TroyMan

Help me decide what the best Princess Caribbean cruise is. We are in our 50's and don't know east from west from south in terms of what is the best first Caribbean cruise (ports/port of call/etc.) We have looked at the Crown Princess and Grand Princess but what is your experience? Thanks for your help.

laneyb

Hi there...I have travelled to the Caribbean a few times. To answer your question simply, the Western Caribbean is for "doing" (you will visit Mexico, Haiti, Grand Caymen etc. depending on the cruise line)
The Eastern is for "shopping" you will visit Bahamas, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico etc. again depending on the cruise line)
The Southern is "relaxing" and usually sails out of Puerto Rico.
A good choice for first time cruises is the West. It is a wonderful cruise. Princess does a great Caribbean cruise but I prefer the ships of Royal Caribbean. Try the Voyageur class ships, they have skating rinks, malls, rock climbing walls, and the newer ones have surfing pools. They also have very cool promenade staterooms with bay windows that overlook the promenade. Great rooms. I'd be happy to answer any other questions for you!!

jacketwatch

For me the souther Caribbean is best and I hope to try that route again, this time of the Adventure of the Seas, a RCI voyager class ship. They look fantastic!

maryanne1

Having done all 3 routes I would say my favorite is the Southern route. I have sailed with Royal Caribbean both times Radiance of the Sea-western route and Serenade of the Sea -Southern route. I did the Eastern route on a Celebrity ship-the Century. I don't think you can go wrong on either of these lines.

triathlete

I'll put in another vote for Southern. Grenada, Barbados, & St. Kitts are all wonderful...

diann24

We have sailed 3 times Southern and several times Western. Southern is the best, for us. We generally cruise in Jan/Feb and it is the best weather, and warmer waters. We done celebrity and RC lines and NCL. I have never done Princess so I cannot offer much but I highly recommend RC. Radiance of the Sea, or the Constellation on celebrity was also great.

kaleighsgram

I've only cruised on Princess in Great Britain. While I enjoyed it, I prefer Celebrity. You really don't say what your own likes or dislikes are. If you prefer nice beach stops, you might enjoy the Eastern Caribbean or South Caribbean cruises. Great shopping in St. Thomas if you're interested. Personally, I didn't enjoy some of the Western stops. But that's me.

Eschew

I'll put in my 2 bits worth.

My preferences: South, West, East.

Prepare for rougher seas for East most time of year (less protected water)

You can shop on all 3 anyway.

There are more places to see on the West.

Some ships used to stop at New Orleans before Katrina and I am not sure if they go back there yet.

Have you considered the Golf Coast or the Wexican Riviera?