Caribbean

Seven hours, one very good beach.

The Caribbean runs on a different clock to the rest of cruising. Calls are short, often eight hours or less, and the islands are close enough together that you'll wake up somewhere new every morning. That makes planning matter more here than anywhere else: the difference between a great day and a wasted one is usually a twenty-minute decision made at the bottom of the gangway.

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Ports fall into two camps. Some put you in a walkable town with a beach a taxi ride away; others dock at a purpose-built terminal where the shops start at the pier and the real island is further out. Our guides say plainly which is which, what a taxi should cost before you get in, and which beaches are worth the crossing. Fares are usually fixed and per person, so agree the price first. The US dollar is accepted nearly everywhere, though change often comes back in local currency.

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December to April is dry, breezy and busy. Hurricane season officially runs 1 June to 30 November, when fares drop and itineraries occasionally change at short notice. Every port page carries the same brief: how to get ashore, what's worth your hours, and when to be back.