Southern Caribbean Cruisers: please share port reviews & upcoming plans

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I read through this thread last night and have been fretting all night about the comments regarding the heat/humidity in June. We are currently booked on the 6/30/18 Southern and I assumed it would be hot but not HOT. I've been to the Bahamas in August (B2B on the Wonder years ago but not any further south). We were very excited about trying new ports but if it's too hot to enjoy being outside, that sort of puts a damper on what will be a very expensive cruise. We are from NJ, so used to hot and humid but there does come a point where it's just not fun.

I'd love to hear more thoughts on the subject.

Kathi

I was on the 11-night, and anywhere in the Caribbean is going to be HOT during the summer. Hot + humidity. Personally, it got worse as we started getting closer to Florida (last sea day and Castaway Cay to be particular). I didn't mind the heat in any of the other ports. I know some people are complaining about it during the summer, but I thought it was fine. If you like hot (like I do), then you should be fine. To start the days, the weather was in the lower 80's as we would pull into port. I would guess it got to either the high 80's or low 90's in each of the ports in the afternoon. I thought the heat/humidity was worse at WDW than Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, and St. Kitts to be honest. Tortola, it was borderline getting to hot for me. I have gone to WDW way to many times where the weather was way worse than this 11-night cruise. I have also been on other Caribbean cruises where the weather was hotter than this one. Now, your sailing will be during the summer. Another thing to realize, a lot of the ports of call we went to, it was not rain season. So, in many ways it was dry. It will probably rain in the ports when you are there, but not as bad as during rain season. I think most cruise lines will travel during rain season to the Southern Caribbean based on what some of our guides said. If you want to enjoy the ports without a greater chance of having rain fall on you, I would stick with this cruise. I enjoyed it a lot. New ports for us + leaving out of Florida instead of San Juan. It was a lot of fun. Disney also brought out a lot of extras for this cruise which made it a lot of fun while being on the ship.

 

[robbs49]

We were on the 11 day and I would say the same thing. I thought it was great until the last couple of days-around Tortola to Florida. We went to WDW for a few days after the cruise and it was way way hotter then the cruise. If anything in the evening(we had late dining) at the pool and aquaduck it was cool with the breeze and being wet. I would not worry about the heat unless you are super sensitive-The weather was great for us until the end-it was hot and sticky then.

 

[kathi]

Thank you for your responses! I definitely feel better. I love the heat, my daughter likes heat and my husband tolerates heat. I've been to Castaway Cay in August and it was hot but it was also wonderful - so I think I know what to expect from that. I'm really looking forward to some new ports and visiting San Juan for a second time.

 

[gatordoc]

I hate the heat (not good when you live in Florida), but have learned how to manage it. On the 11-night Southern we made sure all our excursions involved being in the water, and had no issues. Found shady, breezy spots to hang out on the ship - we found deck 4 to be more comfortable than Satellite Falls. I even ran the 5K at CC, which was miserable but no more so than running at home. Then we found some chairs shaded by palms and umbrellas and enjoyed the breeze off the water.

 

[jenny_nichole]

Welcome back recent Southern Caribbean cruisers!

I'm sorry to hear the humidity was so intense! We did the Southern in January last time and are planning to go again in January 2018. I don't recall it being an issue in January.

Recent cruisers - do you have tips to share? favorite ports/excursions?

Thanks so much,
Jennifer

 

[NMDisneyMom]

I too was on the 11 Day Southern cruise. And I didn't find the heat and humidity that bad, until Tortola and afterwards like the others said. Even then it wasn't overly bad. And I come from New Mexico where it is a dry heat. Then we had 2 days at Epcot afterwards and I thought those were awful and wanted to be back on the ship. Being in the water or where there was a breeze definitely helped.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I suppose, since we're not really "beach/water activity" people, the heat/humidity was more obvious to us, then. But I'll agree that Tortola was really bad. But I kind of attributed that to nothing really being open (it was Sunday). Even the "locals" market didn't have all their stalls open.

We took excursions that went places on land and it was hot & humid. Mostly ones that covered historical places.

I found the weather at WDW, while rainy every day, it didn't seem as hot.

