Southern Caribbean - what to do where?

[german89]

Hey,

 

starting to plan our December cruise at the moment. We will have the following ports of call:

 

• Philipsburg, St. Maarten
  
• Castries, St. Lucia
  
• Bridgetown, Barbados
  
• St. George's, Grenada
  
• Scarborough, Tobago
  
• Roseau, Dominica
  
• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
  

We don't care about:

 

• history
  
• culture
  
• shopping
  

We do care about:

 

• water tours / snorkeling
  
• nature (waterfalls, rivers, mountains, scenery, whales/dolphins/manatees, ...)
  
• beaches
  
• any special non-mainstream tours (been to Jamaica last years and LOVED the private scenery tours away from all the hustle)
  

We will have about 10 hours at every destination and will definetely be off-boat every minute we can. We are a group of two (father and son).

 

I know that pretty much every location offers pretty much every activity - but I am sure that one island will be more suitable for specific activities than others. I read a lot and every guide recommends another place for all those things... Maho Beach is the only destination that is 100% sure as we both love planewatching.

 

Could you please give us some advice on the best spots for our planned activites? Very much appreciated!

 

Thanks :)

[LHT28]

I would check in the PORTS OF CALL forum for each island & see what other recommend

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

[AltarEgo]

For the best luck in answering your questions look here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/

[german89]

Hey, I know those forums and the "ports" page - the problem is that each single port offers all those activities and I'm sure they are all great... But it would be great if someone here has tried most of the islands and could tell me which island has

 

• the most beautiful snorkeling spots
  
• the most beautiful scenery
  
• the biggest chance to see some whales/manatees/...
  
• etc.
  

So any input still appreciated!

[LHT28]

Hey, I know those forums and the "ports" page -

If you ask or search the PORTS FORUMS people have been there done that & will advise you

Just the same as in this forum ;)

[german89]

But there isn't a "Southern Caribbean" forum, so I took that one - don't want to post the same question in 7 different forums?

[Essiesmom]

But there isn't a "Southern Caribbean" forum, so I took that one - don't want to post the same question in 7 different forums?

 

You wouldn't be the first person to do so. EM

[german89]

You wouldn't be the first person to do so. EM

 

So you're telling me I should? :eek:

[cb at sea]

What you need is a guidebook...then, you will learn everything you need to know about the ports you'll visit.

[sail7seas]

<snip>

We will have about 10 hours at every destination and will definetely be off-boat every minute we can. We are a group of two (father and son).

<snip>

 

Thanks :)

 

 

I am so curious what cruise line you are sailing that will give you about 10 hours in all your ports?

 

Hope you don't think you will charge off the ship the moment they throw the last line. The ship has to be cleared by local authorities before anyone goes anywhere. That can take minutes to an hour.... depends.

 

Also, please remember you must be aboard at least 30 minutes prior to sailing time and most of us are careful to leave a little bit of breathing room just in case of unexpected delays.

 

BTW.... that's a great itinerary you have chosen. Should be a great cruise.

[Lard Greystoke]

Hey,

 

starting to plan our December cruise at the moment. We will have the following ports of call:

 

• Philipsburg, St. Maarten
  
• Castries, St. Lucia
  
• Bridgetown, Barbados
  
• St. George's, Grenada
  
• Scarborough, Tobago
  
• Roseau, Dominica
  
• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
  

We don't care about:

 

• history
  
• culture
  
• shopping
  

We do care about:

 

• water tours / snorkeling
  
• nature (waterfalls, rivers, mountains, scenery, whales/dolphins/manatees, ...)
  
• beaches
  
• any special non-mainstream tours (been to Jamaica last years and LOVED the private scenery tours away from all the hustle)
  

Maho Beach is the only destination that is 100% sure as we both love planewatching.

 

:)

 

I don't know about all of these destinations but I can at least give you a straight answer.

 

St Lucia and Dominica are good for scenery. Dominica for waterfalls.

 

I'd say St Thomas is another good beach spot, or go to St John's.

 

That's a start.

[Putterdude]

I agree, you are going to get a larger number of opinions and be able to do a lot more research by going to the individual Ports of Call forums. Having said that we certainly enjoyed Barbados in January and are looking to going back in January 2012...we used Sarah Taylor's "Glory Tours" and were extremely pleased with her. www.glorytours.org/

[german89]

Thanks for all your answers. I have a lot of guides, believe me... But I'll only use them as soon as I got some general advice like "Lard Greystoke" gave me. I won't bother reading all the scenery advice for X when scenery on Y is better, or reading all the snorkeling spots on A when every single snorkeling spot on B is better than A.

 

So thanks for giving me some input! :)

[buffi001]

Since everyone is reluctant to give you an answer, I will throw in my two cents. I will say that I am not a snorkeler, but I love beautiful beaches. Much as I have tried to find that undiscovered beauty of a beach, it is usually the renowned beaches that are famous for good reason, and you certainly have some fantastic choices in your itinerary.

 

My favorites include Grand Anse in Grenada, a beautiful island with a

mixture of white sand beaches and bucolic forests.The island is the most

fragrant you will ever visit, with the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg in the air,and for sale everywhere. Don't go home without some.

 

Payne's Bay Beach in Barbados is walking distance from St James beach,

the resort that Tiger Woods selected for his wedding. The beach had lots of

water sports equipment rentals, activities, bars and restaurants.

 

There is an abundance of beaches in St Maarten's, of which Mayo is a

prominent favorite. The most celebrated is Orient Bay, just over the

border on the French side. It is a different culture, and although one small

part of the beach is clothing optional, that's not the real draw. The other

beaches are not clothing optional, although you will see an occasional topless bather (do not know your son's age ), and their draw is a plethora of activities, speed boats, trampolines, bars, cafe's etc.

 

Although it is a trek to go to St John's, it is definitely worth the time and

expense. There are too many beaches to mention, but Trunk Bay is consistently rated in the top 10 in the world, and they have a snorkeling

trail marked out. (The beach was prominent in the movie "Four Seasons"

with Alan Alda. I've also heard good things about Christmas Cove , off St

Thomas.

 

You have a great itinerary and I know you'll have a wonderful time. Hope this at least fires you up, and gives you a few ideas. Also, go onto ebay

and buy a version of Frommer's Caribbean Guide, or Fodor's Guide. If

you buy one that's a year or two old, you can get it very inexpensively,

and the answers to your questions haven't changed in years.

[german89]

Hey, thanks for your reply! Actually it's me (19) asking the questions as my father is busy scratching the money together ;-)

 

I already got me the "Lonely Planet Caribbean Islands" as book, I also got the Frommer's one as PDF and some German guides. Got a lot of research ahead of me ;-) However, all the best voted English guides don't have a single picture in them? I'd prefer reading an English guide, but it's always nice to see some color...

 

I'm glad the itinerary sounds good - didn't want to include only the standard destinations, St. Maarten was a must and also as few sea days as possible...

 

I think I'll have to post in the subforums though, really not many people looking into here...

 

Thanks!

[138east]

For Dominica check out Levi's Bumpiing Tours. The Roseau Valley Tour goes to Titou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls, hot springs, Botanical Gardens, Morne Bruce Overlook, and Champagne Reef for snorkeling. It's a unique outstanding tour - about $47 with the snorkeling. Levi likes to leave as soon as you dock - we were the first ones at Titou Gorge.