Destination: Western Caribbean

By Brooke Franco

Paradise found! Cruise the Western Caribbean. - *Photo by Canva*

If you are in the process of selecting a Caribbean cruise, you are likely weighing your options between picking a Southern, Eastern, or Western Caribbean itinerary. These regions offer numerous activities and sightseeing opportunities, unique history and cultural traditions, and some of the world's most spectacular beaches.

For new cruisers, figuring out the differences between the three regions can be confusing. The simplest way to figure this out is by looking at a map of the Caribbean to see which countries make up the Western, Eastern, and Southern areas. The Western Caribbean specifically means destinations in Mexico, Jamaica, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Belize.

The Western Caribbean is one of the most popular Caribbean routes you will find offered by cruise lines of all varieties. These cruises typically depart from Florida, Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile, and San Juan homeports.

Western vs. Eastern Caribbean: Smackdown!

If you are considering a cruise that visits the Western Caribbean, this destination guide is for you. We’ve outlined the cruising highlights of the region, provided insight into port stops, shared tips from our community members, and how to find your ideal cruise at the best prices. For each topic, we have split our advice by region to provide the best guidance on planning the perfect vacation.

Itineraries
When to Cruise
Excursions
Member Reviews
Find a Deal

1. Itineraries

Frequently visited ports on Western Caribbean cruise routes include stops in Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Honduras, and Belize. You will also find some of these itineraries commonly combine a visit to the cruise line’s private islands in the Bahamas (not in the Western Caribbean).

Mexico is one of the typical stops on Western itineraries, with port visits to Cozumel and Costa Maya. In addition, Falmouth, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios are frequently visited ports in Jamaica. You will also find Roatan (Honduras), George Town (Grand Cayman), and Belize City (Belize) as popular ports on Western Caribbean routes. In addition, Royal Caribbean has a private destination in the Western Caribbean, Labadee (Haiti). Similarly, Norwegian Cruise Line has a private Belize oasis named Harvest Caye.

Typically, Western Caribbean sailings depart from Miami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile, and sometimes San Juan.

Select Western Caribbean routes that combine Caribbean island hopping with stops in Central America, like Costa Rica or Panama. These destinations take longer to sail to, meaning you will have more days at sea and a more extended voyage (generally 10 to 14 nights).

2. When to Cruise

The Western Caribbean offers picture-perfect, postcard-worthy weather - sunshine and warm, tropical temperatures. Most cruise lines provide Western Caribbean routes year-round due to the excellent conditions.

Typically, the ‘high season’ in the Western Caribbean is the late fall/winter months of mid-October through mid-April. During this period, it’s cold and snowy in many U.S. states, making the warm sun and beautiful sandy beaches of Mexico, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman an ideal travel destination.

Want to cruise in the summer months to the Western Caribbean? Don’t worry; cruise lines such as Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, and others sail year-round from various southern U.S. homeports. As a result, Western Caribbean offerings may be more limited in these months, which can translate to higher prices. In addition, during the summer, many lines redeploy ships to Alaska and Europe, limiting Western Caribbean choices. If you want to sail in the Western Caribbean in the summer, be aware that temperatures can get hot in many ports, so come prepared!

One thing to keep in mind when planning the timing of your Western Caribbean cruise is hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to December 1, with the most active months being mid-August to mid-October. If you choose to sail during this time, expect the unpredictable. The ship may divert to other ports if a storm arises to avoid bad weather. Rerouting a ship is just one example of the bonuses of sailing during this time, compared to land-based resorts.

3. Excursions

*Stingray City, Grand Cayman - Photo by Canva*

Most Western Caribbean ports offer fun in the sun, history, adventure, and beautiful beaches. Here are some of the top excursions to check out in popular Western Caribbean ports of call:

Cozumel, Mexico

Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Belize City, Belize

Costa Maya, Mexico

See More Caribbean Excursions from Our Partners at Shore Excursions Group

4. Member Reviews

These are some of the great tips and review feedback that our community members shared about their visit to popular Western Caribbean ports:

Take a taxi to Chankanaab park. Best water in the Caribbean, lots of other stuff to do, good safe food. Been there a dozen times, always love it. - debbiecera on Cozumel. Mexico

We did zip-lining and cave tubing! The people of Belize treat you like royalty and there was a lot of history learned! Overall great time! - andi2you on Belize City, Belize

If you don’t get off anywhere else, get off here. It is beautiful. The port is very well built. The free beach is very nice. - Jakobepally on Mahogany Beach, Roatan, Honduras

We went to Seven Mile Beach and had great coconut and jerk chicken on the beach. I would recommend getting a day pass at one of the many hotels along the beach to avoid crowds. - paulsfishing87 on Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

As you walk out of port turn left and walk about 400 yards. On the right-hand side of the road is Turtle Farm Park. Completely free to go in and you can see the turtles and giant fish. - scarletsmummy on Ocho Rios, Jamaica

See All Western Caribbean Member Reviews

5. Find a Cruise Deal

Cruiseline.com and Shipmate make finding your dream Western Caribbean cruise easy to fit any budget. Use our Find a Cruise tool to search cruises to the Western Caribbean by homeport, ports of call, cruise line, and more.

Check out the Western Caribbean cruises from U.S. homeports: