paulandfran Posted July 8, 2010 #1 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Which tropical islands and ports have you visited and which 3 are your favorites? And why are they your favorites? I'll start... Aruba Montego Bay Ocho Rios San Juan St. John USVI St. Thomas USVI Tortola BVI Virgin Gorda BVI Cozumel Playa del Carmen St. Lucia Grand Cayman Labadee Nassau Freeport Coco Cay Half Moon Cay Grand Turk Oahu Kauai Maui Big Island of Hawaii Niihau My top three are: St. Lucia - Jalousie Beach, nestled between the twin Pitons, is the most gorgeous place I've ever been. It felt so secluded, it reminds me of that show Fantasy Island from when I was a kid. Virgin Gorda - the Baths are so unique and pristine. St. Thomas - I love the snorkeling and beautiful beaches and the great ferry system to go over to St. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothomeonacruise Posted July 8, 2010 #2 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Yay, a pleasant and positive post today!! I hope it stays for a little while. St. Thomas Half Moon Cay Puerto Rico I like Cozumel (Pancho's Backyard restaurant), too. Almost all the coast of Florida, including Key West..LOL Cruise locations: Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Jamiaca, Cozumel, Grand Turk, Grand Cayman, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Half Moon Cay, Labadee, and I'm probably missing a few.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChefSusan Posted July 8, 2010 #3 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Maui Oahu Grand Cayman Island Cozumel Belize Roatan San Juan St. Thomas Antigua Tortola/Virgin Gorda Nassau Freeport Ocho Rios Key West Top 3: Cozumel (Nachi Cocum) for the scenery Roatan for the scenery and friendly people Virgin Gorda for the uniqueness and crystal clear water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankerbabe Posted July 8, 2010 #4 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I'll play :) Hope I can remember them all . . . . I'm blonde. I'll include Mexican Riviera ports too and tropical destinations we've visited on land, just because. Princess Cays Grand Cayman (x2) Cozumel (x2) Costa Maya Acapulco Zihuatenejo Puerto Vallarta - on cruise Puerto Vallarta - land vacation Cabo San Lucas Ensenada Grand Turk Tortola St. Maarten St. Thomas San Juan, Puerto Rico Montego Bay Cancun - land vacation Isla Mujeres - land vacation It's hard to pick a favorite. Tortola was fantastic - a trip over to The Baths and dinner at a marina near the port made that day pretty darn good. St. Maarten. We spent the day at Orient Beach (beautiful!) soaking up the sun. Nice. Isla Mujeres. We ferried over from Cancun for 45 pesos each, rented a golf cart for the day, and just drove around. The island is so small that you can easily drive from one end to the other in a little golf cart in a relatively short time and it's VERY laid back. We stopped at beaches, restaurants, and finally landed at North Beach where we rented loungers and did some swimming. Then we returned the golf cart and did some shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted July 8, 2010 #5 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Here you go, all islands with swimable beaches St. Thomas Puerto Rico Half Moon Cay Bahamas Grand Turk St. John Jost van Dyke Norman Island Peter Island Virgin Gorda Tortola St. Maarten St. Barths Nevis St. Kitts Saba Antigua Iles des Saintes Oahu Maui Hawaii Kauai Molokai Grand Cayman Roatan Cozumel Key West Paros Sifnos Santorini Delos Mykonos Lesvos Favorite? How can you pick even three? The Med is incredible but the water is cool. The Eastern Caribbean is exotic, Hawaii? Who needs to say more? Western caribbean, well you can have it except for Roatan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulandfran Posted July 8, 2010 Author #6 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Almost all the coast of Florida, including Key West..LOL I forgot about Florida! Sanibel Island is my favorite there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulandfran Posted July 8, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Favorite? How can you pick even three? I know, it's hard, isn't it?? Santorini is at the top of my wish list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5o'clocksomewhere Posted July 8, 2010 #8 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Oahu, north shore by far our favorite. St. John, because it reminds me of the north shore Roatan, West bay beach.....also reminds me somewhat of the north shore..instead of a small surfer town.......small dive town:D While not tropical or on your list.....Cabo....love the desert feel..