Caribbean itineraries

[tomculb]

Shoveled the driveway yet again this morning and decided we need to make plans to go someplace warm next winter. A cruise would be nice, and that suggests the Caribbean, a part of the world my wife and I have never been to and know anything about.

 

 

I do understand that cruise ships occasionally visit there. It seems to me that the benefits of cruising on a smaller, Oceania-sized ship are diminished a bit (maybe more than a bit) if we cozy into a small, picturesque harbor next to Tenement of the Seas and a fleet of sister ships. Are any of O’s Caribbean itineraries better than others in terms of avoiding the carnival crowd? (That’s with a lower case “c”; I don’t want to get in trouble here.)

 

Although we enjoy looking at a pretty beach as much as the next person, we’re not really the lie-on-the-beach-and-toast types. We enjoy walking, biking, snorkeling, history, culture, etc. Anything to look for in an itinerary for a couple wanting to be physically and mentally active (and perhaps a little bit anti-social)?

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

[tropicalkerry2002]

Great sense of humour! Love that 2nd paragraph!

Sorry, I can't offer any advice, though.

[Terryd444]

Hi there Tom,

 

We just did Mayan Mystique this past February. Loved it for the mix, my husband enjoyed the Mayan ruins and I learned to snorkel. I had three snorkeling stops, Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman, sadly we had to skip Roatan Honduras due to high winds preventing docking, but it reportedly has some of the best snorkeling right off the beach. All the snorkeling was amazing!

We didn't bike but we did learn to Segway! One of the trips to the Mayan ruins took a river boat ride to get there.

 

We booked all our trips through Oceania and took the unlimited package which had us busy in every port, but this sailing also has days at sea so you can rest up too! Our roll call for this cruise was very much NOT active, no one seemed interested in booking small independent operators and there were concerns with some of the longer excursions to the ruins getting back to the ship on time. We were glad in the end that we did this, all the tours were good and the reduced pricing with unlimited was not that much more in the long run, especially for our peace of mind.

 

By contrast we sailed Caribbean Hideaways the year before. It was lovely too, especially St Bart's and St. Lucia. But I found the Mayan ruins more interesting than the fairly recent history in the Eastern Caribbean. I wasn't snorkeling then so maybe someone who has done that part of the world could chime in..

 

Enjoy the planning!

Terry

[Terryd444]

PS. Forgot to mention you can get a ton of excercise climbing the Mayan pyramids where they allow you...views over the jungle are Amazing! Nice walks through the jungle to get to the sites too....

[Hawaiidan]

All one has to do is look at the sheer mass of dozens and dozens of ships all going to the same places... Its pretty normal to experience 6000 to 12,000 day trippers. Carnival, the Obscenity of the seas, Princess,

Seabourn, Regent, Costa ,Holland, and anything that floats, and holds people.

 

There is an over population of tourists than many islands visited have as a population! That has not escaped the locals who have developed shopping malls., stores and tacky bars of every ilk. and fostered all sorts of crime.

In truth, they all pretty much look the same . Common to see 3 to5 ships in port... even Rotan, Cozumel and Belize will see 2 to 3 ships a day....big friggen ships, that dwarf the largest aircraft carriers...

 

Want to get away from the crowd? Go to warm exotic places that see as many tourists in a year that St Thomas sees in 3 days? A hermit stands a better chance in Orlando of finding a get away than the Caribe does.

Yea it costs more, but the return on your dollars is far higher. You get what you pay for.

 

Take a cruise to Tahiti, The south Pacific, even Hawaii, is less touristic than the Carribe. where the scene is not party party ....

 

Each destination offers plusses and minuses ..... the carribe. for me has nothing..and from what you wrote not much for you

[Mura]

Not to argue to much with Hawaii Dan here but while we aren't big Caribbean fans, we did do two cruises to the area (one on Regatta and one on QE2) -- most recently in 2004 so our experience isn't recent. But if you haven't been there before, I'd say it's worth trying and it's closer than Tahiti!

 

We DID have a huge crowd in St. Thomas the last time we were there. We very much enjoyed St. Lucia and Barbados. It does depend on your itinerary.

 

In general we either walked around on our own or bargained with a van driver to give us a tour. It's not essential to take a ship's tour unless you prefer the security of being on one.

 

I have been told that those huge behemoths spend more time at sea than in a port but I don't know that such really is the case.

 

Mura

[hondorner]

Betsy and I have been to Caribbean ports 11 times, either directly or as part of a cruise "passing through" (such as the Amazon or the Panama Canal) since 1980. We've cruised on a variety of ships, but the largest were some of the early Carnival ships (Carnivale and Mardi Gras) which were not really large, and most often on Regent or Oceania.