 

[ciniminis]

7. Tortola- Tour to Virgin Gorda (the Baths). I was so excited to see The Baths and they didn't disappoint! We took a boat ride to Virgin Gorda, it was rainy on our way over but thankfully cleared up nicely. There was a lot of people from the ship doing this excursion, we were only docked till 2pm. So when we got off the boat and headed to the open taxi's it was a bit chaotic to keep up with our tour guide. Once we got to the baths, she gave us the name "tigers" to listen for, which was helpful, but as most have read, The Baths get crowded. We went to the first stop Devil's Bay. It was a long walk and it was hot, but the reward when the trek was over was well worth it. We swam there for about 35 minutes. Next for those that wanted to see The Baths, there is a sort of obstacle course through rock and ladders you must do to get there. Some people chose not to do it, but thats why I was there and we went. It wasn't too bad, there were some tight places where you had to bend low and a steep ladder or 2, but I was glad we did it. Well worth it. It was really crowded there and we kept our eye out for the guide to be sure we didn't miss the taxi and boat back to ship, since we were only docked till 2pm. I feel like this is a must do the first time you go to Tortola. Nature's beauty for sure.

Thank you so much! I really want to hear about the Virgin Gorda/Baths excursion from someone who has done it. I'm mostly interested in the nature view, which is supposed to be spectacular - would you say (during the trekking up and down) one can reasonably manage a non-waterproof camera, or is there a lot of walking in deep water and splashing that I'll definitely need a waterproof camera? For someone who doesn't like a lot of swimming, are there shady spots to rest or explore during the free-roam time?

 

[lorimay]

My husband carried my backpack without it getting wet, so a small camera will be fine.
There were not any chairs available while we were there we put our towels down in the sand and sat on them. But we spent 95% of the time in the water. There are a few areas with shade. Even a little outdoor food area with chairs and a cover in the Baths area.

Have fun!!

 

[prodis5]

We are on the Southern cruise next January with stops in Aruba, Antigua, Martinique, and St. Kitts. Any suggestions for great excursions in these ports? We like water/beach activities (but are open to other things also) and have 3 kids ages 14, 10, and 6.

 

[gatordoc]

DePalm Island port adventure in Aruba was awesome! Variety of food and drinks (alcoholic and non) included. Both family and adult beach areas. Watersildes and other fun activities. Some of the best snorkeling we've ever done right off the beach. Highly recommended!

 

[prodis5]

DePalm Island port adventure in Aruba was awesome! Variety of food and drinks (alcoholic and non) included. Both family and adult beach areas. Watersildes and other fun activities. Some of the best snorkeling we've ever done right off the beach. Highly recommended!

Thank you! Did you book this with a specific non-Disney company?

 

[gatordoc]

Thank you! Did you book this with a specific non-Disney company?

No, it was one of the Disney Port Adventures (AR30)
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/...ad-aruba-de-palm-island-beach-and-snorkeling/

 

[cpete]

We just returned from the 10 night Southern Caribbean on the Fantasy. Overall it was a great adventure. There are nine of us across three generations. I am the 70 something grandmother, and I was the only one truly bothered by the heat and humidity.
In Aruba some of us spent the day at the Barcelo all-inclusive resort. We booked through shoreexcursioneers. The facilities were great, beach and pool. Lunch was very good. Drinks pretty tasteless. The others booked a 4X4 adventure through DCL to a natural pool. They had a wonderful time snorkeling in the pool.
In Curacao, my husband and I intended to explore the very lovely town on our own with a self guided walking tour. I lasted about 45 minutes before heading back to just enjoy the ship. He continued on his own and had a good time. The rest of the group went to Aquafari for an underwater scooter adventure. They loved it!
In St. Kitts most of us caught a ferry to Nevis to visit the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton. My recommendation is don't bother. Nevis does not seem to want visitors. The museum does not have any information or photos you cannot see online. There are no places to eat close to the ferry landing or the museum. The rest of the group booked a zip line adventure through DCL and had a great time.
In Tortola we had hoped to go to the Baths but all excursions were filled. We booked a private charter power boat through ocean magic mitch. The captain would have taken us to the Baths and let us swim onto the beach there. However, he convinced us our time (very short port day) would be better spent in White Bay at Jost Van Dyke. I still wonder if the Baths would have been overly crowded and am sorry we missed them. But we did have a wonderful day in White Bay with lunch at Hendo's. The water was incredibly beautiful.
At Castaway Cay we swam and snorkeled. Some kayaked. It was very hot and very humid with a late afternoon thunderstorm.
The sea days were my favorite days. We all found way too many activities to do.
This was our first DCL cruise. We loved it and are very sorry it is over. We have wonderful memories of our mutli-generational family celebration and are very grateful for the experiences.

