Cruise Suggestions - Eastern Caribbean

[Patios]

Hi all,

My wife and I are new to cruising and will be taking a 10 day Holland America cruise this December to the Eastern Caribbean (San Juan PR, Tortolla, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Half Moon Cay). Does anyone have suggestions or ideas on "things that shouldn't be missed" while in these locations? Would you suggest booking the excursions through the cruise line or work with a travel agent or book things online? Are there any items that we shouldn't forget to bring?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. We can't wait to go.

Pat

 

[grest]

You might go to the boards at www.cruisecritic.com
Lots of invaluable information on all these ports and shore excursions. Have a great trip!
Connie

 

[Judy]

In San Juan, see the fort. At the Tortolla port, I would suggest going to the baths on Virgin Gorda. Since you're new to cruising, if you aren't familiar with the ports, I think the ship's tours would be a good idea. They'll probably cost more than doing it on your own, but you won't waste time trying to find your way around and you're guaranteed not to miss the boat.
Have fun!

 

[dive-in]

The Eastern Caribbean is a shoppers paradise but don't miss the beauty. We've always shopped on St. Maarten and gone to St. John on the St. Thomas stops. St. John is beautiful any time of year. Around 2/3 of it is a National Park. It's probably best to do an onboard excursion. If you go on your own and miss the ferry from St. John back to St. Thomas, they won't wait. It's about a 45 minute ferry from Charlotte Amalie. Shorter to Red Hook but you still have a Taxi from there. The onboard excursions they wait for. You can always hit the shopping at the docks when you return from your excursion to St. John. The beaches on St. John are awesome and usually not crowded.

The one thing I enjoyed on St. Maarten was the America's Cup Regatta. You race with other boats while acting as the crew on yours. You can do as much or as little as you want though. They have jobs to pass drinks to those who are really working.

 

[Patios]

Thank you all for your suggestions. They are very helpful.... Pat

 

[labguides]

Let us know how the cruise goes.

 

[frenchieinme]

You can shop for jewelry REAL inexpensive like in St. Thomas. A $1000 diamond in the USA goes for $200 or $300 on St. Thomas all other things being equal.

A friend of mine bought his wife a 2 & 1/2 carat diamond in St. Thomas for $6,500 and it has consistently appraised at over $20,000.

JMHO of course

frenchieinme