Going to the Caribbean - looking for advice

Jelster

Jelster

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As a Birthday treat (I was 50 last week) my wife & I are off on a Caribbean cruise later this month and I was looking for a few pointers of possible photo opportunities.

We're due to land on the following islands:
  • Barbados
  • Curacao
  • Aruba
  • Grand Turk
  • Tortola (BVI)
  • St Maarten
  • St Kitts
  • St Lucia
  • Grenada

I'd like to catch the essence of the different islands, and I know some are green & lush while others are more like "desert islands". I've been advised that Cane Garden Bay on Tortola is beautiful place, other than that, I'm really open to ideas.

Cheers,
Steve
 
St Maarten is famous for the beach at the end of the runway. 747s etc skim feet above your head on landing, and if you fancy the rush, then get yourself blown head over heels. Alternatively, stand further away and take pictures of the other people, and the planes.
 
I've only been to Aruba and Curacoa but several times, of the 2 Curacao is by far the interesting one photographicaly speaking. Lots of brightly coloured buildings in the old dutch style, Aruba on the other hand is pretty much the same as any other caribbean island. Both islands commerce was dependant on Shell (as in oil, not sea shells), not sure if Shell is still there? When I went there, there was one plane that linked the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), there was no such thing as queueing it was every man/woman/animal for him/herself, if you were lucky you got a seat. Have a great holiday.
 
I used to work on a cruise ship and have visited every place you've listed. I've got a book at home which was very handy for me finding the best places to visit. When I'm home I'll try and dig it out and reply back in here.

One top tip though - BE VERY CAREFUL WITH CAMERA GEAR!! Pick pocketing is a big thing over there so you can never be too safe!
 
be prepared for the weather

it can be VERY Humid. for the weddings I have shot over there, I needed to leave the cameras and lenses outside to acclimatise from the contrasting aircon

When it rains, it absoloutley throws it down

Best advice - get straight out of the tourist bits
 
cherryrig said:
One top tip though - BE VERY CAREFUL WITH CAMERA GEAR!! Pick pocketing is a big thing over there so you can never be too safe!
Click to expand...

Try not to look like a tourist (not easy I know), wear a cheap watch. I always took my oldest heaviest camera which at the time was a Nikon F3. If it's shiny and looks new it'll be a target for theft. Having said that, I've never had a problem apart from once in Freeport, Bahamas. The other bloke came off worst ;)
 
sorry to thread hijack but i am going cancun, mexico soon and worried about my lens fogging from the humidity. Will this be a major problem? and tips?
 
Jelster said:
As a Birthday treat (I was 50 last week) my wife & I are off on a Caribbean cruise later this month and I was looking for a few pointers of possible photo opportunities.

We're due to land on the following islands:
  • Barbados
  • Curacao
  • Aruba
  • Grand Turk
  • Tortola (BVI)
  • St Maarten
  • St Kitts
  • St Lucia
  • Grenada

I'd like to catch the essence of the different islands, and I know some are green & lush while others are more like "desert islands". I've been advised that Cane Garden Bay on Tortola is beautiful place, other than that, I'm really open to ideas.

Cheers,
Steve
Click to expand...


[sulk]

Grenada is Yv's favourite place in the world! I guess you'll dock at St George's in which case walk up the hill and it's very colourful and photogenic town.

Cane Garden Bay gets busy by lunchtime, but access to the beach is at one end so if you head past the bar to the other end of the beach you can avoid many of the "heavyweight" tourists! ;) The journey across the island to get there from Roadtown is a giggle - don't drop your camera out of the open side of the bus!

St Maarten is a dutyfree shopping centre; the street markets in town are photogenic as well as cheap-ish

Etc, etc - you'll have a fabulous trip, no matter what you do or don't photograph!

[/sulk]
 
  • Barbados - Bridgetown if you want to shop. Harrison Cave is quite good as it's about the limestone deep beneath Barbados
  • Tortola (BVI) - Cane Garden Bay one of the best beaches I've ever been to. The taxi trip there is quite a "trip" to say the least. One thing you must do when on Tortola is head to Pussers bar and try a "Painkiller Shooter" 4/5 types of rum in a shot. Dont worry you get to keep the shot glass after :nuts: I've still got mine
  • St Maarten - aeroplane beach. Quite a long taxi trip from the cruise area so could be costly. Otherwise walking around the beach area new the cruise port is very enjoyable
  • St Kitts - a lot of nice beaches and very nice to just walk around
  • St Lucia - best to maybe head on a tour or something when your here as outside of the cruise port is very dull and a lot of stuff is quite a trip away

Most of thats from what I just remember, I'm not sure where I've put my book I used to have. Basically you'll have a good time what ever you do so just shot and enjoy yourself!
 
Thanks guys, it's all quite helpful.

I have a Black Rapid strap so my camera will be fairly safe across my body. I'm looking at just taking the 7D with one or two lenses and a flash, and use a fairly compact bag to keep it all in.

Anybody know what the sunsets are like? The last time I did a cruise (in the Med) I got some fantastic sunset shots from the ship.

Steve
 
The sunsets are just awesome in the Caribbean and some of the islands have the "sundowner" tradition where everyone goes to a bar with a good view and has a rum punch (or whatever) as it rapidly sinks - and it is very rapid! Example from Antigua below.

The snag you may have with the sunset is that the cruise ships often sail at sundown.

stj.jpg
 
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cherryrig said:
[*]Barbados - Bridgetown if you want to shop. Harrison Cave is quite good as it's about the limestone deep beneath Barbados
Click to expand...

We went to Barbados last year
Bridgetown is poor for shopping unless you want 'tourist discount' on jewellery etc
Harrison Cave is good as is swimming with the turtles. I didn't find any issues with theft, or feel threatened at all. In fact at times I walked down to the local rum bar and sat drinking/chatting with the locals.

Plenty of famous people have places on Barbados, plus people like Rihanna often return home.

Oistins is a great place for fresh fish and a night out - flying fish is nice.
They have the Atlantis Submarine as well. Tourist rides to a coral reef, but we didn't go on that. Supposed to be very good.
Sunsets are stunning, as are the tropical storms. We were flooded twice in a week!
Oh and some beaches have a parasitic worm. My wife came home with something in her foot that hatched :runaway:

A taster
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We have been on some cruises over the last few years(since I retired) and have been to all of the places you are going to. Come March we are off on another one, not calling at so many islands this time - mainly transatlantic.
There is a fish market along the front, at Barbados, if you go out the check point (for taxi's) and keep going down the road towards town centre , it is on your right, quite interesting. Not sure wether it's St Kitts or St Lucia but if you turn right out of the cruise terminal, walk down the road quite a way you will see a boat yard on your right, go through that and turn right again along the road into town, again a quite interesting market.

As has been said St Maarten, great beach walk along the road then turn right into shopping area's.
 
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Watch out for pirates.



Yaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
 
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