Cruise the Caribbean

The main advantage of big ships is that it’s essentially a floating resort, packed with bars and restaurants, complimentary kids’ clubs, evening entertainment and daytime activities. Days at sea between ports can be as lively or as laid-back as you like.

Several of the islands are well equipped to handle big ships, among them Barbados, Antigua, St Maarten, the US Virgin Islands, New Providence in the Bahamas, St Kitts and Jamaica. In each, you’ll find a vast range of activities, from snorkelling and kayaking to hiking, horse riding and visits to plantation houses, rum distilleries and historical forts.

The big cruise lines have their own private islands or beaches, too; Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay is a luxurious resort offering everything from zip-lining to overwater cabanas. Disney Cruise Line, MSC, NCL, Virgin and Carnival Cruise Line also have private islands offering the experience of a day in a luxurious resort.

Smaller ships offer many advantages over their bigger counterparts.

They can visit Caribbean islands beyond the reach of bigger vessels. They can stop in secluded anchorages or fit into harbours that are off limits to their larger sisters.

You might thread your way through the Grenadines, visiting tiny Bequia and the gorgeous Tobago Cays, for example, or explore hideaways in the British Virgin Islands such as Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. Small ships can call at swish St Barths, or sleepy Anguilla and even the volcanic island of Montserrat.

These are places big ships generally can’t offer, so you won’t have a sense of being lost in a crowd. There’s also the sense of a more authentic experience on smaller, quieter islands.

Small ships don’t overwhelm tiny ports, either. There’s flexibility in the itinerary, should you need to change course for any reason. Best of all, some small ships have swim platforms at the back so you can dive straight into the blue Caribbean on swimming stops.

Expedition ships occasionally pass through the Caribbean, too, as they’re positioning between Antarctica and the Arctic, offering one-way voyages between smaller ports and often delving deep into the history, culture and nature of the region rather than focusing only on beaches.

Culturally-orientated lines visit the islands, too; Noble Caledonia, known for its high-brow cruises, has several itineraries visiting off-the-beaten-track islands.

You could also opt for a fully-rigged, tall ship, or ‘clipper’. These authentic ships, modelled on the original ‘greyhounds of the sea’ from the early 20th century, fly over the water with no sound but the waves, wind and creak of the lines. There are few seagoing experiences as romantic as this.