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5 Best and 5 Worst Things About Caribbean Cruises. Know Before You Go!

Tips For Travellers
Tips For Travellers
🥈Expert
👁️ 256K views📅 7 years ago⏱️ 10:34

Key Moments

Editorial Summary

Gary Bembridge provides an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of cruising in the Caribbean. He highlights several benefits, including the variety of itineraries across the Eastern, Western, and Southern Caribbean regions. Travelers can choose from approximately 24 different cruise lines catering to various budgets and atmospheres. The ease of access through Florida ports and the convenience of using the US dollar across many islands are also noted as significant positives. Additionally, the lack of repetitive immigration processes once onboard simplifies the travel experience. Conversely, the creator identifies several drawbacks, such as extreme crowding in popular ports when multiple large ships arrive simultaneously. He mentions concerns regarding petty crime in certain islands and criticizes the heavy emphasis on shopping promoted by cruise lines and port malls. The experience of being hassled by vendors on beaches and the tendency for different islands to feel homogeneous due to similar excursions and commercialization are also cited as downsides. Ultimately, he suggests that understanding these factors helps travelers make better decisions, though he maintains that the Caribbean remains a fantastic destination.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.

What This Creator Said
Creator RecommendsTips & Advice🥈Expert Creator
CaribbeanVeteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

I love cruising the Caribbean and would recommend it despite the good and bad

the best time to go in my personal opinion is if you can early December because the weather's fantastic and it's before the big crowds

the worst thing of all of a Caribbean cruise is the crowds and how busy it is

one of the worst things about cruising the Caribbean is the reports and the news and the concern that crime is growing across the islands

Creator's Tips & Advice

Think about the type of experience you want because there is plenty of choice and options
Be sensible and careful when visiting islands with reported crime issues
Ignore the shopping obsession and avoid the shopping expeditions

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Crowds and busy portsLook at smaller cruise lines like Azamara to avoid crowds and go to more unusual places
Crime on islandsBe sensible and careful, as crime is mostly petty like pickpocketing
Islands blurring into oneRecognize that islands are similar, but some like St. Lucia and Barbados are more memorable

Questions This Creator Answers

QWhat are the five best things about a Caribbean cruise?
QWhat are the five worst things about a Caribbean cruise?
QWhat should you know before going on a Caribbean cruise?

Topics Covered

Port Destination2½ Happy BaconItinerary Route3 Happy BaconCrowd Capacity3½ Sad BaconValue Pricing1½ Happy Bacon

Port Highlights

Fort Lauderdale2½ Happy Bacon
Havana1½ Happy Bacon
Miami2½ Happy Bacon
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
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Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

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Video content sourced from the creator's original upload. Watch on YouTube