Book your Caribbean Cruise with the cruise experts at Islands Vacations. Experience the multifaceted cultures of the Caribbean Islands and soak up the sun on a Caribbean Cruise. The duty-free shopping on some of the Islands is a plus for the ladies, but the sun, white sands, and clear blue warm waters are enjoyed by everyone. Snorkeling, sun tanning, a cool specialty drink and admiring some of the local handicrafts are my favorite occupations.
Please be aware that there are three basic 5, 7, and 10-day (night) cruise itineraries offered as “Caribbean Cruise”. We generally recommend longer itineraries depending on how far you have to travel to the cruise departure port. Miami, once the major departure point for Caribbean cruises, now shares the trade with port cities all along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. That means there are sailings to/from Ft. Lauderdale, Galveston, Houston, New Orleans, Orlando (Port Canaveral), Jacksonville and Tampa. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) even features a Western Caribbean itinerary that begins in Charleston, South Carolina. San Juan is a favorite departure point for the southern Caribbean. Lately, the trend has been for longer cruises to the Caribbean to depart from New York. click for the Interactive map
- The Eastern Caribbean – this region is a great choice for first-time cruisers because of the ports of call. Including San Juan, they are among the Caribbean’s most tourist-developed from duty-free shopping to watersports to historic sites. Cruising the Eastern Caribbean region encompasses the British and American Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten/St Martin. Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Also included are the Bahamas because stops there are such a major part of so many Eastern Caribbean itineraries.
- Western Caribbean. – ports included on a Western Caribbean cruise do not show much variation. Traditional ports include Belize City (Belize); Cozumel (Mexico); Grand Cayman Island; Key West ( Florida); Montego Bay and/or Ocho Rios ( Jamaica) and Progreso ( Mexico).
- Southern Caribbean- the Southern Caribbean Islands fall into a handful of historic and physical categories. The Dutch-influenced Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire are fabulous destinations for snorkeling. St. Barth’s, Martinique and Guadeloupe are so French that you feel you are on the Continent with elite (pricy) boutiques and fabulous gourmet restaurants. In contrast, Barbados, Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis successfully display their British History with Antigua proudly claiming 365 beautiful beaches, one for each day of the year.. Dominica and Grenada both relatively undeveloped, have unique appeals. The former is considered the “garden of Eden” of the Southern Caribbean while Grenada is laid back, with a genuine small town feel.