 

There is some truth to Dan's claim that the ports are much the same; you get to the point where you say, "If you've been to one Caribbean Island, you've been to them all". Sadly, it's getting even more so; many of the ports, often in partnership with the mega cruise lines, are building what I call "fake ports". These are walled, concrete creations with the same shops, closed off to natives unless they work there, and increasingly difficult to escape unless you take a ship's tour. Examples are Grand Turk (with it's groomed beach and shops like Margaritaville and RonDon Surf Shop (both of which originated in Florida), Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Princess Cay, one on the south shore of Jamaica and one in Venezuela (I can't remember their names), and several more. Certainly, we're at the point where we never left the ship for more than an hour or two on our last Western Caribbean cruise on Riviera last April.

 

Having said that, I fondly remember the first few trips and the excitement of tropical paradises. It's something you have to do, and I can assure that you won't start to get tired of it until after you're 10th time -- and even then you'll continue to go to get away from the snow shoveling. Heck, we live in Florida, are surrounded by warm weather, topical flora and beaches, and we still go to the Caribbean! On Oceania, any cruise is better than no cruise, and living in Florida, we don't have to fly.

 

After those 11 cruises, I can say that we've rarely been bothered by the behemoths. We have docked next to a Disney ship and a couple of Carnival ships (they're almost everywhere), but we've also seen nothing bigger than a Silver Seas ship or a Paul Allen yacht.

 

If you're dedicated to avoiding the monsters, spend a little time researching Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, find the ports they visit (usually the same ones every week), then look at Oceania's itineraries for other ports. It's actually fairly easy to avoid conflicts.

 

I will warn you that it's almost always better to book early on Oceania rather than last minute like on the main stream ships. After you get your feet wet (not literally, I hope) on Oceania, you should be looking at least a year ahead to get the best cabins and best deals. Many of us book as soon as the itineraries are released, often 18 months ahead.

 

Dan's not wrong about the Pacific, but remember he lives in Hawaii and that's his back yard, the Caribbean is mine.

[Flatbush Flyer]

A native New Yorker who has spent the bulk of my adult life on the "left coast," I understand the "right coast" thinking when it comes to the Caribbean: But, one can quickly tire of the look alike reef based islands (we've sailed them on both cruise ship and cat charter).

 

If you're looking for a different island experience, head to the Hawaiian Islands (IMHO, though, skip Honolulu -which is pretty much L.A. West) and/or look at some other Pacific island destinations like Fiji and New Caledonia (yes, the OTHER "French" Island).

 

Our favorite is Kauai - no tall buildings, drop dead gorgeous beaches and mountains, wonderful cultural opportunities and still somewhat uncrowned, at least in the shoulder seasons.

 

Please understand that I'm not saying the left ocean is better than the right one. Rather, I am saying that, the trip west is worth it when you tire of steel drum music and "painkillers."

 

 

 

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[LHT28]

We have done a few caribbean cruise and yes some of them are very crowded with other mega ships in port

We were not held captive in Grand Turk we did go into the small town & had a look around

Roatan we docked at Coxen hole so were not held captive there by Carnival town

Some islands have history not just beaches but most cruisers head to the beach & bars ..if you do your research ahead of time you can find other things to do & see

Some ports we were the only ship there ..just depends on the day

 

Some ports Cozumel comes to mind there were 10 ships there one time

 

We are not beach people much prefer seeing the island

 

YMMV

 

Lyn

[caviargal]

We prefer to fly to our favorite destinations in the Caribbean and stay for long weekends, and we do that several times a year. We are beach and ocean people and very content to spend our entire day walking the beach, swimming and enjoying hobie cats, snorkeling and water sports.

 

We rarely ocean cruise, especially to the islands, but we are booked with friends next year on a short Riviera cruise from Miami, simply because of a celebration and the convenience of driving to the port.

 

We will rent a jeep on arrival and head to the best beach my research has found and spend much of the day right there, stopping for lunch along the way.

 

For us, it is all about avoiding the shopping, the tourists and the other cruise ship passengers. While this gets more difficult as the ships get even larger, it is still quite possible to get away from it all.

 

If we did not enjoy O as much as we did last fall, we would not even think about a Caribbean cruise. But having the time to enjoy the ship is a big plus for this itinerary.

Edited March 6, 2014 by caviargal

[Andee]

We're not spend the day on the beach people, but we do like to snorkel.

 

We have found interesting things to do on every Caribbean island we've visited--historical walking or driving tours, local museums, botanical gardens, etc. Even the ones we've visited more than once.

 

Maybe our perspective is odd, but they don't all seem the same to us.

 

A couple of months ago, DH declared that we didn't have enough vacations planned for this year--despite 6 weeks skiing in Colorado, a theater weekend in NYC, and a Tanzanian safari! He didn't want me to have to work as hard as I usually do planning a trip, so I booked a Caribbean cruise on Oceania, our favorite line.

