Please Rank these 9 POC

[HUNNY BUN]

We are trying to narrow down our cruise choice for Jan 2015. We want to go places we've never been. Would you be so kind as to rank these in order of your personal preference so that we can get an idea of which itinerary we should select? Here they are:

 

Antigua

Barbados

Curacao

Dominica

Martinique

St. Croix

St. Kitts

St. Lucia

Tortola

 

Thanks in advance to all for your input!!

[erniesband]

Antigua - 2

Barbados - 5

Curacao - 6

Dominica - 1

Martinique - 9 only because I've haven't been there yet.

St. Croix - 8

St. Kitts - 4

St. Lucia - 3

Tortola - 7

[blue_water]

Without an idea of your interests our choices would not be of much use to you. Our list would differ greatly from ernies as well...

[Let'sGo!]

Funny, my ranking is a little different than Ernies -- again, it's all in what is interesting to you! I only ranked 1-5 since I hadn't been to many of the places on your list -- YET!

 

Antigua - Going in May of 2014!

Barbados - 5 - Very commercial

Curacao - 4 - Different

Dominica - 3 - Beautiful mountains and scenery

Martinique - Haven't been there

St. Croix - Haven't been there

St. Kitts - 1 - loved that is it not all built up with resorts - yet.

St. Lucia - Going in May of 2014!

Tortola - 2 - only to get on another boat and go to Jost Van Dyke!

 

Ann

[blue_water]

We are trying to narrow down our cruise choice for Jan 2015. We want to go places we've never been. Would you be so kind as to rank these in order of your personal preference so that we can get an idea of which itinerary we should select? Here they are:

 

Antigua

Barbados

Curacao

Dominica

Martinique

St. Croix

St. Kitts

St. Lucia

Tortola

 

Thanks in advance to all for your input!!

 

Well I'll rank each by what we like about it -

1. Tortola - Gorgeour beaches, excellent snorkeling, fun bays like Cane Garden Bay and Brewers, most wonderful people we've met, beautiful island, and close proximity to Virgin Gorda for the Baths, and Jost Van Dyke for the bars. Tortola is a real charm and not overly developed.

 

2. Barbados - Beaches, gorgeous beaches! And very quiet along much of the beautiful west coast. TexasAnn you must be in downtown Bridgetown if it seems commercial?

 

3. Antigua - Again, gorgeous beaches, beautiful rainforest, a great island to tour with Lawrence of Antigua (Shirley's Heights, Nelson's Dockyard, etc), and amazingly blue water when on a cat sail like the Excellence (See Antigua by Sea).

 

4. Dominica - Wonderful people, lush mountains, exciting island tours and adventure activities.

 

5. St Lucia - Beaches are OK, prefer the beaches on the other islands. But a beautiful island to tour, the land and sea tour is a great day.

 

6. St Kitts - Nice beaches, close proximity to Nevis for a daysail there.

 

7. Curacao - Nice beaches, very nice sitting in an outside cafe along the river for lunch, and great shopping between the dock and town.

 

8. St Croix - not yet visited but would do that on a land tour.

 

9. Martinique - OK, we didn't love it.

 

We enjoyed St Martin so much we returned to spend a week there, followed by a week on Tortola which was our first visit and hooked us. And we enjoy staying at Sapphire Beach on St Thomas, another nice snorkeling beach.

 

So depending on what you're looking for there can be a very big difference between the islands or very little.

[HUNNY BUN]

Without an idea of your interests our choices would not be of much use to you. Our list would differ greatly from ernies as well...

 

 

I understand your thinking, but we DO want to know others' opinions of these islands. After getting several responses, we plan to average out each island's ranking, then plan accordingly. Since we'ver never been to any of these ourselves, any info will be helpful in making our decision!!

[NCTribeFan]

My ranking of the ones I've visited (returning to Dominica, St Kitts, & Antigua on my cruise next month)...

 

#4 - Antigua - absolutely beautiful beaches

#5 - Barbados - also has beautiful beaches but too developed for my tastes

Curacao - haven't visited

#1 - Dominica - I like that it's less developed and less touristy; beautiful island; not a "beach" stop

Martinique - haven't visited

St. Croix - haven't visited

#3 - St. Kitts - small but interesting; love the fort

#2 - St. Lucia - another beautiful, green, mountainous island

Tortola - haven't visited

[blue_water]

You are definitely not a beach bum NC, but that is OK too! You will fond Tortola has both the lush mountains and gorgeous beaches if you get a chance to tour her. And we love Dominica for the people, and Tortola even more.

