Southern Caribbean Cruise - what are the highlights we should take in and/or avoid?

Question

We are going on a Southern Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale, going to: Antigua, Barbados, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, St. Thomas (USVI) and Princess Cays (private cruiseline island). We want to see as much as we can in a relatively short amount of time; being previous cruisers, we know onboard excursions are more expensive and limited, and we want to make the most of our time. What tours or sights would you recommend, and do you recommend booking onshore with local taxis/guides? (We know that if there are delays with a personally organized tour and you miss your ship, that YOU incur the cost, but we also want to have a richer time than what a commercialized tour would provide us).

Answer 1

Antigua boasts of 365 beaches. One for every day of the year. But I would head right for Dickenson Bay, if you are looking for a day at the beach.

The zip line tours are getting very popular and alot of fun.

Here is one to check out in Antigua.

Rainforest Canopy Tours http://www.antiguarainforest.com

Barbados also has great beaches and good shopping but they have a natural wonder that is famous. Harrison'Cave,

is a very unique cave. check it out on this site.

http://www.barbados.org/hcave.htm

St Kitts/Nevis, I would reserve a car/jeep and check out the island. It's a lush tropical paradise.

St Lucia is a beautiful island. water sports,diving,fishing,biking and hiking are the main activities.

St Thomas is known for  duty free shopping and good prices. When your finished shopping go for a island lunch at the famous Cuzzin on back street. If you are up to a beach day, check out Megan Bay or Coki Beach for some snorkeling.

A good site to check out for ship excursions is

http://www.cruisecritic.com

Enjoy)