have three options for selecting the perfect cruise itinerary. A Western, Eastern or Southern Caribbean itinerary is offered by most major cruise lines operating in the Caribbean Sea. Although all itineraries cross the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, they differ in the starting points, the number of stops they make during the journey and the port of call they visit. Once these differences are understood, it becomes easy for cruising singles, couples or families to decide which cruising itinerary best suits them.
While cruising on a Western itinerary, travelers can board their vessel from a variety of cities. Western Caribbean cruises depart from Florida port cities, such as Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral. There are a few Western Caribbean itineraries that begin in Galveston, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. Most commonly, Western Caribbean cruises make three to four stops and spend eight to 24 hours in a port of call. The Western Caribbean itinerary is most recommended for first-time cruisers or travelers looking for a good deal of rest and relaxation because there are usually at least two full days at sea on a seven-day cruise. Cruise passengers interested in visiting Cozumel, Mexico’s Costa Maya, Belize’s Roatan Bay Islands, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and sometimes a layover in the Bahamas should consider choosing a Western Caribbean cruise itinerary.
Typically departing from Florida ports of call or San Juan, Puerto Rico, an Eastern Caribbean cruise itinerary offers a little more variety and more stops than a Western cruise. Your Eastern Cruise itinerary may begin and end with a day at sea if departing from Florida, or may have only one day at sea if departing from San Juan. Most Eastern Caribbean itineraries include stops in San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and other stops in the British Virgin Islands, Haiti or the Bahamas. Aside from the Bahamas, the other islands are relatively close together, allowing travelers to arrive at a new island three or four days in a row. These cruise itineraries are great for active travelers or seasoned cruisers who want to spend more time sightseeing than relaxing.
Finally, the Southern Caribbean Cruise itinerary, which has the most variety of the three itineraries, is best reserved for at least a third cruiser. There are many seven-day southern cruise itineraries, however, due to the short island hopping and fast pace, it is recommended that you look for at least a ten-day itinerary when booking a Southern Caribbean cruise. A Southern cruise itinerary frequently departs from San Juan, Panama, Barbados or Florida. Stops may include, but are not limited to, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Antigua, Martinique, Guadalupe, St. Lucia, Margarita Island, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis. Different cruise lines stop at different ports, and some cruise lines have 14-day Southern itineraries that stop at most ports. Cruisers taking seven-day Southern Caribbean cruises usually don’t have much time at sea and will need a vacation to recover from their vacation due to the vigorous island hopping. However, for the active thrill-seeker, a Southern cruise itinerary might be perfect.
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