 

No need to plan the itinerary, decide how long to stay where and how to get from Point A to Point B, pick hotels and restaurants. All I have to do is decide what to do on each island, some of which we've been to before and some of which we haven't.

[pacheco18]

Just my opinion

Avoid Caribbean

Most of the islands are dirty

Crowded with thousands of cruisers looking for knicknacks and rum

The ships do not dock in the best areas of the islands, small or large

You will have warm weather but little else to enjoy

 

Hawaii is a much better option if u cannot get to French Polynesia.

Choose one island or two

Stay a week on each if u can

Paradise

[Hawaiidan]

1 is to fly to CA and take one of several 14 day rt to Hawaii stopping at the best places to explore like Hilo, Kona, Lahina, Kauai. All warm all day

 

2. Again flying to CA or heck take Amtrak, and taking a 26 day rt from LA/San Diego thet hits Marqusea, Tahiti, Bora, Moorea, Pago Pago, Kuribati, Hilo Hawaii Honolulu, and back to CA ( none of these are "reef based all very mountainous with dense tropical growth..,.. Most of the Carribe is a scrub-desert type)

[pacheco18]

Forgive me for disagreeing with "Hawaii " dan but

 

I do not think cruising to Hawaii and spending a day or two on each island is the way to go. Too hectic. Each island is different. Pick one or two and soak it in.

 

We have been to all the islands but we.happen to prefer the west coast of Oahu. We have a timeshare there in ko'olina and will be going for 10 days in April. It's away from the insanity of Waikiki but you still have access to the whole island, including the war memorial and the north shore. Some love Maui I find it crowded other than in the wailea area. Others love Kauai. Too quiet and rainy for us. Others love the big island. Not green enough for me.

 

Spend some time on any of these islands. You won't be disappointed

Edited March 6, 2014 by pacheco18

[bk travels]

The Caribbean is beautiful! My husband and I enjoy reading and walking on the beach, but we also love snorkeling, exploring the islands, and getting out on the water. We took a Regent cruise to the Caribbean a couple of years ago. It was fine, but, for us, cruising is not the way to appreciate and enjoy this region. We didn't run into a lot of crowds except on Cozumel. Even so, there is a limited amount to do if you are spending just a single day in port. The sight of the tour buses and the shopping is just depressing. The resorts are a much, much better way to enjoy the beauty and pleasure of the islands. Look at some of the resorts on quiet Anguilla or the Virgin Islands for example. They often have water activities and beautiful, private beaches. Renting a jeep is a great way to get to areas away from the tourist centers as long as you are on a safe island. Hope you have a fun time whatever you decide!

[tomculb]

Thanks for all the useful suggestions.

 

Hawaii Dan, I lived in your beautiful state for 18 years, we've been back several times since, and another trip is high on our list. Someone mentioned Kauai--I could write pages about the spectacular hiking there.

 

I just found an intriguing itinerary next March that hits the southern Caribbean and north coast of SA. From Miami it goes to Santa Marta, Oranjestad, Kralendijk, El Guamache, St. Georges, Pointe a Pitre, Fort de France, ending in Bridgetown -- not places that run off my tongue easily. Anyone know anything about these ports?

[Floridiana]

Islands with just one or two ships:

 

Eastern Caribbean

Martinique

Guadeloupe

Dominica

St.Vincent (take the excursion to Montreal Gardens)

Grenada

St. Barths

St. Kitts (walk beyond the manmade port facility into the real town, take an excursion into the tropical hinterland)

Virgin Gorda

 

Some of the small cruiseships go to the small islands of the Grenadine group near St.Vincent.

 

St. Martin French side: We did an excursion to the top of the Antenna Mountain and walked down. That was great!

 

St. Juan, Puerto Rico is a large enough city to swallow several ships full of tourists.

 

Western Caribbean

Mayan ruins Tikal in Guatemala, accessible by ship excursion with charter flight, well worth the big bucks. Short or longer hike on site, climb pyramid and overlook jungle.

Mayan ruins Lamanai in Belize, take ship excursion, pretty far away and includes river boat ride. Climb the pyramid. Awsome howler monkeys.

Various Mayan ruin excursions from Costa Maya in Mexico.

 

Totally overrun

St.Thomas

Worst: Cozumel

 

No cruiseships at all and great for hiking: Saba

Fly into St. Maarten and take a plane or ferry over.

[alainciao]

Amazing. We've been 15 straight years to Oahu. North Shore nuts, for the waves. Have seen 3 "Eddies" over the years. Our kids got us going there and we never stopped. Have been on all the major islands and agree closely with your comments. Oh, and by the way, we have two weeks every year in Ko'Olina. Always in January for the surf. Don't take a cruise to Hawaii, spend the time there.

