From the outside it looks simple, short distances, lots of islands close together. But I’ve heard travel between islands can actually be expensive or complicated.
How does it really work in practice?
It was super easy last I went around that area. Just basic security check really. Now when and where to get the boat, and whether it was on time. Locals get priority if it’s full (I love that but plan ahead)
u/Loud-Difference2263 There is plenty of stuff that you can get on one island, especially Martinique and Guadeloupe, that you can't get in Dominica. Also, do not forget that there is lots of drug trafficking that takes place in the Caribbean, and both Martinique and Guadeloupe have multiple daily direct flights to Europe.
If you are taking the ferry between Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia or Guadeloupe, you will need to clear immigration (and perhaps customs, if you are randomly chosen for a check) at both the departure and arrival ports. This is in addition to any security checks.
You can fly between islands but it can be moderately expensive due to the airlines having a monopoly on the market. Example from Barbados to Saint Lucia or Saint Vincent would be around $250 USD each way. If you wanted to go down the chain of islands this is what I would do. I would fly to the USVI, then take the ferry to Saint Martin. From there another ferry travels to Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique and Saint Lucia. From Saint Lucia I would fly Intercaribbean to Saint Vincent and Barbados. The ferry link is here:Caribbean Ferry Cost per ferry trip is around $100 USD.
u/Fancy-Truck-421 There is no regularly scheduled ferry that goes from BVI to Saint Martin. Are you getting Anguilla confused with an island in the BVIs?
My friend and his family aren’t super rich, but his family has a nice boat that they’ve used to travel all around the islands and they’ve had a great time. I also know people, with more $$$, who will have a yacht, that comes fully staffed and stocked, and use that to island hop. It’s pretty easy by boat, I’d say easier than flying in some cases. If you’re not super rich, there are charters where you can basically rent a boat that comes staffed.
Expensive not mainly because of monopolies, but also because of the small numbers of people travelling between islands and the small aircraft used. I won't be cost effective to use a jumbo jet to fly 40 or 50 people a distance of 90 miles for example.
In the lower Antilles - Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, etc - it is much easier, but not cheap. But you will have a difficult time accessing the larger islands further north.
Island hopping is a romantic concept left over from the 50’s
LIAT was struggling financially and mismanaged for decades. Its folding was inevitable. Covid was just the final nail. Barbados decided to pull out after being one of the biggest contributors with no controlling interest and the dominoes fell from there. Antigua, with actual control, is still trying to keep it running.
Find two that have ferry service such as St. Martin to Anguilla or Antigua to Barbuda or easy flight from Antigua to Montserrat. Same for Sint Maarten to Saba or Statia or St. Barths. Grenada to Carriacou would be fun to St. Vincent to Bequia. SO many choices, I know them all....
Yea, it can actually be easier and cheaper to get to the mainland from stx than it is to get down island. It’s a shame really, but I can understand why.
It will depend on which countries you are hopping from, some are easier than others depending on the relationship between the countries and the country you are heading to having concerns about various activities like drug smuggling from any of the other countries you have visited. This creates a situation where some people find it easy and others find it extremely difficult depending on which Islands they chose.
I have done it before when I had sufficient time to adapt to ferry schedules and funds to pay for at least one flight within the region. 15 years ago on January 1 we flew from the US to Barbados. We spent a couple days relaxing in Barbados then flew to St Vincent. Upon arrival in St Vincent we took a ferry to Bequia where we had rented an apartment for 9 nights. One of those nights we actually stayed in Chateaubelair on the St Vincent mainland so we could hike La Soufriere the following morning. After our stay in Bequia we took the ferry to Union where we spent 3 nights. Next we took a boat that travels to Carriacou 2 or 3 times a week. We spent 5 days in Carriacou before catching the ferry to Grenada where we spent the final 11 nights before flying home on January 31. I consider it a trip of a lifetime because time constraints and the cost of lodging make it significantly more expensive these days.
Sure as hell not. I do it every summer and it’s annoying and not cheap. I fly from Trinidad and it’s always annoying. It’s doable depending on where you are going as Trinidad is a hub, but fly to any of the other small islands and you will have layover on layovers to fly where you want to go. The planes are also small so even your carry on will be checked and charged.
Biggest problem is the lack of airlines and the fact that some airlines want you to fly up to the US to come back down to another island. But I could rant about the lack of inter Caribbean travel another day.
Some islands are doable by boat. Vincy to Grenada. ABC islands, or Saint/Sint Martin to Saint Barts or Anguilla among a few.
Nope
I think a lot of the people who make it sound easy have their own boats.
Guadeloupe - Dominica - Martinique - Saint Lucia. We have a regular ferry between the four of us.
How is it going through customs if you travel by ferry? Is it similar to flying? I’ve only flown between islands, so I wouldn’t know.
It was super easy last I went around that area. Just basic security check really. Now when and where to get the boat, and whether it was on time. Locals get priority if it’s full (I love that but plan ahead)
Makes sense. As an outsider, I would think that there’s not much you could get on one island that you couldn’t get on the others.
u/Loud-Difference2263 There is plenty of stuff that you can get on one island, especially Martinique and Guadeloupe, that you can't get in Dominica. Also, do not forget that there is lots of drug trafficking that takes place in the Caribbean, and both Martinique and Guadeloupe have multiple daily direct flights to Europe.
Fair enough. I stand corrected👍🏾
If you are taking the ferry between Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia or Guadeloupe, you will need to clear immigration (and perhaps customs, if you are randomly chosen for a check) at both the departure and arrival ports. This is in addition to any security checks.
