Now I will take a more in-depth of the islands I have visited. I won't be too detailed as its been some time since I have visited a few of the islands. This is by no means an accurate description of every aspect of the islands, but rather, simply my impression of each. I am also providing the offical websites of each island that I am aware of.

Basseterre, St. Kitts: One of the Leeward, or Northern Islands in the Caribbean, it is a rather small island. Historically, St. Kitts chief industry was sugar cane, but that industry has all but shut down. Today, tourism is a chief industry, however, they do have a couple of factories that produce auto parts for the US market. There are also several medical universities on the island. One point of interest, St. Kitts used to have a snake problem, and I can imaging for those working in the sugar cane fields, this was quite serious. However, the Mongoose was imported, which took care of the snake problem, but now they have a Moongoose problem. The Moongoose I am told are now feeding on some of the birds on the island. The flora and fauna are quite beautiful, especially the Poinsettas that seem to grow wild on the island. The pier is fairly small, so it may be difficult for the larger mega-ships to dock here. We visited this island once, in Dec 2009.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas: (USVI) The chief island in the US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas is a US territory. However, due to their British heritage, they still drive on the wrong side of the street (as do many of the islands). Highlights of St. Thomas is Megans Bay, probably one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and Paradise Point, a mountain top that provides quite a panaromic view. We visited this island the first time in 2001, and the second time in 2005. It's not uncommon to see 4 to 6 cruise ships docked at St. Thomas. We're scheduled on another cruise to the island in 2010.

Coco Cay, Bahamas:Officially known as Little Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, this island has been leased by the cruise line. This is fairly typical as many of the cruise lines have such an island. The island is a remote get-away, and often, there is no local, or at least minimal local population on the island, so its yours for the day. You have to tender to the island as the ship anchors off shore, but tenders are constantly running back and forth to the ship all day long. Its only about a 15 minute ride. The chiefs set up shop on the island and cook you a beach luncheon. Activities you can do include snorkeling, riding various craft, or simply relaxing under the nearest palm tree. Its just a relaxing day. We have been to this island once, in 2000, but are scheduled to return in 2010 on our 6th cruise.

Cozumel, Mexico: A resort island of Mexico, we visited this island in 2002, prior to the active hurricane season in 2005. In that year, the pier was essentially destroyed. I have no idea whether or not the pier has been rebuilt, or if tendering is still the method of getting ashore. We'll find out though as we're scheduled to visit the island again in 2010 on our 7th cruise. There is a lot of history on the island, including Mayan ruins - but none of the famous stepped pyramids like those found in Chichen Itza, Mexico. The ruins here are villages of the Mayan culture. Senior Frogs is a popular watering hole as it is within view of the ships, so hopefully you will notice when they are ready to leave. This being a popular port, several cruise ships may be here on any given day.

Georgetown, Cayman Islands: There is no port facilities here, so you have to tender. Its not uncommon to find several cruise ships anchored off shore as this is a fairly popular destination. One of the best excursions on this island is StingRay City, a shallow sandy reef a couple of miles off shore. StingRays congegrate here, and they are fairly tame - if there is such a thing. You will have the opportunity to touch and feed them if you desire. We were here one time in 2002.

Key West, Fl: We were here once in 2000. Other than the beautiful sunsets, the most popular thing to do is taking a walkd down Duval St, where you will find watering holes such as Sloppy Joes, and the first Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. We stopped in for a "Cheeseburger in Paradise", and if you are a Parrot Head, you will find other landmarks such as Caroline St.

Labadee, Haiti: This is actually a penninsula in the northhern shore of Haiti rather than an island; well, I guess its an island as Haiti itself is half of an island. This destination is rather like Coco Cay, in that it is a private resort exclusive to the cruise line. Whle Coco Cay is mostly visited by the Bahamas route, Labadee is usually on the itinerary of the Eastern and Western routes. We were here in 2001 and 2002, and at that time, you had to tender on shore. I now understand that a pier has been built, as well as many other improvements. Labadee also has a straw market, and you can buy hand-made wares of the local population. I have no idea if this area was affected or not by the Jan 2010 earthquake.

Nassau, Bahamas: Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. We have been here three times,; in 2000, 2001, and in 2005; and I cannot think of any reason to go back. In reality, after you visit the Atlantis Resort - which is a must-see, there is not a whole lot to do here, which is quite surprising as often there will be 3 to 5 cruise ships in port. As I previously mentioned, the last time we were at this island, we stayed on board and enjoyed the pool to ourselves.

Ochos Rios, Jamaica: Ochos Rios is on the northern shore of Jamaica, and was the location that the James Bond film, Dr. No was filmed. I don't think much has happened since then though. We were there in 2002, and Dunn's River Falls is the excursion of choice. Jamaica itself is a very beautiful island, and there are several exclusive world-class resorts in the area. However, like most of the islands in the Caribbean, there is a lot of poverty here, which you will see if you take any of the excursions.

Philipsburg, St. Maartin: One of the Northern Caribbean Leeward Islands, the southern half is Dutch, and the northern half is French. We have been here twice; once in 2005, and the other in 2009, and it remains as my most favorite island. In fact, I could see myself living here. We're scheduled to go back for our third visit to this island in 2010. There is a lot to do here, from snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, you name it. And my favorite; the St. Maarten 12 Metre Challenge. That was simply a blast; so much so that I am providing a link here to their website.

One word of caution, this excursion sells out, so if you really want to go on this excursion, book it early via the cruise line's website. The cruise ships dock in St. Maartin - the Dutch side on the south, and its not uncommon to find several ships in port. The French side on the north half of the island is known as St. Martin, and is only a short distance away.

Road Town, Tortola (BVI): Another island on in the North Caribbean, its also usually visited by the smaller ships, is part of the British Virgin Islands. We were there in Dec 2009. As is with the other islands, there are sights to see here not possible anywhere else. One notable is the Bath area of Virgin Gorda. The main pier can handle two cruise ships, and the day we were there, another cruise ship had to anchor in the bay and tender passengers. The bay therefore can be quite congested with traffic, but that is an issue for the captain of the ship, not a passenger.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Other than Cuba, probably one of the most populated islands in the Caribbean, and likely the most urban, there is surprisingly little to do here, and not a whole lot of excursions are available. A visit to el Morro or San Cristobal Castles or the Barcardi Rum factory are the highlights here. We were here twice, in 2001 and again in Dec 2009.

St. Johns, Antigua: One of the most economic diverse islands we have seen. While most of the population are middle-class, there is a contrast with areas of poverty next to multi-million dollar Mega Yachts at Lord Nelson's Dockyard marina. This is also one of those islands hard for large cruise ships to get into, so I would suspect its limited to the smaller ships. We were here one time, in Dec 2009. Its been said that there are 365 beaches in Antigua; one for each day of the year.