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Plus, cruise ships can change course to avoid bad weather, such as hurricanes, so you can salvage your beach vacation when a storm is headed toward a particular island by cruising to a different one. If you booked a land-based stay, you'd be forced to cancel — or hunker down and wait for the rain and winds to pass. This cruise has something for every family member, so set sail on the Explorer of the Seas and get ready for the holiday of a lifetime. It’s also important to note that documentation requirements can change, and passengers are ultimately responsible for having the required documents at embarkation or they may be denied boarding.
Travel, Airfare, & Hotels: Let Princess Get You There
This cruise will take you from Miami to the Western Caribbean over four days, with a stop in Cozumel on Day 3, where you can explore the Mayan ruins and more. The 4,000-passenger ship wows little ones with character meet-and-greets and Disney theme park style entertainment and attractions. The District, for example, is a hub of multiple bars and lounges that enforces an "18 to enter, 21 to drink" policy after 9 p.m. Ships are filled with stylish, adult-oriented bars promising a hopping scene late into the night as well as hipster venues like a colorful karaoke lounge.
Ponant's Panama, Colombia, and Caribbean Islands
This cruise line is renowned for being one of the best Caribbean cruises, with excellent entertainment and a fantastic dining experience. After all, the Norwegian Cruise Line ended to fancy dress codes on cruises. Family is so important, and holidays are where we make our happiest and most relaxed memories.
Top Five Caribbean Cruise Destinations
For would-be Royal Caribbean cruisers, Freedom of the Seas serves as a sort of "test the line" ship. Its short sailings and low pricing mean you're not out a lot in time or money if you don't have the time of your life. It caters heavily to first-time cruisers as well as Florida locals who can book on short notice and drive into the port for a quick escape. Some Royal Caribbean ships — such as the line's Oasis-class vessels and recently launched Icon of the Seas — are built with far more family-focused activities than others. Some, such as the two-year-old Wonder of the Seas, have added features that appeal to luxury-loving travelers. Other Royal Caribbean ships operate on particularly low-cost itineraries that are best for budget travelers.
Southern Caribbean cruises might venture to the Leeward Antilles for a taste of Dutch Caribbean culture, and attractions such as the otherworldly landscape of Aruba’s Arikok National Park. Whether you're new to cruising or a hardy sailor, the Caribbean is the perfect place for a cruise vacation. If you've sailed before, there's always some destination you've never visited or an activity you haven't tried. A single cruise line might call at 20 to 30 different ports in the Caribbean. Although you might think they all look like stock photos of white sand beaches with palm trees and blue skies, each island has its own look, culture and vibe. I've sailed to a large number of those ports and would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite.
These luxurious, intimate ships and itineraries are AFAR’s top picks for exploring the region.
Many of these family-friendly accommodations are near a new-for-the-line outdoor "neighborhood" called Surfside, which is dedicated to families with young children. Surfside features splash areas for babies and kids, pools and lounge spaces for parents, family-friendly eateries and shops, and a bar with "mommy and me" matching mocktails for kids and cocktails for grownups. In short, the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship for you, if you're traveling with children, might not be the same as the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship for a solo traveler or the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship for a retiree. A cruise to Caribbean is filled with exciting destinations, each with its own style and vibe. On the recently renovated SeaDream Yacht Club ships, passengers will truly feel the romance of traveling by sea.
Best for cultural explorers
The latest ship, Norwegian Prima, has begun sailing in the Caribbean and will be joined by brand new sister ship Norwegian Viva in the winter. Both ships have expansive deck space to soak up the sun, and thrill-seekers can try out the first three-level race tracks at sea. For an under-the-billowing-sails experience, it’s hard to top the 342-passenger Wind Surf, the largest sailing ship in the world, with sails that unfurl with the push of a computerized button (or two). There are kayaks and other water sports toys to borrow from the marina and the opportunity to walk barefoot in the sand at laid-back ports.
The very mention of the Caribbean is enough to conjure up images of white sand beaches, turquoise waters that are made for swimming, diving and snorkelling and jugs full of cocktails. The welcome on the islands is as warm as the sunshine and each one has its own characteristics and heritage. One day you can be discovering the secrets of rum-making, the next hiking to spectacular waterfalls and lookout points. Here are the cruise lines to bookmark for the ultimate Caribbean getaway. Geneva-based MSC Group, which also owns European cruise line MSC Cruises, launched Explora Journeys this year in an effort to bring the casual luxury resort experience to the high seas.
So how do you know which ships are the best for The Bahamas and Caribbean cruise destinations? In general, you want a ship that not only gets you to stunning ports of call, but one that makes it a hard choice between getting off the ship or staying onboard to enjoy all the ship has to offer. On select days when the ship is anchored (not docked at a pier) — and the weather, government regulations and planets align — passengers can enjoy varied water sports like stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and swimming right off the back of the ship. You can also lounge on a float or admire the glittering, yacht-dotted harbor from a large foam flotation island. The Bahamas, a series of islands with sparkling waters and pristine beaches, is a top Caribbean cruise destination. Princess Cays, our Private Island resort, calls the Bahamas its home, and our guests get exclusive access to this tropical oasis on almost all Caribbean itineraries.
You'll be hard-pressed to find a cruise line that does not sail to the Caribbean at least for a few months a year. The big-ship lines will station multiple ships in this region year-round, with additional ships swinging by during the colder months. You can find departures from ports as far west as Galveston and as far north as the New York area, but the majority of true Eastern Caribbean cruises set sail from Florida or Puerto Rico. Life is expensive, and it’s so important that we break away from our normal day-to-day lives to reboot. Nothing like a good package deal or budget-friendly cruise gets you into the holiday mood. A cruise lasts two to sixteen days, with stops in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Bahamas.
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With two sea days, the sailing offers a good mix of onboard shenanigans and port-of-call exploration. Party by the pool or swim with stingrays during your day at Virgin Voyages' Bimini Beach Club. Chill out on a powder-white beach or go waterfall hunting in the jungle in the Dominican Republic.
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Virgin took to the Caribbean Sea a few years ago with the aim of disrupting the cruise industry. In short, Virgin comes the closest to offering affordable all-inclusive cruises. With no kids under 18 allowed onboard, the upstart cruise line was and still is a breath of fresh air for cruisers looking for adults-only cruises. An exhilarating sky ride above St Martin is just one of the many shore tours to choose from with this luxury line, with a selection of included excursions at every port. A chairlift transports visitors to reach the Crow’s Nest lookout point perched on Sentry Hill, one of the island’s tallest peaks. Foodies will want to check out a hands-on cookery class with leading Antiguan chef Nicole Arthurton Dennis.
The vessel is one of four in the line's Vision class, featuring ships much smaller than the typical Royal Caribbean vessel. With this class, the experience has more to do with the ports the ships visit than the onboard experience. While the solo cabins on the Quantum-class ships don't come with a dedicated solo lounge as they do on Norwegian ships, solo travelers will find Royal Caribbean-hosted meetups for solo travelers on the vessels. It's a great way for single travelers to find others in the same boat, so to speak. Get on island time and unwind on some of the best beaches in the world, venture deep into the rainforests, and snorkel the most vibrant reefs on a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise getaway with the whole family. You will find your favorite Caribbean cruise ports no matter what direction you go.
