Cruise Lines Deploying More Ships To the Caribbean

Above, the Norwegian Sky docked at Nassau, Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Cruising in the Caribbean is an enjoyable mode of vacationing. I have cruised in the Caribbean twice. The first was to Havana, Cuba after a stop in Key West in 2019. The second was last year to the Bahamas. 

It is easy to see why cruise lines are increasing the number of cruise ships in the Caribbean. When not in hurricane season, the weather is perfect.

According to Travel Weekly:

The Caribbean has long been the foundation for the contemporary cruise market, and recent moves by the largest cruise lines show that is truer than ever. 

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in 2026 will put 10% more of its ships in the Caribbean than it has this year, while having 6% less of its fleet in Europe. Its fun-and-sun itineraries were a heavy emphasis throughout the company's Q2 earnings call in late July, when CEO Harry Sommer said that demand for the Caribbean in recent years shaped decisions to increase deployment in the region.

"We want to operate itineraries that have the highest possible guest satisfaction scores and repeat rates, and we think this new deployment in the Caribbean and Bermuda will help to optimize for that number," Sommer said.

To read more, go here. 

Why Cruise Lines Are Buying Up Private Caribbean Islands

Last summer, a friend and I took a cruise to the Bahamas. As part of the cruise, we spent a day at Great Stirrup Cay and did some jet skiing.

The cruise was with Norwegian Cruise Line. Great Stirrup Cay is a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. 

Above, the Norwegian Sky docked off Great Stirrup Cay. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Personally, I have no problem with that. We had a good time there. More cruise lines are buying up islands. If cruise lines are up front about it, I think it's okay.

But, some are voicing concerns over cruise lines owning islands and having their passengers go there to spend money.

Here's a video on the subject by The Wall Street Journal:

How To Spot Fake Travel Agents and Cruise Scams

Above, a cruise ship docked at Freeport, Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's an old saying about monetary transactions: Buyer Beware!

That about sums it up about scammers who victimize unwary travel and cruise customers. There are scams out there with people posing as travel agents. 

The Points Guy has posted an article on how to spot fake travel agents and cruise scams. 

It begins with:

When L. Williams chose to take a Caribbean cruise, she booked it with a travel agent employed by Carnival Cruise Line. Well, at least she thought she was booking with Carnival. It turns out the person who made her reservation wasn't a cruise consultant at all — he was a scammer.

Unfortunately, it would be five years before Williams discovered she'd lost $3,500 to that crook posing as a travel agent.

You read that right. Five years.

To read more, go here. 

Man Goes Overboard A Norwegian Cruise Ship

Above, Norwegian Sky docked off Great Stirrup Cay. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This is a strange story.

A man aboard the Norwegian Epic went overboard and a search ensued. Unfortunately, he had not been found and the search was called off.

It seems weird that someone would go overboard a cruise ship, given that it has railings. Either he was doing something incredibly stupid and accidentally went overboard or he intentionally did so.

The ship was en route to Great Stirrup Cay when the incident occurred. I had been on the Norwegian cruise ship, Norwegian Sky, in August and Great Stirrup Cay was one of our stops.

From Fox News:

The frantic search for a Norwegian Cruise Line passenger who went overboard has been called off.

A spokesperson for the cruise line confirmed to Fox News Digital that the 51-year-old went overboard from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic late Thursday afternoon. 

The incident was first noted at approximately 3 p.m. as Norwegian Epic was sailing from Ocho Rios, Jamaica en route to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. 

The passenger was on the cruise with his family, the spokesperson said. The cruise left from Port Canaveral, Florida on Saturday, Dec. 21 and was a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage.

 To read more, go here.

Caribbean Cruises Rise As European Cruises Out Of Favor

Above, a cruise ship docked at Freeport, Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Europe isn't much in favor these days for cruise line travelers. This is resulting in priorities by the cruise lines to shift their bookings and schedules to the Caribbean.

