Top free Caribbean beaches for a Royal Caribbean cruise

In:
26 Oct 2017
By: 
Matt Hochberg

There are lots of great activities to enjoy while visiting the ports of call on a cruise to the Eastern or Western Caribbean, including spending the day at the beach.

A day at the beach can come in many different ways, and prices, but nearly every Caribbean port has at least a few beaches open to the public and we took some time to list some of the more popular ones.  In many cases, there are more beaches without an admission fee, so consider this list a jumping off point.

We should also define the word, "free" before the comments section of this blog post erupts with corrections.  We are defining a "free beach" as any beach in which it costs you nothing to sit down on the sand and enjoy the surf and sand.  There are some inherit costs associated with a day at the beach that are simply part of anywhere you go, such as transportation to/from the cruise terminal, food and drinks, chair/umbrella rental, etc.   

It is also worth noting in many ports, all beaches are technically open to the public, but facilities and other amenities offered may not available to you. 

Nassau, Bahamas

Junkanoo Beach

Cabbage Beach

Cozumel

Playa Palancar

Playa Azul

Costa Maya

Mahahual

Grand Cayman

Public Beach

Falmouth

Burwood Beach

St. Thomas

All the beaches in the Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas, are public.

Lindquist Beach

Emerald Beach

St. Maarten

Maho Beach

Orient Beach

San Juan, Puerto Rico

All beaches on Puerto Rico, even those situated near luxury hotels, are open to the public.

Public bathing beaches, with lifeguards and facilities, are called balnearios and charge for parking and for use of lockers and showers. Admission to the beach is free.

El Escambrón public beach

Isla Verde public beach

Roatan

All beaches on Roatan are supposed to be open to the public, but we have heard of some resorts in West Bay circumventing this.  The West End beaches, however, tend to be open and not charge entry fees to go to the beach.

Camp Bay public beach

Did we miss a great public beach? Tell us about it in the comments!


Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis.  He has become one of the foremost experts on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Over the years, he has reached Pinnacle Club status with Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program.

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