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froufie Posted July 8, 2010 #9 Share Posted July 8, 2010 OHMYGOODNESS - I am sitting here at work filling out this HUGE document to renew my govt security clearance - and one of the questions is to list ALL the countries I have visited in the last 5 years!!! :D:D So I am 'reminiscing' as I try to remember all the places I have been - of course they have only given me like 5 spaces on the form so I will have to 'attach' a VERY LONG sheet with all the additional information. Luckily I don't have to enter places in Canada, US or Mexico (so that will save me some time!). Hmmm - maybe I can just cut and paste one of your lists? :D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulandfran Posted July 8, 2010 Author #10 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Yay, a pleasant and positive post today!! I hope it stays for a little while. Thanks, me too! Ever since I figured out how to use the 'ignore' feature to block out the troublemakers it's gotten much more pleasant! I forgot to list Bermuda. Love the pinkish colored sand and the pastel colored buildings with their white rooves. Although it wasn't very tropical feeling when we went in May one year. Brrrr... the water was cold in the Atlantic. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divingmedic Posted July 8, 2010 #11 Share Posted July 8, 2010 St Croix and Cozumel and Roatan , but I am a diver and diving there is great. Bahamas, while nice beaches, horrible diving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMSACE6 Posted July 8, 2010 #12 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Those islands, listed from favorite to least favorite are; Barbados Cozumel St Lucia Grand Cayman St John St Martin/Maarten St Thomas Jamaica My favorite island of all is Barbados, though I have never been there on a cruise, however spent 1 or 2 week vacations there from the mid 1970's to the mid 1990's. Cozumel, which I have only visited on a cruise is my next favorite island. ST Lucia, I was only there once 23 years ago for a 2 week holiday. It was a wonderful 2 weeks and unforgettable. Grand Cayman, because it is clean and not much poverty, and there is no pressure to come into this store or not, also cant forget my one experience in the water with Stingrays! St John, probably the most beautiful of all, and only once saw it on my first cruise on the Norway. St Martin. I love the contrast in the two parts of the island, French and Dutch. St Thomas, is also quite beautiful, but a little "busy" for my liking. Jamaica; my first visit was on the Liberty last October, and I saw some very pretty sights, but it was too quick and I really didnt see enough to have much more of an opinion. I know these next are not Caribbean, but I have been to the Bahamas, ( Nassau ) on many non cruise vacations and I have always enjoyed the place, ( though I havent been there in about 12 years ). I also love Bermuda. Very beautiful, but very expensive. Have been on Trinidad ( very short and unscheduled stopover ) too long a story but didnt see much. Also a brief airport stopover in Antigua. Would sure like to get to Antigua and see something though. That is it!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arlington VA Posted July 8, 2010 #13 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Sparky8, Yes! Stingray swim sounds great! We will be in Grand Cayman July 20 and plan to go to Stingray City. Do you recall which tour you did? I have seen these three recommended: Soto, Moby Dick, Captain Marvin. Price range varies. I prefer a private company because it's less expensive than the ship's tour. Thanks!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcroxyoursox Posted July 8, 2010 #14 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Sparky8,Yes! Stingray swim sounds great! We will be in Grand Cayman July 20 and plan to go to Stingray City. Do you recall which tour you did? I have seen these three recommended: Soto, Moby Dick, Captain Marvin. Price range varies. I prefer a private company because it's less expensive than the ship's tour. Thanks!:) Can only speak for Marvin, but it was amazing and when we go back in November we'll be booking with them again! And my favorites are Grand Cayman, Nassau and Cozumel. Have only been to Montego Bay and Progreso besides those, but hope to one day visit Roatan and Belize as well as all the "Saints." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMSACE6 Posted July 8, 2010 #15 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Sparky8,Yes! Stingray swim sounds great! We will be in Grand Cayman July 20 and plan to go to Stingray City. Do you recall which tour you did? I have seen these three recommended: Soto, Moby Dick, Captain Marvin. Price range varies. I prefer a private company because it's less expensive than the ship's tour. Thanks!:) Sorry I cant recommend any of those, as we did our tour through Carnival. Yes we probably paid too much, but we are only now starting to get savvy enough to do non cruise line excursions. Our tour was great though, and whichever you choose, Im sure will not forget the experience. I am a water "chicken" scared of anything that moves, but it was well worth it even for old chicken me.