Revealed: Caribbean's most popular cruise ports for shore excursions

Sophie Chichester

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The Caribbean is famously blessed with soaring palm trees, sugar-soft sands and turquoise, clear waters, but there's plenty more to discover in this popular cruising destination that can't simply be admired from your balcony or top-deck Jacuzzi.

All cruise lines offer a wealth of shore excursions, from historical tours to beach club days, so travellers' diverse needs are nearly always well met.

To find out which excursions you should consider visiting on your next cruise, we've analysed social media posts, cruiser reviews and Google searches to bring you the Caribbean's 17 most talked-about cruise ports for shore excursions according to real people like you.

Our comprehensive rankings highlight the cruise excursion hotspots that really deliver. So, without further ado, let's jump in and discover the 17 most genuinely popular cruise ports for shore excursions in the Caribbean today.

• Caribbean's favourite stops for excursions
• Top cruise destinations in the Caribbean
• About Caribbean shore excursions
• Methodology & sources

Caribbean's favourite shore excursion ports

Whether you're a foodie, a water baby or a history buff, there's a Caribbean shore excursion that will take your fancy. Why not swim with sea turtles in Barbados? Ride on a century-old scenic railway in St Kitts? Or embark on a rum tour in... well, nearly any island in the Caribbean?

To discover the most popular Caribbean cruise destinations, we considered metrics including search volume, social posts, shore excursion reviews and cruiser port ratings to calculate our final score:

Top cruise destinaions in the Caribbean

Learn more about some of the most popular cruise ports in the Caribbean for shore excursions below, with our deepdive into our top destinations.

Bridgetown, Barbados

Bridgetown overflows with Bajan history and culture (although the port itself is fairly industrial). Discover local beauty on an island outing, visiting natural wonders such as stalactite-packed Harrison's Cave and postcard-perfect beaches (Crane Beach and Carlisle Bay are among the best).

Adventurous spirits can explore the interior on 4x4 Jeep safaris or snorkel with marine life. For a spot of time travel, take a walking tour of Bridgetown (it's a UNESCO World Heritage site) to admire landmarks such as the Parliament House and St Michael's Cathedral.

Thirsty? Get on a trip featuring a rum distillery. Peckish? Chow down on traditional dishes like comfort food cou-cou or famous Bajan fish sandwiches.

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Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis

Basseterre is the charming capital of St Kitts and Nevis. Explore the former's colonial history at Brimstone Hill Fortress, the "Gibraltar of the West Indies", or swot up on wearable art at Romney Manor.

Expect beaches galore; Cockleshell Beach, South Friars Beach and South Frigate Bay Beach are beloved spots, while adventure-cravers can enjoy zip-lining, ATV tours (look out for green monkeys), or hiking Mount Liamuiga Volcano.

Train it on the St Kitts Scenic Railway, originally built to transport sugarcane, for breathtaking views or join an eco-tour to ogle the island's flora and fauna. It's worth noting that St Kitts is considered a good island to explore via an independent operator should your cruise line not offer what you want.

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Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

During your cruise call to Philipsburg, you can relax on beautiful beaches like Orient Beach and Mullet Bay or embark on catamaran sailing adventures to explore secluded coves. Thrill-seekers can zipline through rainforest canopies, jet ski along the coastline or hop onto a horse.

Alternatively, simply head to Maho Beach and wait for the planes to fly in over your heads! A walking tour of Philipsburg teaches you about Dutch colonial history while snorkelling in Little Bay gets you up close to tropical fish, sea turtles and maybe even stingrays.

Culinary tours guarantee tastes of local specialities (johnny cakes, saltfish and guavaberry liqueur are all worth sampling) and Topper's Rhum distillery pumps out some of the best rum in the Caribbean. Sint Maarten is deemed a safe island where going DIY and travelling around by taxi is popular with cruisers.

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San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's capital houses some of the oldest buildings in the Western Hemisphere. Check out Old San Juan's colourful pastel buildings, historic forts like Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and the abundant El Yunque National Forest (a much-lauded adventure by cruise fans).

Shore excursions offer adventures such as bioluminescent kayaking, snorkelling at Condado Beach and horseback riding in Campo Rico.

Food lovers can tuck into local delicacies like plantain-based mofongo and visit the Bacardi distillery for rum tastings. Coffee-tasting walking tours celebrate one of the island's main crops. If your ship is staying late or overnight, the nightlife is excellent here, too; perhaps it's time to perfect your salsa?

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Oranjestad, Aruba

Aruba has nailed sun sea and sand: from gorgeous white beaches like MooMba Beach, where you can relax with a tropical drink and listen to Caribbean music to marine-life-packed diving and snorkelling at De Palm Island (keep your eyes peeled for the blue parrotfish); there's even a War II-era German shipwreck to explore in Aruba.

