Caribbean vacations are some of the most popular throughout the world. Very few people don't like sun, sand and surf. Some of the best lie south and east of Arkansas.
When you cannot get to the Caribbean, you can certainly play-like on the sand bars of the Arkansas River near Little Rock. Perhaps a safer course might be the swimming pools and water amusement parks you'll find around town.
While our family does all of the above, our favorite vacation destination outside of Arkansas is the Caribbean. There are a number of ways to experience a vacation to the islands. Cruise ships offer a great opportunity for you to shop around for a favorite destination and, especially, to sample the different cultures of the islands.
Please note that any named islands with a link will take you to a page that provides much more information about that island (Aruba, for instance).
Christopher Columbus was confused in 1492. He thought he had sailed all the way around the world and had discovered some islands off the coast of India, so he called the islands West Indies. But who wouldn't be confused after spending all that time on the ocean worrying if everyone was right and he was about to sail off the edge of a flat world.
Basic Information:
- The Caribbean is divided into four categories: Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the eastern and southern island chains of the Lesser Antilles known as the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.
- The Bahamas, of course, is the northernmost chain of 29 inhabited islands and 3,000 islets. It's probably one of the more visited places by US citizens because it's one of the lower cost vacations.
- The Greater Antilles is composed of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
- The Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles are those near South America: Aruba, Curacao (pronounced ker-a-sow - sow like a pig), Bonaire, Margarita, Trinadad and Tobago. The Windward Islands are outside the normal hurricane tracking area.
- The Leeward Islands are northeast of the Windward Islands and are partially composed of: Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda, Guadaloupe, Martinique, Monserrat, Nevis, St. Barts, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Martin (Maarten). St. Martin is the only island owned by two governments. The Dutch control the southern third of the island and the French have the northern two-thirds.
Caribbean Travel Tidbits:
- Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30. Hurricanes do not go to Aruba, which is why we've included information about Aruba here. Aruba is deep in the southern Caribbean, only 15 miles from Venezuela. Party people will love Carlos and Charlies in Oranjestad -- well, maybe not those who partied so hard on our last cruise that they didn't make it back to the ship before we sailed.
- Passports for United States citizens are now required for re-entry into the states from the Caribbean.
- Electricity: Some vacation spots have 110v outlets; some have 220v and some have both. Always check before you leave. The one time we took a 220v to 110v adapter so we could use our American stuff was, uh, less than perfect.
- Do Not Be An Ugly American. We Americans rush to everything, including judgments. There is no rushing in the Caribbean culture. We watched a woman throw a fit standing at the entrance to a restaurant because they would not let her in BEFORE they opened. We were embarrassed, to say the least.
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