Carnival ship - what port?

[beshears]

This will seem like a different question, but I am planning on taking 7 other people with me on a cruise next year.  I have done many cruises, but my family has not been with me, and I am taking them with me this time. I will say for starters, they love the beach, water and snorkeling.

 

I have been to Cozumel, San Juan and St. Thomas (they have too) many times down through the years.  If you have a favorite (other than the ones I mentioned) port that I may have never been to, please tell me the reason WHY you are suggesting this port?

[xDisconnections]

Beaches... you’re looking for the Eastern or Southern Caribbean.

Edited June 12, 2019 by xDisconnections

[Erik101]

St Martin is my favorite!  We went on a tiki hut snorkeling excursion where a small boat took us literally to this tiki hut in the middle of the ocean.  It was on a Dutch side.  I thought it was fun and water was so clear.  Afterwards, they took us to the beach area where the shops were located and walking distance to the ships.  

[stanrock22]

Just off the Miracle. We used Victor Bodden tours in Mahogany Bay  and it was the best snorkeling we have ever seen. We went out with Jc and his crew. Awesome day and a great price.  

[Hotdog 52]

Mahogany Bay for snorkeling and diving.  West end for snorkeling and Anthony's Cay for diving.

[RWolver672]

Grand Cayman and the swimming with the sting rays.  We went with Captain Marvin.  There were only about a dozen of us on his boat.  His skipper got in the water with us and showed us how to move around and feed them.  He knew them by name.  After about an hour, we left and went to another area for snorkeling.  https://www.captainmarvins.com/ 

 

I definitely would not do this excursion through Carnival.  Right before we left the stingrays, Carnival's excursion boat pulled in.  It was a two decker that had probably over 100 people on it.  

[Djptcp]

Definitely swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman - we have done it twice and it's amazing. Snorkeling in Cozumel. 

[purplephenom]

Aruba/Curacao- a different sort of vibe, great beaches, and the beaches/snorkeling are nice.  You've been to the common ports a lot, this is something different. Curacao has snorkeling with turtles- I've never done this but the pictures look great- also something a little different 

 

Roatan- the best day of my snorkeling life was here, it was really awesome, and easy snorkeling.  Not at the port, on the West bay beaches.  With a large family, people could go in and out of the water as they please 

 

If you want a lot of beaches, the fascination out of San Juan.  It does go to St Thomas, but there are a bunch of other new ports on that route.  Fewer Carnival ships go to St Kitts/St Lucia, so that would be something different.  Plenty of beaches and snorkeling at pretty much all of those ports- Barbados also has swimming with turtles. 

 

EDIT: my favorite port is Curacao, because you can do the beaches/snorkeling, but then go walk around the town and its like 2 completely different port experiences in 1 day. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by purplephenom

[elcuchio24]

not sure if you are open to E/W/S itins, but our favorites are certainly more on the south side.....st lucia/st kitts/barbados/aruba/curacao.....great beaches, nice breezes, clean and pleasant. Great itins out of PR.

[MisterOJ2]

I'll second the snorkeling in Roatan and Grand Cayman. They are both pretty great. Probably the best snorkeling "excursion" I ever did was in Roatan. We just took a taxi out to a beach and went with one of the vendors who came up and offered to take us out snorkeling. It wound up being really cheap and it was a great spot with lots of cool stuff to see.

 

One other port that is a favorite for my wife and I is Costa Maya. And that is just because we love visiting Maya Chan so much. That is probably our favorite place we've been to in 10 cruises.

 

[TNcruising02]

Half Moon Cay is a great beach day.  They have rows of free loungers all along the beach.  You can also rent half shells with two loungers that are great for shade.  There are cabana options available too for a higher fee.  You can google it for more info, but it's a very nice beach day.  The buffet is free, but there is a cost for drinks.

[mdsgu]

Pick a cruise that includes Tortola and go to Jost van Dyke beach!  The whitest sand and the clearest blue water (not to mention Soggy Dollar Bar with their famous Painkiller)!

[pcvtmom]

Half Moon Cay is my idea of a perfect beach.  St. Martin also has gorgeous beaches.  Snorkeling is wonderful in St. John USVI.  We've gone there from a stop in St. Thomas (by shore excursion or ferry).

