Torn between three S.Caribbean sailings. Can you help me narrow it down further?

[marcushart]

The family is sailing this January and we have narrowed it down to three itineraries. Our main goal this entire trip: white sand/postcard worthy beaches as much as possible. If local beaches aren't exactly the highlight of a particular island we would love to go on an alternative excursion too. If I did my research correctly it seems like the Barbados St Kitts itinerary would be the most favorable itinerary out of the three that fits our goals. The Curacao with Bonaire comes in second and lastly it would be the Martinique sailing? Or do I have this all wrong? I know we are essentially island hopping so beaches are inevitable but I'm curious to know if there is actually a better itinerary here compared to the rest. We would love to hear your opinions and reasons. Thank you!

**Also please let us know if the weather can change drastically between early January to late January. Most of the guides I read just mentioned January as whole but not specifically how it fluctuates throughout the weeks going into February.

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by marcushart

[crystalspin]

28 minutes ago, marcushart said:

 

Here's a board that may get you better information faster (the top sub-board is where you "ask a question"):

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

 

[Essiesmom]

The weather in the Caribbean, especially southern, does not change much throughout the year.  Should be sunny and very warm, with possible tropical showers.  Usually refreshing.  It seems you are looking at three different Princess cruises.  Have you cruised at all in the past?  And are you aware that cruises to Martinique and Guadeloupe require passports?  I recommend the one that visits curaçao, as the ABC islands are more desert than lush tropical and will add variety to the cruise.  EM

[marcushart]

2 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Here's a board that may get you better information faster (the top sub-board is where you "ask a question"):

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

 

OOP didn't even know that sub forum existed, thank you!

[crystalspin]

Just now, marcushart said:

OOP didn't even know that sub forum existed, thank you!

Happy to help, and welcome to Cruise Critic!

[marcushart]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

The weather in the Caribbean, especially southern, does not change much throughout the year.  Should be sunny and very warm, with possible tropical showers.  Usually refreshing.  It seems you are looking at three different Princess cruises.  Have you cruised at all in the past?  And are you aware that cruises to Martinique and Guadeloupe require passports?  I recommend the one that visits curaçao, as the ABC islands are more desert than lush tropical and will add variety to the cruise.  EM

Thank you for your detailed reply. We have cruised before just not to the caribbean. (Europe, Asia, Panama Canal, Mexico, the list goes on). We did the Bahamas many many years ago with Disney but don't have much recollection since too much time has passed lol. All of our passports are updated and ready to go!

[jsn55]

I can offer this regarding predicted weather.  I find out two months in a row and calculate the difference based on our trip dates.  But I don't remember ever being anywhere in the Caribbean when it wasn't very warm.  Often too hot for us.

[sanger727]

January is a very pleasant time to go to the Caribbean. We like to go in Jan or Feb. So no, early vs late Jan shouldn't make much difference. Some people think the water is cold then. I don't. But if you are used to Florida in August water, it may be too cool for you. 

[navybankerteacher]

16 hours ago, marcushart said:

The family is sailing this January and we have narrowed it down to three itineraries. Our main goal this entire trip: white sand/postcard worthy beaches as much as possible. If local beaches aren't exactly the highlight of a particular island we would love to go on an alternative excursion too. If I did my research correctly it seems like the Barbados St Kitts itinerary would be the most favorable itinerary out of the three that fits our goals. The Curacao with Bonaire comes in second and lastly it would be the Martinique sailing? Or do I have this all wrong? I know we are essentially island hopping so beaches are inevitable but I'm curious to know if there is actually a better itinerary here compared to the rest. We would love to hear your opinions and reasons. Thank you!

**Also please let us know if the weather can change drastically between early January to late January. Most of the guides I read just mentioned January as whole but not specifically how it fluctuates throughout the weeks going into February.

 

‘

I would go with your third option.  San Juan is an interesting old Spanish Colonial city - scheduled nicely between two beach opportunities (St. Thomas does offer shopping, but is kind of a mob scene). And St. Maarten is a great island with French and Dutch accents and wonderful beaches.

 

Caribbean weather in January is comparable to Caribbean weather in February — reliably warm, mostly sunny, with slight chance of occasional brief showers. #2 gives the greatest weather risk - Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas can be cool in early January - but once you are south of the Bahamas it will be warm all the way.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

I would go with your third option.  San Juan is an interesting old Spanish Colonial city - scheduled nicely between two beach opportunities (St. Thomas does offer shopping, but is kind of a mob scene). And St. Maarten is a great island with French and Dutch accents and wonderful beaches.

 

OP, I agree with this poster and for the same reasons.  Plus, the itinerary adds Martinique as well as not as often visited Guadeloupe.  Martinique has one of the most beautiful rain forests that I have visited and the two tours that I have taken there were well worth the time and the cost.  This option will give you a "taste" of different cultures/nationalities which also might provide interesting comparison/contrasting.  

[Vexorg]

I've been on a slightly different version of your second option before (same itinerary except that it had Aruba instead of Curacao) and although I quite enjoy the ABC Islands, I'd probably pick a different itinerary to go to some different islands if I did it again, and would probably do a cruise that specifically went to the ABC Islands to go there.  That said, Dominica and Grenada tend to be less touristy destinations (as is Bonaire), and Dominica in particular is rather mountainous with a lot of wilderness, so the focus there seems to be on things like hikes, snorkeling (Champagne Beach was interesting)  and other similar things.  Grenada was a "go walk around town" port, don't recall a lot of details about that one though.  I also went on a cruise recently that was supposed to stop in St. Kitts but missed the port due to high seas.   

 

Out of the three choices I'd probably choose the third, but I've only been to St. Maarten once and I'd like to go back to go see Maho Beach.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I'd probably pick the third as well, mostly because we have not been to Guadalupe at all and to Martinique only twice.  Most of the other ports are fine, but we've been to them many times.  My second choice is the itinerary with Bonaire and Curacao.

 

 

The time of year is perfect.

[Joebucks]

Honestly, they are all very similar. I really enjoyed Barbados a lot. Between that, Martinique, Grenada, Dominica, and Guadeloupe, those ports are harder to find on cruise itineraries or even just travel in general. Just make sure you do go. You might like it so much, you do it again!

[SbbquilterUT]

If you like snorkeling, Bonaire is great.