| The Caribbean is one of the most popular cruise and | | | | Caribbean. The most common cruises that people |
| stay destinations in the world. The great weather and | | | | take are either the Eastern/Western Caribbean |
| huge number of islands make Caribbean cruises so | | | | cruises. Deciding on which cruise is better is a matter |
| popular. The Caribbean is also home to a lot of cruise | | | | of personal preference. The following sections aim to |
| liners all of which are unique in their own way. | | | | give you some information on the Eastern/Western |
| There are roughly 20 cruise lines that sail the | | | | Caribbean cruises so that you can choose your |
| Caribbean sea. Most people, particularly Americans | | | | preferred choice. |
| choose the bigger cruise ships like the Royal | | | | Eastern Caribbean Cruise |
| Caribbean. Ships like the Royal Caribbean have a lot of | | | | Most 7 day eastern Caribbean cruises leave from |
| amenities and provide a lot of onboard events for its | | | | Florida. The islands on the itinerary are close together |
| customers. Unfortunately due to the size of the larger | | | | which gives you less sailing time and more time on |
| cruise ships, they can only dock at the larger ports. | | | | land. The eastern Caribbean cruise is perfect for |
| Smaller ships operated by the likes of Windstar are | | | | people who are looking to do some shopping on their |
| able to get into these smaller, more obscure ports that | | | | holiday. Some of the ports visited include the Bahamas, |
| are usually quieter. | | | | Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St John and St Martin. |
| Things to consider on a Caribbean Cruise and Stay | | | | Western Caribbean Cruise |
| It's important to note that not every Caribbean island | | | | Cruises heading to the western Caribbean generally |
| has a port but due to increasing demand and | | | | leave form Florida, Texas or New Orleans. As the |
| competition from cruise liners the number of ports are | | | | islands in the western Caribbean are further apart you'll |
| increasing giving more choice of locations. | | | | spend more time at sea. Ports of call include Mexico, |
| Most people decide to take a 7 day cruise in the | | | | Costa Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Belize. |