[SeaTeach]

My ratings, and happy cruising!!

 

1.Dominica- unspoiled, hot springs, cold pool (Emerald Pool which is a hike through a rainforest),waterfalls and streams all in a lush, green, mountainous setting. Very picturesque.

 

2.St. Lucia- volcano surrounded by greenery, not touristy, fishing villages, Jalousie Beach right at the Pitons which are a set of twin mountains, among many others, reaching straight up. Gorgeous island.

 

3. Antigua- great beaches with, some being less crowded, which was a great place to enjoy the water and do some segwaying.

 

4. Tortola- beach at Canes Garden Bay is small, serene and less developed. Neat little area. Also mountainous.

 

5. Barbados- can get a chance to commune with the turtles, enjoy one of the many beaches but don't swim on the east which is very rough (if I remember correctly). Sights to see/visit are Botanical Gardens, sheep ranch, Gun Hill Signal Station, and chattel houses. A more developed island.

 

6. St. Croix- a different beach experience where cacti may be the backdrop perched on a hill. Drive through a beautiful rainforest or drive an ATV in the hills and through a park. The 2 towns (Christiansted and Fredricksted) are about 30 minutes apart. Tour a Great House and the grounds with outbuildings and sugar cane mill paraphernalia. A horse may cross your path from time to time.

 

7. Curacao- Beautiful beaches, colorful houses, floating market and floating bridge (Queen Emma). Multi cultural history ( i.e. a museum about slavery and the oldest Jewish synagogue in the Western Hemisphere which has a sand floor littered with coins).

 

Haven't been to the other 2 islands....yet. Hope this helps.

[HUNNY BUN]

This is awesome information everyone!!!! Thanks so much!

 

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[OjMel]

Tough one! My hubby might even have a different opinion than me. Also, if someone's only been there once and they happened to go on a snorkel tour then they'd really not have much to offer on the actual island, kwim? With those thoughts in mind, I guess I'll try to rank them as recommending for a first-timer. Then I'll rank again on MY preference based on my experiences... you'll see two different lists. ;-) This is my take:

 

#5 Antigua - been there 2x; get away from downtown (almost felt a little dangerous), once you do there's lots to offer

#1 Barbados - been there 2x; generally flat island with beautiful beaches; commercial

#7 Curacao - been there once; rented a car and stopped at several tucked-away gems for AWESOME snorkeling - can't wait to go back!

#2 Dominica - been there 2x; lush, tropical rainforest-y volcanic mountains; Champagne Reef was very unique

#9 Martinique - going in January, can't rank!

#6 St. Croix - been there 2x; not flat, not super hilly, more rolling... nice beaches, didn't seem very developed

#4 St. Kitts - been there 4 or 5x; I'd recommend an island tour for the first time - lots to see. Not the island for beaches but has the best at-port shopping imo!

#3 St. Lucia - been there 1x; it's been called the Hawaii of the Caribbean for its beauty, much like Dominica; we took an island tour (a little scary at times up in the hills!) but lots of great stops, ended w/ snorkeling by the Pitons

#8 Tortola - only there once, about 10 years ago; very small, hilly, not commercial

 

 

#1 Curacao

#2 Barbados

#3 Dominica

#4 St Lucia

#5 Antigua

#6 St Croix

#7 Tortola

#8 Martinique (never been)

 

Thanks in advance to all for your input!!

[blue_water]

A lot of great feedback here, but there are always going to be some gaps in knowledge because folks have not really experienced on of these destinations. So I would suggest you do some research on your own as well with some of the better travel guides like Frommer's, or read reviews of the destinations and visit forums on tripadvisor.

For example most recommend Tortola last or not at all, and one post described Cane Garden Bay as "serene and less developed". That description would lead me there if I had never visited Tortola before. But CGB is actually where all of the cruisers go so that would be our last recommendation for Tortola.

Tortola's at the top of our list because we are fortunate to have learned her beauty and the kindness of the people because we stay there. And going to Jost's for a beach bar day on White Bay is great, but Tortola has gorgeous beaches for someone not looking for that experience.

 

So visit these specific destination forums on cc and on TA to get a good feel for what you would want to do at each, and if you have questions on any excursions or need ideas let us know!

Have a great cruise!

