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Caribbean cruises have long been a favorite with travelers for their picture-postcard attributes. White sand beaches front turquoise waters. But these tropical itineraries have something for every type of traveler. Activities abound—perhaps it’s shopping on one island, hiking through nature reserves and snorkeling among coral reefs on another, or having a beach day on a cruise company’s private retreat. Many Caribbean itineraries skew toward tried-and-true standards, but a number of cruise lines will have a handful of unique sailings put together for particular tastes or the seasoned cruiser who has already tried them all.
Some of these sailings visit offbeat destinations like volcanic Montserrat, while others take a non-traditional southern track from Panama along the northern coast of South America. Others visit sleepier, less-frequented destinations like St. Croix, St. Barts, and Mayreau, in addition to stopping at banner spots like St. Lucia and Aruba for dramatic vistas and spectacular beaches.
Here are some of the best Caribbean cruises to book for 2023.
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Itinerary: Sunny Beaches & Emerald Forests
Departure: March 11, 2023
Experience: This 10-night sailing from Miami embarks on Regent Seven Seas' newest ship, Seven Seas Splendor, for a leisurely sail through the Caribbean’s windward isles. Hike to waterfalls in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, explore Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest, or relax on a sailboat excursion off minute St. Barts, which Splendor is right-sized to visit. Take an aerial tram through the rainforest canopy on St. Lucia or snorkel Champagne Reef on Dominica, watching bubbles and warmth rise from geothermal activity beneath the ocean floor. Excursions are included in the cruise fare with Regent—as are beverages, gratuities, transfers, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, and laundry service.
Ponant
Itinerary: Panama, Colombia, & Caribbean Islands
Departure: March 9 and 17, 2023
Experience: Voyage from the gates of the Panama Canal to the French West Indies, with a wealth of diversity in between. Experience Afro-Caribbean heritage in Portobelo, Panama, and Indigenous Kuna fishing communities in the San Blas Islands. Next, it’s on to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, and then the coral reefs of Bonaire for diving. The spices of Grenada and St. Lucia’s volcanic pitons round out the itinerary before the intimately appointed ship Le Bellot (with fewer than 92 staterooms and suites) anchors in the turquoise waters of Fort-de-France for a fond farewell.
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Celebrity Cruises
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Departure: December 11, 2023
Experience: Offering a little of everything, this 11-night roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale includes calls at cobblestoned Cartagena, Colombia, the white-sand beaches of Aruba, and the famous colonial houses and swinging drawbridge of Curaçao. As an added bonus, Grand Cayman and Falmouth, Jamaica, also appear as ports to help break up the long journey south from Florida. The sailing takes place onboard the brand-new Celebrity Beyond, packed full of original art, Infinite Veranda staterooms—so-named for the floor-to-ceiling windows that open into a private balcony at the push of a button—and ocean-going gastronomy at Le Voyage, Chef Daniel Boulud’s first signature restaurant at sea.
Windstar Cruises
Itinerary: Windward Ways & Tobago Cays
Departure: January, February, November, and December 2023
Experience: Almost purpose-designed for cruisers who prefer their shore excursions to be on or in the water, this seven-day sailing onboard Windstar's Star Legend starts in the Dutch islands, offering up serene Aruba’s white-sand beaches and tranquil Bonaire’s 50 species of coral. “Isle of Spice” Grenada is next (nutmeg ice cream is a must-try), followed by spectacular vistas of the Grand Pitons on “seven times French; seven times British” St. Lucia. Mayreau is the smallest of the Grenadines—here cruisers can enter the water directly from Star Legend’s water-sports platform, then wind up the day with a private beach barbecue.
Virgin Voyages
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean Antilles
Departure: January, February, March, November, and December 2023
Experience: St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands is a less-trafficked port of call known as the “Garden of the Antilles” and Valiant Lady drops in during her Eastern Caribbean sailings, in addition to San Juan, Puerto Plata, and a day at Virgin’s lounge-y Beach Club at Bimini private island. Onboard, Wi-Fi and “essential” non-alcoholic drinks and gratuities are included on the adults-only ship, which touts over 20 eateries and a number of inventive ways to find a glass of champagne.