You can fly between islands but it can be moderately expensive due to the airlines having a monopoly on the market. Example from Barbados to Saint Lucia or Saint Vincent would be around $250 USD each way. If you wanted to go down the chain of islands this is what I would do. I would fly to the USVI, then take the ferry to Saint Martin. From there another ferry travels to Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique and Saint Lucia. From Saint Lucia I would fly Intercaribbean to Saint Vincent and Barbados. The ferry link is here:Caribbean Ferry Cost per ferry trip is around $100 USD.
May I ask what ferry goes from the USVI to Saint Martin?
You would have to do USVI to BVI then to Saint Martin from there. Try Makana Ferries.
Makana only goes between SXM, Saba, Statia and St. Kitts.
really??? I don't think so...there are no ferries from BVIs to SXM
u/Fancy-Truck-421 There is no regularly scheduled ferry that goes from BVI to Saint Martin. Are you getting Anguilla confused with an island in the BVIs?
What if someone's super rich and wants to yacht around the islands?
My friend and his family aren’t super rich, but his family has a nice boat that they’ve used to travel all around the islands and they’ve had a great time. I also know people, with more $$$, who will have a yacht, that comes fully staffed and stocked, and use that to island hop. It’s pretty easy by boat, I’d say easier than flying in some cases. If you’re not super rich, there are charters where you can basically rent a boat that comes staffed.
How long does it take to boat/yacht around the islands?
Yea, I’ve actually found round trip tickets from the USVI to the mainland US that were cheaper than flying to somewhere down island.
Its only easy if you do a cruise
Expensive not mainly because of monopolies, but also because of the small numbers of people travelling between islands and the small aircraft used. I won't be cost effective to use a jumbo jet to fly 40 or 50 people a distance of 90 miles for example.
In the lower Antilles - Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, etc - it is much easier, but not cheap. But you will have a difficult time accessing the larger islands further north.
Island hopping is a romantic concept left over from the 50’s
I loved LIAT, but then Covid19...
Oh LIAT
leave island any time
Haven't heard that in a while. Reminded me of BWIA - But Will It Arrive?
Better Walk If Able
Can't believe I forgot that. That was actually my favorite regional one. (Fave non-regional was DELTA/Doesn't Ever Leave the Airport)
Lol
haaaaaaaaa
😂😂😂
LIAT was struggling financially and mismanaged for decades. Its folding was inevitable. Covid was just the final nail. Barbados decided to pull out after being one of the biggest contributors with no controlling interest and the dominoes fell from there. Antigua, with actual control, is still trying to keep it running.
I understand all that.
But still...
From my side it may have been an irrational love thing.
I paid less to fly from Vancouver to St. Vincent than it was to fly from St. Vincent to Martinique. Each trip also had the same amount of stopovers.
Find two that have ferry service such as St. Martin to Anguilla or Antigua to Barbuda or easy flight from Antigua to Montserrat. Same for Sint Maarten to Saba or Statia or St. Barths. Grenada to Carriacou would be fun to St. Vincent to Bequia. SO many choices, I know them all....
Not for DR, I think we need a visa for many of them, plus flight tickets are not always cheap.
not in the least. to go from st croix to many islands requires a plane ride to miami
Yea, it can actually be easier and cheaper to get to the mainland from stx than it is to get down island. It’s a shame really, but I can understand why.
No locals find it easy, unless they have private jets and boats, which is more often foreigner.
The easiest way is on a cruise. Not much air connectivity between islands.
No easy. And logistics / accommodations on each island is its own problematic issue.
Haha NOPE!
It will depend on which countries you are hopping from, some are easier than others depending on the relationship between the countries and the country you are heading to having concerns about various activities like drug smuggling from any of the other countries you have visited. This creates a situation where some people find it easy and others find it extremely difficult depending on which Islands they chose.
You'll need a boat, or a plane.
No, but Arajet is a new airline that is changing that!
I have done it before when I had sufficient time to adapt to ferry schedules and funds to pay for at least one flight within the region. 15 years ago on January 1 we flew from the US to Barbados. We spent a couple days relaxing in Barbados then flew to St Vincent. Upon arrival in St Vincent we took a ferry to Bequia where we had rented an apartment for 9 nights. One of those nights we actually stayed in Chateaubelair on the St Vincent mainland so we could hike La Soufriere the following morning. After our stay in Bequia we took the ferry to Union where we spent 3 nights. Next we took a boat that travels to Carriacou 2 or 3 times a week. We spent 5 days in Carriacou before catching the ferry to Grenada where we spent the final 11 nights before flying home on January 31. I consider it a trip of a lifetime because time constraints and the cost of lodging make it significantly more expensive these days.
Sure as hell not. I do it every summer and it’s annoying and not cheap. I fly from Trinidad and it’s always annoying. It’s doable depending on where you are going as Trinidad is a hub, but fly to any of the other small islands and you will have layover on layovers to fly where you want to go. The planes are also small so even your carry on will be checked and charged.
Biggest problem is the lack of airlines and the fact that some airlines want you to fly up to the US to come back down to another island. But I could rant about the lack of inter Caribbean travel another day.
Some islands are doable by boat. Vincy to Grenada. ABC islands, or Saint/Sint Martin to Saint Barts or Anguilla among a few.
Island hopping is not hard, it can be expensive though. The degree of difficulty really depends on which islands and what you consider hard or easy.
Yes
Island hopping is very difficult in the Caribbean with few exceptions. There is a ferry from to DR to PR for example.