Please skip this Caribbean port

[Cruising89143]

I have to say that is why I like Aruba so much. I think variety is great. And Aruba is very different from most of the other Caribbean islands that you would go to. I found the topography on the opposite side from Oranjestad to be pretty fascinating. It is just such a cool contrast from many of the other lush green tropical islands that I also very much enjoy.

 

I agree OB. April was my first time in Aruba and loved it. It was different than other Caribbean islands but that's why I liked it.

[The Flying Pirate]

Tortola is also one of our favorite ports, I wish more cruises went there. It is one of the very best destinations for Scuba diving as the home to the Wreck of the RMS Rhone. The Baths of Virgin Gorda are also cool, and as several people mentioned their are several good places to snorkel.

 

Personally I am not a huge fan of Nassau, but part of that is the weather has not been great the last couple times we have been there so it was too rough to go snorkeling and diving. Recent events in Nassau have confirmed my long standing suspicion that it is not all that safe. You need to be street smart in Nassau.

 

Ochio Rios is very similar. The last time we were in Ochio Rios we did a dive trip and found a bunch of garbage on the reef, including cans of paint. Montego Bay is better but still a bit rough around the edges. Negril is famous for being the site of where Jimmy Buffett was shot at in his floatplane.

 

On the positive, we have watched Cozumel rebuild from the after effects of Wilma and is a great place to visit. Belize is another often overlooked port, because of the long tender rides into port, but the country knows that the tourists come for their natural resources and the reefs are in amazing shape.

 

I agree with the posters that say don't skip any ports, if you have been there before and didn't like it, try something else. The first time in Ocho Rios we hated it then we did the dive trip and it wasn't much better, then we did the Dunns River Falls tour and enjoyed that.

[Head Shot]

I am a firm believer that if you didn't like a port then you just didn't do your homework and find the right thing for you.

 

Unless you got robbed at gunpoint during your port stop ;) there is really no real reason to skip ports. All countries have their own unique experiences. Someone that just steps off the ship in the port area (which is often not very attractive areas) and just says "I'm here. This is it. Now what?" is not going to have a very good time, no matter the port.

 

I like your attitude

 

I feel the same way about every port I've been to.

 

I've only stayed a week in Ocho Rios, never experienced the cruise version. That island is such a dream to be in. Traveled many miles there and every turn was a new experience. I loved the nightime walks in Ocho, you really get the full flavor that way.

 

Yes, lots of weed, not a bad thing either.

 

San Juan was another port that captivated me, especially the nightlife in Old San Juan.

 

There have been no ports that I was disappointed with, even Cabo was an overall grand experience.

[MrPete]

As a cruiser of 20+ voyages mainly in the Caribbean, my wife and I were discussing where we would prefer NOT to get off the ship. We pretty much settled on Tortola as somewhat blah with the assertive hawkers bothering us and not much to do.

 

Just curious what you did during your visit to draw this conclusion?

 

There's only one port in all my cruises where I did not get off. That was San Juan, as it was raining, had been there many times before, and we were only there from 3pm to 11 PM.

 

The cover was pulled over the pool, so we swam and relaxed.

Edited March 14, 2010 by MrPete

[cs]

Loved Tortola, actually the Baths at Virgin Gorda, and also loved Grand Turk. I liked every port I've went to for different reasons.

[yogimax]

Any port in Jamaica

[volleyballmom87]

DH and I have decided that next time we dock in Nassau it will be an "at sea" day for us. We have been there twice and it just doesn't do much for us.

 

Tortolla is one of our favorites... BVI has some of the best snorkeling.

Jamaica - we have only done land vacations there and love it - something about all you can drink Red Stripe I think....

 

For the most part we have been avoiding Western Caribbean - we aren't interested in Cozumel (he has been there and wasn't impressed).

 

Overall, I agree with the poster that said... do your homework... there is something for everyone. What may look like lame at first may be a memorable day. DH was cranky when he saw the beach I chose in St. Thomas (we were the 1st ones there and it looked a little skeezy w/no one else there) within 30 minutes he had completely changed his mind. I had done my homework... he had no clue and was ready to go back to the ship immediately.

[UKBayern]

Next time we visit Nassau we may not bother getting off: we've been there 2 times and feel we have seen what there is to see.

We just might see what the ship has to offer while in port.:)

[yarlenna]

I wish the cruise lines would send a couple of ships to smaller islands instead of always going to the big ports that everyone has done a million times.

 

Try Windstar - little ports and a little ship. If it is a little more expensive but if you want special, this may be the thing for you.

[negc]

I wish the cruise lines would send a couple of ships to smaller islands instead of always going to the big ports that everyone has done a million times.

 

To which smaller islands do you wish the cruise lines would send a couple of ships? If you list them, I'm willing to bet that most of them already get occasional visits, probably more than enough to satisfy those who are tired of going to the "same old, same old", larger islands. If there was more demand for itineraries that included those islands, some line would find a way to meet that demand. It is just another side of the supply and demand equation.:)

[chachi]

Nassau is the only port I have been to that I really don't care for. I knew this before going though because I had spent a week there on a land vacation before. Even though it is not my favorite, I still get off the ship. I make sure to always book an excursion so that I am not just stuck wandering around the port. I will be returning for my 4th time and I couldn't imagine just staying on the ship. There is something to be found at every port. If I wanted to enjoy some time by the pool without having it be crowded, I would take a later excursion so you could enjoy the pool but still see the island. Of course I would rather be in the ocean than the ship's pool anyways.

