We spent 7 days visiting the tourist attractions from the cities visited on our cruise trip from Fort Lauderdale to Cayman and the ABC Islands.

 

Link to still image montage of Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao visit:-

https://youtu.be/Vz067myJfiA

 

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Link to our How to Sail for beginners video, made in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.

 

 

Fort Lauderdale to Cayman and the ABC Islands

We visited in January 3rd - 10th 2019 for a 7 day cruise. The climate was increasingly more tropical and ideal for open air trips and excursions. It got warmer the closer we got towards the ABC Islands. The ABC Islands lie 15, 40 and 50 miles respectively off the Venezuela coast.

 

The activity level on a cruise like this one can be from 1 - 10 depending on how active or inactive you want to be. You can remain on the ship for the entire cruise and just partake in food and drink, if you like that sort of thing. We on the other hand made ample use of the pools, gym and top deck walking track whilst eating healthily and getting off the ship in each location to sample the local attractions and culture. 

 

Given the geographical distances between these countries, we decided that the cruise option, for first time visitors, is the easiest option, with a view to doing a return visit to preferred countries/ locations at a later stage. 

 

We flew, via, Dublin to Miami where we stayed overnight before picking up the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship at Fort Lauderdale. 

We did a day tour of Grand Cayman from the ship taking in the old Parliament House, a rum distillery and the Crystal Caves and then departed for the ABC islands further south. We toured Aruba and also did a day long trip around the island and spent the best part of the day on the beautiful Eagle Beach, before returning to the ship.

Our next port of call was Curacoa, where we did a coach trip around the island and got some insight into its culture and history, which was very interesting. We also ,spent the afternoon on  lovely beach which is surrounded by a retirement village. Apparently Curacoa is a hotspot for Dutch and American tax exiles, resulting in the island population doubling at certain times of the year.

We finally visited Bonaire, where we took a bicycle tour and a further tour of the Island. Bonaire is famous for its flamingos.

We then flew from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia and from there back to Dublin .

 

A sense of Fort Lauderdale to Cayman and the ABC Islands

A great trip, from the luxury of the cruise ship. Our general experience of these various countries is that the people are extremely friendly. There is a complete cultural difference between our existence in Europe and their laid back Caribbean life style.

The Cayman island is very British due to its United Kingdom status albeit with an enormous Caribbean influence. The ABC islands are Dutch, with very impressive towns, very clean and efficient, with lots to see and do. A good mix of Caribbean life style and Dutch efficiency.

 

Recommendations for Fort Lauderdale to Cayman and the ABC Islands

There is no language barrier, if you only speak English. So it lends itself to undertaking guided group tours or self-guided tours if you prefer.

In each of the four islands,  we visited a great cross section of the local tourist attractions. We also visited some of the local restaurants and bars and these left us with a genuine appreciation of their laid back culture.

The street food in all of the towns is fantastic to look at and superb to taste, however, if you have a delicate stomach, you should take extreme care when partaking in street food.

 

Our must see recommendation for a trip from Fort Lauderdale to Cayman and the ABC Islands.

 

(1) Our visit to Bonaire island was the highlight of our entire cruise trip, and gave us a real sense of their conservation initiatives. The snorkelling was spectacular within only 20 feet of the shore

 

(2) Our second choice would be a longer stay in Aruba.

 

(3) Our third choice would be the trip around Cayman island.

 

As always, the people we met on the trip, enriched the whole experience. Our friends Rona and George from LA joined us on this trip - we really enjoy their company.

 

“You should travel away from home, you really appreciate the value of what you have at  home, on your return.”