Cruising is a great vacation alternative – you see multiple places in one trip, you get pampered on the boat and it’s a one-stop shop.
When to go
November through April is when cruise vacations are most popular, mostly due to warm destinations having the best weather this time of the year, as well as a lower incidence of hurricanes. However, if you are heading to Alaska, fall is the best time to go. European cruises are ideal in spring and summer, but off-season in the fall you may get the best deal.
Which boat
You can try a large cruise line, such as Royal Caribbean, NCL or Carnival, or go with more niche line, such as Seabourn or Viking. When booking, the most comfortable place on the boat will be in the middle – you will feel less movement, especially on a smaller boat. Cabin with a balcony is always nice, since boats usually go to scenic destinations and you can enjoy the view before you even get off the boat.
An important distinction is freestyle cruising, which allows you to have your own schedule vs. set meal times, which gives you more options when booking activities in places you visit off the boat. NCL is well known for freestyle cruising. You can still make plenty of new friends but you won’t be committed to sit at a table with someone at 6 pm every night. This is particularly good for honeymooners who may prefer to spend time by themselves.
Cruise Duration
7-night cruise is a popular option – just enough time to see enough and relax. Most cruises will repeat the course twice in a 14-day cruise – so if you have the time, why not double the pleasure? Some may even splurge on a World cruise which range anywhere from 16 to 115 days at sea. If you want to try the latter, book a Seven Seas Voyager which goes from San Francisco to Honolulu to Sydney to Mumbai to Athens to Tunis to Ft. Lauderdale and more in 115 days. Quick Caribbean cruises remain a popular destination, thanks to weather and proximity. That said, modern cruise ships are alike a trip to Vegas – there is entertainment at every level – pools, shows, activities, gyms, golf, clubs, etc., so you can stay at sea as long as your vacation limit is or as long as you are having fun.
Recommended cruise – NCL Caribbean
A popular South Caribbean Cruise on NCL is a 7-day journey which starts in Charleston, Miami or New York. Other cruise lines also board from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Once you settle into your cabin, you will discover the boat offers multiple pools, restaurants, bars, show areas, a gym, a spa and much more. NCL is known for freestyle cruising, but many specialty restaurants on board also offer a more upscale dining option. Most of the bars on board offer a nightly show – music from blues and pop and other genres, as well as game shows. The shows on the stage are high-caliber and definitely worth seeing – they present both Broadway shows and a mix of variety entertainment, including comedies and dance shows and singing competitions. There is also gambling allowed in the boat casino once the boat is at sea. There are many shops on board as well. If you like art, it is auctioned on the boat during the day. Explore the boat as your first day will be mostly at sea. Here we explore some of the islands that may be visited during a South Caribbean cruise. NCL frequently updates the route as well as stops on each cruise, so it is likely that the one you book will not encompass the exact stops.
St. Thomas will be our first stop on this South Caribbean cruise. You will notice that St. Thomas is the most industrial looking island with pipes and smoke visible from a distance. It is still a striking island and I would highly recommend a 2 or 3-hour tour of St. Thomas which will take you up in the mountains for some amazing views of the Caribbean from the Mountain Top – you can see Magen’s Bay Beach from above, one of the top rated beaches in the world by the National Geographic Society. Crown Mountain rises 1555 feet and is the highest point on the US Virgin Islands. A short trip from the Mountain Top is the estate of St. Peter Great House. This villa, rebuilt from scratch after a series of hurricanes, was once a private hideaway of the rich and famous, and is a great example of classic Caribbean architecture, is now open to visitors. Take a stroll through the beautiful gardens and enjoy the 1000 foot view above the sea. St.Thomas offers plenty of other entertainment – from golfing at Mahogany Run, one of the most-photographed 18-hole courses in the Caribbean, to duty-free shopping in town at Charlotte Amalie, to the Coral World Park of 4.5 acres where you can see an 80,000 gallon re-creation of a coral reef, to snorkeling, scuba-diving and parasailing. The boat stops at St. Thomas only for a day, so plan your day wisely and leave room to relax on the boat by the pool and remember there are 6 more days of adventure ahead!