I can easily see why the Caribbean is a popular area to cruise at. The weather is better and the people seem nicer.

A couple of friends are currently on a 15-day cruise that will take them to the Panama Canal.

The topic of Europe cruises being out of favor is in an article in Forbes.

They begin it with:

European cruises are now out of favor, a relief for many locals who have been grappling with the issues of overcrowding and protests across Croatia, Italy, and Greece. As Bloomberg reports, cruise operators are shifting to the Caribbean, with port calls now evenly distributed between Europe and the Caribbean, a stark contrast to the situation three years ago when there were 7,000 more dockings in a European port than in a Caribbean one.

To read more, go here.

8 Best Places To Visit In The Bahamas

Above, a view of Nassau from our cruise ship. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After having been to the Bahamas last summer, I can easily see why Sean Connery chose to live (and eventually pass away) there. 

A friend and I took a cruise there with Norwegian Cruise Line and had a great time visiting Freeport, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay (where we jet skied). It would have been nice to stay longer at each port-of-call in order to take more in what the island have to offer. 

Lonely Planet has posted an article on the 8 best places to visit in the Bahamas. 

It begins with:

If you're looking for beach-vacation bliss, few destinations beat the Bahamas.

Strewn like emeralds between Florida and the Caribbean, more than 3000 islands and cays – most uninhabited – compose this Atlantic archipelago. Lushly subtropical and fringed with teeming coral reefs and glorious beaches, these stunning islands offer as much to divers and hikers as they do to sunseekers in search of banging beachside bars.

Here’s our roundup of the best places to visit in the Bahamas.

To read more, go here. 

Travel + Leisure: Nassau Cruise Port Guide

Above, Nassau Port after arrival. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's something I could have used during the cruise to the Bahamas last month. A guide to the Nassau. But they only posted it yesterday.

It is interesting seeing the Nassauport area as shown above. The article has an almost identical view but there are some obvious changes. Theirs is an older photo.

Travel + Leisure posted a port guide to Nassau, Bahamas. Some of the suggestions posted we managed to do, such as visiting Fort Fincastle and the vendor shops near it. We did so in pouring rain, but we still managed to buy a few things.

Above, Fort Fincastle in Nassau. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The guide begins with:

The Bahamas is renowned for its history and beautiful beaches, making it a beloved vacation destination. Its capital city, Nassau, boasts one of the world’s busiest cruise ports, with millions of visitors annually. The Nassau Cruise Port, also known as Prince George Wharf, hosts Caribbean cruise itineraries from dozens of lines, from Carnival and Royal Caribbean to Holland America, Celebrity, and more.

If you’re stopping soon at this bustling port of call, consider this your guide. We tapped several cruise experts to share their top tips on getting around the destination, along with the best things to see and do when in port, including the top excursions, beaches, restaurants, attractions, and more.

To read the guide, go here. 

Pirates of the Bahamas

Above, one gift shop in Freeport, Bahamas had this statue on display. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I was roaming around shops in Freeport, Bahamas, I saw a couple of pirate/skeleton figures in two shops. This got me curious. Were pirates in the Bahamas?

According to Pirates of Nassau, there were pirates in the Bahamas back in the 17th and 18th Centuries.

They wrote:

The Golden Age of Piracy lasted for thirty years from 1690 to 1720 and Nassau was at its heart. The era of piracy in the Bahamas began in 1696 when the privateer Henry Every brought his ship the Fancy loaded with loot from plundering Indian Empire trade ships into Nassau harbour. Henry Every bribed the Governor of The Bahamas Nicholas Trott with gold, silver and with the Fancy itself which was still loaded with 50 tons of elephant tusks and 100 barrels of gunpowder. This established Nassau as a base where pirates could operate safely, although various governors regularly made a show of suppressing piracy.

