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Tired Of Caribbean Islands? No Problem: We’ll Make More, Say Cruise Lines

by Chris Owen on

After a few sailings in the Caribbean, North American cruise travelers can get tired of going to the same islands. Their cruise vacation may be a great value and easy to do but they want more. The problem is that ships can only go so far before having to turn around and get back in a week, the time most travelers have for vacation. The answer: make more islands.

While the cruise industry has not exactly figured out how to make there be land where there was none before, they have become good at building custom cruise ports. New Banana Coast cruise port in Honduras is a great example.

Beginning construction in 2011, the $30 million Banana Coast cruise destination is scheduled to open in November 2014. Billed as “Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea,” the western Caribbean port already has cruise lines adding Banana Coast as a port of call. So far, Silversea Cruises, Holland America Line and, just this week, Oceania Cruises have committed to regular stops with more lines expected as they roll out future itineraries.When the project is complete, Banana Coast will have a 50,000-square-foot shopping facility and transportation hub, which will take visitors to other places on the island. Possible experiences include a VIP airplane trip to the Mayan ruins, snorkeling, kayaking, ATV rides, a culinary tasting tour and more. The diverse climate and topography of Honduras offers waterfalls, rivers, streams, mountains, a tropical rainforest, a nature reserve, coral reefs and crystal clear waters all at the same destination.

This is not the first man-made Caribbean cruise destination either. The Jamaica port of Falmouth, a joint project between Royal Caribbean International and the Port Authority of Jamaica, is another good example. Reminiscent of the historic 1700’s and 1800’s when Falmouth was the big port for sugar exports worldwide, the port is built to handle Royal Caribbean’s huge Oasis-class ships. The location also allows visitors to do shore excursions from both existing ports of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, each about a half-hour away.

Back in Honduras, the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center is a Carnival Corporation sponsored destination that has welcomed over one million cruise passengers since opening in 2009. The Roatan, Honduras, location is on 20 acres of waterfront property and is an attractive area to visit for guests of Carnival Cruise Lines. In addition, there are sister-lines Seabourn, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Costa Cruises and non-Carnival Corporation vessels.

In the Dominican Republic, construction continues on the Amber Cove Cruise Center, a giant $65 million facility that will be able to accommodate up to 8,000 cruise passengers and 2,000 crew members daily. This one is expected to host more than 250,000 cruise passengers in its first year of operation. Amber Cove will feature a welcome center with a variety of retail offerings, including a marketplace for locally sourced Dominican crafts and souvenirs, as well as a wide range of themed restaurants and bars, water attractions and a transportation hub allowing visitors easy access by land and sea to the surrounding destinations and attractions.

As the high price of airfare continues to keep North American cruise travelers sailing from home ports scattered around the United States, look for these man-made islands to continue gaining popularity.

Another Caribbean destination, which has become increasingly accessible by sea or air is Curacao. Boasting 35 beaches and an eclectic mix of history and culture, the capital city of Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a good choice to visit as we see in this video:

Haiti Bills Itself As The Next Caribbean Vacation Hotspot

by Reena Ganga on

The Caribbean nation of Haiti is launching an ambitious campaign to market the country as a vacation hotspot. Unlike other islands in the region, which draw huge numbers of leisure travelers seeking sun and surf, Haiti is largely overlooked by tourists.

The country is one of the poorest in the Western hemisphere with around 80 percent of its people living in extreme poverty. It was thrown under the spotlight three years ago when an earthquake measuring 7.0 shook the country to its core. The event was a devastating blow to a country already rife with political problems, corruption and natural disasters.

Haiti’s minister of tourism, Stephanie Villedrouin, told NPR that tourism could help locals rebuild their lives and boost the country’s economy.”These revenues for our economy will help us eradicate poverty, and take out people [earthquake victims] from the tents. That’s the message. Don’t just send money through a wire or through an NGO for us. Come and experience Haiti because we have so much to showcase.”

Some of the attraction on offer for visitors are a National Museum, a rum distillery, traditional art, voodoo ceremonies and, of course, miles of Caribbean beach.

Despite that, the country faces a lot of challenges when it comes to marketing itself as a vacation destination. Streets are overflowing with trash and sewage, medical facilities are few and far between, and travelers face a high risk of crime. The US State Department has even issued a travel warning for the country.

As a result, few tourists to Haiti ever leave the fenced-off beach resort built by a cruise company on the island’s north. Getting travelers to step out of the bubble and into the rest of the country will require a massive expansion of the country’s tourism infrastructure. The government hopes to do that by investing in new hotels, airports and a school to train workers in the hospitality industry.

Listen to the full story here:




[Photo credit: Flickr user MichelleWalz]

Three Alternative Caribbean Cruise Ports Worth A Trip In 2013

by Chris Owen on

Caribbean cruise ports get a lot of attention during the winter when freezing temperatures cover a large amount of the United States. Warm, sandy beaches along with some good experiential adventure opportunities bring visitors from around the world. By air or sea, those escaping the winter weather have some great choices in the more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs and cays of the Caribbean sea.

