Caribbean ports all look the same?

[Mango Mike]

Work, oh the dastardly thing required to earn the funds to cruise! :D

 

Last yr was our 7th time to stop in St Thomas, the 1st was in 1992. Oh how it has changed in some spots but time has stood still in others.

 

The 6 of us chartered a sail boat, this was excellent! They took us to a beach we had never been to. NO ONE else was there! It was like our 1st time all over again.

 

Love the dog!!!

[sound_guy0918]

If you never go any further than the cruise port and the inevitable mob by the taxi stand, most of the Caribbean destinations look the same, it's true. Our best experiences for "experiencing the island" have been on private excursions. It's also fair to say that a catamaran snorkel trip on one island is a similar experience to the same thing on a different island, but at lest you get to see the coast from a different perspective and (hopefully) spend some time with some island residents who can give you more than your average jewelry hawker on a street corner.

 

 

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[digital_curator]

I see your point but I think if you make an effort to look at the excursions offered (especially by independent operators), you can have very different experiences.

 

We try to do different activities and look for what is unique in each port.

 

For example, in Dominica we went snorkeling at Chanpagne Beach, in water filled with bubbles from hot springs. We also went swimming at a waterfall and visited the hot springs.

 

In Barbados, we went to a nature reserve and saw many native animals, including monkeys, then went snorkeling with turtles. The second time we toured toured the rum factory.

 

In Aruba, we toured the desert landscape and visited a donkey sanctuary. Another time we did a sunset sail, seeing the "green flash."

 

In Curaçao we went to the aquarium and fed sharks. Another time we just explored the historic town, visiting the floating market and the synagogue.

 

In Aruba we fed rays on a sandbar and took a wild speedboat tour around the island.

 

We have just booked another cruise where we have visited all the islands but 1 before. However, in most we can still find new things to do. In others, we are happy to visit favourite spots. The last time we were in St. Maarten, we took a local bus to Marigot, browsed the market and hung out at our favourite patisserie. It was a lovely, relaxing day.

 

I agreee with others about talking to the locals- each island has a distinct history, culture, and traditions, and locals are often eager to share indormation about their homelands. This is one of our favourite parts of travel, just is getting to know the crew and hear their stories is one of our favorite parts of cruising.

 

Happy sailing!

[riclop]

As a European I am still contemplating doing another caribbean cruise. The previous ports visited were san juan, st kitts and st maarten. Sometimes I drift in and out of you tube looking at potential ports to visit st thomas, st johns, tortola.................Ar the end of the day they all look the same.....a scattering of coloured houses, beaches the odd jewellery shop at the port.

 

I go back and forth what will be new

 

Any help...or have I answered my own question?

 

Yes most of them do.

[Rustybuttons123]

Caribbean ports generally aren't the most attractive, with a few exceptions like Willemstad, Curacao. But as others have mentioned there's different types of islands. Geographically there's two types, low lying coral type and volcanic, green, mountainous type. The coral type will generally have the whiter, prettier beaches. The volcanic type you'll find more of the darker sand beaches, with exceptions of course, but more to do on land other than beaches, like hiking, waterfalls, etc. If you're looking for beaches, a cruise is a good way to pop around the Caribbean and visit various ones and are good for a day excursion.

 

Best beaches in Caribbean are, and this is just my opinion:

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

Anguilla (various beaches)

Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

Trunk Bay, St. John USVI

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Pigeon Point, Tobago

St. Barts (various beaches)

Antigua (various beaches)

Crane Beach, Barbados

Eagle Beach, Aruba

 

Prettiest islands, and this is opinion too, I find the green mountainous islands more visually appealing:

Montserrat

Dominica

Basse Terre, Guadeloupe (left side of butterfly)

Martinique

Saba (12 minute flight from St. Maarten)

Tobago

Grenada

St. Lucia

 

Best snorkeling, my list and this starts with best first:

Bonaire

West Bay, Roatan

Glover's Reef, Belize

Cayman Islands

Virgin Gorda

Champagne Reef, Dominica

Buck Island (near St. Croix USVI)

Tobago

Anse Chastenet, St. Lucia

Curacao

 

Best local food, short list:

Faith's Pen, Jamaica (roadside strip of stalls with every Jamaican delight)

Maracas Bay, Trinidad (Richard's Shark & Bake)

Patrick's Homestyle Cooking, Grenada

The Beach Grill, Le Carbet, Martinique

 

Islands with unique features:

Barbados - cave system and best fresh water

St. Pierre, Martinique (ruins from Mt. Pelee eruption)

Plymouth, Montserrat (ruins from volcanic eruptions past 20 years)

 

Best colonial towns:

Cartegena, Colombia

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

 

Best Hiking:

Dominica (including to various waterfalls)

Saba (Mt. Scenery)

El Yunque, Puerto Rico

Pico Duarte, Dominican Republic (highest mountain in Caribbean)

Basse Terre, Guadeloupe

St. John, USVI

St. Lucia

Nevis

Tobago

 

Best Golf:

Barbados

Dominican Republic

Jamaica

 

I didn't list shopping, I'm not a shopper :)

 

Lots of factors to choose from and decide whether to cruise or if some place has a lot of interest you may wish to just fly there.

