Favorite/Least Favorite Caribbean Island?

[Parrot Mom]

We spent a week on Margarita Island many years ago and loved it..the restaurants, the beaches.. it was before Agua Beach was built up.. have great memories.. As for the soldiers ..they are there to protect you.. Would I fly to Caracas again as I did then..ABSOLUTELY NO!!

[sdmike]

Favorites:

 

Roatan

St. Johns

Grand Cayman

Cozumel

 

Least:

 

Martinique

Jamaica

Nassau

[Floridiana]

Thanks twomikea!

 

We are going on both the 3 and 11 night cruises B2B. I will share these with my sister. It certainly does narrow it down a bit (I like the look & feel Saba and St. Eustatius) :)

 

I haven't seen a cruise yet with Saba and Statia on the itinerary, would love to go there.

[Floridiana]

Santarem?? We will book a ship excursion, forgot which one.

 

St. Barts We will rent a small car. It's cheaper than a tour. Last time, we walked around Gustavia and relaxed. Years ago, we spent a week on the island. In the menatime, it has become much too expensive for my taste. It's cute and overrated in my opinion.

 

Dominica We were planning to take a taxi to the aerial tram, but changed the cruise and will go to Martinique instead. I definitely want to go to Dominica one day.

 

St. Lucia...was there years ago and went to Batik factory in Mountains We will walk downtown and see the market. I still have a great shirt from Bagshaws, but they don't do much clothing any more, just wallhangings and table runners etc.

 

Trinidad We plan to find a silk shop.

 

Devils Island No excursion offered, just walk around.

 

 

 

Are you going with Oceania?

[barnstormer]

My wife would go anywhere there is a beach and warm water - she's easy and that's why we're married. I'm a fussy old codger and like to experience the nicer side of life and why we cruise. I don't like Nassau, Jamaica, the St Martin side, Key West and Aruba. Some of it is the residents attitudes and some the boredom of the island. I do like St. Barts and the St Marteen side. Not that I prefer the cost of anything French, but we only have to shell out $125 for lunch there, not the cost of rooms, breakfast or dinner. Generally those islands are less threatening, well kept up, the feeling is more like traveling in Europe vs. say much of Mexico.

 

I decided several years ago not to go back to the Carribbean - generally too trashy and high pressure junk sales. If a cruise didn't include a stop at St Barts we'd pass and since the Marina is going there, so are we.

[MarWaves86]

My wife would go anywhere there is a beach and warm water - she's easy and that's why we're married. I'm a fussy old codger and like to experience the nicer side of life and why we cruise. I don't like Nassau, Jamaica, the St Martin side, Key West and Aruba. Some of it is the residents attitudes and some the boredom of the island. I do like St. Barts and the St Marteen side. Not that I prefer the cost of anything French, but we only have to shell out $125 for lunch there, not the cost of rooms, breakfast or dinner. Generally those islands are less threatening, well kept up, the feeling is more like traveling in Europe vs. say much of Mexico.

 

I decided several years ago not to go back to the Carribbean - generally too trashy and high pressure junk sales. If a cruise didn't include a stop at St Barts we'd pass and since the Marina is going there, so are we.

 

You sound like a tool. You think $125 is a lot for a two person meal. WOW. No wonder you live in that hell hole Tennessee. Blowing you kisses from Los Angeles!!!!!

[airlink diva]

I have a four way tie for favorite island. They each are a fave for different reasons.

Dominica (this is how the garden of Eden must look like!), Martinique, Guadeloupe (very French with a Caribbean vibe and not so touristy) and Anguilla (great beaches)

My only island, rather port is Freeport. I have a open outlook when visiting,but Freeport is really lacking.

[skipnpeanut]

Favorites: St. Barts, Half Moon Cay, Barbados (specifically The Boatyard), Aruba. St John's Trunk Bay, and Tortola

Least Favorite: Jamaica and the Bahama's

[NHNEV2003]

After two western Caribbean cruises, we're looking for an eastern or southern caribbean (out of San Juan) for our next cruise.

