Eastern 4thEdition Eastern 4th Edition Laura&DianeRapp HUNTER HUNTERPUBLISHING,INC, 130CampusDrive,Edison,NJ08818 732-225-1900;800-255-0343;fax732-417-1744 www.hunterpublishing.com UlyssesTravelPublications 4176Saint-Denis,Montréal,Québec CanadaH2W2M5 514-843-9882,ext.2232;fax514-843-9448 WindsorBooks TheBoundary,WheatleyRoad,Garsington Oxford,OX449EJEngland 01865-361122;fax01865-361133 ISBN1-58843-407-9 ©2005HunterPublishing,Inc. PrintedintheUnitedStates ThisandotherHuntertravelguidesarealso availablease-booksinavarietyofdigitalformats throughouronlinepartners,includingNetlibrary.com, Amazon.comandBarnesandNoble.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other- wise,withoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher. Thisguidefocusesonrecreationalactivities.Asallsuchactivitiescon- tainelementsofrisk,thepublisher,author,affiliatedindividualsand companiesdisclaimresponsibilityforanyinjury,harm,orillnessthat mayoccurtoanyonethrough,orbyuseof,theinformationinthis book.Everyeffortwasmadetoinsuretheaccuracyofinformationin thisbook,butthepublisherandauthordonotassume,andhereby disclaim,liabilityforanylossordamagecausedbyerrors,omissions, misleadinginformationorpotentialtravelproblemscausedbythis guide,evenifsucherrorsoromissionsresultfromnegligence,acci- dentoranyothercause. Coverphoto:Soufrière,St.Lucia©Superstock,Inc. MapsbyKimAndré,KimMacKinnon& LissaKDailey©2005HunterPublishing,Inc. 1 2 3 4 www.hunterpublishing.com Hunter’sfullrangeofguidestoallcornersofthe globe is featured on our website. You’ll find guidebooks to suit every type of traveler, no matter what their budget, lifestyle, or idea of fun. AdventureGuides–Therearenowover40titlesinthisseries, covering destinations from Costa Rica and the Yucatán to TampaBay&Florida’sWestCoast,Canada’sAtlanticProvinces andtheAlaskaHighway.Completewithinformationonwhat todo,aswellaswheretostayandeat,AdventureGuidesare tailor-madefortheactivetraveler,withallthepracticaltravel informationyouneed,aswellasdetailsofthebestplacesfor hiking, biking, canoeing, horseback riding, trekking, skiing, watersports,andallotherkindsoffun. AliveGuides–Thisever-popularlineofbookstakesaunique lookatthebesteachdestinationoffers:finedining,jazzclubs, first-classhotelsandresorts.In-marginiconsdirectthereader ataglance.Top-sellersincludeSt.Martin&St.Barts,TheUS VirginIslandsandAruba,Bonaire&Curaçao. Our Romantic Weekends guidebooks provide escapes for couplesofallagesandlifestyles.Unlikemost”romantic”travel books,ourscovermorethancharminghotelsanddelightful restaurants,withahostofactivitiesthatyouandyourpartner willrememberforever. One-of-a-kindtravelbooksavailablefromHunterincludeBest Dives of the Caribbean; Golf Resorts; Cruising Alaska and manymore. Full descriptions are given for each book at www.hunter- publishing.com,alongwithreviewers’commentsandacover image. You can also view pages and the table of contents. Booksmaybepurchasedon-lineviaoursecuretransactionfa- cility. Acknowledgments Wewouldliketothankourpublisher,MichaelHunter,forhiscontin- uingsupportofourproject.Specialacknowledgmentisalsogivento the individual island tourism offices both in the United States and throughout the Caribbean. Thank you for the wonderful informa- tion,assistanceandinvaluablehelp. AbouttheAuthors LauraRappgrewupinSantaBarbara,California.Upongraduating from Florida International University with a degree in Hospitality Management, Laura began work in the cruise industry, moving throughtherankstohermostrecentpositionasaShoreExcursion Manager. Making sure passengers enjoy tours in ports throughout the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Alaska has provided Laura with specialinsightthatsheshareswithreadersinthisbook. Diane Rapp collaborated with her daughter, Laura, in writing this book. She has cruised throughout the Caribbean, and especially enjoyedwritingthehistory,cultureanduniqueshoppingsectionson each island. Diane is currently traveling the United States with her husbandwritingtravelarticlesandamysterynovel. WeLovetoGetMail HunterPublishingmakeseveryefforttoensurethatitstravelguides arethemostcurrentsourcesofinformationavailable.Weencourage you to share your opinion and experiences. If you’d like to recom- mendsomethingtobeincludedinthenextupdateofthisguide,tell us!Feelfreetoincludepriceupdatesandsuggestionsthatyoufeel willimprovethisbookforfuturereaders.Pleaseaddressallmailto Cruising the Caribbean, c/o Hunter Publishing, 130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818, or e-mail us at comments@hunterpublishing. com. Contents INTRODUCTION WhattoExpectFromYourCruise .........................1 Staterooms........................................1 SpecialRates.......................................3 LifeAboardShip ......................................3 Absent-MindedQuestions ............................3 NauticalTerms .....................................4 Authors’Note ........................................5 THECARIBBEANISLANDS TheLand ............................................6 PoisonousPlants....................................8 MarineLife........................................8 Beaches ..........................................9 History..............................................9 Indians..........................................10 EuropeanInvasion .................................10 Language...........................................12 Holidays............................................12 WhatYou’llFindinEachChapter.........................13 WebAddresses....................................13 ThePier .........................................13 PierPhones ......................................14 InTown .........................................14 MoneyMatters..................................14 Valuables ......................................15 Postage .......................................15 HistoricalWalkingTours,Museums&Sites ............16 Shopping......................................16 Transportation ....................................25 Taxis..........................................25 LocalBuses.....................................26 RentalCars.....................................26 OrganizedTours&Activities .........................26 Beaches .........................................27 IslandActivities....................................28 One-DayItineraries.................................29 PUERTORICO IslandDescription ....................................31 IslandPeople ........................................32 Language........................................33 Holidays............................................33 UsefulWebsites......................................33 viii (cid:1) CruisingtheEasternCaribbean ThePier ............................................34 InTown ............................................34 HistoricalWalkingTour..............................35 Shopping...........................................41 Transportation&Excursions.............................43 Self-GuidedTours.....................................45 BacardíRumFactory................................45 OrganizedTours&Activities ............................46 Beaches ............................................49 IslandActivities ......................................51 OnLand .........................................51 Golf ..........................................51 Tennis ........................................51 HorsebackRiding................................52 InTheOcean .....................................52 Kayaking ......................................52 ScubaDiving ...................................53 One-DayItineraries....................................54 RíoCamuyCaves ..................................54 AreciboObservatory................................55 ElYunqueRainForest...............................56 ST.THOMAS IslandDescription ....................................59 AboutNearbySt.John..............................60 IslandPeople ........................................62 Holidays............................................63 UsefulWebsites......................................63 ThePier ............................................64 InTown ............................................66 HistoricalWalkingTour..............................67 Shopping...........................................72 Transportation&Excursions.............................77 Self-GuidedTours.....................................80 CoralWorld ......................................80 Day-TriptoSt.John ................................82 IslandToursbyTaxi ................................85 Blackbeard’sHill...................................86 OrganizedTours&Activities ............................86 SubmarineAdventures..............................86 DaySails.........................................87 Beaches ............................................88 IslandActivities ......................................89 OnLand .........................................89 Golf ..........................................89 Tennis.........................................89 InTheOcean .....................................90 Windsurfing ...................................90 Contents (cid:1) ix Parasailing .....................................90 Sailing/PowerBoats ..............................90 ScubaDiving ...................................91 One-DayItinerary.....................................92 AnIslandTour ....................................93 SINTMAARTEN/SAINTMARTIN IslandDescription ....................................95 IslandPeople ........................................96 Holidays............................................97 UsefulWebsites......................................97 ThePier ............................................98 InTown ............................................99 Museums&HistoricalSites..........................100 Shopping..........................................101 Transportation&Excursions............................105 Self-GuidedTours....................................110 Marigot ........................................110 IslandTourbyTaxi ................................110 AnguillaDay-Trip .................................110 OrganizedTours&Activities ...........................111 SeriousSailing ...................................111 GuidedWaveRunnerTours .........................111 Off-ShoreIslands .................................111 MountainBiking..................................112 Beaches ...........................................112 IslandActivities .....................................114 OnLand ........................................114 Golf .........................................114 HorsebackRiding...............................114 ButterflyFarm .................................115 InTheOcean ....................................115 Windsurfing...................................115 Parasailing ....................................116 PersonalWatercraft .............................116 ScubaDiving ..................................117 Sailing&MotorCruises ..........................118 One-DayItinerary....................................119 AnIslandTour ...................................119 ANTIGUA IslandDescription ...................................123 IslandPeople .......................................124 IslandFoods.....................................124 Holidays...........................................125 UsefulWebsites.....................................126 ThePier ...........................................126 InTown ...........................................128 Museums&HistoricalSites..........................128