Frommer's Caribbean Ports of Call (2004) (Frommer's Complete) 5 Edition

322 Pages·2004·4.2 MB·English

by  Heidi Sarna

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Caribbean
Ports of Call
5th Edition
by Heidi Sarna & Matt Hannafin
Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:
“Amazingly easy to use.Very portable,very complete.”
—Booklist
“Detailed,accurate,and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.”
—Glamour Magazine
“Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.”
—Des Moines Sunday Register
“Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.”
—Knight Ridder Newspapers
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01_56899X ffirs.qxd 7/22/04 10:31 AM Page i
Caribbean
Ports of Call
5th Edition
by Heidi Sarna & Matt Hannafin
Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:
“Amazingly easy to use.Very portable,very complete.”
—Booklist
“Detailed,accurate,and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.”
—Glamour Magazine
“Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.”
—Des Moines Sunday Register
“Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.”
—Knight Ridder Newspapers
01_56899X ffirs.qxd 7/22/04 10:31 AM Page ii
Published by:
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5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
List of Maps v
1 Introduction:Cruising to the Ports of Call 1
1 Choosing the Itinerary & Shore How Many Ports for You? . . . . . .4
Excursions That Are Best 2 When to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
2 The Cruise Lines in Brief 9
1 The Mainstream Lines . . . . . . . . .9 3 Soft-Adventure Lines &
2 The Ultraluxury Lines . . . . . . . .18 Sailing Ships . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
3 Things to Know Before You Go 29
1 Passports & Visas . . . . . . . . . . .29 Family Cruising Tips . . . . . . . . .33
Vaccinations Required? . . . . . . .29 4 Packing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Safety at Sea in the New World 5 Tipping,Customs & Other
(Dis)Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 End-of-Cruise Concerns . . . . . .36
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Getting Married on Board
3 Keeping in Touch While or in Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
at Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
4 The Ports of Embarkation 41
1 Miami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 4 Tampa & St.Petersburg . . . . . . .63
2 Fort Lauderdale . . . . . . . . . . . .50 5 New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
3 Cape Canaveral & Cocoa 6 Alternative Home Ports . . . . . . .76
Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
5 The Ports of Call 81
1 Port Strategies & Tips . . . . . . . .81 Frommer’s Favorite Aruba
Frommer’s Ratings at a Glance: Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Caribbean Ports of Call . . . . . . .84 6 Bahamas:Nassau
2 A Brief History of the & Freeport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Frommer’s Favorite Nassau
3 The Cruise Lines’ Private Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Frommer’s Favorite Freeport/
Lucaya Experiences . . . . . . . . .116
4 Antigua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Frommer’s Favorite Antigua 7 Barbados . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 Frommer’s Favorite Barbados
5 Aruba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
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iv CONTENTS
8 Belize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126 Frommer’s Favorite Guadeloupe
Frommer’s Favorite Belize Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128 18 Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
9 Bequia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Frommer’s Favorite Ocho Rios
Frommer’s Favorite Bequia Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134 Frommer’s Favorite Montego
A Quiet Day on Union BayExperiences . . . . . . . . . . .205
Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138 19 Key West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
10 Bonaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Frommer’s Favorite Key West
Frommer’s Favorite Bonaire Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142 20 Les Saintes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
11 British Virgin Islands:Tortola Frommer’s Favorite Les Saintes
& Virgin Gorda . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Frommer’s Favorite Tortola 21 Martinique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150 Frommer’s Favorite Martinique
Frommer’s Favorite Virgin Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
GordaExperiences . . . . . . . . .153 22 Nevis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
A Slice of Paradise: Frommer’s Favorite Nevis
Jost Van Dyke . . . . . . . . . . . .154 Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
12 Cozumel & the Yucatán 23 Panama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
24 Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Frommer’s Favorite Cozumel
Frommer’s Favorite San Juan
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Frommer’s Favorite Playa del
San Juan as a Port
Carmen Experiences . . . . . . . .165
of Embarkation . . . . . . . . . . .240
Frommer’s Favorite Costa
Walking Tour: Old San Juan . . .242
MayaExperiences . . . . . . . . . .166
25 St.Barts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
13 Curaçao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Frommer’s Favorite St. Barts
Frommer’s Favorite Curaçao
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
26 St.Kitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255
