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St. Thomas - Circuitboi's Rating: 5+
We went to Paradise Point in the morning and Magen's Bay in the afternoon. We had been to downtown Charlotte Amalie on a previous visit and knew there was nothing to see but jewelry shops. If you haven't been to Paradise Point, you haven't really seen the beauty of this island. St. Thomas has this unique Mediterranean charm and blends Caribbean influence and American culture in a way no other island does. The gondola ride to Paradise Point was definitely worth the 15 dollars and short walk from the cruise pier. Magen's Bay was pretty and relaxing, definitely worth the trip, too. We hope to return to St. Thomas in December and maybe take a trip to St. John.
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Dominica - Circuitboi's Rating: 5.0
Dominica is a beautiful island with lush, green forests and unspoiled beauty that has no rivals except maybe St. Lucia. We took the 'Emerald Pool and Beach' excursion through Carnival and enjoyed every minute of it. The tour guide was quite knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. We toured the Botanical Gardens, drove through coconut, banana, and pineapple plantations, walked through the rainforest, and swam in the Emerald Pool. The walk was quite pleasant although the steps leading to the Emerald Pool were slippery. The water was cold, indeed, but not as cold as other reviewers had led us to believe. The locals believe that a swim in the pool makes you ten years younger. Finally, we went to Mero beach, a volcanic rocky black sand beach near the town of St. Joseph. The sand was hot!
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Barbados - Circuitboi's Rating: 3.0
Barbados is probably the second most developed island after St. Thomas but definitely not as beautiful as Dominica or St. Lucia. We went to Boatyard Beach, a white sand beach with crystal clear waters, and had a great time. The beach is a five-minute cab ride away from the cruise pier for $3 pp. Entrance is $10 pp which includes two chairs, an umbrella, complimentary drinks (try the Shark Bite or Mount Gay rum punch) and a free ride back to the ship. The gift shop attendant was very nice and answered many of our questions about the island. The beach is great but the local vendors offering water sports and seling souvenirs can be quite annoying. Be prepared to be asked every 20 minutes or so if you want to have some fun, in other words, buy something or rent a jet ski. The cruise terminal was big, with many shops offering a great variety of merchandise.
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St. Lucia - Circuitboi's Rating: 4.0
St. Lucia is just a pretty as Dominica but tourism is much better developed. We booked the 'Aerial Tram' shore excursion through Carnival and enjoyed a pleasant and informative 90-minute gondola ride above the rainforest. Our travel companions went on the 'Land and Sea' combo, again through Carnival, and came back raving about it. They said they would go back and spend a week on the island. There are many shops conveniently located at the end of the cruise pier.
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Antigua - Circuitboi's Rating: 4.0
Antigua lived up to its reputation as 'the island with 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.' We went horseback riding in the morning, booked through Carnival, and enjoyed a pleasant ride from Runaway Beach to Fort James and back. At the very end, they allowed us to unsaddle the horses and ride on your own risk but few people took advantage of this opportunity. The white sand beach was very pretty. In the afternoon, we took the 'Miniboats and Hidden Beaches' shore excursion, again through Carnival, and had fun. We took a bus rid to the town of Parham on the northeast coast and got the opportonity to be the captains of our own 'vessels', small inflatable boats that seat only two peope. We followed our guide into open water to the tiny Bird Island and spent about an hour on small beach there. We would definitely return to Antigua to visit Nelson's Dockyard and do the miniboats again.
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St. Kitts - Circuitboi's Rating: 3.0
St. Kitts is a small and relatively undeveloped island, with a big mountain in the middle and one main road circling the coast. Most people live on the Caribbean side of the island. We took the Scenic Rail Tour of the island; it was the best way to see the island and mostly enjoyable, although a bit too rocky and loud at times. The tour guide appeared knowledgable and proud of the history of her native land, although the references to 'our great prime minister' and 'government of the people' seemed rehearsed. They served us delicios cookies made with with cinamon, rum, and (way too much) sugar. The shops are conveniently located near the cruise pier but most items seemed ridiculously overpriced. It would be hard to come up with a good reason to visit this isalnd again.
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