Best Southern Caribbean Itinerary for Beach Bums

[slm517]

I am still torn as to which itinerary to choose for DH and my annual late Christmas present cruise. The only definite is that we want to sail in January and that it will be on either the Adventure or the Brilliance.

 

DH and I are pretty easy to please, we just want the itinerary with the best beaches and non "touristy" things to do. If we're not laying on the beach, we love renting a car or scooter to explore the local and dine at more authentic restaurants.

 

Our choices are:

Adventure - St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados.

 

Adventure - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba.

 

Brilliance - Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Pointe A Pitre, Guadaloupe; Bridgetown, Barbados.

 

Brilliance - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Castries, St. Lucia; Pointe A Pitre, Guadaloupe; St. John's, Antigua; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

[cdamion]

My preference (and the cruise I am booked on) is Brilliance to Barbados.

 

Here's why:

 

Tortola: taking ferry to Jost van Dyke, which is the ULTIMATE beach bum island.

 

St. Maarten: Interesting to tour around the dutch and french sides. Nice beach at Orient Beach. Also the beach where the planes land just feet above your heads (Maho?) should be interesting.

 

St. Kitts: Less traveled to island with nice beaches and greenery.

 

Guadeloupe: Really less cruised to Island (although it is a pretty big city and plenty of Europeans visit there). Never been before. Island has both beaches and lots of forest - not sure what we're doing there yet.

 

Barbados: Great beaches - more developed, but not terribly crowded, part of my family is a couple generations removed from here.

 

---

 

My second choice would be Adventure to Barbados. I like the itinerary, but prefer the Radiance class.

 

St. Lucia is a very lush island. The beaches are very good, but not great. They are very secluded though. Touring the island is amazing - you can drive right through steaming, bubbling sulpher springs in the volcano, see waterfalls.

 

St. Croix is a bit less interesting to me, but has nice beaches.

 

Antigua is about the shopping, but has hundreds of beaches circling the island.

 

---

 

My least favorite island of the bunch is Aruba. To me the island feels like somewhere in Florida - it is very Westernized and I don't feel like I am in the Caribbean at all. This being said, the white sand beaches there are nice. It is, however my least favorite island in the Caribbean (but I am very much an off the beaten path person).

 

You may also want to consider the Celebrity Summit. They have a very nice itinerary that goes to both Barbados and St. Lucia and for the sailings I was looking at actually cost less than Royal Caribbean.

[cruiseguy1016]

Never been to Guadeloupe so I can't talk about a beach there and I don't remember there being any good beaches in Curacao. I have been to every other island listed and they all have at least one really nice beach to go to. I think you will be fine with any of the choices.

[melbur]

I am still torn as to which itinerary to choose for DH and my annual late Christmas present cruise. The only definite is that we want to sail in January and that it will be on either the Adventure or the Brilliance.

 

DH and I are pretty easy to please, we just want the itinerary with the best beaches and non "touristy" things to do. If we're not laying on the beach, we love renting a car or scooter to explore the local and dine at more authentic restaurants.

 

Our choices are:

Adventure - St. Croix go to Sandcastle Beach, U.S. Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten Orient, Maho or Great Bay are all good choices; St. John's, Antigua Valley Church or Jolly; Castries, St. Lucia Jalousie Beach, good snorkelling too; Bridgetown, Barbados we like Acra Beach.

 

Adventure - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas not a fan of any of the beaches but can go to St Johns; Basseterre, St. Kitts the VERY best beach club Carambola; Willemstad, Curacao go to Lions Dive resort for a great beach day ; Oranjestad, Aruba Amsterdam Manor - good beach, get there early.

 

Brilliance - Tortola, British Virgin Islands Cane Garden Bay; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Pointe A Pitre, Guadaloupe; Bridgetown, Barbados.

 

Brilliance - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Castries, St. Lucia; Pointe A Pitre, Guadaloupe; St. John's, Antigua; St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

A beach bum myself, we've been to all these on both ships. Although I prefer the Radiance class to Adventure, you can't go wrong with either.

[cdamion]

A beach bum myself, we've been to all these on both ships. Although I prefer the Radiance class to Adventure, you can't go wrong with either.

 

You mentioned Cane Garden Bay on Tortola - while I would say (and am going myself to) Jost Van Dyke, if you stay on Tortola, Cane Garden Bay is very very nice with beach bars, shops and restaurants, but it gets quite crowded with cruisers.

 

You may also consider a trip over the the Baths on Virgin Gorda - that place is really cool too, but can get crowded with tourists late morning.

[BettyPC]

Sandcastle on St Croix was the best $25. I ever spent. I loved that beach!

[cb at sea]

I don't care for Aruba, either...it's a desert...not lush and tropical....but it WILL be quite warm, no matter the season!

 

I would always opt for a Voyager or Freedom class ship over the Radiance class...the main reason being the "adult Solarium" on Radiance class is enclosed...useless if you want to tan in peace!

