ABC Islands Worth the travel?

[tatt2ed]

There are some people who do not like sea days and seem to want to cruise only for the shopping - hard to understand why they don't just go to Freeport, Maine or Mall of America for a few days.

I guess the shoppers version of the ABCs are Amazon, best buy and costco.

I can shop worldwide on my tablet and would rather experience the world culture and history than go shopping for made in china crap bought in other countries.

[navybankerteacher]

There are others who do not like either sea days or shopping, and want to spend their time at a beach or in the ocean.

 

So I would suppose you would suggest that they go to a coast or island area rather than cruise.

[screwsmcernst]

I'm so glad you all are saying the ABCs are worth it. We are going Nov. 2017. We are sailing X Reflection, 11 days out of FLL with stops in the Caymans, Columbia, Aruba (overnight), Bonaire, and then Curacao. I have wanted to go to these islands for so long. It's over a year away, and I am still so excited I am chomping at the bit. :D

[Hlitner]

DW and I also love the ABC Islands and particularly love going to Aruba (for a week) to enjoy the sun and sand. However, we do not think that these islands have a lot to offer shoppers. If we really want to shop in the Caribbean our favorite island is St Maarten for prices. So here is an interesting tip for cruisers. We live in Puerto Vallarta during the winter (for the past 10 years) and we do have a Diamonds International. Not sure any of the 50,000 + expats who live in the region ever go to DI...but they sure do open early when a large cruise ship is in port. Many days, when there are no ships in port, I will walk by the DI store and there is not a soul inside. You can draw your own conclusion.

 

So why do we luv the ABCs? Aruba is a civilized place (no gun shots at night like you will find on St Thomas) with wonderful weather, some very nice beaches, and decent snorkeling. Curacao is different in that much of the island (to the Northwest) is rural with few cars, some very quiet (often deserted beaches), and few cruisers (because cruise line excursions do not go that far. As to Bonaire, we love it for the drift snorkeling...although it is also a great place for SCUBA. And none of the ABCs are overrun with more then 15,000 cruisers (on a single day)...like St Thomas.

 

Hank

Edited October 3, 2016 by Hlitner

[BeagleOne]

I've been to A twice and C once. Never been to B. I wouldn't go back so IMO it's not worth the sea days to get there. If you do go, though, I hope you have a wonderful trip.

[Extra Kim]

This is the one to do:

Ships: Royal Princess

Ports: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | Aruba | Curacao | Grenada | Dominica | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | Princess Cays, Bahamas

 

10 days, 7 islands. Your mom won't be bored and you get Aruba and Curacao and also Grenada - which is AWESOME!

Dominica is one of my favorite Caribbean Islands when it comes to the nature.

[navybankerteacher]

It really boils down to the question of whether one enjoys an occasional sea day (or two - in a row): which is really what cruising is about -- getting to someplace a bit different, and perhaps giving up some retail therapy in the course of getting there.

[Aquahound]

Personally, I think Bonaire is the only ABC worth going all that way for.

[biker@sea]

There are others who do not like either sea days or shopping, and want to spend their time at a beach or in the ocean.

 

I meet a lady on the ship in Bermuda that did not SAIL.

 

Her husband and children sail with us to Bermuda.

 

She flew , meet them @ the pier.

Paid for her full fair to spend the 3 days onboard in Bermuda.

 

I watched her wave goodbye to her kin from the dock @ sailaway. :)

 

.

Edited October 3, 2016 by biker@sea

[tip]

There are some people who do not like sea days and seem to want to cruise only for the shopping - hard to understand why they don't just go to Freeport, Maine or Mall of America for a few days.

 

Points well-taken!

 

Of all of the Caribbean islands, Aruba is our favorite. We have stopped there several times on cruises and have enjoyed it so much that we have had two land based vacations there!

[cruzeluver]

We have only done the ABC islands once but very much enjoyed them.

 

We did not pre-plan anything fro Aruba so we just hung around Oranjestad so cannot give much feedback on the island. We were on a very port-intensive two weeks cruise and decided to keep Aruba low-key. Having said that the port area was very nice, very modern. Found a place for lunch that we enjoyed.

 

Bonaire is absolute Heaven for snorkelers and divers. The water is so clear you can see fairly far down just walking along the pier front. We have snorkeled all over the Caribbean and Mexico and this was right near the top. The town of Kralendijk is very small with just a handful of shops and restaurants, but very friendly and easy to navigate.

 

Curacao is amazing! Very colorful and beautiful. In the port city of Willemstad we found the fish and produce market very interesting. Boats come from Venezuela bringing fresh fruits vegetables and seafood. We took the trolley tour which I recall being very reasonable and allowed us to see a good portion of the area and included a stop at the curacao liqueur factory. We also found a nice spot in Willemstad for lunch. We walked the swinging bridge into town and then took the ferry back. Really a cool place,

 

We would happily go back to any or all of the ABC's.

[Extra Kim]

I have spent two weeks and one cruise stop on Aruba. Aruba for me is one of the top locations in the Caribbean when it comes to beaches. It's a small Island and two weeks was a bit much. If you like beaches Aruba is a fantastic cruise stop, just take the local bus to Eagle or Palm beach and you will have a fantastic day.

 

Baby beach is nice but overrated and not worth the time going there.

[SPacificbound]

Definitely!

[DisneyDatknee]

Thank you all for your comments. My mother is now more open to the idea. She responded, "I'm going to get even fatter over those four sea days". :p We are mostly likely going with the Crown Princess as the sailing really works for our schedule.

Edited October 5, 2016 by DisneyDatknee

[jujubird]

We love the ABC islands and have gone to them quite a few times.

Check out some of HAL's itineraries.

 

Sorry- relative NEWB on the boards but what is HAL?

 

Thanks :)

[Langley Cruisers]

...what is HAL?

 

Holland America Line. The member who posted that is a frequent cruiser of that line, thus the recommendation. :)

[DisneyDatknee]

We love the ABC islands and have gone to them quite a few times.

Check out some of HAL's itineraries.

 

Just noticed the Zuiderdam or the Koningsdam had 11 Nights during the week we are planning to sail. Zuiderdam looks more attractive as it does a partial transit through the Panama Canal! Thanks for the tip. I think it would be worth it to do the Zuiderdam.

[Ryan&Ronnie]

LOVED the A-B-C's so much we are going back again in Nov 2017 on the Navigator itinerary mentioned in an earlier post. In Bonaire, we did the snorkel trip with Woodwind and saw so many fish and turtles everywhere. Also, love the sea days and Labadee. :):):)

[Bonnie J.]

WE had a boring tour in Bonaire. But, could not get over ALL the dive sites ALL OVER the island. If you dive or snorkel this is the island for you.

Our tour leader said not many ships come to Bonaire-yet. There really wasn't that much at the port but we are not shoppers. The A & C islands were really great to explore the port on your own but once we joined a great tour we found in the parking lot in Aruba when we got off the ship!

Edited October 13, 2016 by Bonnie J.