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Explore Caribbean cruise destinations with Professional Travel Guide
Always some of the most popular itineraries, trips to the Caribbean have something for everyone. From lounging on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world to snorkeling with the vast array of fish in the sea to just enjoying the sunset on one of the hundreds of ships that cruise the region, the Caribbean is a cruise destination not to be missed.
Ships large and small port throughout the region, offering first-timers or experienced cruisers plenty of possibilities. With so many to choose from, let Professional Travel Guide help you narrow the field. Our extensive information on cruise ports, ships and lines will help you decide where to travel. The only question that will remain is when you'll book your next journey.
The warmth of the Caribbean awaits
There's something for everyone in the Caribbean, especially if that something involves warm weather, white sand beaches and clear blue waters. Whether making your way to the eastern, western or southern part of this tropical locale, you are sure to find plenty to do and see.
Cruise ships mostly depart from the southern United States and head on their journeys to either one of three regions -- the Eastern Caribbean, the Western Caribbean or the Southern Caribbean.
If you're looking for a cruise area with more shopping and beaches and less time on your cruise ship, then the eastern Caribbean might be for you. With more opportunities for shore excursions that are geared to beach or water activities and the islands' relatively close proximity to each other, cruisers heading to the eastern Caribbean will have more time for their pursuits of leisure.
If you want to enjoy the warm Caribbean weather on your ship rather than at port, then head west into the Caribbean, even into the Gulf of Mexico, for your itinerary. But don't be fooled; shore activities are more varied because of their mainland locales.
With exotic locations and beautiful beaches, the southern Caribbean is making a comeback. Each of these islands offers something different; from relaxing spas to eco-tourism opportunities to diving and snorkeling, the southern Caribbean has it all.
Bahamma Cruise Destinations and Ports of Call;
Cruise Guide for Bahamas
The white sand beaches and brilliant turquoise waters of the Bahamas didn’t tempt Christopher Columbus to stay long when he first landed in the New World. But modern travelers have discovered these beautiful islands, with their clear water, cooling tradewinds and abundant marine life.
Today’s treasures include excellent fishing, golf and watersports, with accommodations that range from swank hotels at world-class resorts to secluded coves.
Those making landfall in the islands can choose from several distinct experiences. Visitors looking for the standard resort amenities should head to Nassau (on New Providence Island) or Freeport and Lucaya (on Grand Bahama Island).
Splashy Nassau, the biggest city and main port, is awash in pink colonial buildings, bustling street markets, five-star resorts and opulent casinos. In Freeport and Lucaya, the Bahamas' second-largest port, options range from frolicking with dolphins to perusing duty-free goods in ample shopping complexes.
Those more interested in deserted beaches, sailing and a generally slower pace will want to visit some of the many Out Islands, most of which are thinly populated or uninhabited.
Location
The Bahamas' main cruise port is in Nassau at Prince George Wharf near Rawson Square, a short stroll from downtown attractions such as the Straw Market, the Pirates of Nassau museum and the shopping on Bay Street. The huge dock is big enough to accommodate as many as a dozen of the largest cruise ships. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Information Center at the wharf provides maps and touring advice. Also located there is Festival Place, an indoor shopping arcade catering to cruise-ship crowds with local crafts, food, a tour desk where guided walking tours can be arranged, post office, phones and Internet access. Horse-drawn cabs also depart there for guided tours of colonial Nassau. Taxis park near the end of the dock; you can take one to nearby Paradise Island for about US$5.
On Grand Bahama Island, the renovated Lucayan Harbour Cruise Facility is located in Freeport Harbor and can accommodate a pair of large cruise ships. The facility has retail and entertainment facilities as well as taxi service. Phone 350-8000.
Shore Excursions
Paradise Island is probably the most popular shore excursion among cruise passengers arriving in Nassau; many make a beeline to the Atlantis resort to try their luck at the lavish casino or make a day of the fun-filled waterpark. Cruise lines typically offer an excursion to The Dig, a mock exploration of the lost city of Atlantis featuring the largest outdoor aquarium in the world. Other popular excursions include Dolphin Encounters, an interactive "swim with the dolphins" experience located on Blue Lagoon Island 3 mi/5 km from Nassau; the interactive Pirates of Nassau museum; snorkeling and scuba diving out of Stuart Cove; and visits to historic Fort Charlotte and the iconic Governor's House in downtown Nassau. Cruise ships also will inevitably offer a rum cruise out of Nassau.