 

[jujubiee4]

Hmm I thought at the end Tortola wasn't that bad. Maybe i was getting use to it? Castaway
was a negative for me. Didn't even eat at the bbq I usually enjoy. Aruba was ok . Barbados
the humidity hit me like a ton of bricks. I never mind heat. Dry heat. It was recently 105
here and i still took my normal walks (with water). I can't deal with humidity though.
St. Kitts i thought while warm and humid was breezy. I could have stayed there all day.

That being said one of my daughters who actually got sick on Castaway from being over
heated and went back early to the ship said to me last night......."That sure was a fun
cruise maybe we can go next year"

Something in that pixie dust because whatever negative you were thinking gets smaller
and smaller. In another month I might be saying best cruise ever lol

 

[tlprice]

DePalm Island port adventure in Aruba was awesome! Variety of food and drinks (alcoholic and non) included. Both family and adult beach areas. Watersildes and other fun activities. Some of the best snorkeling we've ever done right off the beach. Highly recommended!

Thanks. I was thinking about doing this since we are not going to Castaway Cay on our Southern cruise in January, but some of the reviews aren't great. It's good to see a good comment about it.

 

[tweis]

We were on the 11 night as well and absolutely LOVED it! I would do it again in a heartbeat if the dates worked for us next year. Yes, it's hot in the Caribbean in the summer. We went in knowing and expecting this. Did it keep us from having a blast? Absolutely not. Well, I did get fried in Tortola so it did make Castaway a little uncomfortable but we had a great time.

I will be writing a trip report as time allows but right now I will post our tours in each port. We did not book anything through DCL with the exception of Parasailing on CC.

Aruba- We did a Discovery Scuba Lesson through Divers Request- It was fun but we felt the diving would have been better in another port.

Barbados- We booked a lunch cruise through Calabaza and LOVED it! This was one of the best excursions we've ever done and would happily do it again. We swam with sea turtles, snorkeled 2 wrecks, drank too much rum punch and munched on yummy treats all day. Seriously a fantastic excursion.

St. Kitts- We booked myislandtours with Javin. This tour was fabulous also! We hiked through the rain forest, we climbed on the black rocks, we toured an old cotton factory, we snorkeled a ship wreck, we had beach time and we had the BEST empanadas EVER! Seriously amazing!

Martinique- We booked a site seeing and tasting tour through Karambole tours. I have very mixed feelings about this tour. Parts of it were fantastic while other parts, not so much. We walked a very short distance to a waterfall, saw the jail where the "only survivor" of the volcano was during the eruption, the Catholic church, the rum distillery (tastings) and a black sand beach. Throughout the tour, we were given different pastries, wine and beer. Some were very good and some were not. The narration of the tour was the part that I didn't love. She talked much more than we felt she needed to.

Tortola- We chartered a boat and captain through TRC Charters. This was fantastic! We did not want to go to the Baths because we knew it would be busy and this was our shortest day in port. Instead we told the captain what we wanted to do and see and he accommodated us. We snorkeled the caves, another area that I don't recall the name of and had some beach time. They provide a cooler full of local beers, water and soda. We had an absolute blast!

Castaway Cay- We had never parasailed before so thought we would give it a shot on CC. It was a so much fun and we would definitely do it again!

 

[nh3223]

We are recently back from the 10-day Southern Caribbean on the Fantasy. With the exception of the last sea day and our afternoon in Curacao, we didn't find the weather too overbearing. As for our port activities:

Aruba - Took the local bus up to Palm Beach. Probably didn't do enough research on our own to figure out the best stop, so we just got off when the bus driver told us we were at the beach. A couple of hard sell folks for umbrellas/chairs right at the starting point, but we didn't want to commit to that location and ended up getting lucky with some unreserved/available umbrellas/chairs near the Hilton a bit further up the beach. Spent a nice 3 - 4 hours at the beach before heading back. Ended up a great value for $20 total bus fare for the four of us. After having lunch on board, kids stayed on the boat at kids club/pool and my wife and I explored Oranjestad for an hour or two.