 

Also, we just returned from a Caribbean cruise on the Riviera simply to try the ship since we had heard such great reviews. Loved the ship although I think I like the size of the "R" ships better. As for the Caribbean, I agree with the poster who recommends staying at a resort instead of a cruise. You avoid all the things folks are worried about (well, almost).

[Hawaiidan]

Forgive me for disagreeing with "Hawaii " dan

 

I do not think cruising to Hawaii and spending a day or two on each island is the way to go. Too hectic. Each island is different. Pick one or two and soak it in.

 

We have been to all the islands but we.happen to prefer the west coast of Oahu. We have a timeshare there in ko'olina and will be going for 10 days in April. It's away from the insanity of Waikiki but you still have access to the whole island, including the war memorial and the north shore. Some love Maui I find it crowded other than in the wailea area. Others love Kauai. Too quiet and rainy for us. Others love the big island. Not green enough for me.

 

Spend some time on any of these islands. You won't be disappointed

 

Not enough green! Actualy far more than any other island. Consider that the island of Hawaii is 10 times the size of Kauai, 8 times Oahu, 6 times Maui in size. from sea level to 14,000 ft... We have areas covered in rainforest and thousand ft waterfalls twice the size of Kauai and Maui, We don't have anything as urban as Oahu and Maui with hundreds of high rise condos and hotels... .

As a general rule people who like Oahu and Maui don't like Kauai or Hawaii as it is too rural... no night life, mega resorts. No freeways, However, no traffic high rises., crowds. no shopping. ( as an aside, the second worst city for traffic in the USA is Honolulu)

 

I have been host to many cruise critic visitors and they can vouch that you can get a good to great Hawaiian experience in a 8 to 10 hour day.

 

The beauty of the 15 day cruise is you have 4 days to anticipate and learn about where your are going 6 days to hit the very best sites and 4 days back to reflect.. far from hectic more surreal and fulfilling in comparison.

 

When compared to a Caribe cruise which is pretty much port port port port with no enrichment other than where to buy jewelry, booze and watches., I would take the cruise to Hawaii as far more filled with discovery and adventure

[hondorner]

...I just found an intriguing itinerary next March that hits the southern Caribbean and north coast of SA. From Miami it goes to Santa Marta, Oranjestad, Kralendijk, El Guamache, St. Georges, Pointe a Pitre, Fort de France, ending in Bridgetown -- not places that run off my tongue easily. Anyone know anything about these ports?

El Guamache, in my opinion, is one of the fake ports I mentioned earlier. Here's a link; you can decide for yourself. It's located on an island about 45 minutes away from the main city, has 120 vendor's stalls, and the beach is reserved for cruise ship visitors.

 

The others are fascinating, and definitely off the mainstream cruise itineraries. The only one to which I've been is Bridgetown. I was signed up for a cruise this coming November to most of the same ports, primarily because they are new to me. After signing up for the World Cruise on Insigna, however, I cancelled the November cruise -- the WC begins with visits to all of them, just 6 weeks later.

 

I expect to be making some reports from Insignia; we'll be at those ports in mid-January and I'm sure I'll comment on them.

[CintiPam]

I was a bit leery of our first-ever Caribbean cruise, just seven weeks ago on Riviera, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it. My previous Caribbean experiences had been primarily beach vacations at all-inclusive resorts with gorgeous beaches which Jersey-shore native me really enjoyed.

 

We visited five islands: Tortola, Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Barts, and on two of those islands, beautiful Antigua and absolutely stunning St. Barts, we rented cars for the day so we were by ourselves most of the time and never went near any shopping, which is anathema to my husband. On St. Lucia we had a private tour with four others.

 

We only ran into the "carnival crowd" mentioned by the OP on our jitney bus tour of Tortola, which just caused me to appreciate even more the wonderful fellow passengers one encounters on an Oceania cruise. (I also got a spot-on tip from a young "carnival" couple about a great beach on Antigua, which we visited the next day.)

 

We enjoyed this entire experience so much that we plan to take another Riviera Caribbean cruise next January, and we have booked the Mayan Mystique itinerary.

[DrHemlock]

Two words: Paul Gaugin.

 

Hawaii Dan and Flatbush Flyer are right.

 

That said, the Caribbean is closer to you and it's not so expensive to cruise compared to many other destinations including the South Pacific.

 

Choose a Caribbean cruise and try it. You will never be certain how much or little it appeals to you until you do. If you love it, then Bob's your uncle. If you quickly tire of it, then next time you'll know to look elsewhere.

 

Even if you find the islands too crowded for your taste, at least you'll be warm!