On Grand Bahama, typical shore excursions include shopping tours to Port Lucaya Marketplace, a visit to Lucayan National Park, nature trips to Rand Memorial Nature Centre and Parrot Jungle's Garden of the Groves, and interactions with dolphins at Dolphin Encounters.
Excursions change frequently and vary by cruise line, so check before you go.
Bermuda Cruise Destinations and Ports of Call;
Cruise Guide for Bermuda
It’s the colors that visitors to Bermuda see—not just of sky and sea, but also of sand, trees, shrubs and flowers: The beaches are creamy white flecked with pink, the trees are a variety of lush greens, pink oleander lines the roadsides, and riotous vines tumble over limestone walls. Even the houses are colorful—pastel walls topped by stepped, white roofs. When the wind blows, Bermuda’s shores are washed with white-topped, cool-green waves, warmed by the Gulf Stream.
There’s history, too. Bermuda was a landfall for Confederate blockade runners during the American Civil War. And some think that an offshore storm in the early 1600s may have inspired Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Add to this a variety of land and water activities (including cricket and afternoon tea), sailing (the biennial Newport-to-Bermuda race first came into port in 1906), excellent restaurants, no cars (but you can rent scooters), reliable sunshine, and excellent shopping buys on European goods.
Location
Hamilton, the main cruise-ship port, lies in the middle of Bermuda. Cruise ships dock along Front Street, which runs next to the water. Two ships can tie up at a time. There is a cruise terminal at the waterfront, which has public phones, restrooms and a tourist information booth. The city's many sights and shops are within a short walk of Front Street.
As many as three cruise ships can tie up at St. George's. There are cruise terminals at the docks, which have public phones, restrooms and a tourist information booth. All of the shops and points of interest are within walking distance—making this a great port for sightseers.
Larger cruise ships usually anchor in the Great Sound, the large bay in western Bermuda, or tie up at the Royal Naval Dockyard at the northwestern end of Bermuda. The towering stone buildings that were once part of the early-19th-century British naval installation have been renovated into shops and restaurants. There's a maritime museum and a lagoon, where you can swim with the dolphins. The dock—opposite the main Dockyard buildings—can accommodate one cruise ship at a time. Phones, restrooms and a tourist information table are located on the dock. The ships that anchor in the Great Sound often tender their passengers to the Dockyard in smaller craft.
Shore Excursions
Consider signing up for the excursions offered by your ship. They may not be the least expensive way to see the islands, but you won't have to waste your limited time making arrangements—and you won't have to worry about missing the ship. Shore excursions—and their prices—vary from cruise line to cruise line. Typical tours on Bermuda include exploring Hamilton, St. George's or St. David's Island; visiting National Trust historic sites; snorkeling or helmet diving around coral reefs; playing a round of golf; taking a half-day fishing excursion; or cruising around the islands. Check with your ship's shore-excursion staff or your travel agent for additional information.
Eastern Carribean Cruise Destinations and Ports of Call;
Cruise Guide for St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Lively St. Thomas is the duty-free mall of the Caribbean (take along your credit cards and an oversized shopping bag). Aside from nearly 400 duty-free shops and boutiques that sell everything you could possibly want to buy, you'll find spirited nightspots, good restaurants and luxury resorts around St. Thomas' main city and port, Charlotte Amalie (pronounced ah-MAHL-yeh).
St. Thomas is the most developed of the U.S. Virgin Islands—in fact, it's one of the most developed in the entire Caribbean. Steep green hills run across the middle of the island, and beautiful beaches ring its shores. Hotels, villas, resorts, small inns and private residences, each on their own piece of paradise, mix with public and commercial structures. Consequently, traffic has become a major problem on St. Thomas.
Location
Pretty Charlotte Amalie is the busiest port of call in the Caribbean. Cruise ships can tie up at either the West Indian Company Dock at Havensight (2 mi/3 km across the harbor, east of town) or at Crown Bay (1.5 mi/2.4 km west of town). Some of the larger ships anchor in St. Thomas Harbor and tender their passengers in smaller boats to downtown Charlotte Amalie. There's a tourist information center in Havensight (open for ships in port) and another office across from Vendor's Plaza in Charlotte Amalie (open Monday-Saturday 8:30 am-4:30 pm). There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance of all port facilities, as well as access to public phones and the Internet.
