For our very first cruise, our honeymoon, my husband and I chose a rather fast-paced itinerary, 7-islands in 7-days, in the Southern Caribbean Islands. Even though our budget for excursions was limited (no epic swimming with dolphins or parasailing), we still had a surprisingly great time. We sailed in early June 2008, and ports of call were: St Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, and San Juan to end the cruise. Keep reading for our review of each of our Caribbean Island Excursions on a budget, and if you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean, we hope you find inspiration to make your visit memorable and answer the question to whether it can be done without spending a lot.
List of activities by port & in the order we visited them. (We’re including the estimated costs of each activity from our 2008 trip, but please be sure to check for current pricing.)
1. St Thomas: skyride & drinks
Our day in St Thomas: Since we’d forgotten our camera at home, taking advantage of the duty-free shopping to purchase one was our first priority. With our brand new camera in hand, we boarded the aerial gondolas at SkyRide to Paradise Point for a 700-ft picturesque view of the island. Nate and I enjoyed our first piña colada from the restaurant at Paradise Point, while taking in the views of Charlotte Amalie and Long Bay from the observation deck. Definitely recommend.
Cost: $21 per adult for tram & ~$8 for the piña colada we shared
Next time in St Thomas: St Thomas is a very popular American destination by itself and we know we missed A LOT. In a return trip with more time and a larger budget, we’d explore more of the town of Charlotte Amalie & to get out on the water in some way – maybe going sailing. If you’ve been to St Thomas, what else should we make sure to do?
2. Dominica: Emerald Pool in the rainforest
Our day in Dominica: In Dominica, we received a warm welcome at port with entertainment by local musicians and booths of crafts by local artisans. Our excursion for the day was a scenic minibus drive through the island and into Monre Piton National Park. From there, we took a short hike to Emerald Pool, which was beautiful. We actually did not swim in the pool, but many others did. This was the very first time I’d ever been in an actual rainforest, and I felt it was a really cool experience that it rained while we were there. Definitely recommend.
Cost: ~$6 (USD) per person for minibus shuttle, $5 (USD) per person to enter park
Next time in Dominica: Dominica isn’t called “the nature island” for nothing. There is so much natural beauty we missed. Next time, I’d definitely plan to explore more of the national forests and hike to more of the gorgeous waterfalls.
3. Barbados #1: aviary tour & rum punch
Barbados takes the crown for being our very favorite port-of-call from the whole cruise. Nate and I both loved it and would go back in heartbeat. We only spent one day there; however, we broke up the day into two different “excursions” because we did so much in our one day in Barbados – while still not spending a lot.
Our morning in Barbados: We toured Graeme Hall Wildlife Sanctuary, featuring an aviary full of up-close and personal exotic birds, including a gorgeous toucan. As part of the tour, they served a complimentary rum punch for a refreshment, which Nate and I both actually thought was disgusting! The sanctuary was beautiful and the birds were absolutely stunning to see so close; we still talk about that experience years later, so I would definitely recommend it. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the sanctuary is not open for tours. Here’s a link to something similar.
Cost: ~$25 USD for two adults
4. Barbados #2: swimming & burgers at the beach
Our afternoon in Barbados: After the wildlife sanctuary, we made our way to Rockley Beach for one of the best excursions on a budget: a classic beachside afternoon. The weather was perfect: sunny and warm. We ended up grabbing some burgers at a little shack at the beach before heading to relax on the beach. It was a great experience & perfect for anyone visiting Barbados on a budget. I think it goes without saying that we recommend it!
Cost: ~$20 USD for lunch (beach was free to the public)
Total Cost for Barbados: ~$45 USD
Next time in Barbados: In a return visit, we’d definitely want to fit in more beach time & maybe some snorkeling. However, we always enjoy learning the history of anywhere we visit, and that’s one thing we missed in Barbados. Given extra time, I’d want to find a historic tour with a great guide & learn more about the great island of Barbados.
