Viator Travel Blog

When packing for a Caribbean cruise, you’ll need to think of your wardrobe for your cruise vacation in three different components: days at sea, days in port and evening attire. What you’ll want to wear for each of these parts of your cruise will differ; here are tips on how to pack for each one to make sure all your cruise moods and activities are covered.

There’s no doubt about it – the Caribbean is a long-standing bastion of sun, sand and that unmistakable rippling blue water. From tales of swashbuckling pirates to Jimmy Buffet’s rummy good times accompanied by a steel drum backdrop – if you’ve never been to the Caribbean, you’re in for the treat of a lifetime. The Caribbean is a perfect spot for getting away from it all. And while getting away from it all sounds exotic (and it is), it doesn’t have to break the bank. There are ways around spending a fortune to get to some beautiful island escapes. Here are some of the best ways to get to experience the Caribbean on a budget.

Slower travelers—those interested in staying for more than a day in port—can find a less polished St. Kitts, one that overflows with quintessentially Caribbean sights, sounds and flavors.

Grenada is one of those places that defy reason. It boasts pristine beaches, endless outdoor adventure, and a vibrant population of warm, welcoming locals, yet the Caribbean island of Grenada (not to be confused with the Spanish city of Granada) barely registers on the radars of many seasoned Caribbean travelers. But their loss is your gain because this lush volcanic isle in the far southeastern Caribbean might just be one of the best off-the-beaten-track escapes you’ve never heard of, and with easy direct flights from the US to boot.

Each of the 22 island territories of the Caribbean has added its own individual style to its own cooking; few islands produce exactly the same dishes although strong mutual roots are evident.

When researching islands in the Caribbean for vacation, you might not immediately think of Trinidad and Tobago. But since they (especially Trinidad) have an economy that is not tourism-based, you get a chance to experience a different kind of not-specially-engineered-for-tourists Caribbean island, and you might just be surprised at what you find. The archipelagic nation also lies outside of what in the Caribbean is called the “hurricane belt,” which is a big advantage over some of its northern neighbors. If off-the-beaten path sounds like your kind of Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago could be your perfect slice of paradise.

Welcome to the 2012 Viator Travel Awards: Caribbean Edition! In the past, we’ve focused on specific tours for each item on this list, but this year we thought we’d feature some of the top things to do in 25 of the most exciting places to visit in the Caribbean. The Caribbean spans over hundreds of islands. These islands range from tiny to expansive and offer a diverse range of activities. From adrenaline junkies looking for their next daring adventure to shoppers hoping to find that perfect travel souvenir, plus lots of hiking and nature found in between, the Caribbean does not disappoint, regardless of one’s activity level.

Multigenerational travel is quite the buzz word in tourism these days, but it’s really just a fancy term for getting the whole extended family together for a trip. That’s not to say that this is easy though. Planning our 12-person, 3-generation cruise to Bermuda was one of the most difficult projects I’ve ever undertaken (and I was a Project Manager for 25 years!). But the results exceeded every expectation.

One great thing about a Caribbean cruise is that it is a vacation that provides entertainment for both adults and children alike. Many ships have a kid’s club, which will entertain the pint-sized passengers while parents get some alone time to explore the ship’s lounges and pools – many ships even have adult-only areas.

Onshore, however, there isn’t an easy divide of activities to separately entertain kids and adults.

With its vast expanses of snow-white sand lined with palm trees and piña coladas topped with colorful umbrellas, the Caribbean is every tropical island cliché brought to life. Unfortunately, paradise comes with some pitfalls, including a location spread across one of the world’s most active hurricane belts. But for all the storm warnings sprawled across the headlines, traveling the Caribbean in hurricane season is not as dangerous as you might expect—in fact, it’s a great time for budget savvy travelers to grab some of the best bargains. There are other benefits that come with the hurricane season too, like the low crowds at some of the most popular resorts, the low humidity and some of the most favorable weather (when it’s good, of course).