We were unable to get to Gibbs Cay due to weather, so we stayed on the beach right off the port. Reminded me of a highly commercialized Florida beach. On the plus side- tons of shade, free beach chairs, plenty of food and drink choices, the people were super friendly and went out of their way to help you. We loved the welcome area as it had the best shopping. We spent the most time there.

This beach and island are absolutely beautiful!! Perfect white sand and blue water. It has a well developed entry area, paved with signs up. It has volleyball pits, basketball courts, and an area for the BBQ lunch. It is a privately owned island by a Carnival subsidiary- Holland. There are NO beach umbrellas anywhere. There is an area down near the mouth of the cay where the transport comes in that has a kids play area, that has umbreallas, I believe. But if you are on the main area you have no shade at all. No trees, nothing. It is almost unbearable. They do provide a free (included in your cruise price) BBQ lunch. It's not announced, so you have to watch the time yourself. All in all, this was truly our favorite beach.

We got an impromptu tour from our cab driver. He took us to see a lot of the landmarks and it was a lot cheaper than the excursions listed. He took pictures of us for me, gave good suggestions for local food, had great insight into the history, and carried on a wonderful converation with me about the similarities and differences in our countries. The Rum Cake Factory was great. Free samples, and the guys were very welcoming. Good deals on the cakes as well. We went to the Junkanoo Beach and it was great. Really popular and we got a beach chair deal with chairs, an umbrealla and three free drinks. The service was impeccable, the water was awesome, my kids had fun. A man came along and let the girls feed a school of fish with some chicken bones he had. Such a good time! No need for an excursion!