Best Cruise Destinations: Unveiling the Top 10 Caribbean Islands for Your Perfect Voyage

Are you planning a Caribbean cruise ship?

You are in the right corner; here you will discover top 10 Caribbean islands to visit on a cruise, so that you can select the most suitable one according to your interests:

Cuba

Cuba is the destination number one in the Caribbean, for its combination of historical heritage and natural scenery. Most cruise ships visiting Cuba, take a look at least three destinations: Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba.

A walking process through the streets of Havana with its 1950s American cars defying the weather is definitely a one of prefect experience, although it is also well worth a long walk along the Malecón in the late afternoon, a visit to a cigar factory, a visit to the Plaza de la Revolución and the Capitol and, noblesse dandy oblige, a cocktail at the Hotel Inglaterra.

Antigua and Barbuda

This independent two-island nation is known for its 365 beaches, every one of which would be a reason to visit take a look and enjoy the life difference in this place , but it also has other charming things to do, from Victorian mansions in its capital Saint John to tropical rainforest in its interior, and that’s why it’s considered one of the best Caribbean islands to visit and enjoy on a cruise.

Antigua is part of the Leeward Islands group in the northeastern Caribbean and therefore hosts the famous Classic Yacht Regatta during Yachting Week each year, which attracts yachtsmen from all over the world.

Among the activities and tours that can be done on a cruise visit, easily from St. John, are swimming with stingrays in Stingray City, visiting Nelson’s Dockyard, the only working Georgian shipyard in the world and a UNESCO-listed heritage site, catching a bottle of English Harbour, the island’s most famous rum, or touring an old sugar plantation with antique mills.

Martinica

Martinica went down in history as the site of the only volcanic disaster on French soil, when in 1902 Mount Pelee unleashed an eruption that destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, but today, now calmer, it offers hikes that climb to the top and the views are incredible.

The ruins of St. Pierre, like a Pompeii of the Caribbean, are the most famous excursion for those arriving by cruise ship in Martinique. History buffs can also visit the Musee de la Pagerie, none other than the hut where Marie Joseph Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, the future wife of Napoleon and Empress of France, was born in 1763. Stretching around the southern tip of the island, Les Salines beach is a great place to rest, relax, swim, snorkel and drink (preferably rum punches) all day long.

Dominica

Dominica is a mountainous island with dramatic scenery, largely located by rainforest, volcanic activity and home to endangered species such as sea turtles.

What makes Dominica one of the perfect Caribbean islands to visit on a cruise is the possibility of going up the Indian River, one of the purest rivers in the Caribbean, where you can see crabs, turtles and iguanas.

Grand Turk

Grand Turk Island is a must stop for diving fanatics, because its coral reefs hide and protect a huge variety of colorful marine fauna, but there is much more. First, this island of 3600 residents is one of the quietest in the Caribbean.

In 1962, John Glenn landed off the shores of Grand Turk’s west coast in the Friendship 7 Mercury probe after a mission orbiting the earth. There is a replica of the spacecraft near the entrance to the Grand Turk airport.

What to say about the beaches of Grand Turk? Sun Ray Beach has nice warm, clear waters and a white sandy beach, and is meters from the harbor where cruise ships arrive, but if you want a more secluded experience, I recommend taking a cab to the north of the island at Governor’s Beach. It is only 1.5 km from the center.

Saint Martin

This island is a unique case, being the only land border between two members of the European Union, but outside Europe. The northern side, Saint-Martin, belongs to France, while the southern side, Sint Maarten, belongs to the Netherlands.

The island has two ports, Phillipsburg on the Dutch side and Marigot on the French side. It is a classic to watch the airplanes pass over Maho Beach, which is next to the airport. The bars even publish the landing schedules of the different airlines along with the price of their drinks.

Of the two developments, those arriving by cruise ship will be closer to Phillipsburg, which is also famous for its duty free shops and watch and jewelry stores.

As for the best beaches in Saint-Martin, thanks to its long stretch of soft white sand, sparkling sapphire water and sheltered coves, Mullet Bay is a perfect place to spend a sunny day. Surrounded by an 18 hole golf course and lined with groves of palm trees it is a prized area for locals and a popular swimming spot thanks to its crystal-clear and calm waters.

Bahamas

With more than 700 islands and cays, the Bahamas is one of the best Caribbean islands to visit by cruise ship. It has dozens of beaches with white or pink sand to show off but also historical sites such as Parliament Square, with a whole battery of English colonial buildings to visit in Nassau, the capital.

With a little more time, Andros Reef, the third largest barrier reef in the world, a 225 km long coral forest full of sponge grottoes. One of the most worthwhile excursions is to Pink Sands Beach in the Harbour Islands, where the sand sparkles pink due to the pulverization of the coral.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, with incredible history and its walls and bastions unsurpassed in atmosphere, as well as that hybrid Latin-American soul. In San Juan, the capital, it is essential to visit the fort of San Felipe del Morro and San Cristobal, which came to align 450 cannons in the golden colonial era, when England and Spain disputed the Caribbean.

Among the best excursions to do in Puerto Rico, it is recommended to do snorkeling in Culebra Island, where it is also possible to see war tanks abandoned on the beach by the U.S. Marines, who used the area as a firing range until a few decades ago.

Anguilla

Anguilla is something of an up-and-coming destination, but with one of the best beaches in the Caribbean, with finer sands and calmer shades of sea. It belongs to the British Commonwealth and is just 16 miles long. Cruise ships usually dock at Sandy Ground, but its capital is Valley.

Wall Bake House is the only surviving plantation-era mansion. For beaches, the best are Shoal Bay East, Meads Bay and Rendezvous Bay. But it is also possible to trek to Katouche Cave, a stalactite cave in the middle of the jungle.

Granada

The island of Grenada is one of the best islands in the Western Caribbean to visit on a cruise, with a past linked to the cultivation of spices. Founded in 1649 by Jacques du Parquet and with Saitn George as its capital, the island continues to base its economy on the export of cocoa, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon.

But it’s not all spice, Grenada has some of the most paradisiacal beaches in the Caribbean, such as Grand Anse, famous for its soft sands and blue snorkeling holes, or the more remote La Sagesse, which requires a short jungle hike to merit its shelter and calm.

Grenada is an island famous for its waterfalls. Even if you have little time, you should not miss natural gems such as Annandale Waterfalls.