[RickB248]

We are trying to narrow down our cruise choice for Jan 2015. We want to go places we've never been. Would you be so kind as to rank these in order of your personal preference so that we can get an idea of which itinerary we should select? Here they are:

 

Antigua 1

Barbados 9

Curacao ?

Dominica 5

Martinique ?

St. Croix 3

St. Kitts 2

St. Lucia 4

Tortola ?

 

Thanks in advance to all for your input!![/

 

Antigua 1 have a time share there great beaches

Barbados 9 didnt care for the busy commercial island

Curacao ? going in Jan 2014

Dominica 5 nice want to go back

Martinique ? haven't been yet

St. Croix 3 very nice went to under water national park

St. Kitts 2 nice beaches on the south end facing Nevis

St. Lucia 4 so so beaches but great diving

Tortola ? really want to go there soon

[NCTribeFan]

My ranking of the ones I've visited (returning to Dominica, St Kitts, & Antigua on my cruise next month)...

 

#4 - Antigua - absolutely beautiful beaches

#5 - Barbados - also has beautiful beaches but too developed for my tastes

Curacao - haven't visited

#1 - Dominica - I like that it's less developed and less touristy; beautiful island; not a "beach" stop

Martinique - haven't visited

St. Croix - haven't visited

#3 - St. Kitts - small but interesting; love the fort

#2 - St. Lucia - another beautiful, green, mountainous island

Tortola - haven't visited

 

Allow myself to quote myself...

 

:p

 

Just back and our first 4 days were St Kitts, Dominica, St Martin and Antigua. I don't think I'd change my ranking.

 

Still love Dominica. Stopped at a different beach in St Kitts (Carambola) which looked gorgeous but we had a short stop and the sun was already low. Went to Coconut Beach Club in Antigua this time. Beach not as pretty as Long Bay, imo, but still very nice.

 

Not on your list, but I was disappointed with my first visit to St. Martin. And there were "only" three ships in port. Way too crowded and commercial for my tastes. Orient beach was pretty but I simply cannot imagine what it might be like with even more people.

[blue_water]

Allow myself to quote myself...

 

:p

 

Just back and our first 4 days were St Kitts, Dominica, St Martin and Antigua. I don't think I'd change my ranking.

 

Still love Dominica. Stopped at a different beach in St Kitts (Carambola) which looked gorgeous but we had a short stop and the sun was already low. Went to Coconut Beach Club in Antigua this time. Beach not as pretty as Long Bay, imo, but still very nice.

 

Not on your list, but I was disappointed with my first visit to St. Martin. And there were "only" three ships in port. Way too crowded and commercial for my tastes. Orient beach was pretty but I simply cannot imagine what it might be like with even more people.

 

SXM is actually very nice, you need to avoid OB and Maho and go to the nicer beaches and lunch in Marigot or Grand Case. We've stayed on OB and although a fun, lively beach, would not be our choice next visit except at night

Edited November 26, 2013 by blue_water

[Lsimon]

Antigua -4 Fantastic beaches

Barbados -1 Favorite island for a catamaran day sail

Curacao -2 Great beaches for snorkeling as part of a relaxing beach day

Dominica - 9 - Best for rain tour of nature areas such as rain forest but not for beaches

Martinique - 8 - Was only there once on first cruise 15 years ago -

St. Croix -6 - Not much experience here

St. Kitts -5 - Nice for general touring, beaches and Catamaran day sails

St. Lucia -7 - Nice beaches and island tour but didn't like areas close to port

Tortola -3 - Love both the beaches and excursions to nearby small BVI islands

 

Most of these islands are very different from each other so it really depends what type of activity you'd like to see. Personally, I'd tend to pick the cruise more for the overall itinerary and cruise ship then for a particular island. My favorites are biased due to many multiple visits to about 1/2 of the islands on your list. For example, I dislike St. Lucia as these days I limit the long full day excursions we do and don't like the beach and town close to the port but for a first timer St. Lucia is a great place to do a long island tour or head to one of the fantastic, but distant, beaches.

[Lsimon]

SXM is actually very nice, you need to avoid OB and Maho and go to the nicer beaches and lunch in Marigot or Grand Case. We've stayed on OB and although a fun, lively beach, would not be our choice next visit except at night

 

Sorry to get off topic here, but what would you consider a "nicer beach" there? We like Orient but its getting too busy and more and more vendors each time we go there.

[sweetsleep]

The prettier Caribbean islands tend to be those that are volcanic in origin-Martinique,St. Kitts,St. Lucia. They get more rainfall and are more lush.