 

Did a search and found this thread----can we get more responses as to your favorites/ not favorites, and why.

 

Also, please note if a particular ship is a factor as well.

 

Thanks for all the great info provided on this site!!

[mrsfuzzmo]

Love:

 

Granada, St. Lucia, St. Thomas/Johns, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Curacao, San Blas, Roatan, Key West

 

Like: Aruba, Barbados, St. Maarten, Cozumel, San Juan, Dominica

 

Disliked:

 

St. Kitts (boring), Margarita Island(dirty), Martinique(dirty & rude), Belize (fun excursions but don't need to go back).

 

I am one of those that loves Jamaica. We've spent weeks there at resorts as well as having gone on a number of cruises (always to Ocho Rios on cruises). I am not afraid of the local people and actually love their playfulness and spirit. I love talking to them, bargaining with them and hearing their stories.

[Compass Rose]

Caribbean ports we have visited with our ratings. We love to dive and experience the beauty of nature. We love to meet people from different cultures.

 

Saba – 10 Pristine island – world class diving

Dominica – 10 Gorgeous island – great rainforest/waterfalls – great diving

St John – 9 Beautiful unspoiled island – 2/3 National park

St Croix – 8 Lots of good everything – way underrated

Grenada – 8 – Very pretty island/beaches – good diving

Grand Cayman – 8 Pretty beaches – great diving (have to go with right people)

Sint Eustatius (Statia) – 8 Untouched island – cool volcano – great diving

St. Kitt's – 7 Very pretty island – great diving in the north (hard to get to)

St Lucia – 7 Beautiful island – good diving – some crime

Cozumel – 7 Nice beaches – still very good diving but too many people

Aruba – 7 Great beaches – just OK diving

St. Martin/Sint Maarten – 7 Neat culture – poor diving

Puerto Rico – 6 Lots to do – nice beaches – very poor diving

Antigua – 6 Pretty island with plenty to see – so-so diving

Barbados – 6 Good all-around island – decent diving – safety in question

Key West – 6 Cool history/main area vibe – no longer any good diving

Eluthera, Bahamas (Princess Cays) – 6 Pretty - secluded

New Providence Island, Bahamas (Nassau) – 5 All around stuff good – exciting shark dives

Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas (Freeport) – 5 Pretty island with good diving

St Thomas – 4 Nice island that’s too crowded – so-so diving

Costa Maya – 4 Interesting outside the fences – unspoiled diving if you can find it

Caracas (La Guaira), Venezuela – 3 Very third world – safety a concern

Jamaica – 3 Beautiful island with heavy pressure from people – crime big here – fish all gone

 

Mike of:

Mike & Leesa From Texas

 

6/11 Carnival Destiny Southern Caribbean Cruise

 

Big Red Boat 1994 - Infiniti 2001 - Rhaspody 2002 - Sea Princess 2002 - Grand Princess 2003 - Carnival Spirit 2003

I enjoyed your review the most! Thank you.

[greenscooter]

We have done 3 southern caribbean cruises out of San Juan: We like the ports more than the ship and prefer snorkeling/diving/water activities, and the beaches. We also like planning our own excursions so, ports that we have difficulty doing that ranks low on our list of favorite ports.

(1) Caribbean Princess - The ship, service, atmosphere, and decor on the ship was great. Food was the only negative for us.

PORTS: St. Lucia - Barbados - Antigua - Tortola/Virgin Gorda - St. Thomas : Least Favorite : ANTIGUA ( beautiful once you leave the port and see the island and the beaches are beautiful just not our favorite).

Favorite tours: ST. LUCIA - did a Land & See tour with Serenity Tours and it was fantastic. There were only 3 of us on the tour. Eating lunch at the Beacon Restaurant overlooking the Pitons was a highlight of the tour.

BARBADOS - toured with a local named Quami - (saw all but 1 parish on the island): highlight was swimming with the big turtles and Long Bay: One of the most beautiful, secluded beaches I have ever been to. TORTOLA - took Speedy's ferry to the Baths on Virgin Gorda - not to be missed: Fantastic and just beautiful!

