Best/Worst Caribbean Ports of Call

[makeda]

i like all of the places we have cruised: jamaica, grand cayman, cozumel, bahamas, st. thomas, st. john, st. maaarten, costa rica, belize, panama, and puerto rico.... i have found people to be friendly and as accepting as possible of tourists with bad manners who act like they are to be catered to; i have found that a simple no thank you (and keep walking) works on aggressive vendors of all venues, and that by acting like i am a guest in their home probably is the reason why i have not encountered any bad "vibes" or had bad experiences...i don't expect a port stop to entertain me and dirty streets are everywhere (including embarkation ports)....i like to meet the people and there are unfortunately poor people and people just trying to survive everywhere...very favorites were belize and panama!

[DJ Eddy]

My top 3 best and worst ports i've seen whilst working on the ships...

 

Best ports

1) Cabo San Lucas - I love Mexico all over but Cabo was just beautiful with the beaches and the mountains in the backdrop, breathtaking, especially when you go up them

2) Cozumel/Puerto Vallarta come joint second (as I say I love Mexico). PV downtown area was really cool, particularly the old town area, and the food yum yum in my tum. Good old Cozzy was just cheap cheap cheap and THE party port. My favourite Mexican restaraunt ever... all hail La Parroquia, even got the t-shirt. It's down a back street and up some stairs, also known as the green place. The nicest fajitas i've ever had for $6... and fishbowls of Maragrita or Dacherries $5 (and they certainly were not tight on the liquor content)

3) Grand Cayman, although it is expensive it has soem beautiful beaches and waters and I do reccomend anyone to swim with the stingrays, definitely an unforgettable experience. A firm favourite with us aswell (typical british here ha ha ha) was the Irish pub with proper food & beer... hmmmm Kilkenny's!!!!

 

Worst ports

1) Freeport... wow there is NOTHING here??? Apart from a sports bar across from the ship. Yes we did take a cab into town but sod paying $5/6 every week to go into the town, there's not that much in the town either!!

2) Jamaica - interesting place this. Did Dunns River Falls, that was good, did Sunset Beach, that was worth it. I went out with some fellow staff members one day and they said "we know a driver man". We went oustide of the gates and started speaking to 2 very shifty looking individuals (one of them had just done a drug deal as we were walking up). We asked how much to take us up into the hills/jungle aarea and to see Bob Marley's grave. We negotiated a price and off we went. they took us first of all to a lovely river area in the hills and we chilled there for an hour or so... then our so called "guides" started to change their prices!!!

They wanted to take us to Bob marley's grave... swinging by a cocaine plantation on the way (as long as we sampled and bought some of the plantations' finest)... ERM NO THANK YOU!!!

We were in 2 cars and 4 of us ended up paying a higher price than we agreed just to go straight back to the ship... no surprise to me but some of the other guys who I worked with started arguing and bartering as they had done this so many times before... not a wise idea! We're in the middle of the jungle, only a couple of hours left before we have to be back on board and arguing on price with someone who was selling drugs and who can easily just leave us there to walk back and miss the ship!!!!!

In the end we paid a total of $75 EACH to go out for just short of 2 hours and only go to one location...

I do now laugh about it afterwards and thinking duuuuggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!! what was I thinking, why be sooo stupid to go on a drive with random locals... but hey it was an experience!!!

I didn't venture into Jamaica much after that, I had been to other places and been hassled for drugs and other useless merchandise.

3) Nassau - it was OK but seeing it twice a week for 6 months it gets very old very fast. It is not a safe place on a night but it did have an awesome club called "Bambu" just off the ship aswell as the infamous "Drop-Off" where all the crew partied until the small hours. The town itself I didn't think too much off and Atlantis is just another man-made hotel & casino. I did do a historic tour of Nassau, saw the forts which I found far more interesting than going to Atlantis/Paradise Island.

 

When I go to ports I like to see the beauty of the port and what it individually has to offer, on the other hand if it's cheap and a "party" port then i'm there too :D

[CruiseQueen13]

I agree w/ PP - Dunns River Falls was fantastic and not to be missed. But, been to Jamaica more than once and my least favorite.

