How would you describe these ports?

We are looking into a Caribbean cruise with ports we've never been to before. The Carnival Vista just released some new cruises and we found one that really works with our dates.

I'm trying to get a very brief review of what these ports are known for. They all sound so exotic, but I need to research if they are the right kind of ports for us.

In one word, or short sentence. What would you say these ports are known for?

Snorkeling... awesome beaches...unsafe... scuba diving.....great adventure tours..."stay on board the ship"...good shopping...fun all-inclusive for families....

.boring....lots of interesting history... awesome restaurants.

etc. etc.

Ports are:

Grand Turk

La Romana, DR

Aruba

Curacao

Thank you!! Just trying to figure out if we're heading in the right direction with this cruise. :D

Grand Turk - beach day

Dominican Rep. - no idea

Aruba - nice beaches, good shopping, nice restaurants, good nightlife

Curacao- historic, nice architecture, shopping, you can just get off the ship and walk around the picturesque town.

Grand Turk - haven't been because it sounds like a wasted day from others who have been there...love staying on Provo though!

La Romana - Excellent port day, look at the Saona Island excursion offered by Seavis Tours. You'll find a ton of info on that in the DR forum of course. Great excursion for a family.

Aruba - beautiful beaches, would recommend snorkeling the wreck followed by lunch at Bugaloe Beach Bar on Eagle Beach. Shops close early so if you want to shop do that first.

Curacao - Nice town for walking/shopping (bit of a walk to town unless you take a shuttle), lunch at an outside cafe on the water or one of the nicer restaurants. Taxi to beach can be pricey for a family but nice beaches...

Usually Carnival hits either GT or LR and not both. But do look at the Seavis option for LR. Otherwise taxi to Bayahibe or Dominicus for the public beaches and a bit of shopping/stroling through these small fishing villages.

 

Usually Carnival hits either GT or LR and not both.

Maybe because this is an 8 night cruise, not 7. 4 ports and 3 sea days! :D

Thanks for the posts! This is a big help.:)

Yes probably, we were on a 7 night.

Does anybody know which ones are tender ports?

Thanks. :)

Haven't been to GT but have read there is a Carnival dock there. We've always docked at the other ports, not sure if tendering is necessary on busy days...

We are looking into a Caribbean cruise with ports we've never been to before. The Carnival Vista just released some new cruises and we found one that really works with our dates.

 

I'm trying to get a very brief review of what these ports are known for. They all sound so exotic, but I need to research if they are the right kind of ports for us.

 

In one word, or short sentence. What would you say these ports are known for?

 

Snorkeling... awesome beaches...unsafe... scuba diving.....great adventure tours..."stay on board the ship"...good shopping...fun all-inclusive for families....

.boring....lots of interesting history... awesome restaurants.

 

etc. etc.

 

Ports are:

 

Grand Turk

La Romana, DR

Aruba

Curacao

 

 

Thank you!! Just trying to figure out if we're heading in the right direction with this cruise. :D

Grand Turk = not much there. We did a dune buggy type excursion in which we drove around a good bit of the island. I was surprised at how flat it was for a Caribbean island. Basically, it's a beach type thing. Shopping at GT = :-P Nothing to speak of.

Curacao - shopping, lots of history, great waterside restaurants. The beaches on the side of the island where the cruise ships dock are pretty rough with a good bit of rock. We actually spent a week in Curacao and rarely went swimming because of the strong current. Because of the strong current, many places have created a big rock jetty to protect the beach erosion.

Have been to Aruba and Curacao many times.

The last time in Aruba, we did a bus tour of the island for 3 hours. We saw most of the island. In the afternoon, we took a taxi to Palm Beach which is a beautiful beach.

In Curacao, the last time we were there, we went to the Blue Bay beach resort in the morning and walked around Willemstad in the afternoon after visiting Fort Nassau which is a restaurant with a panoramic view. It has a good website.

Grand Turk - haven't been because it sounds like a wasted day from others who have been there...love staying on Provo though!

 

La Romana - Excellent port day, look at the Saona Island excursion offered by Seavis Tours. You'll find a ton of info on that in the DR forum of course. Great excursion for a family.

 

Aruba - beautiful beaches, would recommend snorkeling the wreck followed by lunch at Bugaloe Beach Bar on Eagle Beach. Shops close early so if you want to shop do that first.

 

Curacao - Nice town for walking/shopping (bit of a walk to town unless you take a shuttle), lunch at an outside cafe on the water or one of the nicer restaurants. Taxi to beach can be pricey for a family but nice beaches...

 

Usually Carnival hits either GT or LR and not both. But do look at the Seavis option for LR. Otherwise taxi to Bayahibe or Dominicus for the public beaches and a bit of shopping/stroling through these small fishing villages.

Carnival Valor was scheduled to go to GT & LR in January 2013, but due to high winds we did not get to go to GT. In LR you definitely want to have a plan. Take a taxi to a beach, plan an excursion, etc. because there's not much to see/do just by getting off the ship and walking around.

Our friends went to GT and hung out at the beach in front of Margaritaville and had a blast!

Yes Carnival modifies the itinerary and now they added Amber Cove as well...

It's really a shame, we see so many folks reporting that they stayed by the ship or took a touristy Carnival excursion near the port when in La Romana. This port offers several excellent opportunities to see the natural beauty of the area and to meet wonderful people away from the tourist attractions. We returned for a 2 week stay in Bayahibe after experiencing the area on a cruise stop just to enjoy more natural beauty of the DR and outlying islands...I'm sure Grand Turk has some fun things to do, we haven't stopped there.

But for anyone going to La Romana, PLEASE take some time to read past threads here and do some research. If interested in experiencing beautiful beaches, a sandbar with starfish, or even a jungle experience Seavis and Pro Excursions are both excellent outfits!