Curacao - Set up our own excursion to go stand-up paddleboarding with SUP Curacao. They provided a taxi pickup as part of the cost for the 25 minute drive down to their location. Took a motorboat upwind across the bay and then a 2 hour paddleboard tour along/through the mangroves and then back across the bay downwind. Guide took 20+ pictures that we could just download free from their website, so we didn't have to worry about that. Would definitely recommend to folks who are fairly active and would like to try stand-up paddleboarding or have maybe gone a couple of times. For more experienced paddleboarders, they have some more advanced tours. As we did in Aruba, after lunch back on board, kids stayed on and my wife and I went in to Willemstad. Lots of people about as it was a national holiday and we would have liked to explore more, but it was brutally hot and humid, so only spent an hour/hour and a half or so.

St. Kitts - This was our only DCL excursion. We did the sail and snorkel tour with Blue Water Safaris that a previous poster mentioned. It was definitely a lot of fun and the 4 person crew was great. Our only real issue was that the "sail" part of the title was a bit of misnomer. We motored the whole way out to the snorkel area and while the foresail went up (the mainsail probably hasn't been raised in years), I think it was really more for show than as a means of propulsion. For folks who love sailing (like my wife), this was a bit of a disappointment. Still a fun excursion though. After lunch, my wife and I again went back into town to explore while the kids stayed on board.

Tortola - Given the short port stay, we looked into getting onto a DCL excursion, but everything was full and no wait list spots opened up. Decided to do the baths on our own and so glad we did. Barely caught the 7:45 ferry to Virgin Gorda and took their taxi to the Baths. Walked down amidst the first DCL group and checked out the first part through the baths before heading back to the first beach. We hung out there for an hour or so - DCL group only spent about 20 minutes and there seemed to be some grumbling about having to move on so soon. Once DCL group left, it was moderately uncrowded for a while. By the time we left though, other groups had started coming through and there was a huge line to get through the first ladder section--if we had gotten off the wait list, we would have been in this later group and been miserable--but we just went back up the same trail and took the side trail to another (rocky, not sandy) bay which we had completely to ourselves. Caught the 11:30 ferry back (there's also a 12:40, but didn't want to chance any problems). Especially with more port time, I would highly recommend doing it on your own. Much cheaper ($100 for three of us, versus $240 through DCL) and you can go at your own pace. Even though we didn't get to go through the entire baths section due to crowds and time, it was still worthwhile for us.

Castaway Cay - No excursions, just hit the beach. Son went back on board early to see the new Spiderman movie, daughter went to Scuttles Cove for a bit so my wife and I could check out the observation tower and Serenity Bay, got totally drenched in the late afternoon thundershower. All in all good times.

 

[Kaymackey]

I can also share our thoughts so far for our January 2018 cruise:

Stay 1-2 nights Embassy Suites San Juan (stayed here before and highly recommend - very close to airport, can walk to Isla Verde beach/restaurants, ES provides chairs/umbrellas on the beach)

Antigua:??? We took a cab to Valley Church beach last time, but it was $90 in cab fare for our family of 5 so probably won't do that again. Considering the Wadadli Cat snorkel catamaran excursion from DCL or cheaper cab ride to Fort James or Dickenson bay beach to just spend a couple hours in the morning. (DH & kids would love it if we called it a "sea day" since they love hanging out on the ship, so this is a possibility too. But I would love to stick my toes in Antiguan sand, even if it's just a quick beach trip-lol!)

St Lucia: snorkel beneath the Pitons(Jalousie Beach) - want to book a boat tour on our own, but haven't decided who yet

Bonaire: Sea Cow or Woodwind Snorkel boat trip, might like to rent a golf cart or truck to see some of the island after the morning snorkel trip

Aruba: p/u rental car from Hertz Renaissance and drive to a couple beach/snorkel spots

Did you use woodwind? I’m currently communicating with them on WhatsApp to setup a booking and they’re coming off as quite short and rude. Just wondering if this is anyone else’s experience

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

In St. Kitts most of us caught a ferry to Nevis to visit the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton. My recommendation is don't bother. Nevis does not seem to want visitors. The museum does not have any information or photos you cannot see online. There are no places to eat close to the ferry landing or the museum. The rest of the group booked a zip line adventure through DCL and had a great time.

Nevis has a very long history of not wanting tourism. They actively try to avoid being what St Kitts has become and sadly that makes for unfriendly interactions for those who still decide to go there. We actually did the Zipline tour on St Kitts through DCL a few years ago (2018) and made friends with the guides who were telling us a bit about the island while we waited for our van to go back to the ship.

Lots of very interesting history there. We have visited twice and are excited to go back.