Caribbean cruises are destination loaded. This means that you may find yourself in a new port on a different island almost every day. At first it may be exciting, but pace yourself. If you plan on going ashore every day, check out what activities are available in each port and try to alternate a restful day of bus trip/sun bathing/shopping with an activity packed day of hiking and other sports. Also remember that if you’re planning an activity day that has an early time for leaving the ship, you might want to skip the midnight buffet the night before!
Although your Caribbean Cruise may not be too expensive, all those shore excursions can add an substantial amount to your basic price, so make sure you budget accordingly. If you have to make choices to keep your budget down, do some research and see which of the islands have something you don’t want to miss and then book yourself onto those excursions first. If you’ve got money left in your budget, then you can add some others.
Some of the major cruise companies now have their own private island in the Caribbean that has been developed by them solely for the use of their passengers. Whilst the itinerary says ‘private island’, if there are 2000 passengers on board, private doesn’t equal tranquil intimacy! If you’re looking for some peace, and if want to avoid the extra changes that are linked into the private island excursion, then consider staying on board the ship and recharging your batteries for the next day’s activities. With most passengers being seduced by the idea of a beach BBQ, you should find your cruise ship to be far more of a Caribbean dream than the private island.
There’s very little that can spoil the beauty of the Caribbean islands, but make sure that you book the right kind of cruise otherwise the it’s the cruising experience that could turn this holiday of a lifetime into something other than you anticipated.