As a cruiser, you might be wondering what are the most popular Caribbean cruise destinations. Maybe you want to cross some must-do things off your bucket list, or perhaps you want to stay away from overcrowded tourist traps.
Whichever it might be, this chain of islands in the Caribbean Sea has something to offer for almost every traveler, making the Caribbean the top cruise destination in the world.
Here you will find tropical Islands with perfect weather year-round. Made up of individual countries, dependent countries, territories, and colonies each bringing its own languages, culture, history, religion, and more.
Why Caribbean or Bahamian destinations should be your must-visit places to see on a cruise?
- More than 700 islands
- Roughly 92,000 square miles
- Amazing sunrises and sunsets
- Island hopping
With so many islands close to one another, and each has its own vibe and proximity to one, cruise ships can have multiple stops making for variety that any cruise passenger can appreciate.
On any Caribbean cruise you can experience beauty, culture, architecture, and food galore.
In some island destinations in the Caribbean, you can even enjoy more than one climate zone.
The colors of sand vary from your typical beige to pink, to black. And the color of the ocean can vary from blue to turquoise, deep blue, or even green.
You might wonder what is the best Caribbean cruise destination. The answer to your question will vary on what types of activities you enjoy. Pristine beaches, lush green rainforests, or even desert Oasis can be found here.
Caribbean Cruise destinations are broken down into 3 main locations or sections and may help you to choose which cruise you might like to experience:
What are the most visited cruise ports?
According to numbers recorded just before COVID in 2019 from the Avoid Crowds website, Cozumel, Mexico was the most visited port with 4.3 million visitors, Nassau, Bahamas with 3.5 million visitors, and Georgetown, Grand Cayman with 1.9 million passengers.
Eastern, Western, and Southern. The Bahamas is very close to the Caribbean but not technically Caribbean, but also popular and visited by cruise ships year round.
What are some traditional Caribbean Foods to try?
- Plantains. They are vegetable that looks like a banana but are more similar to a potato
- Jerk Chicken. This grilled chicken recipe can be spicy as it is seasoned with scotch bonnet peppers. You can find jerk chicken all over the Caribbean
- Pigeon peas. A staple in African, Latin, and Caribbean cooking. Often serviced with rice. Can be spicey.
- Curry Chicken. Often served with potatoes. Can be just as spicy as Thia curry. Contains scotch bonnet peppers and Jamaican Curry powder
- Coquito Cheese Cake. Coconut Rum Cheese Cake. Made with cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. A warm and luscious treat
Eastern Caribbean
One of the most popular stops on an Eastern Caribbean Cruise is San Juan Puerto Rico.
The cruise port location of San Juan is both a Cruise Home Port and a port of call stop. If you want to explore all that Puerto Rico has to offer, choose a cruise that embarks out of this port. Stay for several days if possible and visit some of the great national parks.
San Juan is very easy to explore on your own independently. There is not really a need to do ship tours in San Juan unless you need extra assistance, want to leave the old town area, or visit Bio Bay or a beach visit.
Who sails the eastern Caribbean?
Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruise Lines, and Holland America. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and NCL.
Why is the Caribbean referred to as the “West Indies”?
This reference goes back to ~ 1492 when explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the area and believed he was in Asia.
Asia at that time period was known as the Indies.
Western Caribbean
If you go on a few cruises, you are bound to end up in Cozumel. It is one of the anchor points in Western Caribbean Cruises.
Western itineraries include Cozumel with Belize, Mahogany Bay (Roatan), or Cozumel with Jamaica and Grand Cayman.
You could also visit Costa Maya instead of Roatan or Belize.
Short cruises may visit just Cozumel, go to Cozumel and Costa Maya, or Cozumel and Yucatan (Progresso).
On our next trip to Cozumel we booked a Trike Tour with Cozumel Trikes, an island Tour around Cozumel Tours with Youssef, and in Yucatan the Adventure Tour visiting a Cenote and some Mayan Ruins. Be sure to be on the lookout for info on these tours soon.
Can I visit the mainland of Playa del Carmen from Cozumel on a cruise?
If you want to visit places like Chichen Itza (one of the largest archaeological sites and wonders of the world) or tours like Rio Secreto, it is highly suggested that you only attempt these tours through your cruise ship and not independently.
It is possible to do this tour on your own. Some cruisers do, but caution here. You will need to take a ferry which can be full or cease in poor weather. Then you will need to get from the ferry pier and take a long bus ride (several hours) to the ruins. When you finally get to the ruins you will need to hire a guide and then take the tour and do all the steps in reverse.
Doing one of these mainland tours is much too risky from a cruise stop. Instead, save these bucket list experiences for land vacations at Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or anywhere else in Riveria Maya!
Where do most Caribbean cruises leave from?
Cruises heading to Caribbean ports may begin in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at Port Everglades, Port Canaveral in Orlando, PortMiami in Miami, or Tampa.
