which port would you skip.

[esteam]

going on AOS in august. sailing to st thomas st maarten st johns st lucia and barbados. Traveling with a large group, personally have 2DD 11y and 8Y. last cruise i enjoyed so much more than others since we only stopped in 4 ports. really got to enjoy the ship and relax. plan on no shopping this time. prefer relaxing beach days. is there a particular island you would definately not miss or would skip?

[DonnaK]

I might skip St Thomas because I've been there so many times, and will probably go there again on a future cruise.

[Vicariously Cruising]

If you enjoy the ship on "Sea Days", you'll like it even more on "Port Day". We love to relax and have the ship without crowds while everyone elso goes ashore. That's why we like the Southern Itenerary best.

 

All these islands have nice beaches, but I would say St. Lucia was our least favorite. It's been a few years since we were there, but it seemed pretty "third world". Just my opinion.

 

Hope This Helps.

[BillOh]

I might skip St Thomas because I've been there so many times, and will probably go there again on a future cruise.

 

 

Plus they said they planned no shopping. Since I've not been to the other ports I might choose that one as well. On Freedom on my upcoming I might skip one port to have a less crowded day on ship.

[Murphy]

I like all those ports! Personally St. Lucia was my favorite, so I wouldn't skip

that one. We hired a driver and got out of the port area and he drove us around part of the island. It's one of the most beautiful islands I think!

 

Because I've been to St. Thomas a lot, I would probably stay onboard that day. The other thing

to consider is the order of the ports. You might need a "sea day" mid-way through the trip, or might want to relax the last day.

[wrp96]

St. Thomas or St. Martin would be my two choices since they frequently are on other itineraries. Antigua has great beaches or if anybody in your group wants a fun excursion look at Eli's Eco Tour. St. Lucia is absolutely gorgeous as is Barbados. Neither of these islands are on lots of itineraries so I wouldn't skip them as this might be your only chance to see them.

[JanineM]

Would not miss St. Lucia ... really pretty beaches!

 

Would skip St. Thomas or St. Maarten ...

[PH8]

Another vote to skip St Thomas........We loved St Lucia and would love to go back again........

[cot427]

going on AOS in august. sailing to st thomas st maarten st johns st lucia and barbados. Traveling with a large group, personally have 2DD 11y and 8Y. last cruise i enjoyed so much more than others since we only stopped in 4 ports. really got to enjoy the ship and relax. plan on no shopping this time. prefer relaxing beach days. is there a particular island you would definately not miss or would skip?

 

I would personally skip St. Thomas. I have been there many times, that it gets old, especially after this year. I would not miss St. Lucia or Barbados. Family members have been there, and they loved it. They want me to go on the AOS next year with them. Even St. Maarten would be a skip for me, but I love the beach and shopping there.

[sonnykub]

I think this is a good question! You'll get a lot of different answers, I'm sure.

 

Many of the "Eastern" Caribbean cruises we've been on have been on the Mariner out of Port Canaveral or the Navigator out of Miami. Needless to say, we've seen a lot of St. Thomas and St. Martin/St. Maarten! Although, even with those two choices, St. Martin has been a wash on several occasions due to rain...alas, not in our cards just yet!

 

Since there's no desire to shop, and you're focused on beach days, I'd have to say to skip St. Thomas. While there's some excellent beaches, much of the travel from the port to get to them (and to St. John via ferry), I'm sure it won't be terribly missed. Plus, if it's the AOS cruise I see scheduled, it'll give you a nice break at the end of your cruise prior to debarkation.

 

St. Thomas is also a fairly common port on cruises, whereas Barbados and St. Lucia are a little more "exotic", so you can always visit on a future cruise!

 

Enjoy yourself on the AOS!

 

-Steve

[love2vacation]

I would skip St. Thomas of the list. Though we skipped it ourselves and went straight to St. John USVI, which is beautiful.

 

St. Lucia and Antigua were our favorite stops on a very similar ITN when we were on the Serenade last year.

 

St. Lucia we did an excursion with Cosol and it was the best excursion we have had yet. I think sometimes an excursion can make or break your enjoyment of an island.

 

St. Maarten we just beached it in sight of the ship and shopped so I can't say I have seen that island. Next time we will.:)

 

Enjoy.

[Conanc]

I'd also skip St. Thomas, we've been there so many times, it is growing old. Unless, of course you were interested in taking the ferry over from St. Thomas to St. John. We love snorkeling in St. John!