Shore Excursions
Consider signing up for the excursions offered by your ship. They may not be the least-expensive way to see the island, but you won't have to waste your limited time making arrangements yourself—and you won't have to worry about missing the ship. Shore excursions—and their prices—vary from cruise line to cruise line. They may include sightseeing in Charlotte Amalie or more active adventures such as biking on the island, scuba tours or helicopter rides over the islands. Check with your ship's shore-excursion staff or your travel agent for additional information.
Southern Carribean Cruise Destinations and Ports of Call;Cruise Guide for Aruba
Aruba is among the livelier, more developed islands in the Netherlands Antilles region, with high-rise resorts, great restaurants, glitzy casinos and great shopping, all in a setting of white-sand beaches and crystal blue water.
There’s plenty to do, too: sunbathing, world-class windsurfing and waterskiing by day, and discos, cabarets, dinner shows and high-stakes gambling at night.
Don’t look for natural attractions, though. Aruba’s sparse vegetation—cacti and aloe vera—and brawny trade winds make it seem more like desert than tropical island. It is, however, outside the hurricane belt, and its reliable weather makes it a favorite choice for honeymoons.
Location
Aruba's port is at Oranjestad, on the southern coast of the island. Cruise ships tie up at the Aruba Port Authority cruise terminal, which is on L.G. Smith Boulevard (one of the city's main streets). Passengers are greeted with music and by welcome hosts from the Aruba Cruise Tourism Authority (http://www.arubabycruise.com), who hand out booklets called Aruba For You, specially designed for cruise passengers. Inside is complete information on tours, shops, dining, discount coupons and more. The cruise terminal has handicapped-accessible restrooms, stores to purchase stamps, mail cards and other items, and public phones.
However, all this could change if the government follows through with plans to replace the current cruise facility with a modern and luxurious cruise terminal, part of a mixed-use project that would include new residences, an artificial island and a marina in downtown Oranjestad. Two piers will allow five to six regular-size ships or four mega-ships to dock simultaneously, with no tendering. The cargo area will become the site for a private yacht marina and condos. These plans are still all on the drawing board, however.
Passengers with prearranged taxis, rental cars or tours are met inside the terminal lounge. Desks for those activities are set up outside on the dock for immediate bookings. From the terminal, it's a three-minute walk across the street to a major three-story shopping mall—and a second mall is one block down the street. Several beaches are not too far from town and can be reached by taxi or bus.
Shore Excursions
Consider signing up for the excursions offered by your ship. They may not be the least-expensive way to see the island, but you won't have to waste your limited time making arrangements yourself—and you won't have to worry about missing the ship. Shore excursions—and their prices—vary from cruise line to cruise line. Typical shore excursions offered may include an island tour of Oranjestad and other sites, and you can choose how to get around—by bus or Jeep, by snorkeling, scuba or sailing tours or, for those who don't want to get wet, glass-bottomed boat or submarine.
Western Carribean Cruise Guide for Cayman Island;
Cruise Guide for Cayman Islands
If you've ever had the urge to see beneath the sea, you'll enjoy the Caymans. The underwater scenery is full of exotic fish, coral reefs, even the occasional stingray. The water is warm, clear and often calm—and there are plenty of places to dive or snorkel.
Of the three islands that make up the Caymans, Grand Cayman is the largest and the center of the tourism industry. The heavy influx of visitors has had a homogenizing effect on that island, which is also a center for offshore banking. The other islands, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, get fewer visitors.
Location
Of the three islands, Grand Cayman is the only one with the capacity to host cruise ships. At present, ships still anchor outside the harbor west of George Town, but a US$17.5 million port facility—just 1,312 ft/400 m north of the current Port Authority dock—opened in 2006. The facility, with a 200-ft/60-m pier, can dock one or two cruise ships, and all passengers filter through a self-contained facility with immigration, tourist information, shops, restaurants, restrooms and a taxi dispatch center. Discussions about building another pier are under way, since on any given day there can be up to six cruise ships in the harbor and some passengers still need to be tendered to the terminal. In rough weather, ships may anchor off the island's southern coast and tender passengers to Spotts, which lies about 4 mi/6 km from George Town. (Cruise ships are banned from anchoring in Spotts Bay.) Taxis or buses then transport passengers to George Town for shopping and to the various attractions.
The main tourist information office is at the Regatta Office Park, Leeward 2, West Bay Road (opposite the Westin Hotel). It's open Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5 pm. Phone 345-949-0623. There is also a small information booth at the cruise ship terminal.