14 Dominica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Frommer’s Favorite St. Kitts
Frommer’s Favorite Dominica
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
27 St.Lucia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
15 Grand Cayman . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Frommer’s Favorite St. Lucia
Frommer’s Favorite Grand
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
CaymanExperiences . . . . . . . .182
28 St.Martin/Sint Maarten . . . . . .266
16 Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Frommer’s Favorite St. Martin
Frommer’s Favorite Grenada
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
29 Trinidad & Tobago . . . . . . . . .273
17 Guadeloupe . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
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CONTENTS v
Frommer’s Favorite Trinidad Frommer’s Favorite St. Thomas
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276 Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
Frommer’s Favorite Tobago Frommer’s Favorite St. John
Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280 Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292
30 U.S.Virgin Islands:St.Thomas, Frommer’s Favorite St. Croix
St.John & St.Croix . . . . . . . . .281 Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296
Index 301
List of Maps
The Gulf of Mexico Grenada 187
& the Caribbean 2 Guadeloupe 193
The Eastern Caribbean 5 Jamaica 199
Miami 43 Key West 209
Fort Lauderdale 51 Les Saintes 217
Cape Canaveral & Cocoa Beach 57 Martinique 221
Tampa 65 Nevis 231
Greater New Orleans 69 Panama 235
The French Quarter 71 Puerto Rico 237
Antigua 93 San Juan at a Glance 239
Aruba 101 Old San Juan Walking Tour 243
Nassau 107 St. Barthélemy (St. Barts) 251
Freeport/Lucaya 115 St. Kitts 257
Barbados 121 St. Lucia 261
Belize 127 St. Martin/Sint Maarten 267
Bequia 135 Trinidad 275
Bonaire 141 Tobago 279
The British Virgin Islands 149 St. Thomas 283
The Yucatán’s Upper Caribbean Charlotte Amalie 289
Coast 157
St. John 291
Curaçao 169
St. Croix 295
Dominica 175
Grand Cayman 183
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An Invitation to the Reader
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants,
shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share
the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed
with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Caribbean Ports of Call, 5th Edition
Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is
especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirma-
tion when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held
responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us,
however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a
close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s Caribbean Cruises & Ports of Call
Frommer’s Caribbean
Cruise Vacations For Dummies
Caribbean For Dummies
The Unofficial Guide to Cruises
Frommer’s South Florida
Frommer’s Jamaica
Frommer’s Puerto Rico
Frommer’s Virgin Islands
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About the Authors
Heidi Sarnahas cruised on more than 75 ships of all shapes and sizes, and she loves them
all (well, OK, some more than others). Her work appears regularly in Condé Nast Trav-
eler, Frommers.com, and numerous other magazines, major guidebooks, websites, and
newspapers, including the New York Times, Star Ledger,and Boston Herald. When she’s not
off cruising somewhere, she lives in the Big Apple with her husband, Arun, and their
young sons.
Matt Hannafinis freelance writer, editor, and musician based in New York City. A for-
mer Frommer’s senior editor and senior online writer at Expedia Travelsmagazine, he cur-
rently writes a biweekly cruise newsletter for Frommers.com and a monthly column for
the Boston Herald,contributes to various magazines and newspapers, edits for several UN
agencies and most of the major New York publishing houses, and was co-editor and con-
tributor to the New York Times bestseller 1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die (Work-
man, 2003).
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Frommer’s Star Ratings,Icons & Abbreviations
Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality,
value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system.In country, state,
and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices
and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (rec-
ommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and
regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star
(highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).
In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature iconsthat point you
to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from
tourists. Throughout the book, look for:
Finds Special finds—those places only insiders know about
Fun Fact Fun facts—details that make travelers more informed and their trips
more fun
Kids Best bets for kids and advice for the whole family
Moments Special moments—those experiences that memories are made of
Overrated Places or experiences not worth your time or money
Tips Insider tips—great ways to save time and money
Value Great values—where to get the best deals
The following abbreviationsare used forcredit cards:
AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa
DC Diners Club MC MasterCard
Frommers.com
Now that you have the guidebook to a great trip, visit our website at www.frommers.com
for travel information on more than 3,000 destinations. With features updated regularly,
we give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available. At
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