Why I Loved Cruising the Southern Caribbean

Some of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever see are nestled in the southern Caribbean. The last three islands we visited offered more incredible views than I could have ever imagined. Royal Caribbean had the perfect line-up for our 12 day cruise. After visiting Antigua and St. Lucia, we headed to Barbados, Curacao, and Aruba.

If you haven’t read Part I of our Southern Caribbean cruise, you can check it out here.

Barbados

When we arrived in Barbados, the first thing that was pretty obvious was the pride the country takes in their hometown celebrity. Rihanna’s voice spilled from speakers all over the island, and taxi drivers worked to convince tourists to join them for a tour of Barbados and the famous Rihanna Drive. We opted to just hang out at the beach for the day, so we grabbed a taxi right outside of the cruise terminal.

The island was bustling with activity. Tons of shopping downtown and plenty of beaches to choose from for the day. We opted to visit Carlisle Bay where the famous Harbour Lights is known for drawing crowds for the extravagant dinner shows that showcase live bands, drinks, food, fire eaters, and much more.

We were there for the afternoon, so we just enjoyed a family friendly beach experience with comfy lounge chairs and umbrellas to shade us from the sweltering Caribbean sun.

While on the beach, tour guides stopped by to offer jet ski rentals and turtle tours. Unlike the previous islands we’d visited, there were no peddlers trying to sell us anything, which was kind of nice. Just us, the sun, sand and waves.

Harbour Lights offered a restaurant and bar steps away from the beach where you could grab lunch, cold drinks, or a fruity cocktail. It was nice to be able to grab cold waters after the bottles we brought from the ship had turned lukewarm.

I had a fussy toddler that had a total meltdown as you can see in the picture below. I don’t even remember what she was crying about, but my guess is we were long overdue for nap time.

Vacation has a tendency to help you forget the negative experiences and cling to the amazing ones. We survived and I’m sure she was fine a few minutes later, kids are resilient in that way.

The staff was really organized and I was impressed with the system they had with the taxi service. We were provided a ticket when we arrived with a time for our taxi to pick us up. Due to the little ones getting a bit fussy before our time was up, we asked them if they could call for a taxi sooner and they made it happen!

I was so thankful that Harbour Lights had showers near the exit to wash off all the sand before getting back into our taxi. As you can see from the photos, my girls had sand EVERYWHERE! The white sandy beaches were beautiful, but the struggle was real trying to get it out of their curls!

We headed back to the cruise terminal and did a little shopping before boarding the ship.  Although we didn’t see the entire island, I was happy with our laid back day in the sun at Carlisle Beach.

When you’re cruising, you’ll realize that some ports are higher priority than others when it comes to your plans for touring. Some people don’t even get off the ship at all in some places either because they’ve visited before, or just don’t have much interest in seeing it.

Whatever your choice, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself with no regrets later. Changing up your excursions and the way you tour each island keeps it interesting. If you’re traveling with little ones, the options may be a bit more limited, but there are still fun ways diversify your experience.

Curacao

My husband had been stationed in Curacao for a few months while enlisted in the Air Force and he always talked about how nice it was. I was hoping the island would live up to all the great things he had to say, and my expectations were exceeded!

This island was just the right size. Not overpopulated with tourists, with so much natural beauty and charm.

Shortly after getting off the ship, we booked a bus tour with a rowdy group and headed out to see the city. Our tour guide alternated between Spanish and English as he gave the rich  history of this amazing Caribbean island during our drive. If you’re ever in the area, Quality Tours and Travel is a great way to see Willemstad.

Curacao is known for their citrus liqueur, so we visited a distillery in a restored 19th century mansion where it was once produced. We saw the machinery used and read more about the history before making our way outside where they offered tastings in three different flavors.

There was a lovely bar in the courtyard area for those who wanted to purchase a mixed drink made with the famous liqueur. We visited the attached souvenir shop and browsed the keepsakes before heading back to our bus.

We drove through one of the most popular neighborhoods in Curacao where many expats reside and I was IN LOVE!

I had felt a connection with this island from the very start, and driving through the beautiful hills of Curacao, I felt at home and could totally see myself living there. (Vacation home maybe?)

The highlight of the day was finally arriving at Mambo Beach! I had heard so much about how beautiful it was, and I was still blown away when I saw it for myself. Of course, things had changed quite a bit since my husband had been there, so he was experiencing a lot of it for the first time as well.

There is a two level, beach side shopping center with a variety of shops and restaurants at Mambo Beach. We stopped in a few places and did some window shopping while we tried deciding on where to eat.

We ended up having lunch at The Green House Bar & Grill’s lovely patio overlooking the ocean. I ordered a beef kabob with humus, pita bread, and fresh grilled veggies, and Maci had the cheese quesadillas with french fries.