[reeran]

I guess my best advise would be if you visit an island and really don't like it...go back...try it one more time. We first visited St Maarten...went on a tour and hated it. When we got home we told friends and they could not believe it and told us to give it another try. When we went back we went to Orient beach and back into town to walk around. We changed our minds..it is one of our favorite islands now.:D

[ToddinVA]

Glad to see someone other than myself was not impressed with Aruba. My DW loved it (we were cruising for her 50th birthday so it was a good thing ;) ) but I was not impressed at all. It seemed to me once you got away from the resort area, it was nothing but Aloe and cactus.

 

Tim

 

 

I was disappointed in Aruba as well. I loved Curacao though!

 

For this list though, I would vote for Belize City, followed by Costa Maya and Ocho Rios.

Edited March 15, 2010 by ToddinVA

[reeran]

I was disappointed in Aruba as well. I loved Curacao though!

 

For this list though, I would vote for Belize City, followed by Costa Maya and Ocho Rios.

 

 

We didn't love Aruba like we thought we would. But it was still a nice island.

[Aquahound]

I was very surprised to see Tortola mentioned by the Op. Tortola is one of my favorites, and where I was least bothered by hawkers.

 

Nassau, on the other hand....

[GXmanDC]

Grand Turk was a complete waste of time in my opinion. It reminded of a rest stop on I-95. Wanda Sykes was on board, she called it a big ditch.

 

I later heard snorkeling is good there.

[waykaylincruz]

We have been to Nassau several times and it is my least favorite port of all I've been to. However, the last time we were there, we discovered Blue Lagoon Island and had a awesome day there!!! We still aren't crazy about Nassau, but if we end up on a cruise that goes there, that's okay because we have a place to go to that we love!!

 

We don't cruise frequently so I think that is why my family is happy with most stops our ship makes on our cruises. We are happy to be on vacation and make the most of it all!!

[ssb]

LOVED THE BVI's

 

Tortola is the HUB of the British Virgin Islands.

and the main hub of Diving and Sailing in the ENTIRE Carribean.

It has access by water taxi to many Islands of BVI but also the US Virgin Islands.

 

At 12/31/1999 Foxy's on Josh Van Dyke of BVI's

was named in article in Wall Street Journal

as one of top ten parties in the world to be at.

 

We spent two weeks there on a land based trip

and including a class 5 hurricane IVAN,,

IT IS still one of my favorite vacations yet.:D

 

The Baths are one of MOTHER NATURES must see spots in the world.:D

A lot of the others things people are mentioning are true and wonderful.

 

Get off the ship and explore with open arms and wide open eyes.

Life is good there.

[joeandaimeesmom]

Any port in Jamaica

 

 

I totally agree with you!!

[joeandaimeesmom]

Grand Turk was a complete waste of time in my opinion. It reminded of a rest stop on I-95. Wanda Sykes was on board, she called it a big ditch.

 

I later heard snorkeling is good there.

 

 

Was it South of the Border?? Now that is a tacky place.:D

[ssb]

As a cruiser of 20+ voyages mainly in the Caribbean, my wife and I were discussing where we would prefer NOT to get off the ship. We pretty much settled on Tortola as somewhat blah with the assertive hawkers bothering us and not much to do. A HAL Captain told us that Grand Turk was not a great place either. Wondering what others are thinking? Nassau? Ocho Rios?

------------------------------------------------------------------

You might skip the PORT area,

but not the island or the BVI islands.

 

If you have 20+ vogages

you have to know at times you have to leave the port area

to enjoy the place.

A good example is Marseille France!

Edited March 15, 2010 by ssb

[romnan]

I always try to look for the best in every port that we stop in.For me I just do not feel comfortable about Ocho Rios I have just had too many experiences that have made both my wife and myself feel unsafe:(

[LoveSt.Thomas]

I avoided visiting Ochos Rios for seven Caribbean cruises in a row. I'd heard so many negative things. In January, our cruise on Freedom of the Seas stopped there. We LOVED it. Yes, I can see why some people dislike it. However, we really loved climbing the falls and Margarittaville's was a hoot. We went down the pool slide several times!

 

I would not advise cruise lines to skip any port. As another poster said, we all have different tastes and sometimes you may discover you enjoy a port far more (or less) than you expected. We found we were not that impressed by Aruba, but I know it's a favorite to many.

 

Seeing a wide variety of ports is one of the big benefits of cruising.

I would never pick an itinerary that had Ocho Rios in it. And if it did it would be one of the ports we stay on board for. Bad experience when my daughter was about 8 or 9. One of the men in the flea market grabbed and proceeded to run through the flea market with her and into a shop. Long ordeal, though everything turned out okay. The falls are beautiful, but I've heard to many stories from people who have cruised there several times and I think I'd rather skip that port. Though I wouldn't mind doing western again, I prefer eastern because of St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Doing the southern for the first time this May, and I hope it's just as enjoyable. Also wanting to try the mexican rivera again and even some Europe.

[Ocean Boy]

Jamaica is the only reason that I would consider doing a Western sailing again.

[reeran]

I would never pick an itinerary that had Ocho Rios in it. And if it did it would be one of the ports we stay on board for. Bad experience when my daughter was about 8 or 9. One of the men in the flea market grabbed and proceeded to run through the flea market with her and into a shop. Long ordeal, though everything turned out okay. The falls are beautiful, but I've heard to many stories from people who have cruised there several times and I think I'd rather skip that port. Though I wouldn't mind doing western again, I prefer eastern because of St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Doing the southern for the first time this May, and I hope it's just as enjoyable. Also wanting to try the Mexican Rivera again and even some Europe.

 

While traumatic I wouldn't rule out an entire country due to one psycho. That could happen anywhere unfortunately. I am glad it ended safely. Jamaica is a beautiful island and we have always had fun there.