Caribbean Cruise Ports, Ranked by What You Pay Ashore

Caribbean cruise ports, ranked on what a day ashore really costs you. The Bahamas charges every cruise passenger leaving Nassau $30 in tax, even the ones who never get off the ship, and the best day in the Caribbean costs nothing. Fourteen of the busiest ports, held to the same four things: the government's charge per passenger, dock or tender, the walk to the one sight, and that sight's own ticket. Every number is from the government or agency that sets it, dated; distances are our calculation. Fees change: check before you sail. The verdicts 0:00 Which ports are worth getting off for? 0:34 How we ranked them 1:25 14. Belize City 2:26 13. Costa Maya 3:30 12. Nassau 4:51 11. Roatán 5:42 10. Puerto Plata 6:25 9. St. Thomas 7:26 8. Falmouth 8:20 7. Grand Cayman 9:17 6. Ocho Rios 10:02 5. Cozumel 10:51 4. Bridgetown 11:43 3. Philipsburg 12:27 2. San Juan 13:14 1. Willemstad 14:26 Every port on one map The record behind each verdict Bahamas Customs, cruise departure tax: https://www.bahamascustoms.gov.bs/tar... Mexico's cruise fee decree, 2025: https://sidof.segob.gob.mx/notas/docF... NPS, San Juan fees: https://www.nps.gov/saju/planyourvisi... UNESCO, Willemstad: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/819/ Pictures, maps and credits Michael Au, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLCR Kyle Simourd, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLCV Prayitno, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLCW Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLCQ Banja-Frans Mulder, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLMH David Stanley, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLML giggel, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLMM P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLMN Banja-Frans Mulder, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLMP rh43, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLMS Prayitno, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLMT Jared, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLDG Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLDJ Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLDK rh43, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLDL Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLDN Coolcaesar, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLDP Coolcaesar, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLDT Adalberto Hernandez Vega, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLDW 巫迪文, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLDY Coolcaesar, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLDc Banja-Frans Mulder, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLMV Breezy Baldwin, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLMY Fevi Yu, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLMb Nils Huenerfuerst, CC BY 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Prayitno, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Adalberto Hernandez Vega, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Juan Ortega, CC BY 3.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Adalberto Hernandez Vega, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ImagePerson, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLE9 P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLEB Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLED giggel, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLEE dronepicr, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEH Gordon Leggett, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLEJ P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLEL dronepicr, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEM dbking, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLER Jeff Horne, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLET olekinderhook, CC BY 3.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Sam Pullara, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Danivpat, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLMz Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0: https://w.wiki/fLN2 Nils Huenerfuerst, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLNK Nelo Hotsuma, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEy -JvL-, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLNP -JvL-, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLNS dronepicr, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEf Gordon Tarpley, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEg -JvL-, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEk TerryDOtt, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEn Terry Ott, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEr ImagePerson, CC BY 4.0: https://w.wiki/fLNU dronepicr, CC BY 2.0: https://w.wiki/fLEu Satellite imagery: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026 (Sentinel-2, via Microsoft Planetary Computer) Stock footage: Pexels, Pixabay Archive photos and engravings: Wikimedia Commons (public domain) Maps: Natural Earth (public domain) #Cruise #Caribbean #SkipItOrSeeIt