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If you’re looking for the best cruises for couples in the Caribbean, it’s hard to beat the affordable elegance and sheer class of these ships. Revel in its warm evenings and enticing music with our More Ashore program. Later stays on select itineraries in Aruba, Curacao, Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Thomas let you soak up the full Caribbean experience, like a fresh-caught seafood dinner on the beach or street fair full of local crafts and flavors.
The 7 Best Caribbean Cruises to Book in 2024 - AFAR - AFAR Media
The 7 Best Caribbean Cruises to Book in 2024 - AFAR.
Posted: Fri, 27 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Norwegian Cruise Line's Western Caribbean: Harvest Caye, Cozumel, and Roatan
With More Ashore, you get more time to enjoy the vibrant island nightlife. For a Pirates of the Caribbean experience, albeit without real buccaneers, Star Clippers recreates the golden age of sailing with its tall ships, propelled by wind power wherever possible. Set sail on the 227-passenger five-masted flagship Royal Clipper — the 42 creamy sails billowing in the breeze are a sight to behold.
Features and Coolest Things to Do on Norwegian Escape in the Caribbean
There's also Giovanni's℠ Table, also known as Giovanni's℠ Italian Kitchen on some cruise ships. It spotlights authentic Old-World flavors, such as hearty veal osso buco, gnocchi tossed in a thyme-scented lamb sauce and risotto made the old-fashioned way with truffle and porcini tapenade. Dishes are served family-style, too, giving the cozy eatery a true trattoria feel.
Best Caribbean cruise for solo travelers: Norwegian Cruise Line
There’s so much to see and do on Royal Caribbean in the Caribbean, you may not even have time to ponder those strange white balls on cruise ships, but if for some reason you do get bored, know that you’ve got Perfect Day at Coco Cay to visit. This is arguably the best private island in the Caribbean, and you can spend a day here ziplining, riding in a hot-air balloon, chilling out by one of many pools or playing in an incredible waterpark that features North America’s tallest waterslide. It all starts with the boldest cruise ships at sea — and ours have won awards for everything from world class dining and spectacular entertainment, to record-setting onboard thrills and groundbreaking innovation. Royal Caribbean explores every corner of the region, with eastern, western and southern Caribbean itineraries on its fun-loving ships. Its fleet will soon include the 5,610-passenger Icon of the Seas, which will pip Wonder of the Seas as the world’s largest cruise ship when it starts exploring Caribbean shores on sailings from Miami. This is Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamian island, where you’ll find Thrill Waterpark, with the region’s biggest wave pool and tallest slide in North America.
Dance beneath the stars to vibrant island rhythms at exclusive parties, and immerse yourself in one-of-a-kind cultural activities — from concerts and crafts to talks from shark experts and treasure hunters. Experience the authentic Caribbean with award-winning shore excursions. In a region so full of new experiences, unique culinary delights and deep history, why trust anyone but the experts? Go swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman, travel through dense jungles to hidden Mayan ruins on Cozumel, snorkel the world’s second largest barrier reef in Belize or sail on a thrilling catamaran in Antigua. It's always wise to book your shore excursions in advance of your cruise to the Caribbean.
WESTERN CARIBBEAN
The ship takes care of everything -- transportation, accommodation, meals and entertainment – so you can skip much of the daily planning drama and simply enjoy your vacation and travel companions. Every day you wake up to warm weather and sunny skies (well, most of the time) and a new destination promising white sand beaches, fun activities and memories to be made. Island Windjammers is the kind of under-the-radar experience you want to keep a secret. Fans love this tiny cruise line that keeps alive the long tradition of casual windjammer cruising in the Caribbean—with a 26-passenger classic clipper ship, Vela, and a 10-passenger schooner, Diamant. The company has been around since 2009 and has an amazing track record with its loyal customer base; so, if you want to book a cruise, you’d best do so well in advance.
Best Budget-Friendly Cruises
Icon of the Seas is just the first of three family-focused sister ships Royal Caribbean has on order for delivery by 2026 that will make up its new Icon class. The second ship in the series, Star of the Seas, will debut in 2025 and already is open for bookings. Many of these family-friendly accommodations are near a new-for-the-line outdoor "neighborhood" called Surfside, which is dedicated to families with young children. Surfside features splash areas for babies and kids, pools and lounge spaces for parents, family-friendly eateries and shops, and a bar with "mommy and me" matching mocktails for kids and cocktails for grownups.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve is a standout private island visited by a number of the line’s vessels, including the new 5,877-passenger flagship MSC Seascape, which has been designed for warm climates with an expansive outside deck space. In 2015 the island, 65 miles off Miami, was an abandoned sand mine strewn with scrap metal. Well known for a family-friendly welcome, MSC Seascape has one of the biggest kids’ clubs in the fleet and the swashbuckling Pirate’s Cove waterpark.
