Favorite port?

I think I have caught the cruising bug. I cruised this year on the Victory and go in Sep. on the Freedom. I have one booked for next year from San Juan on the Valor. That being said, when I go to schedule my next cruise, what port is a can't miss and why? I have so many ports that I want to go to currently so I would like to narrow my preferences. :)

I actually have not been to one that I did not like. I always find something to like about a place that I travel to. Of course there are some I like better than others.

For me; love St Martin, and Grand Cayman. Also love Key West. One of the prettiest and loveliest islands I have visited is St John USVI. Cruise goes to St Thomas which also has it's charm, but St John is just pure beautiful and uncrowded, and you can take a ferry over from ST Thomas.

Also one of my favorite places in the Caribbean is Barbados. Been there many times, though not yet on a cruiseship. So much to see and do on this beautiful island. Friendly people. Also rereading your post, I see you are going on the Valor which goes to St Lucia....Absolutely a beautiful island, not to be missed.

I could go on, but these are tops on my list.:)

Belize, Aruba, Gran Turk, Grand Caymen, and Cozumel in that order.

Was interrupted during my answer, so I'll now give my reasons why:

Belize- plenty of great shore excursions. Adventures include the best snorkeling ever, zip lining, the Belize Zoo, and more.

Aruba, Gran Turk, and Grand Caymen- easy, quick, and inexpensive to get to a beautiful, perfect beach.

Cozumel- For some reason I just love a day at Paradise Beach. Not the best beach but really cheap, a quick cab ride, and just feels like vacation. Great place to enjoy a beer in Mexico!

When you arrive in San Juan, go have some mofongo and a mojito at Cafe San Juan in Old San Juan!

I love St. Maarten and St. Lucia. Beautiful islands with great snorkeling! Bermuda is also an absolute must-see, although Carnival rarely sails there.

I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a port? As far as best beach, I just went to Half Moon Cay and I have to tell you it is one of the best if not the best I have been to. Trunks Bay on St. John is a close 2nd.

Was interrupted during my answer, so I'll now give my reasons why:

 

Belize- plenty of great shore excursions. Adventures include the best snorkeling ever, zip lining, the Belize Zoo, and more.

 

Aruba, Gran Turk, and Grand Caymen- easy, quick, and inexpensive to get to a beautiful, perfect beach.

 

Cozumel- For some reason I just love a day at Paradise Beach. Not the best beach but really cheap, a quick cab ride, and just feels like vacation. Great place to enjoy a beer in Mexico!

I forgot to mention Cozumel. I have been to Playa Mia which I think is just next to Paradise Beach. I had a wonderful day there, and as you say, it is not the best beach, but I loved the water. There were some rocks in the water but they weren't sharp, but rounded ones and the water was so clear that you could see right down to your toes. I think I spent several hours there floating around and paddling. One of the best days I ever spent in port. I did enjoy my Playa Mia day, but have heard that Paradise beach is better.

Next time in Cozumel, I will definitely head to either one of these beaches.:)

My Next One!!!!

The place I get on the ship :) As early as possible... LOL

I think that the best port I went to was Isla Roatan in Honduras. Wonderful people, great sights (Cameo Factory, small beaches). I want to go back there again.

I couldn't choose just one, because I like them for various reasons (placing them in different categories):

Half Moon Cay (top of list of my all-time favorite of all islands with most beautiful beach I've ever seen on any island. Runners up for fav beach would be Trunk Bay in St. John US V.I., St. Thomas beaches, Barbados and islands in the Bahamas...all having the clearest water where you can see the white sand right to the bottom)

St. Lucia - my fav for most scenic/landscaped/mountainous island (runner up is Jamaica)

Bermuda and St. Kitts - cleanest/"prim and proper" I've ever seen (Bermuda always smells so fragrant to me!)

Cozumel - fav for most festive island

Key West for a fun cool place to visit, Half Moon Cay for the beach, Turks and Caicos for easy on and off the ship

St. Maarten: love the beach where the planes fly over, Belize: so many awesome excursions, Cozumel: beautiful, with many different activities to do.

I think my favorite port is Colon, Panama. There's something about the mix of latin american and american culture there that makes it a very interesting place. The Canal is such a big part of their country. I heard when the new locks open, it will catapult Panama into an era of prosperity.

But that being said, I've loved most of the ports I've visited. St. Maarten is up there as I got engaged there. St. Kitts was wonderful. Cozumel, once you break past the touristy stuff has a really rich culture. Cozumel is a port I've been to over 5 or 6 times, and have found something to do each and every time.

Belize, Roatan, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Key West, Cartegena, Nassau, Freeport are all great ports.

Suprisingly, I found Grand Cayman to be the dullest. I took a tour of the city my last time, and I was a little underwhelmed. If you don't care about Sting Rays or Turtles, or beaches (like me), its bit boring. Hell was cool, for about 10 minutes. I'm going back in December, and I'm hitting a wall on what i want to do there. Nothing really stands out. It maybe just a wandering relax port where i find some cafe for local food. I might be lucky there.

HMC hands down.....I also really like Puerto Rico.

GT, HMC, Key West, Cozumel

I think I have caught the cruising bug. I cruised this year on the Victory and go in Sep. on the Freedom. I have one booked for next year from San Juan on the Valor. That being said, when I go to schedule my next cruise, what port is a can't miss and why? I have so many ports that I want to go to currently so I would like to narrow my preferences. :)

Go to the cruise schedules; pick one that fits your time to go. No cruise is a bad cruise. :)

Didn't do it on Carnival but all ports in ALASKA. One of the most incredible vacations ever. Humpback whales, killer whales, bald eagles, bears, and flying in a helicopter over a glacier.....it was 11 years ago and STILL smile thinking about it.

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We are only going on our 4th cruise next week. So far, we love Cozumel, especially Paradise Beach. Been there twice. Grand Cayman too. Going to Alaska next. After that, will be looking for Belize, Aruba, St Maartin, etc. So many trips to plan! I could go on and on.

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St. George Bermuda

In the Caribbean St. Maarten is our favorite port of call. Just thinking about being there makes me HAPPY! :)

LuLu

I like Dubrovnik as it has so much to offer

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What are you looking for? What do you like to do? What parts of the world are you interested in?

Our favorites are the ports with the best snorkeling, because we are snorkelers. Key West was hands down the best for us in that regard. After that, in order of preference for snorkeling, were Nassau, St John, Belize, Aruba, Cozumel and Bonaire.

For local cultural/historical interest, our favorites were San Juan, Nassau, and the Panama Canal. For beachy relaxation, Roatan (Mahogany Bay) and Cozumel. We have sailed eastern, western, southern Caribbean itineraries, and Bahamas, and have not been to a "bad" port. We, too, have a long list of other parts of the world we want to sail to...

If you have a list of ports you want to visit, find a cruise you can afford at a time you can sail that calls at the greatest number of ports on your list, and go! Knock off as many as you can, and then do it again! What fun to have the world open to you!

And don't forget that sea days are a wonderful thing, too!

I'm a cruise newbie. I'm taking the Carnival Glory to two ports: Grand Caymen and Ochos Rios. Any thoughts, do's/don'ts?

Our favorite ports are: Curacao, Aruba, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay.

Have been to many, but have returned to these several times.