Southern Caribbean Ports

[cruisewiththekids]

What are your favorite and least favorite Southern Caribbean ports? I'm trying to decide on a ship and itinerary.

[BillOh]

I guess I'll subscribe. I'm about to hit 4 new ports and need to start planning.

[Virtopia]

I've only been on one southern Caribbean cruise so far but my favourite ports were Antigua and St Lucia.

 

Starting the cruise from San Juan was a treat in itself as well. I went down two days early and will do the same with my upcoming southern Caribbean cruise in February.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using the Cruise Critic App

[skiiergirl]

What are your favorite and least favorite Southern Caribbean ports? I'm trying to decide on a ship and itinerary.

 

We love almost all of the southern ports. We love going out of SJU! As far as which are best, it depends on what you like to do for shore excursions. Beach, sailboat/catamaran, golf, shop, etc Some have more options to offer than others.

 

The only ones we really do NOT like are Marrtinique and Guadeloupe.

 

It would be easier to give you opinions if we knew which islands you were considering.

 

Hope this helps at least a little.

[Daisyloo]

Liked Aruba and Curacao quite a bit. Dominica and Grenada were nice. Not a snorkeller so Bonaire wasn't that interesting to us. Liked Barbados. Really liked St Vincent and the Grenadines. Wasn't impressed with Martinique. Liked St Lucia. St. Bart's too expensive to do anything on. Not impressed with St Croix.

[printingchick]

Southern islands are my favorite. I really like them all, but...:

 

FAVORITES:

 

• St. John (via St. Thomas)
  
• Dominica
  

 

 

LEAST FAVORITE:

 

• Aruba
  
• Barbados
  

 

 

Can you tell I prefer the less developed ports of call?

[bigque]

My Favs was St. Lucia & St. Maarten! I would love to buy me a vacation home on either one and spend a lot of time there. :cool:

My least favorite was St. Croix! Just didn't impress me at all!

[cruisewiththekids]

Adventurer of the Seas - St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Aruba, Curacao, 2 sea days.

 

Jewel of the Seas - Tortola, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados, 1 sea day.

 

Disney Magic - Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, Grenada, 1 sea day.

 

I think I like the itinerary of the Magic best, but with the kids sail free, I'm leaning towards Adventurer of Seas because of the 2 sea days.

[debshomespun]

I love Aruba and Curacao best of the islands you listed. The beaches are so beautiful in Aruba. Curacao is such a quaint place to stop. They have the floating bridge, which is so neat to watch move over for the boats to pass through. The kids would love to see it and walk over it, and watch it move.

 

In Aruba, it is so easy to get around. You can take the local bus to the beach, very inexpensive. Also, lots of great shopping there right at the port area.

 

When we go to the Caribbean, I try to find cruises that reach down to these islands, since they are some of my favorite!

 

You will enjoy whichever cruise you go on!

[PattyG12]

Our favorite was Barbados ... snorkeling with the Sea Turtles was AMAZING.

 

Least favorite was Antigua ... just not much there.

[cruisewiththekids]

This is making if difficult. Doesn't seem to be a consensus. One's favorite is another's least favorite.

 

What about the difference in ships between Adventure and Jewel? Any preference there?

[At Sea 4Ever]

Our favorite was Barbados ... snorkeling with the Sea Turtles was AMAZING.

 

 

 

Least favorite was Antigua ... just not much there.

 

 

Do you remember the name of the tour with the turtles? Any info? I've heard Barbados was great for snorkeling and I love turtles!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[cruisewiththekids]

Do you remember the name of the tour with the turtles? Any info? I've heard Barbados was great for snorkeling and I love turtles!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I know Calabaza is very popular. There are also several others that get good reviews.

[hw1965]

We just got off the ship on last Saturday. Our favorite was Dominica and St. Maarten. My next would be Barbados.

 

Our next will be to visit Aruba and Curacao

[printingchick]

We each have our own likes and dislikes. One man's trash is another man's treasure, so to speak.

 

I LIKE all the southern islands, but prefer the less developed ports because I find them more UNIQUE. The really touristy ports of call all seem very similar - beach resorts, Diamond's International, etc.

 

BUT...if you're someone who prefers more hustle/bustle, LOTS of choices about shore excursions and plenty of duty-free shopping near the pier, you'd HATE my favorites and LOVE my least favorites!

 

If you're someone who likes to see really unusual things you might otherwise never see (black sand beaches, rain forests, natural hot springs, etc.) you might share my affinity for the less developed ports.

 

As for the ships, I've been on both Adventure and Serenade (sister to Jewel). My next cruise is on Jewel.

