As cruise regions come and go; some falling out of favour while others take the spotlight, there is a constant: the Caribbean. It’s not difficult to see why. The weather, is, of course, a major factor. A Caribbean cruise comes with the promise of tropical heat and sunshine – a big draw particularly in the peak-season winter months. Then there is the Caribbean’s geographical make up -- seemingly tailor-made for cruising, with the islands spaced to allow passengers to arrive at a new port on a new island most mornings. And importantly, a cruise is the best way to see several islands in a single trip. Independent inter-island travel in the Caribbean usually means flying – which can be pricey and a hassle. A cruise is likely to work out far cheaper, and more relaxing, with no need for constant packing and unpacking.
Several cruise lines have recently introduced new Caribbean cruise-and-stay options. Last winter, Thomson Cruises (thomson.co.uk/cruise) began sailing from Jamaica’s Montego Bay, with itineraries taking in Central America and Havana, Cuba. With the on-going thaw in US-Cuban relations, Castro’s isle is very much in demand, and MSC Cruises (msccruises.co.uk) is offering new weekly sailings this winter from Havana. Looking ahead to next winter, P&O Cruises (pocruises.com) is to become the first operator to offer sailings from the dramatic island of St Lucia, on its new ship Britannia.
One of the prime draws of the Caribbean is relaxing on a beach, and at virtually every port of call you can do just that. A major selling point of some cruise companies is a day at their own hassle-free beach – for example, with Princess Cruises and Holland America Line on private islands in The Bahamas.
But most islands also offer a big selection of things to see and do. For one thing, woven into the fabric of many Caribbean islands is a rich and complex colonial heritage. Your cruise may visit islands with strong British, Hispanic, Gallic and Dutch cultures or influences – allowing you to immerse yourself in Spanish colonial cities such as Havana or San Juan, visit plantation houses on Barbados and Georgian Nelson’s Dockyard on Antigua, dine on French-Creole cuisine in Martinique, and admire the Dutch colonial architecture of Curaçao’s Willemstad.
In terms of activities, one day you could be snorkelling with stingrays off Grand Cayman, on another climbing waterfalls in Jamaica, or zip-lining over St Lucia’s rainforest canopy, river tubing in Dominica, or kayaking along Grenada’s indented coast. The wide choice of non-cultural excursions makes the Caribbean ideal cruise territory for families.
With over two dozen cruise lines operating in the Caribbean in the winter months, the choice of ship is as varied as the islands they visit. On the one hand are some of the biggest cruise ships in the world (think giant, floating resort hotels) offering every conceivable facility. A case in point is the new Norwegian Escape (escape.ncl.com). Sailing year round from Miami to the Caribbean, it sleeps 4,250 guests and offers state-of-the-art dining and entertainment. On the other hand are intimate, luxurious craft accommodating just over 100 passengers.
Week or fortnight-long itineraries are typical, either of the Eastern Caribbean (usually including Puerto Rico, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados), the Western Caribbean (taking in Jamaica and Mexico) and the Southern Caribbean (usually going right down to the Dutch Antilles). But you can also take three-night taster cruises from Florida to The Bahamas, or month-long Caribbean cruises that start and end in Southampton.
Cruising in the Caribbean doesn’t suit everyone. Ships and their passengers can completely overwhelm some ports, particularly in the winter months when several resort ships may be docked in a port on the same day. Unlike on a Mediterranean cruise where independent exploring is often easy, in the Caribbean you normally need transport to get to main sights – in some cases, the ports themselves are the islands’ least appealing locations – and many passengers sign up for organised excursions. There’s also the cost of the long-haul flight for British holidaymakers, making the overall bill for a Caribbean cruise significantly higher than one of comparable standard in Europe.
If, nevertheless, you think a Caribbean cruise may be for you, the following advice should help you plan and book a holiday.
When to travel
Mid-December to April is the peak time for Caribbean cruises. Then, the weather is at its best – typically hot and sunny, relatively dry, with low humidity and pleasantly cool nights – and the widest choice of cruises is available. Downsides of travelling then are that prices are at their highest and ports and key sights can be very busy. In the summer and autumn the weather is stickier and wetter – though normally with short, heavy downpours rather than days of continuous rain – and the islands are quieter.
June to November is the Caribbean’s hurricane season, with September and October the most likely months for major storms (and therefore the cheapest months to cruise). Given that cruise ships can change course, the chances of being caught up in a big storm are extremely small; a more likely scenario is that your itinerary will be disrupted.
How to book
Tempting, late-booking cruise-only deals for Caribbean sailings are easy to find, especially for sailings between September and November. However, for British holidaymakers, transatlantic airfares account for a large chunk of the overall cost of most Caribbean cruise holidays and fares with scheduled airlines usually increase closer to departure. Therefore, there is a strong financial argument for Britons to book Caribbean cruises well ahead.