Holland America Line
Itinerary: 11 Day Panama Canal Sunfarer
Departure: March 14, 2023
Experience: Part Caribbean surf, part jungle excursion, this 11-day roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale onboard Eurodam calls first at Aruba and Curaçao for a taste of Holland America Line’s namesake Dutch culture before skirting the coast of South America for several days of scenic cruising the Panama Canal and Gatun Lake, taking in the maximum biodiversity (over 500 species of birds) of the Canal Zone, juxtaposed with the engineering wonders of the lock system.
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Itinerary: Bridgetown Roundtrip 7 Nights
Departure: March 19 and November 19, 2023
Experience: Ritz-Carlton has drawn on their vaunted properties to design everything from onboard dining to shore excursions on board the all-suite Evrima. Guests can visit Grenada’s Tower Estate to sample their famous blue tea, made from estate-grown butterfly peaflower, with cucumber sandwiches, cupcakes, and fresh fruit picked onsite. On Bequia, in the Grenadines, it might be a windjammer excursion to nearby Mustique for a seaside lunch, or a private car and driver arranged at one of the ports.
Silversea Cruises
Itinerary: 9 Day Bridgetown to San Juan
Departure: February 18, 2023
Experience: When not luxuriating onboard Silversea’s newest ship, the all-suite Silver Dawn, passengers might explore this itinerary’s most unique destination: Montserrat. Once a favored haunt of the jet-set, volcanic activity that earned it the nickname “The Pompeii of the Caribbean” has kept tourism development low-key, and visitors few, but cruisers on this itinerary will discover an Emerald Isle reminiscent of Ireland, and some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful, secluded beaches. Unspoiled Deshaies, on Guadeloupe, is another under-the-radar call for this spectacular ship boasting butler service in every suite and a guest-to-crew ratio of nearly one-to-one.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Itinerary: Caribbean: Harvest Caye, Cozumel, & Roatan from Galeveston
Departure: December 15, 22, and 29, 2023
Experience: In December 2023, the new Norwegian Prima begins sailing the Riviera Maya from Galveston, also including port calls at resort-like Harvest Caye in Belize, where guests can rent private cabanas, and Roatan, in Honduras’s Bay Islands, home to a large Gumbalimba eco-preserve and animal sanctuary. Onboard, Norwegian has enhanced The Haven, the VIP suite area on this ship, with some the largest suite accommodations in the fleet, and all public areas in the suite enclave now have ocean views.
Princess Cruises
Itinerary: 5 Day Caribbean Getaway with Grand Turk
Departure: October 31, 2023
Experience: Not all Caribbean cruises need to be a week or two in duration. Princess Cruises offers a Halloween weekend getaway onboard Caribbean Princess that’s just five nights in duration, with two unbeatable ports—Grand Turk, and Princess Cays, the line’s private island in the Bahamas. A highlight of this seasonal sailing can be sitting in the ship’s piazza, watching festive passengers promenade their inventive costumes for spooky onboard revelry—a Princess tradition dating back to the days of the original “Love Boat” series.
Booking tips for Caribbean cruises
What are the best months to take a Caribbean cruise?
Although some cruise lines operate in the Caribbean year-round, the widest selection of sailing dates and itineraries can be found between November and March.
What part of the Caribbean is best for a cruise?
The best Caribbean cruise is a matter of personal taste. Many cruises focus on a region, like the Southern, Eastern, or Western Caribbean, and itineraries, regardless of destination, often feature stops at cruise line operated private islands in the Bahamas.
What are the cheapest months to cruise in the Caribbean?
Generally, the beginning and end of the November-to-March season can be affordable—any time when North American schools are widely in session are also good times to cruise for lower fares.
Do you need a passport to go to on a Caribbean cruise?
Check with the cruise line before booking. U.S. citizens traveling on cruises calling at most Caribbean countries can do so with both an enhanced state ID and an original birth certificate in lieu of a passport, but a passport is by far the easiest form of identification (and most strongly recommended by both the U.S. State Department and most cruise lines) for U.S. citizens outside the country. It’s also important to note that documentation requirements can change, and passengers are ultimately responsible for having the required documents at embarkation or they may be denied boarding.