[Iamcruzin]

Not only are the ports similar, the stores are similar. I joke that the reason it takes 1/2 hour after docking before they let you leave the ship is that they have to use that 1/2 hour to set up the stores. Diamonds International, Kirks, etc.

 

You are not exactly wrong. I have a friends who live in Antigua. When we visit they tell us not to buy anything in the shops when a ship is in port. On those days, the jewelry stores in particular raise all of the prices. They probably have to compensate for the money they have to pay the cruise line for sending the passengers their way.

Although I jest, I did find out that in Alaska, almost all the stores at the ports are owned by the cruise companies...and off season, they ship their merchandise to the stores in the Caribbean.

 

Most of the items sold are made in China.

[hcat]

Most of the items sold are made in China.

 

Sometimes you have to seek out the local items...by pass the made in China and India stores..

 

Antigua...Sarah Fuller Pottery..she has a kiosk near the pier ...beautiful work

 

St Kitts..behind the pier there's a local craft market...got a handmade candle holder along with a photo with the artist who had stopped by...

 

Domenica....beautiful baskets and birdhouses made by local Indian tribe members

 

Gr Cayman...flea market..great bbq sauces locally made

 

Jamaica, Mexico...beautiful locally made clothing..

 

And we always purchase a small print done locally..chatting with local artists and shop owners is very pleasant.!

[bitob]

The only reason we have recently started to cruise in the Caribbean every January is for the weather. The ports do not interest us at all. You would be amazed at how many passengers never get off the ship in the Caribbean

 

We are not interested in beaches. Excessive sun exposure and the consequences are not our thing. The shops are far from authentic and offer no bargains. And I'm a shopper!

 

We have been on all the alternative cruises for that time of year such as South America Australia and Asia Africa more than once. Two weeks in the Caribbean is just a respite from cold for us and we live in Arizona which doesn't get snow. We just like warm

 

 

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[chemmo]

For those who can easily and relatively cheaply book Caribbean cruises I do think familiarity can breed contempt....'been, seen, done it!

 

I also think many cruisers do what they may describe as a 'serious cruise' (port intensive major world heritage sites, bucket list, never likely to visit again places) and then follow it with a Caribbean cruise (been before, will go again) and then they are not focused on sightseeing, they are focused on relaxing!

 

We have cruised some areas of the Caribbean frequently, others less so...if we want to find something different to do it takes very little pre cruising browsing but as others have said in some ports it is just nice to enjoy a local beer at a bar you enjoyed a year or two ago...

 

So to return to the OPs question. If you want to find something new and different to do in each port you will be able to but there is nothing wrong with just doing what you did last time (swim, dine, relax) ....remember you are going on holiday!

[smtcan]

We have done several Caribbean cruises, just to get away from the Canadian winter for a few days, but last winter we decided to go back to a resort holiday. We are not shoppers or sun worshippers and find the islands very similar. Agreed there are some interesting features, but a port visit is too short to appreciate those, but too long for the less interesting places.

 

The resort holiday was less expensive since it was all inclusive, including air fare. The food was better than many recent MDR meals, specialty restaurants were free, and two out of three were excellent. Service was attentive and we could always find a shaded spot by the pool or on the beach.

 

One morning we looked out to see a Celebrity ship sailing past our window and never for a moment wished we were on board. I did hear later that it was a chartered clothing optional cruise .......

 

Sheila

[ghstudio]

My favorite island is St Maartin....lowest prices on liquor I've found. It's the only place I can afford to buy Stoli Elit....$59 for 750ml in Florida....$38 for a full liter in St Maartin. (BTW, if you are a vodka drinker, try Stoli Elit on Celebrity ships where it is priced the same as grey goose and other quality vodkas...but be warned, you may like it so it can be an expensive drink when you go to your local liquor store).

 

Food is subjective, but I've actually chosen a cruise so I could enjoy the "made at the table" conch salad at Sr Frog's in Nassau again....but that's in the Bahamas. No favorites in the Caribbean, yet.

 

Jamaica is the place for hot sauces....not at the tourist shops...but at local grocery stores or any supermarket off the tourist streets.

 

Jewelry/watches: cheaper at home with less risk of authenticity, quality or service (watches) issues. Be sure you understand prices before you shop anywhere in the Caribbean.