 

Adventure was my FAVORITE ship until I cruised on Serenade. Now I'd say they are VERY close contenders, with the Radiance class ship nudging out the Voyager class for my top spot. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

If you're cruising with kids, you might prefer Adventure. It has more of the "WOW" factor features that RCL is known for. (Royal Promenade, ice rink, large pool area, etc.) If you're leaning toward a cruise with more than one sea day, having more stuff like this to do while at sea matters. (The Jewel itinerary, however, is so port intensive, that's less of a consideration.)

 

If you were cruising as adults, my advice might be different. Jewel is more intimate and elegant. It's easier to get to know the other passengers on board. During the school year, the smaller ship often draws far fewer families with young children - who would lean more toward the Voyager Class ship. That's good if you're looking for a more adult experience, maybe not so good if you're traveling with kids.

 

Let us know what you choose! Both are GREAT ships and GREAT itineraries. (Even thought Aruba is not my favorite, it is the favorite of many other people!;))

Edited March 5, 2014 by printingchick

[cruisewiththekids]

I would say we're looking for good snorkeling and natural beauty. Not interested in shopping, bars/restaurants.

 

I also thought Adventure had a few more features that the kids might like.

 

I'm looking at Thanksgiving week, so we're not really flexible on other itineraries that those ships offer.

[notsomadhatter]

Having done Jewel and Liberty (slightly larger than Adventure) myself I'd definitely go with Adventure with kids. Also really liked Aruba and Curacao so that all lines up.

 

The Disney Magic is a great itinerary that I will be sailing myself but it is not offered over Thanksgiving week. They are doing just four cruises (Sept-Oct) as what many feel is a test for the future. They are also selling very well and the prices have skyrocketed since opening day.

[cruisewiththekids]

Having done Jewel and Liberty (slightly larger than Adventure) myself I'd definitely go with Adventure with kids. Also really liked Aruba and Curacao so that all lines up.

 

The Disney Magic is a great itinerary that I will be sailing myself but it is not offered over Thanksgiving week. They are doing just four cruises (Sept-Oct) as what many feel is a test for the future. They are also selling very well and the prices have skyrocketed since opening day.

 

I've had the Magic booked since close to opening day, but I'm reconsidering based on the kids sail free offer from RCL and also that the kids would miss less school if we went Thanksgiving week.

[lv2bcruzin]

1 - St. Lucia

2 - Barbados

3 - Curacao

[Darkwolfe]

Antigua- Look up Lawrence of Antigua

 

St. Lucia- Look up Spencer Ambrose

 

Barbados- Sun Tours Barbados

 

We used those three specifically last February and we're very likely to hire the same folks the next time we go to those islands. Lawrence and Spencer have lots of CC customers and are well discussed on the respective ports of call pages.

 

One small detail of warning... Antigua's beaches are all public and ALL tops optional. Be aware of that when traveling with kids. Younger kids likely won't notice or care, but teens are a different story.

[notsomadhatter]

I've had the Magic booked since close to opening day, but I'm reconsidering based on the kids sail free offer from RCL and also that the kids would miss less school if we went Thanksgiving week.

 

Ah, I see. :)

[skiiergirl]

I can't compare Disney since we have never sailed them. We love both JW and AD. I would think you would enjoy either itinerary based on what you like to do. If you think your kids would enjoy the ice rink/ice show/ promenade /Johnny rockets then I would go with AD. However, if your kids are younger or not into those things then JW would be great too and you could stay on the ship in Martinique creating a second "Seaday". If you plan on doing any specialty dining, JW has birth Chops and Portofini whereas AD only has Portofinos (I think getting rebranded to Giovannis by then). AD will have gone through a mini-rehab whereas JW won't.

[north29]

Southern islands are my favorite. I really like them all, but...:

 

FAVORITES:

 

• St. John (via St. Thomas)
  
• Dominica
  

 

 

LEAST FAVORITE:

 

• Aruba
  
• Barbados
  

 

 

Can you tell I prefer the less developed ports of call?

 

We just do not like Aruba, nice place but tooooo high end. One trip to Barbados and you might have seen it all. Curacao is our favorite to date, we may actually fly back and stay a week. Other ports are good, but seemed limited to one time stops, but we are not snorkelers and not really beach people.

[nelblu]

I guess I'll subscribe. I'm about to hit 4 new ports and need to start planning.

 

My favorites are Curacao and Aruba, by far.

[Single_dreamer]

I really enjoyed the scenic excursions in St. Lucia and Barbados! Bathsheba was breath taking and so was the over look of Nelson's Dockyard.