Rhapsody of the Seas is also the ship that Royal Caribbean deploys on some of its most destination-focused itineraries, the type that have particular appeal to retirees looking to see more of the world. For older travelers looking for a Royal Caribbean ship that isn't jammed full of children, it's hard to beat Rhapsody of the Seas. The only things you won't find are the most over-the-top Royal Caribbean attractions found on newer Royal Caribbean ships, such as zip lines, skydiving simulators and bumper car pavilions.
Carnival is still competitively priced, still hosts hairy-chest contests and a St. Jude charity dance party, and still ranks as one of the best Caribbean cruises you can book for less. Better yet, the newest ships in the fleet have added a touch of class thanks to the Brass Magnolia, a cool, new jazz club. Overall, we love the fact that you can have a ton of fun on board Carnival cruise ships in the Caribbean, not just in the most exciting ports, like Nassau in the Bahamas, Ocho Rios in Jamaica, and Cozumel, Mexico. On the ships, you’ll find colorful water parks with twisty waterslides, the Bolt roller coaster and the Red Frog brew pub. While the ideal time of year to cruise the Caribbean is usually from January to April during the Caribbean’s dry season, Carnival makes visiting the islands fun any time of year.
And Travel Age West dubbed us the Best Cruise Line for Shows and Nightlife and the Best Cruise Line for Caribbean Sailings in their WAVE Awards. In addition to your lightweight clothes, pack sun protection while visiting the Caribbean -- and consider reef-safe sunscreen and bug spray. Sun showers can happen, so a thin waterproof layer or umbrella might keep you dry during a surprise thunderstorm. Of course, relaxing by the pool and indulging in a restorative spa treatment are also options. Cabins sport a minimalist look with futuristic touches, and suites exude a rock 'n' roll vibe with in-room turntables and peekaboo showers. The line added Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
You can find weeklong sailings from Florida, but more commonly, they're eight nights or longer. As with the Western Caribbean, seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises are the most common itinerary length. The shortest options are four nights, typically visiting only Grand Turk or Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The longest, around 10 to 12 nights, will often include Southern Caribbean ports or start from more northerly home ports. Which itinerary is best for you will depend primarily on which port you want to depart from and how long a vacation you can take. Once you see the options that fit your parameters, you'll want to look at how many port stops versus sea days an itinerary has and which specific islands you'll visit.
One day you can be discovering the secrets of rum-making, the next hiking to spectacular waterfalls and lookout points. Here are the cruise lines to bookmark for the ultimate Caribbean getaway. Experience ultimate relaxation in the Caribbean, an idyllic destination that offers something for everyone. From the stunning white sands and turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico to the lush rainforests and mountain trails, each island boasts its own unique charm. Not only are these budget-friendly luxury smaller ships fabulous, but the excursions also offer the opportunity for you to make deep dives into the history and traditions of some of the most culturally rich islands in the Caribbean. You’ll meet locals who will invite you into their homes, teach you to cook with their herbs and spices, and provide you with experiences that showcase why travel is so important in the first place.
The ship embarks from Fort Lauderdale in Florida and slowly travels along the Caribbean Islands. Seabourn provides a complementary list of optional excursions that cater to general and special interests at the ports of call on your cruise. One of the most budget-friendly cruises is the 7-Day Eastern Caribbean with St. Kitts cruise with the Princess Cruise Line. The cruise costs around $399 per person and goes from Florida to the Bahamas and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Royal Caribbean is definitely ahead of the game when planning unique family cruises.
For a cruise getaway that checks all the boxes no matter what kind of experience you're looking for, there's Royal Caribbean. Whether you're new to cruising or a hardy sailor, the Caribbean is the perfect place for a cruise vacation. If you've sailed before, there's always some destination you've never visited or an activity you haven't tried. If you're retired and can drive to a port, you can likely find an inside cabin to book just a few weeks prior to sailing. The shortest Southern Caribbean cruises are five or six days and leave from places such as Barbados, San Juan and St. Thomas.
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