Highlights - Antilles
What is there to see in the Antilles? What islands should I visit in the Antilles? A Caribbean cruise means one amazing experience after another. Every moment offers an abundance of culture and nature to delight the senses.
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Essential - Antilles
As every island in the Antilles is unique but is also influenced by a diverse range of cultures, here is some essential information to help you get around and to give you an enticing glimpse into life on a Caribbean cruise ship.
Read more
Highlights - Antilles
What is there to see in the Antilles? What islands should I visit in the Antilles? A Caribbean cruise means one amazing experience after another. Every moment offers an abundance of culture and nature to delight the senses.
Escape to Basseterre in Saint Kitts and Nevis
A pair of islands in the centre of the Caribbean, Saint Kitts and Nevis offer a wide range of activities on both land and sea. The town of Basseterre on Saint Kitts has a surprisingly British feel that contrasts with the tropical landscape that surrounds it. With its colourful houses and peaceful ambience, the historical centre charms many a visitor. Between hills and mountains, the lush green Basseterre valley is ideal for excursions into the wild. The translucent waters that encircle the island will delight diving enthusiasts.
Discover the amazing island of Barbados
English charm in the Caribbean... Slightly removed from the other islands, Barbados has retained its own identity. Here, you can head to the beach for a tranquil swim or find the best swell for surfing. But that's not all. The island is full of surprises for lovers of lush flora with its bamboos, palm trees and orchids. You might even catch a glimpse of the Barbados green monkey. Underground, a maze of stalactites and other incredible rock formations lead to caves and lakes.
Dive into the clear water
The Caribbean has some of the most beautiful dive sites in the world. While shipwrecks are interesting to explore, it is the sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, French and regal angelfish, parrotfish and colourful coral reefs that are the main draw. Saint Barthélemy, the Grenadines and Les Saintes are some of the best places to go diving.
Visit Saint Barthélemy by catamaran
The island is the jewel of the Antilles. Bathed in sunlight, Saint Barts is a romantic getaway. Its luxury villas with their white walls and red roofs stand out against the surrounding vegetation and lend the volcanic island an authentic charm. Exploring the coastline on board a catamaran remains one of the best ways to admire the stunning views. The rest of the show is in the water. At Colombia Beach, protected by Saint Barthélemy nature reserve, all you need is a mask and a snorkel to discover the rich underwater life. It's no surprise that this island is so popular with divers.
Treat yourself to a wild canoe trip in Dominica
The neighbouring islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique may outshine it somewhat. But Dominica still has much to offer. Its untamed landscapes are protected by several national parks. It's enough to take a canoe trip down the Indian River to experience them. In the middle of the mangroves, a unique ecosystem has seen multiple different species flourish, including herons, kingfishers and iguanas.
Essential - Antilles
As every island in the Antilles is unique but is also influenced by a diverse range of cultures, here is some essential information to help you get around and to give you an enticing glimpse into life on a Caribbean cruise ship.
Fun facts
Whilst most sandy beaches in the world are formed through rock erosion, in the Antilles, it's another process that creates the long stretches of white sand, considered some of the most beautiful in the world. The incredibly fine sand is actually produced by the parrotfish. This fish feeds on seaweed and corals that it breaks down with strong teeth. It excretes ground-up coral that is carried by the waves and builds up on the beaches.
Essential phrases
SIn the Antilles islands, people speak French, English, Spanish and Dutch. Creole is also very common. Here are a few examples of Guadeloupean creole phrases:
Good day/good evening: Bonjou/Bonswa
Goodbye: Ovwa
Welcome: Bonvini
Excuse me/please: Eskisé/tanpri-souplé
Thank you: Mési
Yes/no: Si (wè)/Awa
How are you?: Sa ou fè ?
Very well thank you, and you?: Bien mèsi, é zot ?
My name is: Non anmwen sé
Gastronomy
Whilst every island has its own unique take on Antilles cuisine, a few classic dishes can be found across the Caribbean. This is the case for fried fish, accompanied by plantains, polenta, okra or breadfruit, according to personal taste. Accras de morue (codfish fritters) and smoked, marinated and barbecued chicken are also highly popular. For a sweet treat at the end of your meal, coconut flan or homemade, hand-churned coconut sorbet will delight any foodie.
Myths and legends
In Guadeloupe, the Soukougnan is said to be a sorcerer or a woman who made a deal with the devil to transform his or herself into a colourful or a large, black bird come nightfall. It goes out at night to suck the blood of its enemies or to cast spells. When day breaks, it transforms back into a human. According to legend, you only need to find the skin that it takes off at night to ensure it can never return to its human form.
Culture
Book. A Caribbean literary classic, La rue Cases-Nègres (Black Shack Alley) by Joseph Zobel (1950) is an autobiographical coming-of-age story. A young boy, José, grows up on a sugar cane plantation where his grandmother M'mam Tine works. During the day, the boy is left on his own with other children of his age. Then comes primary school and secondary school in Fort-de-France. The reader's view of 1930s Martinque begins to shift. We no longer see it through the eyes of a child but through those of a young adult analysing the world's perpetual inequalities.
Music. At the height of his career in the 1960s and '70s, the author and composer Maurice Jallier was a big promoter of creole culture. In total, he composed several hundred songs, funny and touching portrayals of life in Martinique and the Antilles, as well as writing several works on Caribbean music. He also founded the Caribbean carnival in Paris.
Film. Amistad, 1997, Steven Spielberg. In 1839, La Amistad, a schooner transporting slaves from Sierra Leone, is caught in a storm off the coast of Cuba. Around 50 slaves manage to free themselves from their chains and mutiny, killing the captain. Finally recaptured, they are made to stand trial in the United States. Seen purely as goods by some and supported as refugees by others, the men and women are fighting for a single cause: their freedom.
Facts and figures
4000The Antilles archipelago extends in an arc some 4,000 kilometres long, from Cuba to Curaçao and from Aruba to Venezuela.