[K&RCurt]

Best snorkel excursion we have done was from Bonaire on the S/V Woodwind.  Not many Carnival itineraries include Bonaire as they seem to just do Aruba and Curacao skipping over the "B" in the ABCs.

 

We also had an excellent snorkel excursion on Grand Turk with Oasis Divers.

 

For Beaches, we love HMC for the perfect beach day.  Orient Bay in St. Martin was a favorite in the past but it really hasn't recovered much from the hurricanes. Mahogany Bay is a nice beach and the "Passion Island All Inclusive" excursion Carnival offers from Cozumel was a beautiful beach.

Edited June 12, 2019 by K&RCurt

[beshears]

Oh my, thank you ALL for your answers to my question.  This will really help in me checking out some of these places.  Now some of the places like St. Thomas, St. Lucia (my favorite port, but expensive to get there from Missouri), St. Maarten, Grand Cayman, Cozumel I have been to several times.  I was just wanting to find a port that I had not been to.  As for the beaches, it doesn't make any difference to my boys whether Eastern or Southern, as long as they can mainly snorkel. 

 

Mahogany Bay and Anthony's Cay, what port?

 

In Costa Maya, Maya Chen.  What is that?

 

It has been probably 20 years since I have been to Tortola.  At that time, I didn't care for it, but it is possible that things have changed since then.

 

Aruba, Curaco, Bonaire, Costa Maya are some good suggestions to check out too.

[hotsauce126]

7 minutes ago, beshears said:

Mahogany Bay and Anthony's Cay, what port?

 

Mahogany Bay is the name of Carnival Corp's port in Roatan

[beshears]

Thank you for letting me know where Mahogany Bay is located.  I knew the name sounded familiar, but wasn't for sure which port.

[MisterOJ2]

 

 

 

16 hours ago, beshears said:

In Costa Maya, Maya Chen.  What is that?

 

Maya Chan is an all-inclusive beach that is owned and operated by an American family who are also avid cruisers - so they know exactly how to cater to fellow cruisers. It's the best day on the beach you will find anywhere in the Caribbean, in my opinion. The amenities, food, drinks, service and hospitality are second to none.

 

The only drawback is the water. Since Costa Maya is on the mainland, you're never going to get the crystal clear blue water you get in other parts of the Caribbean. And sometimes, depending on the time of year, they have a problem with seagrass washing up on the shore in large quantities. I've been there on a day like that and it was still better than a day most other places. If perfect water is what you're looking for, then it might not be for you. But if you just want just a perfect day on the beach, it can't be beat, in my opinion.

 

Here is a link to their website if you want to check it out. http://costamayabeachresort.com/

[beshears]

Thank you for informing me about Maya Chan.

[tlbutler33]

On 6/12/2019 at 9:55 AM, TNcruising02 said:

Half Moon Cay is a great beach day.  They have rows of free loungers all along the beach.  You can also rent half shells with two loungers that are great for shade.  There are cabana options available too for a higher fee.  You can google it for more info, but it's a very nice beach day.  The buffet is free, but there is a cost for drinks.

I second HMC. Best beach in the world. Get the Beach Villa, it was the best vacation day ever!!!!

[elcuchio24]

On 6/13/2019 at 11:53 AM, beshears said:

Thank you for informing me about Maya Chan.

 

Maya Chan is awesome, and reasonable!

[SNJCruisers]

9 minutes ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

Maya Chan is awesome, and reasonable!

Also agree about Maya Chan.  I would recommend a southern route out of  MIA that is 8 days and stops at the ABC'S.  The Horizon will be doing this 7 times over 2020 and 2021.  5/2, 6/27, 8/22, 10/17/20.  1/9, 2/6, 4/3/21.  The October and January sailings are the cheapest.  Good luck.

[ddloml]

Look for reviews on CC by Mitsugirly.  All her family does is go to beaches, snorkel, and dive.  She doesn't hold back on her opinions, and you will get honest evaluations on every port and vendor that she uses.

[KroozFoolz]

Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Bonaire, and Aruba.

[havanadaydreaming]

St Maarten - Maho Beach.  planes landing at airport feet from the beach is tons of fun. 

 

Roatan - Little French Key.  

 

Tortola - Marina Cay 

 

St Lucia - chilling on the beach between the Pitons was the definition of relaxation. 

 

those are my four favorite spots in Caribbean. there are many other ports that I've enjoyed, and just a couple I didn't (im looking at you Freeport/Grand Bahama)