The Caribbean was made for cruising. Flying in the Caribbean can be a confusing nightmare. Cruise ships offer a convenient way to travel between the islands of the Caribbean. Believe me, I’ve done it both ways and much prefer cruising from island to island.
The Caribbean is a big area but it’s possible to visit much of it on any given cruise. You can be in a new port, on a new island, or in a new country, each day of a Caribbean cruise.
Many people think the Caribbean islands all look alike, but I disagree completely. Some islands are completely different than others right next to them. For instance, St. Barth’s is completely unique from the nearby St. Maarten, which is completely different than nearby Anguilla. Confused yet? That’s the thing about the Caribbean; everything is so close together but so different because of cultures, country affiliation, landscape, language, food, and economy. That’s why it’s so fun to discover this for yourself.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic share an island called Hispaniola. However, they’re far from similar in terms of tourism and wealth but both are beautiful and offer a different experience.
The two most famous islands in the Caribbean are probably Cuba and Jamaica. They couldn’t be more opposite in every sense of the word. Except, for small islands on a global scale go, they’ve each had a major impact on global popular culture; which makes them both fascinating to explore.
In truth, you could visit nearly every notable Caribbean island and nation with just a few cruises. To me, that’s a good thing. Some might argue they don’t get enough time to see it all. But I would argue, you get to see a good glimpse of what the island has to offer. Then you can decide which places to visit again for longer as a standalone trip. I’ve done this exact thing all over the world. You know what you like and what you don’t like but it’s nice to test drive the car before you buy it!
Speaking of buying, cruising the Caribbean saves you a lot of money. Let’s say you were going to visit seven different islands on a cruise. This includes your transportation between the islands, covers your hotels and some meals. If you did the same trip on your own with flying, eating out or at the hotel each meal and of course staying at a resort or hotel, the cost would be significantly higher. Thus cruising the Caribbean is a great option in terms of cost, convenience, and peace of mind.
This is one reason I love cruising in general, especially on Azamara. It’s a luxury hotel that moves so I can unpack and relax but still visit several different destinations. Plus I save a lot of money to see the same things I would’ve seen on my own. And I get to make friends on the ship. It’s a win-win for me! Cruising the Caribbean is the best way to go down there!