Some Caribbean sailings may also leave from New Orleans, Louisiana, Galveston, Texas, and Mobile, Alabama. You can also find Caribbean and Bahamas cruises departing from Charleston and New York.
Which home ports do Western Caribbean cruises sail from?
Cruise ship home ports Gulf Coast, USA
- Galveston, Texas
- Mobile, Alabama
- New Orleans, Louisiana
Cruise ship home ports east coast, USA
Florida
- Orlando, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Fort Lauderdale
- Miami, Florida
Other east coast cruise port locations
- Charleston, North Carolina
- Boston, Massachusett
- Cape Liberty, New Jersey
- Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York
- Baltimore, Maryland
Which cruise lines sail west routes
Carnival, Princess, HAL, Royal Caribbean, MSC, TUI, NCL, and Celebrity. Some cruise companies like Carnival, Royal, and NCL sail this route year-round. While others like Princess may only sail this route in winter or spring.
Southern Caribbean
Some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean are found in the southern area. These ports are also in a more natural state and less commercialized compared to ports in the western and eastern Caribbean seeing fewer visitors.
Sailing a cruise to many of the southern Caribbean ports of call may require a longer cruise.
Since these ports are further south, they are also further from home ports and require more than 8 days. To visit these lesser-visited or exotic ports 10 to 14-day cruises are normal.
Common Southern itineraries include visits to the ABC Islands, (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), Sint Maarten, St Kitts, St Lucia, and more.
If you wish to visit a specific island, you may need to find out which cruise line visits there.
Not all cruise companies visit every port of call. You might even decide you want to visit a particular port of call by reading a review of someone who did a tour there.
You can usually start by checking the cruise line website to see what tours are offered. Once you get a gauge on what is offered, you can decide if booking tours on your own is something your group or family wants to do.
We have booked many more tours on our own compared to how many shore excursions we have booked with our ship. Just recently we chartered an entire sailboat for just two couples while on Carnival Panorama.
What is the most popular way to see the Caribbean?
The most popular way to see the Caribbean is by cruise, but after many cruisers visit one of the Caribbean islands and get a “taste”, they come back for an extended land vacation.
Can you visit more than one island on a land vacation?
It is possible to island hop from one island to another depending on which island you use as a home base. From certain islands, there are daily ferries from one location to the other.
From some isles, you might be able to use a water taxi, while in others you may need to take a short flight.
Which companies sail the southern route
Carnival, Princess, Royal, Celebrity, and NCL.
Where is the Caribbean located?
Did you know the Caribbean is located in both the northern and Western hemispheres? Its location makes it an ideal spot for those who live in either part of the world to vacation in.
The Caribbean islands are located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, south of Florida, and north of South and Central America in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
The overall area includes the Caribbean Sea and all of its islands located to the southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, east of Central America and Mexico, and to the north of South America. The islands are bordered in the east and north by the Atlantic
World Atlas
Bahamas
If you are wondering what the word Bahama means, translated from Spanish, it means “shallow water”.
Why do so many cruises visit the Bahamas?
According to Britannica, “The islands occupy a position commanding the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the entire Central American region”.
Because these islands are located in the middle of the cruise highway may be why they are so often visited.
Found very close to the home ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, several Bahamian destinations are visited on both short and longer cruises.
What are the cheapest ports to cruise from?
Any port may offer last minute deals that can be cheap, but the ports in Florida will likely offer cheaper deals because the sheer number of cruises sailing from south Florida.
What Bahamas ports are visited?
Nassau and Freeport are common stops on any Bahamas cruise. Also, many cruise line private islands are located here.
Lines that visit the Bahamas
MSC, Princess, Carnival, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian cruise line, Virgin Voyages, and Disney.
- Ocean Cay Marine Reserve- MSC
- Princess Cays-Carnival Corp ships
- Halfmoon Cays-Carnival Corp
- Perfect day at Cocoa Cay-Royal Caribbean
- Labadee- Royal Caribbean
- Harvest Caye-NCL
- The Beach Club at Bimini- Virgin Voyages
- Great Stirrup Cay-NCL
- Castaway Cay-Disney Cruise Lines
Which cruise route is the best? West/South/East?
If you want to island-hop or see the prettiest beaches, then an Eastern Caribbean route will be the best.
If you are wanting to experience Mayan history and culture choose the western route. Snorkeling is excellent since several ports sit right off the 2nd largest barrier reef.
Those who want to see less crowded ports opt for southern itineraries. You can visit ports where movies like The Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed, see where your favorite spice is grown, or harvest cocoa makes chocolate in Grenada.
Final thoughts
No matter which destination in the Caribbean or Bahamas you end up visiting, there are sure to be many fun things to do, places to see, and amazing foods to eat. With each cruise you depart on you may find yourself with a new favorite or happily revisit an old loved one.
What is your favorite Caribbean port? Share with me on our Facebook page.
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Photo credit: Pitons Scott Taylor,** Guadeloupe Brighton Pereira
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