With so many large ships sailing the Caribbean, cabin availability is rarely an issue, except at Christmas/New Year and Easter, when you should book well ahead.
Given the daunting number of ships and itineraries on offer in the Caribbean, turning to a specialist cruise agent makes sense. Two of the largest independent agents are Cruise.co.uk (0800 408 6228; cruise.co.uk), and Iglu Cruise (020 8544 6620; iglucruise.com); whose websites are good places to start for deals with all the major cruise lines operating in the Caribbean. Mundy Cruising (020 7399 7670; mundycruising.co.uk) is well-regarded among the luxury options.
Which ship?
Caribbean sailings on large ships are possible with almost all the major cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Fred Olsen, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Thomson Cruises. An eight-night Eastern Caribbean fly-cruise from Miami in early March with Celebrity Cruises (0844 493 2043; celebritycruises.co.uk) costs from around £1,200 per person.
Brand new to the scene is Viking, whose new ship Viking Star will embark on a West Indies Explorer itinerary (October 2016 to February 2017). Round-trip from San Juan in Puerto Rico the cruise takes in the Lesser Antilles, Tortola and Antigua, St Lucia and Barbados, Guadeloupe and St Kitts. Prices from £2,990 per person.
For luxury cruises, you can expect fine dining and excellent service, and many of the ships are small, so they can visit off-the-beaten-track islands whose harbours are unable to accommodate the big cruise ships. Lines to turn to include Azamara Club Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and for intimate ships Seabourn, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises and Paul Gauguin Cruises. With SeaDream Yacht Club (0800 783 1373; seadream.com), a seven-day round-trip cruise departing late March from Barbados visiting the Grenadines, St Lucia and Martinique costs from £2,660 per person, excluding flights.
Another option is a voyage on a majestic, fully-rigged tall ship, which will move under sail when wind permits: turn to Star Clippers and Sea Cloud Cruises. With Star Clippers (0845 200 6145; starclippers.co.uk), a seven-night cruise of southern Cuba and the Cayman Islands in February costs from £1,380 per person, excluding flights.
Shore excursions
Compare prices and options on cruisingexcursions.com: by selecting your ship and dates of travel, you can see available tours and activities from your port on the day you are scheduled to be there. Also consider taking day or half-day island tours in private taxis. Drivers can make good guides, and compared with group excursions such tours can be more personalised and the cost per person can work out far cheaper, particularly with four in a taxi – though do fix a price in advance.
Safety and health advice
Crime is a thorny issue on some Caribbean islands, and cruise-ship passengers can be seen as easy pickings. Over the past few years, cruise holidaymakers have been subjected to armed attacks on popular islands such as Barbados and St Lucia. Leave valuables on board the ship; if nervous, consider sticking to guided excursions; and consult http://ift.tt/1czKEoA for up-to-date information specific to the islands you are visiting.
Getting there
Most Caribbean cruises start from Florida (from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Tampa). However, some sail from a Caribbean port, which allows you to spend more time in the heart of the region. Bridgetown (Barbados) is the most popular Caribbean departure point for UK cruise passengers, but there are also cruises from Montego Bay (Jamaica), Havana (Cuba), San Juan (Puerto Rico) and, next winter, from Castries (St Lucia).
Non-stop flights are available with: British Airways (ba.com), London to Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Barbados; Virgin Atlantic (virgin-atlantic.com), London to Miami, Orlando, Barbados and Havana, and Manchester to Orlando and Barbados; and Norwegian (norwegian.com/uk), Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale and (new) San Juan. A flight specialist such as Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) can help find best fares and cheaper, indirect options to Florida.
Thomson (thomson.co.uk) and Thomas Cook Airlines (thomascookairlines.com), offer charter flights from a number of UK airports to Orlando, Barbados, Jamaica and Cuba. Thomas Cook also flies to Miami, from Manchester.
Top tips
Repositioning cruises between Europe and the Caribbean in the autumn and spring, crossing the Atlantic by sea one way, flying the other, can be remarkably good value. P&O Cruises and Saga Cruises also offer a few long Caribbean cruises departing from and returning back to Britain.
A few nights on land – for example on Barbados or in Miami, where there’s a good choice of hotels and lots to see before your cruise departs – will help you acclimatise and recover from the long flight. Specialist cruise agents are good at arranging tailor-made cruise-and-stay packages.
Large resort-style ships with Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International can be unpleasantly lively during the annual American Spring Break holiday period, in March.
US dollars are widely accepted on most Caribbean islands. However, you’ll often be given change in local currencies. To avoid ending up with unwanted currency, go armed with small denomination US dollar notes.
Further reading
Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2016 (RRP £18.99), the most authoritative print guide to cruising, has various sections relevant to the Caribbean, and detailed assessments of the ships sailing there. Useful websites include cruisecritic.co.uk, for passenger reviews and general advice; and cruisetimetables.com, for which cruises depart when from a particular port.
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