5. St Lucia: home & garden tour and banana ketchup
Our day in St Lucia: We took a guided tour which featured Stony Hill, house & garden. Stony Hill has a beautiful scenic view of St Lucia, but to be honest, we were hoping for more of a historic tour than a botanical tour – our fault for misinterpreting the tour we chose. However, we learned about yellow banana ketchup, which surprisingly tastes very similar to tomato ketchup. We bought a bottle to take home & would suggest seeking it out if you’ve never tried it. Nate and I would definitely recommend taking a guided tour here, with the caveat to learn from our mistake. Be sure to check that the type of tour is something you are interested in. For those who have been to St Lucia, what did we miss?
Cost: ~$50 USD (Price is for a cruise ship shore excursion as I’m not sure this is an activity you can book independently from a cruise line. Your mileage may vary.)
Next time on St Lucia: St Lucia seems to be a popular destination for ex-pats and vacation homes for Americans. I’d be interested in learning more about what draws people to St Lucia, and why they fall so in love with the location that they decide to stay long term. A return trip would include a tour more focused on culture/history over scenic.
6. Antigua: beach day, horseback riding on the beach
Our time in Antigua: Antigua was our second favorite port-of-call. The beach was absolutely stunning. It felt like something from a movie set or a postcard. In fact, we thought that one of the photos I took of the beach looks like it could be a postcard. My absolute favorite thing was that we were able to check off something from my bucket list: we went horseback riding on the beach! If you like horses at all and have never done this, I highly recommend.
Cost: ~$18 (USD) per person for 1 hour of guided horseback riding on the beach
Next time in Antigua: I’d find a way to explore the coral reefs there. Antigua is known for them.
7. St Kitts: historic walking tour
Our time in St Kitts: Nate and I were pretty travel weary by the time we arrived at St Kitts. Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our historic walking tour with our guide, Annie. Part of the tour included the history of the slave trade on the island which was both somber and educational. After the tour, we had the option to enjoy a cocktail featuring, a popular beverage called Ting with a Sting (Ting is a Caribbean grapefruit flavored soda and the “sting” is the added rum). Do we recommend this excursion? Well, if you are interested in history like we are, absolutely!
Cost: ~$20 (USD) per person for guided walking tour & complimentary drink
Next time on St Kitts: I’d want to see more of the island outside the town of Basseterre. There’s a scenic railway tour that goes around the island, and we’d enjoy something like that. Also, we would want to hop over to Nevis, St Kitts sister-island.
Bonus: San Juan airport
Our time in San Juan: Our flights were directly before/after the cruise, so we didn’t have a chance to explore San Juan outside the airport. My favorite memory in the airport is that while we were waiting at the gate to board our return flight, we were serenaded & entertained by a mariachi band and dancers inside the terminal. It was delightful and something I’d never experienced at an airport.
Next time in San Juan: If we get a chance to go back, I’d love to just explore the city & definitely would check out some of the historical sites like the fort. Based on stories from friends who lived in Puerto Rico, I know there’s so much more to see and experience.
Conclusion
Is it possible to enjoy Caribbean Island cruise excursions on a budget? We think so! On this 2008 trip, we spent at or under $50 per day on excursions. Did we swim with dolphins, go parasailing, or take a 4×4 off-roading through the rainforest? No, but did we thoroughly enjoy what we did do? With the exception of St Lucia, yes definitely! This trip was in 2008 & you’d have to take into account inflation and expect present-day prices, but it still would be proportionally inexpensive.
If you are planning a trip on a budget, we hope you are able to plan some great experiences that don’t break the bank. If you’re not, we hope you enjoyed our reviews of the destinations and excursions we chose. Moving that quickly is NOT for everyone, but we liked getting a glimpse of 7 different islands in only a week. We enjoyed all of the locations we sailed to & would recommend them to anyone interested in visiting the southern Caribbean.