[cdamion]

I don't care for Aruba, either...it's a desert...not lush and tropical....but it WILL be quite warm, no matter the season!

 

I would always opt for a Voyager or Freedom class ship over the Radiance class...the main reason being the "adult Solarium" on Radiance class is enclosed...useless if you want to tan in peace!

 

When I was in Aruba the water was cold which was abnormal, the way the ocean current was right at that time was bringing them cold seas and rain, which had flooded everything in the few days before I got there - simply because they aren't equipped to deal with the amount they got. That was an anomaly though.

 

I much prefer the Radiance class (unless with kids) because that class of ship really makes you feel like you are at sea with all of the fantastic views of the ocean throughout the public areas.

[sail2sea]

If you are a beach bum, Aruba and Curacao are hard to beat. :D

[cdamion]

If you are a beach bum, Aruba and Curacao are hard to beat. :D

 

Just not a fan of the island - too touristy for me. I don't prefer all the hotels and the $$$$$ it cost me just to get an umbrella. It is nice though - I just prefer the other options. Here is a picture of Palm Beach in Aruba (with 2 large ships in port).

 

[sr4mjc]

We did the Serenade in Feb. The Baths at Virgin Gorda is a sight to see. We were the only ship in port that day so it wasn't too crowded. Unfortunately it rained when we were in Barbados and Dominica.

 

We decided to do the St. Lucia/Guadaloupe itinerary on the Brilliance next year. We love the Radiance class.

[negc]

Bleu Baie beach is the nicest beach we have found when we have been to Curaçao, and while Aruba isn't your typically lush Caribbean island, it has some of the best beaches and a good transportation system - also some very good restaurants within walking distance of where the ship docks in downtown Oranjestad.

[39august]

I prefer Eagle Beach in Aruba instead of Palm beach. It is across the street from Amerstdam Manor Resort, is less crowded, has shady palms and white sand, and you can pay about $2 each way on the public bus which is about a block from the cruise peir. Aruba is not a favorite destination because it is not a pretty island. But Eagle Beach is a winner! I love the beaches on Barbados! So, either way, you should be happy.

[sail2sea]

Just not a fan of the island - too touristy for me. I don't prefer all the hotels and the $$$$$ it cost me just to get an umbrella. It is nice though - I just prefer the other options. Here is a picture of Palm Beach in Aruba (with 2 large ships in port).

 

I am totally with you. I myself am just lukewarm toward Aruba. But then I am not too much of a beach bum. :p My preferred Caribbean islands are Dominica, St Lucia and other less visited windward islands.

 

Since OP is a self claimed beach bum, I think they owe it to themselves to check out Aruba and Curacao at least once. These southern Caribbean islands are known for great beaches. A coworker of mine just returned from Aruba (a land visit, not cruise) and is raving about it. And yeah he is a beach lover.

[cdamion]

I am totally with you. I myself am just lukewarm toward Aruba. But then I am not too much of a beach bum. :p My preferred Caribbean islands are Dominica, St Lucia and other less visited windward islands.

 

Since OP is a self claimed beach bum, I think they owe it to themselves to check out Aruba and Curacao at least once. These southern Caribbean islands are known for great beaches. A coworker of mine just returned from Aruba (a land visit, not cruise) and is raving about it. And yeah he is a beach lover.

 

I have yet to hit St. Lucia and am seriously considering switching to Summit because it does both Barbados (where my gf really really wants to go) and St. Lucia.

 

I want to go back to Dominica for a land based trip. That was one of my favorite islands. If only it had nicer beaches. Grenada is very nice too if you can get away from the pushy vendors at the sights. Good mix of beaches and rainforest to explore. I love St. Georges too. Actually I could spend a week there too. Even though it is a desert island, I loved Bonaire too. Spectacular clarity in the water. I could clearly see the fish swimming from my balcony.

 

After a Mexican Riviera cruise I am very very appreciative to get back to the warm Caribbean!

[slm517]

So I finally bit the bullet and made our reservation on the Brilliance of the Seas - Barbados route. I also managed to snag aft balcony 8168.

 

Thanks everyone for all the input!

[cdamion]

So I finally bit the bullet and made our reservation on the Brilliance of the Seas - Barbados route. I also managed to snag aft balcony 8168.

 

Thanks everyone for all the input!

 

You won't be sorry! Of course I am biased since I picked the same route for Feb.

 

Seriously, seriously consider spending the day at White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. That by far is the best beach bum beach out there. There are several exceedingly laid back beach bars along the white sand. The floors are sand and they are usually open to the ocean. There are 2 or 3 self-serve honor bars there too where you go make your own drink and just leave the money in a box. No big hotels, just a couple of small inns and the bars.

 

Rather than take the ferries, there is a charter boat that goes right from the port for about $55 per person. I have been to 80% of the Caribbean and all of Hawaii and Jost is the best laid back beach bum beach I have seen.

[slm517]

Cdamian - We definitely be going to Jost Van Dyke. Thanks for the reccomendation on the beach.