[crusinmama06]

Favorite EASTERN - ANY of the cruise private Islands, St.Martin/Thomas and sorry but I LOVE the Bahamas because of Atlantis. I try to get back there every chance I get. And we love swimming with the dolphins in the Bahamas too. I have always felt SO safe there.

 

Least Favorite - JAMAICA...Helloooooo ship day! :D I just wasn't thrilled with Cozumel either. The beach just didn't compare to some of the ones I've been on in St.Martin/Thomas.

 

We stepped off the ship in Jamaica to get some sunscreen cause the ship's stores were obviously closed in port. At the port's cruise passenger shopping center the locals were not allowed into the shopping center (you needed a cruise card to enter) so they stood there screaming at us between the slats of the windows. :eek: Oh yeah, direct me right back to the ship.

[AllyCat81]

I see a lot of people dislike Jamaica. Would you recommend doing a ship planned excursion then to ensure you have the best time? I know a few people who went there who went off on their owns and got totally ripped off by the locals. But I guess that's to be expected when visiting a poor country.

We're looking into the Liberty going to Key West, Ochos Rios, and Grand Cayman. The bf has already been to Cayman and LOVED it.

 

My favorite port was San Juan. We had so much fun there. Our cruise replaced Tortola with Grand Turk last year (due to complications from the cruise that came in before us). Grand Turk was really nice, but it's a very new port and there wasn't that much to do. Although we did have a wonderful snorkling excursion that we booked through Carnival. St. Thomas was terrible for us. I would like to go back to hopefully and have a better time. We had booked a Snuba excursion through the ship, and our... umm guide I guess... was a rude b*tch! She made us feel so uncomfortable, and the snuba wasn't as exciting as we hoped it would be.

 

Okay that was a little longer then I had intended. I just had to put my 2 cents in ;)

[DqALEX]

Jamaica the worst place to dock a ship. If we stop there I stay on the ship. Its a great day for the pool. Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, sucba in Belize, and cozumel are the best. Any place except Jamaica. I dont go on Vacation to get drugs pushed on me every 10 min. I would go to Newark NJ for a cheaper vacation in the summer if I wanted the same problems as Jamaica has,.

[gigem85]

Had the most fun hanging at the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. I loved it and was never hassled once.

 

As for the least amount of fun?? That honor would go to Progreso.

 

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed Sunset beach. Did the Dunns Fallas last time there but I am planning on doing the Sunset Beach this time !!

Any tips ?

[AllyCat81]

Glad to hear you enjoyed Sunset beach. Did the Dunns Fallas last time there but I am planning on doing the Sunset Beach this time !!

Any tips ?

 

Did you do the Dunns Falls trip through Carnival?

[gigem85]

We booked the mini boat adventure/Dunns Falls through Carnival. You can check out several threads under the Ports of Call message board and pull up Jamaica.

It is a 2 hour drive one way from Montego Bay to Dunns Falls so we are doing something closer to port this time.

[AllyCat81]

Oh okay, cause the cruise we are looking at docks in Ochos Rios... so the falls are close to there I'm guessing.

I have a feeling that if you're with a cruise excursion you're less likely to get haggled by the drug dealers and what not.

[gigem85]

You will be close to the Falls then. We did not have time to shop or look around much there unfortunately. We spent a little time at Dolphin Cove but did not do the Dolphin swim. Just watched.

Being with a tour you are usually isolated and not roaming around and have a tour guide with you all the time. We had no problems and enjoyed it.

Have a great cruise !!

[MamaParrotHead]

Oh okay, cause the cruise we are looking at docks in Ochos Rios... so the falls are close to there I'm guessing.

I have a feeling that if you're with a cruise excursion you're less likely to get haggled by the drug dealers and what not.