 

Obviously, with no VAT, the Caribbean is a shopping paradise for Europeans although taking liquor home is more difficult.

 

Finally, my favorite port in the Caribbean is the one that doesn't have 5 super size cruise ships in port when I'm there. That pretty much rules out Grand Cayman which I think averages 15000 cruise visitors a day....go once to feed the sting rays and then avoid like the plague.

[toledo_cruiser]

Saw a T-Shirt is one of the island shops which read:

 

"Different Island, Same Shi*" (spelled out).

 

As others have mentioned, there are a lot of similarities, but since we're usually there only one day, there's not a lot of time to go searching for differences. Although we live in the frigid north, there's been only once when winter has sent us scurrying to the Caribbean in search of warmth.

 

Yes, most of our cruises have been to the Caribbean, but we have branched out occasionally just for a change of pace.

 

Jim

[travelberlin]

As a European I am still contemplating doing another caribbean cruise. The previous ports visited were san juan, st kitts and st maarten. Sometimes I drift in and out of you tube looking at potential ports to visit st thomas, st johns, tortola.................Ar the end of the day they all look the same.....a scattering of coloured houses, beaches the odd jewellery shop at the port.

 

I go back and forth what will be new

 

Any help...or have I answered my own question?

 

Thanks for your question. The ports from my point of view are different depending on which language is spoken (Spanish, English, French, Dutch). Different colonization and different heritage. Besides this, Cartagena is not the same than Cozumel even though both have spanish backgrounds. I do think that West Caribe is different than East Caribe. And the most beautiful ports are for me in the South Caribe for example St. Barths.

Anyhow when we cruise in the Caribe we do not expect a wow effect from the ports itself. We love the beaches, the warm weather, Calypso or Salsa, piña coladas and mojitos... and the easy going atmosphere...

[wallie5446]

 

Finally, my favorite port in the Caribbean is the one that doesn't have 5 super size cruise ships in port when I'm there. That pretty much rules out Grand Cayman which I think averages 15000 cruise visitors a day....go once to feed the sting rays and then avoid like the plague.

 

Our first time into Cayman was 1990 or was it '91? Oh well, don't matter.

Our 7th time was in 2014, we were not going to get off. Been to Hell, the Turtle Farm, 7 mile beach, done a day pass, yada, yada, yada, and feed the sting Rays of course, 2 times! A couple we met on the Roll Call asked if we would like to join them, they were renting a car and driving around to find a quiet beach.:eek::eek:

 

Driving on the wrong side of the road, with the steering on the wrong side of the car:eek: IT WAS A HOOT! Rented snorkel gear at the pier, yes all caution was thrown to the wind this stop!

Drove out to Cemetery Beach, yes it is at the island Cemetery, which you have to walk thru to get to the beach! One of the most beautiful quiet beaches we have seen there. Jumped in, after about 30 minutes my not so good a swimmer wife pops her head out of the water and ask, "Margie, how far back to the beach?" "Oh, about a quarter of a mile!:eek:" Simply amazing, and we were going to stay on ship.

 

Went back into town and jumped in at Hamburger Beach, it is so named because it is behind the Burger King and people toss burgers out to feed the fish.

 

Bottom line, if you venture out of your comfort zone there await many rewarding adventures in places where we thought we had done and seen all it had to offer.

EW

 

ps: our next cruise is to the ABC's and our stop on the way to them, Gr Cayman of course!

Edited October 12, 2016 by wallie5446

[davekathy]

Saw a T-Shirt is one of the island shops which read:

 

"Different Island, Same Shi*" (spelled out).

 

As others have mentioned, there are a lot of similarities, but since we're usually there only one day, there's not a lot of time to go searching for differences. Although we live in the frigid north, there's been only once when winter has sent us scurrying to the Caribbean in search of warmth.

 

Yes, most of our cruises have been to the Caribbean, but we have branched out occasionally just for a change of pace.

 

Jim

 

I've seen that before also. I like the T-Shirt that read "Same Ship, Different Ports". Looking forward to our April 2017 Caribbean Cruises.

Edited October 12, 2016 by davekathy

[Byron_1978]

Well, Germany, Austria and Brussels are certainly not the same.

Germany is a big country with nice cities and mountains etc

Austria is a medium sized country with nice cities and mountains etc

Brussels is a city in a small country called Belgium :D

 

I agree to a certain extent. There are some variables but it's like saying Germany, Austria, Brussels are all the same. Not quite but on the surface they kind of look the same from an outsider.

 

I've only been to caribbean once and so only a few ports.

Yet I still found many differences. The main difference that I noticed was the difference in mentality.

Jamaica (Ocho Rios): We found the people very pushy and we didn't feel welcome in a way.

Grand Cayman: The exact opposite.

Just our experience...