The next stop on our cruise is St. John’s Antigua, one of the British islands with a long line of beaches (natives say there is a beach for every day of the year) and shimmering blue water all around. The local waters are ideal for snorkeling and scuba-diving, as well as for one of the highly recommended tours – a Dolphin and Stingray adventure. This unique experience lasts 3 hours and is a lot of joy for both kids (must be over 5 years old) and adults. It starts with a trip to the natural 5.5 million salt water lagoon where you meet local dolphins and get a chance to swim and play with them for a while. The trainers will teach you how to play, kiss and feed the dolphins and tell you about their marine life. Afterwards, you can visit a smaller pool where you can touch stingrays and hold jellyfish and observe many other creatures. St. John’s boasts many stunning golf courses and there are other adventures you can experience on the island, such as kayaking, safari, catamaran sailing and more.
Usually in the middle of your cruise, the boat will have a Formal night – it is your chance to dress up and take formal pictures, meet the captain and experience cruising the way it was done when it all began.
Day 4 brings us to my favorite island on a South Caribbean Cruise – the French Martinique. The official language on the island is French, but most local residents use Creole dialect in conversation. An interesting historic fact about Martinique is that this island is the birthplace of Napoleon’s wife, Josephine. If you stroll through the town of Fort-de-France, the capital of the island, you will enjoy the well-preserved Caribbean architecture and the town’s hustle and bustle. NCL offers a fun Calypso Party tour boat cruise around the island which lasts about 3 hours – take it to view the island from Fort-de-France to the Island of Flowers.
The boat will take you to the volcanic black sand beaches, which are quite a site, and then to one of the local beaches for a swim or snorkeling. As it is the party tour, there is plenty of calypso music and rum is served on the boat. Rum is quite an industry on the island. You can explore it more in the tour of the Museum of Rum – St. James Rum Distillery, where you can see how sugarcane is processed and developed into rum. Another interesting experience on Martinique is a visit to the Bat Caves – truly a sight to see.
As you say goodbye to the picturesque Martinique, our NCL cruise will take you to the island of St. Maarten. This island is bi-territorial – the northern part belongs to the French and the southern side – to the Netherlands. One you set foot on St. Maarten, you will be greeted by flocks of butterflies – one of the popular and quirky inhabitants of the island. You can actually visit a Butterfly Farm at Le Galion beach. The farm covers long landscaped gardens where you can see the most amazing butterflies from all over the world flying around. There is a lot of deep sea fishing off the island, though available tours may take most of your day. You can also take a shark dive where you get to feed them for 30 minutes. Make sure you spend plenty of time on the beaches, such as the Divi Little Bay Beach resort – there are three freshwater swimming pools or go for a swim in the ocean. You can also enjoy amazing views of the surrounding islands from here.
Tortola is the last island stop on the Western Caribbean 7-day cruise. Take a safari bus for a scenic drive on this stunning British island. The bus will pass along the curvy road with all kinds of plant species and take you down to the crystal-clear waters of Cane Garden Bay. Spend some time in the bay and bask in the water surrounded by palm trees and low mountain tops and breathe in some fresh Caribbean air.
A great Tortola adventure is a trip to the Spanish town of Virgin Gorda where you can go to the Baths for swimming, snorkeling along the boulders, palms and sea caves. For the fittest, try the dive to the famous wreck of the RMS Rhone. You will go into the two-tank dive to explore the historical British mail steamer which sank in an 1867 hurricane. Tortola is a perfect place to take up snorkeling or scuba lessons, as the waters are so clear. Tortola offers a breathtaking lagoon at the Prospect Reef Resort where you can swim with the dolphins for 30 minutes and learn about their habits and interact with them (children should be at least 8 years old). Or better yet, take a mountain hike to Sage Mountain – the highest point on the British Virgin Islands. You will see breathtaking views of the water and Tortola forest and it’s a perfect way to end our trip.