(2) Adventure of the Seas - Crowded feel on the ship, otherwise, we really loved this ship. PORTS: Aruba - Curacao - Dominica - St. Thomas

Curacao is unique to visit; but, the great beaches and diving/snorkeling is 45 minutes from port. We went shopping but had difficulty trying to purchase some things (certain stores did not have any american change - We had to go to the casino to get smaller bills) and once you see the town there is little else to do in the immediate area.

We love the beaches in Aruba and ease of travel - there bus system is cheap and easy to get around the island. Ate at Iguana Joe's (shrimp royale was very good!)

Dominica - Would visit this island on any cruise: so much natural beauty and so many choices of things to do. The tour guides are fantastic!

St. Thomas - went to St. John (BEAUTIFUL)!

(3) Serenade of the Seas - BEAUTIFUL SHIP, enjoyed eating at Chops Grille and the solarium on board. The service, food, and atmosphere was great! Ports: St. Croix - St. Thomas - Dominica - Grenada - Antigua

DOMINICA was our favorite island - diving/snorkeling am and Screw's Spa (Hot Springs): I would visit Screw's Spa every week if I lived there - so beautiful and relaxing to be surrounded by natural beauty while soaking in the warm waters.

Grenada - Torrential rains the entire day. We toured the island anyway and there just was not anything unique about the island.

St. Croix is very different from St. Thomas - Very quiet and laidback. We did the Geckos ATV tour/Rainbow Beach and diving in the afternoon - We really had a fun day.

Had a great time on all 3 cruises; but, the Serenade was our favorite and was the only cruise (including 7 others) that we received EXCELLENT customer service from both guest services and the staff. Our cabin attendant was fantastic, and one of the Chef's from Barbados came to our table every night and spoke to us. Most of the bartenders on our cruise were from Jamaica and they were a lot of fun and always remembered us by name. Sharing conversations with the staff about their homeland and lives aboard the ship really made the cruise seem more personal and memorable for us. We also loved the Asian Wok in the Windjammer (stir-fry: pick your own meat/veggies).

Hope this information helps.

[travelingtrish]

Favorite islands St John St Martin Dominica St Kitts

 

Least Favorite Bahamas Barbados Grand Cayman Grand Turk

[blue_water]

I haven't really been to an island I didn't like except maybe Nassau, but no island is that bad that you can't find something to enjoy. I know some folks stay on the ship when in some ports and that sounds so foolish to us!

 

Some of the islands we have been to and like include -

 

Antigua - spectacular blue water, gorgeous beaches and coastline, loved the Excellence day sail! Antigua is a must do.

 

Barbados - unbelievable beaches, great beach restaurants up the coast if you're there in the evening. Another must do.

 

Tortola - beautiful island, amazing views from the hills and Smuggler's Cove is gorgeous. JVD (White Bay beach bars) and VG (the Baths and the MineShaft rest.) are available excursions too! Love staying here. Another must do.

 

Jamaica - friendly people, we spent a week in a small hotel so we could see the island, loved it! Montego Bay is a better cruise stop that Ocho Rios IMHO because you have Margaritaville and beautiful, beautiful Doctors Cave Beach.

 

Provo in the Turks & Caicos - gorgeous beach, luckily no cruise dock there!

 

St Martin - beautiful beaches, we loved the Golden Eagle day sail there!) Another must do.

 

Roatan - West End is a neat spot, and West Bay is very nice.

 

St Kitt's - Friendly people and lots of monkeys!

 

Grand Cayman - SMB is very nice, beautiful island but pricey.

 

St Thomas - too busy when multiple ships are in but you can have a great day by going to Sapphire beach and then to Paradise Point. Stayed on the East End near Red Hook and that's nice. The USVI have an "Americanized" vibe to us so we like to go elsewhere more.

 

Many others that are also beautiful...

[Ravenscroft]

Favourite islands - Bequia and St Barts. Both very different islands, but both compact, very beautiful and charming.

 

Least favourite - Nassau and Barbados.