One of the top reasons people book a cruise are the places you can visit, including some truly hidden gems.
The Caribbean is a year-round cruise destination that attracts millions of cruise ship passengers, and while most are content with the usual spots, there are unique and less popular Caribbean ports that seasoned cruisers love to visit.
Part of the appeal is these spots are less busy than other ports, and they also offer a more authentic or down to earth stay. While exciting tours that involve an adrenaline rush or busy cities is quite popular, some cruisers prefer a quaint tropical island vibe.
It's also fair to say the more you cruise, the greater your appetite for something different. While I enjoy going to Cozumel, Mexico over and over, it's always a pleasure to mix things up and try somewhere new or different.
In fact, many people that cruise a lot will search Royal Caribbean's deployments for unique itineraries that include a visit to an uncommon port. Or, they'll opt to take an excursion that brings them to a less busy spot.
Here are three ports that are worth a visit over the usual tourist spots when you take a cruise.
St. John
If your ship visits St. Thomas, you could take a short ferry ride over to neighboring St. John for an unspoiled beach day.
While there are beautiful beaches all around the Caribbean, none can compare to St. John's beaches in my opinion. Between the water color and clarity, it's exactly the look you'd expect from a beach when imagining the Caribbean.
Nearly all of St. John is a protected national park, and that means there's very few people on the island. The beaches are pristine and lack many of the amenities you'd find at a beach in St. Thomas.
There are many beaches to consider around St. John, but the top two for cruise ship visitors tend to be Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay Beach. There are more facilities at Trunk Bay, and it's closer to the ferry station.
The chief downside to St. John is getting there. Because it requires a ferry ride, you need to time your visits properly to ensure you can get back and forth without being late to the cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean usually offers a few excursions to St. John that include the ferry ride, and it's the simplest way to make a day there.
If you wanted to get there on your own, you could take a taxi to Red Hook and buy a round-trip ferry ticket.
If a ride over to St. John seems too much, you could take a water taxi to Water Island, which is even closer to St. Thomas, and also quite beautiful.
Nevis
Another "do this, not that" island combination is when visiting St. Kitts and Nevis.
Some cruisers elect to take a ferry over to Nevis, where you can enjoy time at one of the beautiful beaches there.
The ferry ride to Nevis takes about 45 minutes each way, and Royal Caribbean offers excursions that visit Nevis.
You can reach the ferry port on your own by walking downtown. It's about a third of a mile walk from Port Zante, or you could take a taxi.
Once you get to Nevis, a popular choice is to visit Oualie Beach for its black-sand beach.
A non-beach idea for a day in Nevis is to visit Alexander Hamilton's birthplace. The famous founding father of the United States grew up on Nevis until he was about 7 years old.
There's actually a museum dedicated to Hamilton, and it's a popular spot for fans of the musical.
The catamaran excursions that take you to Nevis are probably the simplest way to reach the island. Plus, many end the tour at Sunshine's on Nevis. Try a killer bee cocktail (you won't regret it).
Antigua
Among the Southern Caribbean ports you can visit, my favorite has to be Antigua. It features the idyllic beaches you expect, plus unlike the other islands in this article, no ferry ride!
Antigua claims there are 365 beaches around the island, which means there is one beach every day of the year. I'm not sure that statistic has been fact checked, but they do have a lot of pristine beaches to try.
The benefit of having so many beaches is it spreads people around. Rather than one or two well-known beaches, you can find a great beach that is less crowded.
Royal Caribbean almost built a beach club in Antigua, but even without that distinction, it's a great beach day visit.
My go-to spot in Antigua is Valley Church Beach because it has powdery white sand, smooth aquamarine water, and fantastic views.
Honorable mentions
There are two other islands I wanted to include, but they're pretty rare to be able to visit on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Nonetheless, if you do have the chance, I would jump at giving it a try.
Anguilla
From St. Maarten, you can take a ferry or catamaran to Anguilla.
Royal Caribbean offers a "Anguilla Sun, Sand and Sea" shore excursion that will take you to Meads Bay.
Dominica
Select Southern Caribbean cruises stop at Roseau, Dominica where you can explore the nicknamed "Nature Island".
Instead of beaches, there is a rainforest, tall mountains, and majestic waterfalls to explore.
There are thermal springs, river tubing, rainforests and more to explore.
Antigua is found on only a handful of Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries, so you'll want to dig to find a sailing that goes here.
