Help with choosing a Caribbean Itinerary for July 2017

[evitacruiser]

We have never done a Carribean cruise so we have no idea which are the most interesting ports.

 

We are tied to early July for various reasons.

 

We lean towards RCL but are open to other lines.

 

Can anyone help with suggestions for which routes would suit us best? East/West/Southern?

 

We would be flying in from the UK.

 

We like to wander around small interesting ports or take excursions.

 

Whlst we love to see beaches we are not "beach lovers" who want to lie there all day.

 

Good weather is important to us. Is July a big hurricane risk?

 

Is there anything we should be aware of that may be common knowledge to regular cruisers in the Caribbean?

 

Any help would be really appreciated.:D

[Clarea]

I suggest Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The ship does two different alternating Southern Caribbean itineraries. Many do consecutive cruises (total of 14 days) to experience both itineraries.

[cruiseapril]

Suggest including at least one of the ABC islands in itinerary.

(Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao) We have enjoyed our Southern cruises.

[Floridiana]

For authentic Caribbean towns that were not destroyed by fire or earthquakes, go to St. Kitts, Grenada, St. Vincent, Barbados, Curacao, Puerto Rico. For something French: Martinique.The most fascinating town is Old San Juan on Puerto Rico.

 

The southern itinerary has beautiful Willemstad on Curacao, but the sister islands Aruba and Bonaire are more attractive to beach lovers and snorkelers. All three are south of the hurricane belt if this a concern. They are all desert islands with cacti.

 

I prefer the tropical and hilly islands of the Eastern itinerary. The prettiest small town there is Basseterre on St. Kitts. We did an enjoyable excursion with Greg's Safaris.

 

When you pass the island of Monserrat by daylight, look out for its active volcano and capital covered in ashes with some buildings sticking out. When the volcano erupted, most islanders had to flee and many wound up in the homeland: the UK!

[Floridiana]

One more thing: The ships avoid hurricanes. If one threatens, you may wind up in completely different ports than anticipated because the captain will change the itinerary.

[Roz]

Your choices in July are limited because most cruise lines deploy ships to Alaska and Europe. Also, since you're from the UK, be aware that you will experience extreme heat and humidity.

 

Roz

[evitacruiser]

Thanks for the suggestions. We have visited Florida several times in July/August so we are aware of the heat/humidity issues, an air conditioned bar usually does the trick!

 

So it seems that most people are advising a Southern Itinerary rather than one departing from Florida?

[Roz]

Nothing like the air conditioned bar! :D

 

There are Southern Caribbean cruises leaving Florida, but I'm not sure about the opportunities in the summer. Just checked, and Carnival Vista (new ship!) has 8-day itineraries out of Miami, and an 8-day out of Port Canaveral on Magic.

 

Roz

Edited April 10, 2016 by Roz