1: Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas
2: Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, Jamaica
3: Belize City
4: Roatan, Honduras
5: Somana and LaRomana, Dominican Republic
I haven’t been to any of those places and I’m happy to see the list.
We loved Roatan. Costa Maya, however, was awful.
Last year we were on a cruise and the lounge comedian says:
“St. Kitts...that’s Caribbean for ghetto, man.”
Nassau and Freeport used to be nice back in the 70s. They have gone way downhill since.
I can see that list being accurate
I spent cumulative years in Cornwall Jamaica
Most beautiful island in Caribbean
Country folk are sweet but the rest ruin it
Sorta like here
White mans fault
Done #1; both ports require significant travel to get anywhere interesting.
Freeport took a long taxi ride to the recommended beach & shopping.
Nassau took a ferry then a long walk.
Strongly recommend ensuring all your stuff is conveniently & firmly packed in a highly mobile backpack, and you know path & mode of travel well before you get there.
Both made me keenly aware of how large-scale cruise ships have wrecked much of the local economy: thousands of people show up at once, descend on a few highlights, then vanish a few hours later - concentrating a lot of money in a few places, with almost no cash flowing anywhere outside that very limited range. What used to be a viable tourist infrastructure of small hotels, entertainment & transportation is now a wasteland taxis race pass en masse.
I’m done with the Caribbean, it does nothing for me, you’ve seen one beach, you’ve seen ‘em all.
What’s the first thing anyone who’s been on a cruise will talk about?
Hint: It’s not the romance of the cruise itself (water is endless and not very interesting) or the cool things they did, on or off the ship.
Answer: It’s all about the end(re. None of them realize that the reason the cruise lines provide all that food is to keep them soporific during the actual cruising which is usually just a long rest time between shopping.
If you really want to have a good time in the Caribbean, pick out an island (or contiguous group of islands) and go there by air and spend a week or two.
It eliminates the frantic pace of a “four hour tour stop” and gives you a chance to unwind while searching out the true fun spots on the islands.
For the average tourist, the American Virgin Islands are the top choice by far, giving you the best security and familiar fast food places to eat when you get tired of elaborate and expensive fashionable restaurants and traditional island specialties” and just want a pizza or a burger.
Or take a cruise and come home fat.
Hordes, shopping, schedules, buffet lines and cramped quarters. Not my idea of a vacation.
But its a different deal of course to be that white American guy who gets to know neighbors, restaurant/shop owners and bartenders over a period of time - and who usually explores in the company of "Trini" friends -- than it is to be part of a herd of tourists pouring off a ship for the day.
The cruise ship passenger deserves politeness and respect - but in reality is less likely to get it.
They are all garden spots compared to Colon, Panama.
Not a destination, but cruise ships do stop on the transit.
My favorites are probably Curacao and the British Virgin Islands.
I’ve never cruised to the Caribbean, but I’m thinking about it after my first cruise, which was to Bermuda. Unfortunately, it was during a hurricane, but we had fun anyway. Bermuda is beautiful.
I recall a snorkeling trip out of Nassau.
On the way out they served rum punch. Tasty!
On the way back they ran out of cups. I saw the mate taking cups out of the trash can & filling them with punch. He did NOT wash them.
never been on a carrib cruise but my observation of the situation basis flying and staying is that the natives are restless since the economic downturn has resulted in less tourism and less spending and fewer jobs... example: cayman... used to be 15+ ships per week now maybe 4-5 The port shopping zone is dead, shops open but little business.. Social unrest and more local crime.. Hey ... just like the good ole ussa...
I will say if there’s one island I do recommend it’s Aruba. Such divergent landscapes for such a small island.
