Cruise port days, planned to the minute
Shore excursions that get you back before all aboard
Pick your port and your ship's times. We line up every tour against your day ashore, travel and tender time included, and show what you can finish with time to spare.
Photo: Fernando Jorge / Unsplash
How it works
Four things most tour sites ignore
Getting ashore
About 20 minutes at a pier and 45 at a tender port before any tour can start.
Travel both ways
The ride from your pier to the start point and back, from our research on each port.
The longest version
If a tour runs 4–5 hours, we plan for 5. Tours run late; ships don't.
Your safety margin
An hour before all aboard by default. Ships don't wait for independent tours.
Port guides
All ports on a map Caribbean cruise ports
Pier-by-pier guides with travel times, taxi fares, places to go on your own and the tours that fit a typical call.
Western Caribbean
MexicoCozumel
A flat coral island with three cruise piers, a walkable town, easy shore snorkeling, Maya ruins and a quiet wild south.
Cayman IslandsGrand Cayman
A tender-only port where Stingray City, Seven Mile Beach and the Turtle Centre are all reachable in a day, but the north-coast sights are a long trip.
HondurasRoatán
Two cruise ports on the Mesoamerican Reef, with West Bay's calm, reef-fringed beach 25–35 minutes away by road.
MexicoCosta Maya
A purpose-built cruise pier beside the small beach village of Mahahual, with Maya ruins at Chacchoben and the Bacalar lagoon a bus ride inland.
JamaicaOcho Rios
A compact north-coast port where Dunn's River Falls, Dolphin Cove and Mystic Mountain are 5 to 15 minutes from the pier.
JamaicaFalmouth
A purpose-built north-coast port beside a Georgian town, within day-trip reach of river rafting, Rose Hall, Montego Bay beaches and Dunn's River Falls.
BelizeBelize City
Belize City is a tender port with quick access to Maya ruins, cave tubing, a wildlife zoo and barrier-reef cayes, but the city itself is best skipped beyond the tourism village.
Eastern & Southern Caribbean
The BahamasNassau
A deep-water port in the middle of town: beaches, forts and Paradise Island are all close, and ships dock without tenders.
Sint MaartenSt. Maarten
A walk-off port with a beach town at hand, plus Maho Beach plane-spotting and the French side's beaches by fixed-fare taxi.
U.S. Virgin IslandsSt. Thomas
Two piers a short ride from duty-free Charlotte Amalie, with Magens Bay, Coki Beach and a ferry to St. John all within a day.
Dominican RepublicAmber Cove & Puerto Plata
Two piers: Amber Cove is a Carnival-built resort 15-20 minutes from town; Taino Bay puts other lines a short walk from Puerto Plata's old centre.
ColombiaCartagena
A UNESCO-listed walled city 10–20 minutes from the cruise terminal, best explored on foot in the morning before the heat peaks.
Try it
A typical day in Cozumel
Change the times and watch the list re-sort. Every port page works the same way.
Tours that fit your day in Cozumel
Enter the times from your cruise line's itinerary. We add time to walk off the ship, the drive to each tour's start point and back, and your safety margin.
Safety margin before all aboard
Fits your dayCozumel Exploratory Scuba Diving at Chankanaab with Beach Access
Back by 11:00 am · 4 h 30 min sparefrom $79
Fits your dayATV 4×4+Cenote+Snorkeling+Beach Club+ Lunch+Sabores de Cozumel
Back by 1:00 pm · 2 h 30 min sparefrom $95
Fits your dayCozumel: Private Excursion - MiniVan or Jeep (Your Day, Your Way)
Back by 2:00 pm · 1 h 30 min sparefrom $190
Fits your dayMexican Lucha Libre Experience in Cozumel, Tacos and Margaritas
Back by 12:00 pm · 3 h 30 min sparefrom $100
Too long
Too long
Why trust it
Researched, not copied
12
Caribbean ports with pier-by-pier guides and interactive maps
126
places with drive times from the pier, costs, time needed and local tips
October
2026: when every port guide was last checked and updated