We went through a private tour. And honestly, his living depends on his clients not getting hassled, so he's the one who gave us tips on how to avoid pushy vendors at the Falls and kept them away from us while on the tour. Then he deposited us right inside the Island Village (fenced off shopping area where locals can't hassle you). We loved our tour, let me know if you're interested in booking outside the cruiseline. Also can take a look at my cruise pics by following the link in my signature. :)

[wch]

Favorites - Roatan, Costa Maya, St. Lucia, Barbados

 

Not so favorites - Grand Cayman, Belize

[MICHSUNLOVER]

Glad to hear you enjoyed Sunset beach. Did the Dunns Fallas last time there but I am planning on doing the Sunset Beach this time !!

Any tips ?

 

We were there two years ago on the Conquest.....lots of fun. Beautiful spot on the beach; snorkeling, and all the drinks you can handle. We took insulated cups with us and kept them filled all day with strawberry daquiri's...YUM. Food was good too and no hassle with any locals. Its a closed beach and resort.

 

Enjoy the Conquest...she's beautiful

[gigem85]

Thanks for the info. I feel better about going there with all the positive comments.

[Jdleong]

On the Western side, I loved Roatan for snorkeling at Tayabana Beach. I loved Belize horseback riding with Smuggler's run Plantation, we have also gone to out snorkeling to the Cayes, but not as nice. Costa Rica was great we went Ziplinning and on a tour of the countryside. I too hated Jamiaca.

 

On the Eastern side...St. Thomas has the best beaches, and Puerto Rico should not even be a stop! too little time and most things were closed.

 

This spring, I am trying the southern Caribbean and going to St Kitts and St Lucia...hope they are nice...

[SunnieD]

Favorites - Antigua, St. Marteen, and Costa Maya

 

Least favorite was Cozumel. We did go 6 months after the hurricanes in 2005, but it was a disaster area and the water was cloudy. Freeport is a waste of time. Nassau is cool only because of Paradise Island.

[63galaxie]

#1 Dominica-Whatever you do, don't miss the catamaran whale-watch! Oh my goodness. It was spectacular (and I'm not athletic). The scenery, the ocean, the whales, the dolphins, the crew of the catamaran.

 

#2 St. John-Take the ferry (Red Hook-very easy and cheap). Get a rental car and drive the island. We found our own private cay complete with fish, warm water, soft sand, and no other people. The views are incredible. The driving easy too.

 

#3 Grand Cayman-The stingrays are a once-in-a lifetime don't miss opportunity!

 

#4 San Juan-Stay at (or buy a day-pass) at the Caribe Hilton. The hotel feels like you are in Hawaii with an open-air lobby that looks out over the pools and to the ocean. The pools are wonderful, but they have their own private beach. The water is clean, safe, and warm. We LOVED this place. We also loved San Juan. We took a cab downtown and ate at a local restaurant (recommended by our hotel staff). We then walked around Old Town at dusk. We then jumped on a city bus (an experience in itself) to the Mall. It's larger and more modern than anything in the states. I'm not much of a shopper, but this place was great just to walk through and see the people. Plus, we found a great price on a classical guitar.

 

#5 Aruba-We took a Carnival bus-tour of the island which turned out to be great. The island is like a desert with hills and it was neat to see it from an a/c vantage point! Then, we took the local bus to the beaches. AMAZING! The water, the sand, the sun. Sigh. Had dinner at the FishHook while dining literally on the beach with my toes in the sand. Sunset was not to be beat!

 

#6 Barbados-We had a torrential downpour the day we sailed in and never got to see it. Really disappointed!

 

#7 St. Thomas/St. Martin-both good beaches and good shopping! Excellent deal on a 35 mm camera.

 

#8 Princess Cays-love those Bahamian beaches and the people. While swimming, saw a barracuda and a sting-ray! Too neat!

 

#9 Jamaica-We experienced the drug offer thing as soon as we got off the ship. We took a taxi to the falls and played in the water, but I wouldn't go again.

 

#10 Cozumel-Shopping was lousy. We learned later that we should have booked a beach stay at a private hotel, but the water color was neat. The submarine was so-so, but my in-laws loved it.

[TxStacey]

My very least favorite port is Progresso, Mexico...

Jamaica-Not that bad, you just need to book an excursion there and preferably through the ship..we did the canopy tour and it was one of the most exciting things I have ever done!