All of the food at our table looked and tasted amazing! Needless to say, our Caribbean meal was unbelievably good!

As we explored Mambo Beach, we were really impressed with the little play areas sprinkled throughout the strip where the kids could swing, climb and slide. They had a blast checking each of them out as we made our way to the sand.

It was pretty crowded at the beachfront, but  y’all the white sand and clear water was something special!

We found a few empty lounge chairs for our stuff and went straight to the ocean. The girls loved being able to look straight down to their feet beneath the water. We splashed and played and walked and explored until it was time to meet our bus to finish up our tour.

The bus dropped us off downtown, so we took some time to look around and do some shopping. As we chatted with a local couple, we learned that we had been on the “wrong” side of the bridge.

Not that it was unsafe or anything, but the shopping on the Punda side of Willemstad was geared more towards tourists with nicer shops, familiar brands, and eateries galore. I rather enjoyed practicing my Spanish with the ladies who helped us in the clothing stores before we ventured to the touristy part of Curacao.

As we made our way to the bridge, we came across a park where we stopped to let the girls play for a bit. These small breaks of fun and normalcy help to keep them satisfied when the time comes for us to take tours that don’t interest them at all!

The picturesque Handelskade is a strip of pastel colored buildings that greet you as soon as you cross the bridge to the Punda side of the island.

We made our way across the famous Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge to explore the touristy side of Willemstad before dark. This floating bridge actually rotates to let boats through the channel as you’re walking across. We were lucky enough to get caught on the bridge as it did its thing.

Surprisingly, many of the shops had already begun closing at 5 p.m. so we didn’t do any shopping, but we did enjoy the sights and all the Christmas displays which served as great photo backdrops.

As the sun began to set, we decided to take a taxi back to Mambo Beach to enjoy it for a little bit longer before boarding our ship later that night.

It was so magical being out there after dark, we pretty much had the place to ourselves, besides the late-night swimmers and a few other tourists.

We met a group of new friends from New York that were visiting for business and pleasure, and  ended up chatting with them for quite a while.

The rest of our evening was spent lounging in cabanas, playing in the water, and taking in the sites of Mambo Beach after dark.

The cool thing about traveling is not just seeing the beauty in different places, it’s also meeting people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, and finding common ground.

Curacao is right at the top of my list of favorite Caribbean islands right along with St. Lucia. I would return in a heartbeat and stay for much longer than a day. There’s something so welcoming and right about this amazing place.

Aruba

Last but certainly not least on our Caribbean itinerary was Aruba. By the time we made it there, we were pretty worn down from the previous islands we’d visited, so we took a short island tour by taxi. This is our favorite way to explore. It’s so much more flexible when touring an island with your own personal taxi.

I enjoyed the tour because we were able to hop out where we wanted to for photos, and take in so many beautiful sites. We visited Arikok National Park where most tourists were climbing the steps to the top of the boulders to get some amazing views of the island. With 3 toddlers in tow, we opted to stay on level ground and take a few photos.

Aruba has some pretty gorgeous beaches, so we stopped and checked out a few during our tour. The stretches were much longer than those at Mambo Beach in Curacao, so the sand didn’t seem nearly as crowded.

There were also parts of the beach that were pretty secluded due to very high tide and rough waves, but it was so beautiful to watch.

While we were up near the peak of the island, our driver took us by the California dunes and Lighthouse as we made our way to the highest point. The views of Aruba were amazing from up there, and it was evident that this was a popular attraction by the vendors selling food, drinks, and souvenirs to bus loads of tourists.

On our way back down the mountain, we drove through a few neighborhoods with some of the most gorgeous homes! This was right up my ally because I LOVE HGTV! It was like being on an episode of House Hunters International. 🙂

Much of the architecture in Aruba is Dutch inspired with some Spanish influence. After exploring a unique neighborhood with its colorful pallet and modern flare, we drove past million dollar homes that were a bit more traditional.

Once we wrapped up our island tour, we meandered around downtown to do some shopping. There are a ton of shops, restaurants, and more on the main strip ranging from luxury brands down to the cheap souvenir shops that we love so much!

Aruba was much more tourist driven as it is one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean. We walked through the Renaissance Mall, which is just across the street from the marina where the cruise ships dock. If you’re looking for luxury, this mall is for you. Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and several other brands can be found along with restaurants, entertainment, and more shopping with lower pricing.

We stopped in at a local bar so I could try out one of their fruity concoctions before heading back to the ship early. I was looking forward to the next few days at sea to just relax and recuperate!!!

Cruising the southern Caribbean was a great experience for our family! I would certainly recommend it whether you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or with little ones. There is something for everyone on these amazing islands. The picturesque landscapes and white sandy beaches will have you daydreaming about returning soon.

Are you planning a beach vacation this summer? Drop your comments below and let me know where you’re headed!