Caribbean Travel – Understanding Cruise Port Schedules in the Caribbean
If you love to cruise, the Caribbean offers plenty of locations. Most people take cruises so they can see more locations during one trip. In order to figure out which one you should take, it’s important to know what type of Caribbean cruise schedules are available.
Here is a list of some of the ports and schedules you can reach in the Caribbean:
Eastern Caribbean – Those who are about to take their first cruise usually opt for locations throughout the Eastern Caribbean. It allows you to stay closer to the original port and still enjoy every minute of your vacation. So, what’s to see in the Eastern Caribbean? The ports of call and travel itinerary on Royal Caribbean would be:
* Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
* CocoCay, Bahamas
* Philipsburg, St. Maarten
* Port Canaveral, Florida
Departing and eventually returning to Port Canaveral, Florida, a 7-night Eastern Caribbean vacation will head to CocoCay, Bahamas and then make its way towards Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. After being docked in this location for an 8-hour period, the ship will then reach Philipsburg, St. Maarten and stay there for an entire day. The last two days of the trip will consist of cruising back to Port Canaveral, Florida.
Western Caribbean – Most Western Caribbean excursions will leave from New Orleans, Louisiana. From there you can expect to see Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica before cruising back to New Orleans. This particular cruise provides a wide variety of cultures and cuisines.
Southern Caribbean – Avid cruisers prefer to take a ship to the Southern Caribbean. Who can blame them considering the places you get to see. In fact, most people believe the Southern Caribbean to offer the best cruise vacations, which is probably why it’s a bit more expensive.
After flying into San Juan, Puerto Rico, you will enjoy 4-days of on-shore excitement. Your first destination is Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. It’s one of the best locations to shop, the area offers rides on the Skyline Drive, the Coral World Marine Park, Turtle Cove, or take pictures atop Paradise Point.
Other destinations include Basseterre, St. Kitts; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Willemstad, Curacao. If you decide on a Southern Caribbean cruise, you will notice the difference between it and the Eastern or Western choices.
One thing to understand is that there are different varieties of locations. Shorter cruises will offer only one or two spots, larger cruises will offer more, and even the same lengths will have different locations. Everything depends on the time of year, the ship’s schedule, and the ship you choose.
No matter what location you choose, all cruises in the Caribbean offer a beneficial experience. Hopefully this gives you an idea on where to go. If this is your first cruise, it’s possible you will start taking one every year from here on out. Therefore, you have plenty of time to reach all 3 areas over a lifetime.<