Caribbean ports Choices

[md80fan]

My family has taken only a handful of cruises on Royal Caribbean. We are leaning towards  taking a celebrity cruise on Silhouette or Equinox due in part to the new and different port choices. The only issue is I know absolutely nothing about these islands and ports. I am curious if anybody has any opinions on which one is a can't miss and a must stop versus a skip it or "we don't even get off the boat there anymore" I realize that some people like beaches and bars while others may like educational or tours. Each itinerary stops at a different island and I am trying to decide which itinerary would be the most interesting. They all stop at St. Kitts or St. Maarten or Barbados and I have already visited these islands. The islands that are different are the following

 

Dominica

St. Vincent

Grenada

Tobago

Martinique

 

Thanks again for anybody who replies back either skip it or worth stopping at. I only wish there was a cruise that did all of these in one trip and knock them all off the list as I have done St. Kitts and St. Maarten and while I really enjoy those stops I would like something new. 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by md80fan
change the wording

[LadyBerard]

Never been to St. Vincent.  Been to Grenada a couple times.  I stay on the ship now.  LOVE Dominica.  it's so beautiful with their falls, tubing, champagne snorkeling, etc.  I've not been to Tobago, and it's been too many years to remember Martinique.  Remember if you go to Martinique, you do need a passport.

[trinitygirl]

So far I have only been on one Caribbean cruise, but it was a beauty.  The day we spent in Grenada was absolutely wonderful - the smell of spices wafting over the island was incredible.  I went on an all day tour with Mandoo Tours.  I also loved Dominica - I went on a great tour with Levi Baron and at the end of the day he took us snorkling at Champagne Reef which was a definite highlight.   I am looking forward to visiting Tobago in November!

 

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, md80fan said:

My family has taken only a handful of cruises on Royal Caribbean. We are leaning towards  taking a celebrity cruise on Silhouette or Equinox due in part to the new and different port choices. The only issue is I know absolutely nothing about these islands and ports. I am curious if anybody has any opinions on which one is a can't miss and a must stop versus a skip it or "we don't even get off the boat there anymore" I realize that some people like beaches and bars while others may like educational or tours. Each itinerary stops at a different island and I am trying to decide which itinerary would be the most interesting. They all stop at St. Kitts or St. Maarten or Barbados and I have already visited these islands. The islands that are different are the following

 

Dominica

St. Vincent

Grenada

Tobago

Martinique

 

Thanks again for anybody who replies back either skip it or worth stopping at. I only wish there was a cruise that did all of these in one trip and knock them all off the list as I have done St. Kitts and St. Maarten and while I really enjoy those stops I would like something new. 

I've been to Dominica, Grenada, and Martinique.  They all have their charms, though I thought Martinique was very French - for better and for worse.

 

I'm curious about the other two.  Those seem to rarely be stopped at by mainstream cruise ships.  I'll probably get to them eventually.

 

For other views on these islands (and many more), check out the Caribbean ports of call forum at Caribbean Cruises Q&A: Find Tips & Recommendations - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums .

[sptrout]

We have also been to the three islands quoted above. Of the three Dominica would be my first choice due to its tropical beauty. Grenada is also very nice and as you may remember the US has a history (war) with this island. Very peaceful now with one of the nicest beaches anywhere. The beach is very close to the medical school that was the reason for the war (to save the US med students; if they actually needed saving LOL). Once you see the beach you will know why the med students liked the location of their school.

 

Martinique is very French like Honolulu Blue said. French is certainly their first language (maybe Creole is really first), but English is not widely spoken at least when we visited many years ago. Beautiful island with one of the highlights being a tour to an old city that was destroyed by a nearby volcano; now domart or maybe extinct). It would require a tour to go the city remains IMO since it is several mile from the port. Nice tour with stops along the way. When we were shopping the sales folks spoke French only and did not push any sales. Would be hard to due to the language barrier. 

 

All three of these islands are worth visiting at least once. Repeat visits for Dominica and maybe Grenada.