Say “Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Cozumel, St. John, St. Thomas, Costa Maya” or any of the other islands of the Caribbean and most travelers who have been there will recollect a good memory.

Three other ports not normally on the itineraries of large ships (they are too big to dock at the ports) are well worth a longer sailing, as well. Travelers can also get to these islands by air and choose to stay a while.St. Barts
In December through the first week of January or so, ocean-going yachts make St. Barts home and offer plenty to stoke the dreams of boating enthusiasts.

Columbus discovered St. Barts in 1493 and French colonists from nearby St. Kitts first settled it in 1648. The island changed hands several times but was finally given legal status as a Department of France in 1946, much like Americans made Hawaii a state.

Luxury cruise lines SeaDream Yacht Club, Seabourn and Crystal Cruises are among those who sail to St. Barts, also called Saint-Barths or St. Barthelemy.

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Isla Catalina
Isla Catalina is a tropical destination island located on the southeast corner of the Dominican Republic, about 1.5 miles from the mainland and not far from La Alagracia and La Romana.

The coral stone island is home to diverse ecosystems including sand dunes, mangroves and reefs and there are large areas around the island where the water depth is just a few feet thanks to natural sandbars offshore.

Azamara Club Cruises, Windstar Cruises and Holland America Line are among those who visit Isla Catalina

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Bridgetown, Barbados
The city of Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of Barbados located on the island‘s southernmost coast and home to over 80,000 people.

The Sunburry Great House makes for a good day trip, and is also a good example of a Barbadian Sugar Estate Great House.

Celebrity Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Royal Caribbean International are among those cruise lines that visit Bridgetown, Barbados.

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Island life leaves plenty of time for relaxation, taking in the local sights and an interesting activity called “plane spotting” as shown in this video from St. Barts:


[Photo Credit: Whitney Owen]

A Caribbean Cruise Port With Adventure Travelers In Mind

by Chris Owen on

The people that steer cruise ships to Caribbean cruise ports have been looking for new places to send ships for quite some time. Formerly satisfied with the standard fare of Western, Eastern or Southern Caribbean itineraries, cruise travelers are tired of the same old thing and want something different. Cruise lines are delivering, not by just sailing to new, exotic destinations but by building their own.

Banana Coast is the newest western Caribbean cruise port destination at Trujillo, Honduras. One of the first to call, luxury line Silversea with 296-passenger Silver Cloud, scheduled to make its first visit in December 2014.

“We are pleased to have a high-end brand like Silversea Cruises be the first to commit to call at Banana Coast,” said Michael Greve, president of Global Destinations Development, one of the companies involved with developing the port, in a Travel Pulse report. “It’s a testament to how we have carefully created a destination that is culturally and historically appealing to the most sophisticated travelers.”

When the project is complete, the Banana Coast cruise destination will have a 50,000-square-foot shopping facility and transportation hub, and be far more than other cruise line made islands. Boasting “something for everyone,” it looks like this one really will be via its “Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea” theme.
“We have met with several other cruise lines and have hosted site inspections by cruise line executives,” said Greve. “We expect that several lines soon will commit to adding Banana Coast to their itineraries.”

Ten acres of beachfront land is just the start for the Banana Coast. Enabling travelers to experience the pristine area from air, land and sea, “shore excursions” are more than a ride around the island in a tour bus.

A VIP airplane trip to Mayan ruins, snorkeling, kayaking, ATV rides, a culinary tasting tour and more will be available to adventure travelers. Waterfalls, rivers, streams, mountains, a tropical rainforest, a nature reserve, coral reefs and crystal clear waters should make this destination one to visit.

This one just might have it all.

Oh, and there is some fair surfing there too, as we see in this video:


[Photo Credit – Flickr user Josiah Townsend]

Mystery Sickness Identified On Caribbean Islands

by Chris Owen on

Starting last week, a mystery sickness in the Turks and Caicos islands has been targeting tourists, leaving residents of the popular island chain unaffected. It’s the kind of story that tourism officials – who paint their attractions as picturesque and pleasant – don’t want floating around. But search as they did, no one could identify the illness. Today, with the help of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), epidemiologists have identified the mystery illness.

Recently referred to as the “cruise ship sickness,” the Norovirus at work in the Turks and Calicos island chain is accurately referred to as the “hospital illness.”

Happening in close-environment situations, the virus is at its worst in nursing homes, hospitals, cruise ships and schools. Official recommendations to avoid it on an island are the same as for cruise ships: practice safe sanitation and wash hands frequently.

This is the kind of thing that cuts cruises short. Ships that have an outbreak mid-sailing commonly stay at sea to avoid contaminating those ashore, or head back to port. Once there, a hazardous materials-type operation is performed, decontaminating the ship from top to bottom, leaving no surface untouched. We’re not sure how you do that to an island but the illness has not stopped the PR hoopla.

“The entire country remains appreciative of your patronage and understanding during this period,” said the Turks and Caicos tourist board in a statement reported by Caribbean360. “We wish to reassure you that the Turks and Caicos Islands is a safe and warm destination to visit.”



Flickr photo by zanzibar