 

I would not miss St. Maarten.....I never tire of that port, especially Orient Beach. Also loved Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados and you may not get the chance to visit those islands again.

 

We love the Adventure of the Seas and have done both itineraries on this ship!

Enjoy!

 

Nancy

[Lynn the Cruiser]

Definitely go to St John. That was probably the nicest island I've ever been to. I also liked St. Martin.

[KYCRUISEMAN]

If you haven't been to St. Thomas, you really should spend at least a few hours there. Take a taxi to Mountaintop to see the view then head to Magens Bay for a bit. Go to the left side of the beach (when looking out toward the water) as it is much less crowded there. Magens Bay is reknowned as a world class beach and shouldn't be missed - especially with kids. Spend just a couple hours there and an hour or so going to Mountaintop and you'll still have most of the day to enjoy an empty ship. Best of both worlds! Go to Mountaintop first and your kids will see the beach from a distance, then go there themselves and think it's really neat. Good Luck! Have Fun!

[cruisers4ever]

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

[PH8]

going on AOS in august. sailing to st thomas st maarten st johns st lucia and barbados. Traveling with a large group, personally have 2DD 11y and 8Y. last cruise i enjoyed so much more than others since we only stopped in 4 ports. really got to enjoy the ship and relax. plan on no shopping this time. prefer relaxing beach days. is there a particular island you would definately not miss or would skip?

 

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

That wasnt one of the choices...:)

[Magicat]

We'd skip St. Lucia. Went there on our honeymoon a long time ago and it was great. Then the British left and well things didn't seem to go too well. Was there in April. It was ok we had a great tour and you should at least see St. lucia once, but once you've seen it there's not much else to see. We went to a beach at the Pitons and it was rocky, maybe other beaches are better. Do a Cosul tour if you can...he was great!

[bluecookies]

if your all about beach days, why in the world skip out on St. Thomas and St. Maartan? I had this itinerary on the Adventure in June and those two ports have the best water out of all of them! St. Lucia is a gorgeous island! Skip Barbados or Antigua.

[Janet524]

St. Thomas - overcrowded, gridlocked and a hustle.

[douglinc@msn.com]

On the list or not, I would always skip Jamacia!

 

Doug

[ukblue1998]

Just off the AOS on the July 29th sailing to these ports. I would say it will really depend on what you really want to do on the islands that you don't skip. If you really just want great beaches, get off on Barbados, Antigua, St. Martin (Orient) and St. Thomas (Megans Bay or St. Johns). These islands really aren't that great for just "island beauty". Especially Barbados and Antigua (better than Barbados though). But if you want to work in the lush experience, you can't miss St. Lucia. For our trip we made St. Thomas a ship day (except for jewelry shopping) since we had been there last year.

[MikeNJ1109]

Nassau and any port in Jamaica

[toriwc]

We are making this same decision. Have been on AOS twice, and are doing a B2B next year. We want to experience the ship's pool at least once in our lives sans crowds (well actually at all, we've never been in one), so we are deciding on which port to skip.

 

My vote is for St. Maarten, especially since we stop there twice in two weeks (I'd skip it both times). BUT DH loves loves loves it there, so I don't think it is going to happen. So more than likely, we will skip St. Lucia. I know how unpopular this opinion it, but we just didn't care for it. I'd be willing to give it one more try, but since we really want to skip one, that will probably be it.

[texancruzer]

Did this itinerary on Serenade.... me personally = I COULD NEVER SKIP A PORT !!!!! but if I HAD TO...... St. Maarten.

 

We also skipped St. Thomas as we headed straight for St. John which is gorgeous..... so pristine. 2/3 of it is Natl. Park. Did ferry over and back.

 

Loved Antigua.... like a tropical Texas Hill Country.... but with gorgoeus beaches. Also rented a car on this island. Drove all over it :)

 

Loved St. Lucia....like a mini Hawaii did Land & Sea to Soufriere (RCI)

 

and liked Barbados.... altho not our favorite. Hired private tour for just the 4 of us and toured the whole island.... I guess just not what I had thought it would be....

 

But St. Maarten was just ok... we rented a car and drove all around the whole island..... stopping in Marigot, Grand Case, Orient beach and had a great time....but would skip it if I had to pick one.

[john & Gerrie nj]

short stay not much to do just a PIA stop.