The pirates became increasingly powerful and the era of true pirate control occurred when a combined Franco-Spanish fleet attacked Nassau in 1703 and again in 1706. The island was effectively abandoned by many of its settlers and left without any English government presence. Nassau was then taken over by English privateers who became completely lawless pirates over time. The Bahamas were well-suited as a base of operations for pirates as its waters were too shallow for a large man-of-war but deep enough for the fast, shallow draft vessels favoured by pirates. From their snug harbour in Nassau they could employ their hit and run tactics to full effect and they devastated the merchant shipping that plied the trade routes just a short sail away. The pirates essentially established their own “Republic” with its own “governors” and their plundered booty forming the basis of a thriving community that attracted rogues, merchants and wild women from far and wide. It was said that when pirates slept, they did not dream of going to heaven but instead of returning to their favourite port of Nassau on New Providence Island. 

Above, another Freeport shop had this pirate skeleton on display. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Wooden Hanging Mask

One thing I got for the house during my trip to the Bahamas was a wall mask. I picked it up during our stop in Freeport.

The Bahamians have a number of masks available. They have tribal, wooden hanging (such as one I got) and some related to their Junkanoo festivals. 

Above, the hanging wood mask from the Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It looks like a Tiki mask, but those are associated from the Pacific South Seas in Polynesia. The Bahamas are in the Caribbean in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The mask now hangs in my den. 

 

Bahamas, Dominican Republic Top Affordable Fall Vacation Destinations

Above, a cruise ship docked at Freeport, Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

What are the most affordable Caribbean vacation spots for the fall season?

It turns out that the Bahamas, followed by the Dominican Republic, are the the most affordable for vacationers.

According to the Caribbean Journal:

While the demand for travel has only increased since the early reopenings of the pandemic, so, too have travel costs. 

A recent study suggested the average cost for fall vacations would be 30 percent higher than last fall, according to insurance portal Squaremouth. 

So what is the top affordable choices for Caribbean vacations this fall?

It’s The Bahamas, with an average trip cost of $3012, according to Squaremouth data.

That is followed by the Dominican Republic at $3,315 and Mexico at $3,331.

To read more, go here. 

COVID-19 Travel Restrictions for the Caribbean

Above, Cuba made the list of top Caribbean islands in the TravelPulse update. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thinking about taking a vacation to one of the many island nations in the Caribbean this year?

Well, it just so happens that TravelPulse has posted the current restrictions on COVID-19 for the Caribbean's top islands. So you may want to take a look during your travel planning. Naturally, things are constantly being updated.

They begin with:

The Caribbean will be a top target for spring break travelers in 2022 as the vast majority of the region's islands have reopened to international visitors. Still, restrictions vary from destination to destination, with some countries opening their borders to travelers regardless of COVID-19 vaccination or testing status and others implementing more stringent protocols requiring travelers to take extra steps ahead of their trip. Here's a look at the latest entry requirements and restrictions for the Caribbean's top destinations this winter. 

To read more, go here. 

Tried Out The Cuban Rum

Above, the bottle of rum I bought in Havana, Cuba. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, I had a couple of glasses of the rum I bought last week in Cuba. It has been a while since I last had a rum cocktail of any kind.

Generally, whenever I had rum, it was in the old standby: rum and Coca-Cola. For some reason, rum mixes best with Coke and not with Pepsi or any other colas. This was how I drank the rum yesterday. It was nice and smooth. And, refeshing!

Back in the 1970s, we had a running joke in our political circles that you'd find rum drinkers in the South Bay area of Los Angeles in the city of Lomita. I don't know if that is still true or not, but it seemed to be the case back then (I did some bartending at different political functions in those days).

According to Wikihow.com, they came up with four ways to serve rum. They begin with:

Rum is a liquor distilled from sugar cane juice or its molasses byproduct. It is aged in casks of steel, oak, or charred oak to create light, gold, or dark rum, respectively. Commonly sourced from the Caribbean and Latin America, rum is a very versatile liquor that lends itself to a wide variety of beverages as well as being enjoyed on its own. There are many ways that this liquor can be served, so try a few to find your favorite.

To see how to serve rum, go here.