Belize- swam with nurse sharks and sting rays on a little caye with no cars, only golf carts..it was the most beautiful water I have seen.

again, this was a booked excursion (privately; not through the ship)

Grand Cayman-Sting Ray City, but not on a ship excursion..went on Capt. Bryan's Catamaran which had only 25 people vs the ship's which had about 100. It was awesome!

This year I am cruising the Eastern for the first time and I can't wait to experience all of the new ports!!

[cruisecavy]

I personally find it quite odd that not a lot of people said Puerto Rico. I found it to be clean, friendly, and overall just amazing. The thing that stuck out the most to me was people actually seemed happy and it never felt like a touristy place. I stayed in Puerto Rico for a week as a post-cruise and visited pretty much the entire island and it never felt like a St. Thomas or Grand Cayman with bunches of tour buses, people yelling “taxi” over and over again, and people urging you to buy something. The culture was what amazed me; Puerto Rico was full of castles, the art district in Ponce, and original tribes that lived there. The cultural part of Puerto Rico is very well preserved and natives were proud of their culture and represented it well. Puerto Rico never felt like an island in the Caribbean, it was more like different countries mixed in one. Overall, Puerto Rico is by far one of my favorite places in the world and not just the Caribbean.

 

There are some places in the Caribbean where I am scared to get off the boat. It’s not that it is filled with people trying to sell you drugs that makes it scary, but it gets so depressing after a while when you see that they almost look like third-world countries. Islands such as Grenada, St. Martin, St Lucia, Jamaica, and others are just simply sad. I’ve done tours of these islands and quite frankly it reminded me of some of the places in Africa that are not well developed. Everyone on the streets looked so sad, housing was awful and poorly constructed, people were in rags, and the environment was clearly unsanitary. I was in Grenada and there was a park pretty much dedicated to those who had AIDS and was filled with statues with a mirror as a face that said, “looking at the face of AIDS”. Not exactly touristy friendly when you get off the boat.

 

The thing with me is that I could never understand how people continue to go back to the Caribbean over and over again. To me it all looks the same, and if it weren’t for Puerto Rico I probably would never like the Caribbean. If you go once or twice it’s okay, but the more you keep going, it just gets old.

[divetrash]

My favorites by far (so far) have been Roatan and Belize. Roatan is beautiful. I loved the zip lining and the snorkeling. This cruise will be my 3rd stop in Belize and hopefully the first time I get to cave tube (Last year was flooded, the first time the niece didn't want to). The people I've met in both ports have been friendly and not pushy at all. And I've been very fortunate on my trips to Altun Ha to have guides who were actually interested in their subject.

 

Least favorite: Costa Maya. I just don't get the fascination with it. I find the vendors to be ultra pushy. That charming little "fishing" village of Mahajaul becomes a big open air strip mall when the ships are in port. My favorite vendor come on line, because of its truthfulness, "Give me a chance to rip you off!" The beaches are nice, but not spectacular and anything else is so far away it takes an hour or more to get to.

 

And although I've never stopped at Nassau as a cruise port, I've been to it enough times to know that I'm completely uninterested in it. To see the real Bahamas I prefer the "Out Islands", like Andros.

 

JMHO,

 

Laura

[viciouslysh]

Fav: Playa de Carmen and

Now I am AFRAID to get off in Jamaica!!!:confused: :( :eek:

I wonder why Carnival still docks there. Looks like it scares a lot of people.

[jpmaximus]

Least Favorite = Calica

[chelledun]

So far we have been to a dozen or so ports, and enjoyed all of them for different reasons. Particular favorites include, in this order:

 

1. Aruba - AMAZING island. Natural beauty, diverse landscape, tons to see and do.

 

2. St. Kitts - Another truly beautiful island, and we loved watching batik being made. Our tour on the Big Banana was a blast!

 

3. Belize - Some of the friendliest people we have encountered, beautiful natural wood products.

 

4. Bonaire - Awesome, awesome snorkeling on Klein Bonaire. Unbeatable.

[cruiseapril]

Interesting thread. Perplexed that Costa Maya gets such mixed reviews!