Caribbean ABC islands

We are looking at cruising southern caribbean next march and want to visit ABC islands.The itineraries found only visit 2 out of the 3. As both itineraries are different not sure which one to choose so which one should we give a miss to.we have done Eastern side and liked most of the islands so want to go further south..Thank you

You may want to post on the Caribbean Port of Call Forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

Thanks for the tip I have posted there too

I believe there is still a HAL cruise that calls on all three islands. We did that a few years ago.

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I believe there is still a HAL cruise that calls on all three islands. We did that a few years ago.

 

 

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Thank you but We prefer Princess cruise ships as that's our style of ship

Thank you but We prefer Princess cruise ships as that's our style of ship

That is too bad, as this is an amazing cruise line, ship and itinerary:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/spa/#/itinerary-details?packageID=EC14D007&sDT=2018-03-18&cCD=CO&aCB=false

Thank you but We prefer Princess cruise ships as that's our style of ship

Crown princess is going to all 3 islands. Leaves Ft. Lauderdale on 3/16.

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I know you indicate Princess as your first choice but RCI does a 9-night out of Miami that goes to their private destination, Labadee, and all three of the ABC's. Very nice itinerary.

We have done the ABC islands quite a few times on different cruise lines -- Princess and HAL and even NCL once many years ago.

Itinerary is more important to us..

Maybe you should consider another cruise line to get what you want. Especially since you are traveling so far to cruise..

Thank you but We prefer Princess cruise ships as that's our style of ship

We are looking at cruising southern caribbean next march and want to visit ABC islands.The itineraries found only visit 2 out of the 3. As both itineraries are different not sure which one to choose so which one should we give a miss to.we have done Eastern side and liked most of the islands so want to go further south..Thank you

If you must stay with Princess, I suggest whichever of the 2 routes goes to Bonaire. Bonaire is the least commercialized, and has the best snorkeling/diving in the ABCs. I know I'm in the minority when I say I'm not a huge fan of Aruba and Curacao.

There are so many choices out there though. Why won't you consider Celebrity, HAL or RCI...all 3 of which visit all 3 islands? :confused:

We did 9nts on Navigator of the seas going to Miami - Labadee - Aruba - Bonaire - Curacao.

We LOVE Aruba but wasn't that impressed with Bonaire and Curacao.

We where NOT impressed with Navigator, that's a ship that realy needs a dry dock...

Sailed February 2017.

We did 9nts on Navigator of the seas going to Miami - Labadee - Aruba - Bonaire - Curacao.

 

We LOVE Aruba but wasn't that impressed with Bonaire and Ccoccc

Did

We where NOT impressed with Navigator, that's a ship that realy needs a dry dock...

 

Sailed February 2017.

I did the same cruise on the Navigator in March of 2017 and had no problems with the Navigator. Service, food and entertainment were all very good.

I have visited the ABC islands several time, including full week land vacations in Aruba. I love Aruba. There is a lot to do and see, but it's not for everyone. It has grown in terms of visitors, commercialization over the last 20 years. Still a great place to visit with wonderful people, beaches, and things to do and see.

Found Curaçao to be another nice island, with interesting history and downtown area, but to me doesn't compare to Aruba. Again, people were very friendly and proud of their island. Many mentioned Aruba - felt there was a healthy competition between the two islands - locals all mentioning "their island" was the best!

Bonaire is a much simpler island. Not much to do except diving and beaches. Pretty to visit, but lacking in things like cabs to take visitors places.

Southern Carinbbean is always my favorite cruise. Love that RC has gone to the longer cruise out of Miami. Previously had to fly to San Juan to really go south.

Too bad you are limiting yourself to Princess. Sailing from Barbados, AIDA and TUI (Mein Schiff 3) both have cruises that visit all three, plus TUI (Thomson) Discovery visits all three. Sometimes if you are itinerary drive, you have to branch out. I see Crown Princess leaves Fort Lauderdale on March 19 and visits all three ABC islands. Go to http://www.cruisetimetables.com and choose Bonaire (Neth. Antilles) from the Ports of Call list and you will get even more options. EM

Have been on several cruises that went to Aruba and Curacao and think those two islands are probably the best islands in the Caribbean. Finally went on a cruise that also stopped in Bonaire - very disappointed. Now I know why most cruise do A and C and skip B.

Thank you but We prefer Princess cruise ships as that's our style of ship

Each of the ABCs has their own character...and they are quite different. Aruba is generally considered the most developed and is quite easy to get around using public transportation and taxis. Bonaire is the least developed and a very popular island for SCUBA divers. For those not interested in the water, this would probably be considered the least desirable island to visit. Curacao is hard to categorize because it has some highly developed areas (much of this is within a few miles of the cruise port) and a very large under developed rural area that has some interesting small beaches (not normally visited by most cruisers).

If we had to recommend one island to miss, assuming you are not a SCUBA Diver or avid snorkeler...we would suggest skipping Bonaire.

Hank

Did the ABCs this past March. Because we are not big tourist type folks, we actually enjoyed Bonaire the most and Aruba the least. We truly loved snorkeling in Bonaire.

Did the ABCs this past March. Because we are not big tourist type folks, we actually enjoyed Bonaire the most and Aruba the least. We truly loved snorkeling in Bonaire.

We're doing the ABC itinerary with Princess in November. Which company did you use?

We're doing the ABC itinerary with Princess in November. Which company did you use?

If you want to snorkel in Bonaire, the best is to go on the Woodwind (you can just Google "Woodwind Aruba"). This dive boat is operated by a wonderful young lady (Dee) and her husband Ulf...and they have been doing snorkel tours of more then a decade. But getting a reservation is not always easy as the Woodwind often sells out months in advance.

Hank

We're doing the ABC itinerary with Princess in November. Which company did you use?

We were on the Caribbean Princess in March 2017.

Certainly look up Woodwind snorkeling. Dee was fabulous and we came back with pictures we could not have gotten any other way. Her and her team are extremely safe and efficient. Her knowledge is unbelievable.

Really good lunch too. Oh and don't forget to try the rum punch!

That is too bad, as this is an amazing cruise line, ship and itinerary:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/spa/#/itinerary-details?packageID=EC14D007&sDT=2018-03-18&cCD=CO&aCB=false

:hearteyes:

I am doing a cruise on RCCL's Adventure of the Seas that is hitting all of the ABC islands. Not sure if this itinerary is available in the spring though. I love Princess but I also love RCCL.