[chemmo]

 

 

I've only been to caribbean once and so only a few ports.

Yet I still found many differences. The main difference that I noticed was the difference in mentality.

Jamaica (Ocho Rios): We found the people very pushy and we didn't feel welcome in a way.

Grand Cayman: The exact opposite.

Just our experience...

 

After doing an AI in Jamaica we said we wouldn't return...we found the 'pushing' just far too much and we are seasoned travelers. Then we cruised there, took a trip into the hills, what a difference - such nice welcoming people, so friendly, so keen to share their history with you...

 

All in one island.....amazing!

Edited October 13, 2016 by chemmo

[Iamcruzin]

Sometimes you have to seek out the local items...by pass the made in China and India stores..

 

Antigua...Sarah Fuller Pottery..she has a kiosk near the pier ...beautiful work

 

St Kitts..behind the pier there's a local craft market...got a handmade candle holder along with a photo with the artist who had stopped by...

 

Domenica....beautiful baskets and birdhouses made by local Indian tribe members

 

Gr Cayman...flea market..great bbq sauces locally made

 

Jamaica, Mexico...beautiful locally made clothing..

 

And we always purchase a small print done locally..chatting with local artists and shop owners is very pleasant.!

 

Yes there are defiantly locals who make beautiful items. I was referring to the cruise ship endorsed stores. We only purchase locally made crafts. There are plenty of retailers at home or on the internet to by jewelry, electronics and apparel who are more reliable and priced better. Our local mall sells the same beach cover ups that are so popular with the ladies and the price is about the same.

[gordylad]

thanks for all the replies

 

our one experience of trying to relax on a beach in St Maarten was being continually interrupted by local sellers to the point where it got really annoying

 

Labadee on the other hand was great for obvious reasons

 

Whats it like on other Islands annoying sellers and yes I realise everyone has to make money..............

[richsea]

Our first time into Cayman was 1990 or was it '91? Oh well, don't matter.

Our 7th time was in 2014, we were not going to get off. Been to Hell, the Turtle Farm, 7 mile beach, done a day pass, yada, yada, yada, and feed the sting Rays of course, 2 times! A couple we met on the Roll Call asked if we would like to join them, they were renting a car and driving around to find a quiet beach.:eek::eek:

 

Driving on the wrong side of the road, with the steering on the wrong side of the car:eek: IT WAS A HOOT! Rented snorkel gear at the pier, yes all caution was thrown to the wind this stop!

Drove out to Cemetery Beach, yes it is at the island Cemetery, which you have to walk thru to get to the beach! One of the most beautiful quiet beaches we have seen there. Jumped in, after about 30 minutes my not so good a swimmer wife pops her head out of the water and ask, "Margie, how far back to the beach?" "Oh, about a quarter of a mile!:eek:" Simply amazing, and we were going to stay on ship.

 

Went back into town and jumped in at Hamburger Beach, it is so named because it is behind the Burger King and people toss burgers out to feed the fish.

 

Bottom line, if you venture out of your comfort zone there await many rewarding adventures in places where we thought we had done and seen all it had to offer.

EW

 

ps: our next cruise is to the ABC's and our stop on the way to them, Gr Cayman of course!

 

Nice story! Sometimes you get pleasantly surprised when you deviate from your comfort zone. Some of our best days in port have been a friendly taxi driver sharing insights about their island. True, sometimes we just hang out near the port or stay on the ship. It's all good, & we feel fortunate to be able to experience it all.

[richsea]

thanks for all the replies

 

our one experience of trying to relax on a beach in St Maarten was being continually interrupted by local sellers to the point where it got really annoying

 

Labadee on the other hand was great for obvious reasons

 

Whats it like on other Islands annoying sellers and yes I realise everyone has to make money..............

 

You will find that on most islands, especially at the beach, there will be vendors looking to sell something, or offering to deliver drinks. They are trying to make a living, & usually a polite "no thanks" will suffice. Once you are at a spot for a while, they realize that you are not interested & leave you alone. I f you want to avoid the vendors, a local tour might br better for you to try.

[Byron_1978]

Some of our best days in port have been a friendly taxi driver sharing insights about their island.

Reminds me of our guide in Grand Cayman: We have a lot of banks. We call them washing machines

:D

[grammy c]

To start, I loved this thread! Mostly for all the enthusiastic attempts to explain, what surley by now is obvious. Cruising is a state of mind! Some go for different reasons and enjoy different aspects. But at the end of a very long history of cruising for the two of us, it's like going home to see old friends, visit old haunts that made us feel alive. As for ports, yes some are now way more touristy and look alike than we would like to admit, but it's still there, that island vibe that can only be had by walking a sun filled beach or even a cobbled path that will surley take you to the sea! Give it another chance, you just might find more than was there before.