On dry land, there's horseback riding through Arikok National Park taking in the island's natural beauty, while off-road Land Rover tours scout historical sites and impressive landscapes. If your shore excursion includes a sunset cruise you might end the day unwinding on a catamaran with cocktails or enjoying a beachside barbecue.

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Kralendijk, Bonaire

The Southern Caribbean island of Bonaire is known as a diver's paradise, so your cruise port in Kralendijk is the ideal jumping-off point (although there's not much to do at the port itself so excursions are encouraged).

Spend your day on breathtaking white-sand beaches like Spice Beach or Coco Beach or experience Bonaire's renowned underwater beauty through snorkelling and diving trips. There are also options for glass-bottom boat rides or yacht cruising to explore the 63 official dive sites.

Off-road adventures lay bare the island's rugged interior complete with ancient caves and oo-look-at-that wildlife (think multi-hued iguanas, wild donkeys and pink flamingos). Guided sightseeing tours also provide insight into Bonaire's history and culture.

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Castries, St Lucia

Cruise to St Lucia and you'll be greeted by Instagram-worthy white-sand beaches, verdant rainforests and the celebrated Pitons, two volcanic mountains and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Once a French settlement, St Lucia's history is visible through architecture and cuisine. Shore excursions range from trolley tours in Castries to catamaran cruises to the Pitons. There's more ziplining and snorkelling in marine reserves to be done here too but, for something different, swing by Sulphur Springs' drive-in volcano.

Delve into local culture with a batik workshop or relax at stunning Marigot Bay, one of the prettiest in the Caribbean. Fuel up on local dishes like saltfish and conch, and get to know the erstwhile capital Soufrière, where you'll find plenty of coastal characterful shops, bars and restaurants.

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About shore excursions in the Caribbean

Shore excursions can range in duration (half day, full day etc), ability (some might require a minimum level of fitness) and inclusions (it may or may not include lunch, for instance), so it's vital you check what yours offers before you commit to purchasing.

On this note, shore excursions can be pretty pricey, depending on your cruise line (generally the more luxurious your brand, the higher the prices) and many Caribbean islands are explorable off your own bat if you're feeling independent.

However, organised excursions do take much of the stress away from sorting it yourself. Plus, if you're delayed coming back on a cruise line trip your ship will never leave without you (which it might if you go it alone and return late, although this is rare!).

Remember, the most exciting-sounding day trips may well get snapped up so be sure to book them in^* as soon as you can.

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Methodology & sources

We began ranking the most popular cruise ports for shore excursions in the Caribbean by compiling a list of cruise ports offered by TUI's Marella Cruises. We choose to exclude destinations on the fringes of the Caribbean such as the Bahamas and Mexico along with Central America.

We then evaluated each cruise port based on several key metrics: average Google monthly search volume (data from Semrush), the number of Instagram posts, number of shore excursion reviews and cruiser rating (data from Cruise Critic).

The final score for each cruise port was calculated as the sum of these metrics with the number of excursion reviews weighted by the cruise rating, providing a comprehensive measure of its popularity. Data, reviews and ratings were extracted in September 2024.

Average search volume

We extracted data from Semrush, the leading search tool for precise and up-to-date Google search data. The search volume is global, meaning it covers Google searches from all over the world.

To calculate the monthly search volume for each cruise port, we included keywords in English with possible variations in destination name including country name, island name, port name (and variations) combined with suitable search terms such as "excursions" and "cruise port".

For example, for St Lucia, we included search terms such as "St Lucia cruise excursions" and "St Lucia cruise port" as well as "Castries cruise excursions", "Castries cruise port".

Instagram posts

We counted the number of times the given cruise port was hashtagged, as Instagram does not allow counting the actual number of posts about a port, which may or may not contain hashtags.

Once again, we accounted for variations in phrasing and names. For instance, for Mercado de San Miguel, we included hashtags like #stluciaexcursions, #stluciacruiseport, #castriesexcursions and #castriescruiseport.

Shore excursion reviews & ratings

Here, we simply looked at the total number of short excursion reviews left by Cruise Critic users for each cruise port. This straightforward metric clearly reflected the engagement and popularity of the cruise port among visitors. This was weighted by the Cruise Critic ratings for each port.

Final score

The final score for each cruise port was calculated as the sum of these three metrics, providing a comprehensive measure of each port's popularity for shore excursions.

Found your perfect port? Check out the latest offers on ocean cruises worldwide for 2024/2025 from leading cruise lines.

Sophie Chichester

Posted on Monday 30th September 2024

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