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All you Need to Know

by Travel Journalist Tony Peisley

It was one of those evenings you never want to end. We were sat outside a cafe overlooking one of the most beautiful bays in the world - the smart yacht-filled Charlotte Amalie on the Caribbean island of St Thomas.

The wine was flowing and the company (like the bay) sparkling but suddenly we realised it was 11.45pm and our ship - a 10-minute cab ride away - was due to sail at midnight. We panicked for a moment and then somebody spotted the ship's captain at a nearby table, clearly in no hurry to return.

There is something about the Caribbean which turns even naval sticklers for punctuality into laid-back, let-it-all-hang-out characters. In fact, if the Caribbean hadn't existed, the cruise lines would probably have had to invent it. Because, with its sun, sea, sand and s..ailing added to that special relaxant ingredient, it has everything you need for the perfect cruise. And don't believe the myth that the islands are "all the same".

The Caribbean may boast nothing to match the historic and cultural sights of a Mediterranean cruise but, as a certain Mr B.Fawlty once pointed out, if you want to see the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or herds of wildebeest, you shouldn't book a hotel room in Torquay. Choose the Caribbean and you have to go with the flow, which means rum and reggae instead of Rome and the Renaissance.

But nowhere in the world has such a varied collection of exotic islands. They come in all shapes and sizes and with a whole range of different influences from Spanish colonial San Juan on Puerto Rico to the English gentility of Barbados. The sophisticated islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe could only be French while the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are distinctively Dutch.

Many cruise lines even have their own "private islands" exclusive to their passengers and offering a day's total relaxation interrupted only by lunch, a swim or a snorkel. The Caribbean is large enough to offer many different cruises, often split into Eastern, Western and Southern itineraries.

More and more ports are opening up, too, with the Western Caribbean now including several exciting new Central America cruise ports click here for details. The deep south of the Caribbean has some of the most stunningly beautiful islands.

The Spice Island of Grenada is my favourite The harbour at its capital, St Georges, has been voted the most beautiful by the people who really know - the yachties. And right next door is one of the longest and most attractive beaches anywhere: Grand Anse. St George's was also the place I had my first taste of Guinness-flavoured ice cream, which is another Caribbean memory that will take a long time to fade.

DOS and DON'TS of Caribbean Cruising

DO make sure you pick the right ship. From Budget to Luxury and from small sailing ships to 4,000-passenger mega-vessels, they all cruise the Caribbean. Ask us lots of questions and you will find the right ship to suit you, your friends, family and budget.

DON'T worry about having to fly. Although most Caribbean cruise holidays revolve around eight or nine hour flights into Florida, Barbados or San Juan and slightly shorter ones to New York, there are an increasing number from UK ports. Usually these three or four-week roundtrips are timed to escape the British winter.

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