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SB2788 Posted July 8, 2010 #16 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Puerto Rico St. Thomas Dominica St. Lucia Barbados Antigua Tampa (does that even count?) Grand Cayman Belize Roatan, Honduras Cozumel, Mexico Trinidad Tobago My favorite ports were: Antigua: the beaches are beautiful! The island is developing with amenities geared towards tourism. Cozumel: People there were so friendly! The merchants were always willing to negotiate with you. I also loved the idea of exploring the Mayan ruins and seeing the pyramids. I love ancient culture and Cozumel was literally a sensory overload for me! I was overwhelmed with all of the interesting things to do/ see there. Tobago: Loved the beaches! We took a private tour to Goat Island where we got to tour a mansion on a private island. There were 360 degree views of the ocean. It was like a movie scene. I also had this local dish called, "Shark 'n' Bake." It was comforting to have a shark for dinner and not have it be the opposite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5o'clocksomewhere Posted July 8, 2010 #17 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Sparky8,Yes! Stingray swim sounds great! We will be in Grand Cayman July 20 and plan to go to Stingray City. Do you recall which tour you did? I have seen these three recommended: Soto, Moby Dick, Captain Marvin. Price range varies. I prefer a private company because it's less expensive than the ship's tour. Thanks!:) I highly recommend booking with Stingray Sailing. We have done the Carnival tour and this one. And Stingray Sailing beats Carnival's hands down. When we were there in May....Carnival cancelled their tour because of a little rain:rolleyes: We went and had a great time! I believe the max on this catamaran is 27.........unlike Carnivals.... http://www.stingraysailing.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjunea Posted July 8, 2010 #18 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Ports/Islands I have visited... Bermuda (lived there 3 years) Nassau Half Moon Cay Castaway Cay Grand Turk St. Thomas San Juan St. Maarten/St. Martin Antigua Barbados Martinique Labadee Grand Cayman Cozumel Belize Costa Maya Big Island of Hawa'ai Maui Oahu Favorites include Bermuda, Half Moon Cay and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Beautiful beaches, and very friendly people1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogimax Posted July 8, 2010 #19 Share Posted July 8, 2010 None can compare with Hawaii. Other than that, favorite three... Puetro Vallarta Cozumel St. Juan Least Favorite three... Freeport Nassau Montego Bay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saw1953 Posted July 8, 2010 #20 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Too many to list but my favorites are Aruba, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Can you tell I like the beach. My least favorites are the Bahamas and St. Thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgr2387 Posted July 8, 2010 #21 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Freeport Nassau Grand Cayman Ocho Rios Costa Maya Cozumel Belize City Roatan San Juan, PR St Thomas St Martin Antigua Tortola Virgin Gorda Playa Del Carmen 3 Favorites: Tortola Virgin Gorda St Thomas HM:Grand Cayman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHOPPERTESTER Posted July 8, 2010 #22 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Islands where spent some time, some $$, some awe Antigua Aruba Bahamas (Coco Cay) Bahamas (Nassau) Bahamas (Princess Cay) Barbados Bermuda Cayman Islands Mexico (Cozumel) Cuba (Holguin) Curacao Jamaica (Ocho Rios) Haiti (Labadee) Martinque Puerto Rico St Kitts St Lucia St Marrten St Martin US Virgin Islands (St Thomas) US Virgin Islands (St Croix) Top5: 1. Aruba – Renaissance Island – Free range flamingos need I say more. 2. Bermuda – Tobacco Bay – Squid, Cuttle Fish, parrot fish 3. Curacao – Kontiki Beach – Great snorkeling, protected area 4. Cuba – Playa Esmeralda – White sand beaches, coral reef at low tide 5. US Virgin Islands – St Thomas Coki Beach – Two words – Dog biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergus Posted July 8, 2010 #23 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Nassau Freeport Jamaica Cozumel Cancun Grand Cayman St. Maarten St. Thomas St. John Grand Turk Puerto Rico Belize Roatan I think I'm missing some....?? Favorites: Most beautiful beaches: St. Maarten Most relaxing AND beautiful: St. John Had the most fun: Cozumel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPete Posted July 8, 2010 #24 Share Posted July 8, 2010 My three favorites: Bermuda Kauai Aruba Alternates: St. John Grand Cayman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chachi Posted July 8, 2010 #25 Share Posted July 8, 2010 1. Oahu 2. Costa Rica 3. HMC I have been to Hawaii several times on land vacations. I would love to try it on a cruise. I might have to just bite the bullet and try NCL. Costa Rica was also a land vacation, but I absolutely loved it. The only port that made it on my list is Half Moon Cay. Probably the prettiest beach I have ever seen. It is probably biased that my top 2 were land vacations. You get to explore a lot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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