Ports in Southern Caribbean?

[timsgrl]

My husband and I will be taking our first cruise next month. We are going to the Southern Caribbean (St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, Aruba). We already have our shore excursions booked for each port but with our remaining time left at the port we are looking for recommendations of other things to see and/or do.

 

For each particular port listed above, what things are within walking distance of the ship that are good to see and/or do? If you do recommend an activity and it's not within walking distance of the ship, about how long does it take to get there and by what mode of transportation do you recommend?

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

[wwinfl91]

If your ship is docked at Havensight dock check out the Paradise Point Tramway. It costs to ride the tram up but you get a fantastic view of the harbor and the ships that are docked there, including yours. There is also a bar and restaurant there as well as souvenirs and other ways to pass the time.

 

Here is a link to Paradise Point web site.

 

http://paradisepointtramway.com/cafe.html

 

Great place to take pictures.

 

Have a great first cruise.

[iowagirl411]

I don't know what you have planned for Aruba, but you must see both sides of the island. What a contrast. Because there is a constant breeze and it always blows in the exactly the same direction, one side has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world with very gentle waves. The other side of the island has crashing waves and stark black rock formations. Very fascinating. And you have to see the divi-divi trees. Unforgettable!

[wwinfl91]

In Barbados if your ship is docked where our's was there really wasn't anything close to the ship, We were docked at the Bridgetown Cruise terminal. To get to the town you would need to walk through a commercial port area. I did see some of the crew members and a few cruisers doing it but we didn't attempt it. We did a ship sponsored tour here of the highlights and left it at that.

 

I suspect your ship will be docking in Dominica at Roseau. There you can walk off the ship and down the dock and be in the downtown area of the town. We walked around there and took some pictures of an Old Church and a market area. The town looks a little rough and run down and you are liable to be approached by beggers or people offering to "give you a tour". Other than that no one bothered us but we didn't go more than a couple of blocks into the town to the church. I don't know what we would have found had we went further. The real beauty in Dominica is in the back areas away from the towns which hopefully is what you will see on your ships tour.

 

As the above poster mentioned your ship's tour in Aruba should take you to the two sides of the island and the contrast is amazing. There again there is a little walk back to the town but not an too long. There is a big Carlos and Charlie's sign that stands out in a couple of my pictures from the dock, bar and restaurant, that some people went to.

 

Have a great next cruise.