Have visited St. Kitts on both land and cruise vacations-very pretty with lots of interesting history-especially up at the Brimstone Hill fortress. The Caribelle Batik factory and gardens are pretty. Some people take a volcano hike there and while strenuous I am sure it is really beautiful. The roads are in really bad condition,very poor signage so you could get lost(did that in a rental car) and break an axle(lucky we did not do that!) from the huge potholes in some areas. I do not think the beaches are pretty at all(compared to St. Thomas,St. John and Barbados) and that may be one reason why it is so underdeveloped.

Barbados is very pretty and very British-probably the most British(not sure how Tortola stacks up to that comparison though).

I really like Curacao-lovely Dutch architecture in the city but after you go to a few back streets it is a bit rundown. Beaches not as nice as other Caribbean islands either.

[blue_water]

The prettier Caribbean islands tend to be those that are volcanic in origin-Martinique,St. Kitts,St. Lucia. They get more rainfall and are more lush

Volcanic in origin = more rainfall?

[blue_water]

Sorry to get off topic here, but what would you consider a "nicer beach" there? We like Orient but its getting too busy and more and more vendors each time we go there.

 

Yes we liked the Bikini Beach Bar for happy hours when staying at the Alamanda, but OB can be a lively and busy spot during the day.

Have you looked st Baie Rouge, Friar's Bay/Happy Bay and Grand Case? If you Google St Martin beaches there are some great sites and pics. And Grand Case adds wonderful cuisine of course!

Edited December 14, 2013 by blue_water

[Ms411]

I've actually been to all on your list, and found that each one had certain attributes that may have been lacking on others. It all depends on what your interests ar e

 

All the islands with a heavy French influence excel at food, imo. Those islands would be Martinique and St Lucia. Didn't make it to beach on Martinique, but St Lucia beaches are not as nice as beaches on other islands.

 

Tortola, St Croix, Curacao and Antigua for beaches, but Antigua snorkeling is not as good.

 

Barbados is very developed, but also has good beaches and shopping plus the cave is a wonder not to be missed.

 

Dominica for adventure tours, waterfalls, and hiking. Beaches are not like you see in most Caribbean photos.

.

For history, St Kitts, Curacao, and St Croix. Good forts, museums, and historic buildings

 

Imo, Grenada has the best of a little of everything, but that wasn't.on your list!

[HUNNY BUN]

That's lots if wondeful info!! Thanks do much!! Our group is meeting this weekend to make our decision on which cruise to book. I am Sooooo EXCITED!!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to give such a detailed response!!

 

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[tartanexile81]

Antigua 3. Easy to DIY, great beaches

 

Barbados 5. More like a working town but walkable to good beaches and various shops at port

 

Curacao 6. Visiting on our next cruise. Have heard good things about it

Dominica 7. Not developed so not enough to do

 

Martinique ??

St. Croix ??

 

St. Kitts 4. Lots of character

 

St. Lucia 1 We like it's so green, lush and mountainous. Recommend Cosol Tours

 

Tortola 2. Smaller Island, fantastic views of other islands, friendly people.

[Karysa]

Sorry to get off topic here, but what would you consider a "nicer beach" there? We like Orient but its getting too busy and more and more vendors each time we go there.

 

On St. Maarten/St. Martin take a look at Mullet Bay, Simpson Bay and Happy Bay, they are all lovely beaches and all are very different from each other.

[knots4crewzing]

Antigua 3. Easy to DIY, great beaches

 

Barbados 5. More like a working town but walkable to good beaches and various shops at port

 

Curacao 6. Visiting on our next cruise. Have heard good things about it

Dominica 7. Not developed so not enough to do

 

Martinique ??

St. Croix ??

 

St. Kitts 4. Lots of character

 

St. Lucia 1 We like it's so green, lush and mountainous. Recommend Cosol Tours

 

Tortola 2. Smaller Island, fantastic views of other islands, friendly people.

 

 

 

Hi,

 

We'll be coming in on the Explorer of the Seas and would like some help

with beaches on Antiqua.

We were looking at a few AI's but if we find a nice beach and not so crowded we'd rather do that.

 

We would prefer to DIY that has a beach restaurant & bar. I was looking at Long Bay. Are there facilities along that stretch of beach.? Can you tell me what you did on Antiqua?

Looking for any and all opinions

 

Thank You

Liz:)