Best Shopping Ports in the Caribbean | Ambassador Caribbean Fly Cruises

Nobody plans a Caribbean cruise holiday for the shopping. But somewhere between the duty-free perfume on Front Street, Saint Maarten and the handmade rum at Pusser's in Road Town, the shopping becomes part of the story. Every island on the Ambassador fly cruise itinerary has its own version of the market, the craft, the bottle to take home, and finding them is one of the quiet pleasures of a multi-port voyage.

SAINT MAARTEN: FRONT STREET - WHERE THE BARGAINING IS PART OF THE FUN

Front Street is the best-known duty-free shopping strip in the Caribbean, and its setting earns the reputation. A row of Dutch colonial buildings painted in tropical colours, running parallel to the beach, with the Caribbean visible between the shops and the sand just beyond. Jewellery, electronics, perfume, spirits and watches at prices that reflect Saint Maarten's unique status as both French and Dutch territory and one of the lowest-tax islands in the region.

It is the kind of shopping that rewards a morning rather than an hour. Browse methodically, compare prices across two or three shops before committing (they negotiate here, and the competition is friendly), and end with something you could not have found at home. Look for the local Guavaberry liqueur made from a berry that grows only on Saint Maarten, available in a range of aged and spiced expressions, and genuinely unlike anything else in the duty-free cabinet.

ROAD TOWN, TORTOLA: RUM FIRST. EVERYTHING ELSE SECOND.

Road Town is quieter than Front Street and makes no apologies for it. The BVI has a different relationship with commerce; crafts matter more than brands, and what you find here tends to be made rather than imported. Pusser's Company Store on Main Street is the anchor: rum, clothing, nautical accessories and the original Painkiller cocktail recipe that has since spread across the Caribbean. The rum is legitimately excellent and comes in expressions the duty-free shelves at home do not carry. The Painkiller: rum, cream of coconut, orange juice, pineapple juice, grated nutmeg, is the official cocktail of the BVI and best drunk at its source. Order one. Then order the rum to take home. You'll thank us in January.

Beyond Pusser's, the craft market offers local art, shell jewellery and sea-glass pieces made from glass rounded in the same waters you are sailing. Not the largest market on the itinerary. One of the most characterful.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise…

We thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise with Ambassador
Food was excellent self service restaurant had fantastic variety & we liked that staff served food so everyone wasn’t touching everything!
Variety shows were fantastic singers & dancers were fantastic
Our cabin attendant was super & also waiter & assistant in Buckingham Restaurant
Overall excellent all round

– Verified Guest Review, Trustpilot

ORANJESTAD, ARUBA: DUTCH EFFICIENCY MEETS CARIBBEAN COLOUR

Oranjestad's waterfront shopping district is a different proposition entirely, Dutch colonial architecture in burnt-orange and cobalt-blue, with a pedestrian-friendly main street lined with boutiques, jewellery shops and local aloe vera products. Aruba was once the world's largest producer of aloe vera and the island's skincare range, creams, gels, aftersun, is a useful and lightweight thing to bring home. The harbour craft market offers local artisan jewellery and handmade pieces alongside the more conventional retail.

Look for the Dutch stroopwafels, improbably available in a tropical climate and improved by it. The Renaissance Mall and Royal Plaza Mall on the waterfront offer a fuller range of duty-free options for those who want them.

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: START HERE. LEAVE HAPPY.

The embarkation port deserves its own chapter. Bridgetown's Broad Street runs from the harbour into the city, with duty-free rum, local hot sauce, handmade crafts from the Pelican Craft Centre and the Cheapside Market. The rum hall at Cave Shepherd department store is the definitive place to taste before you buy: Mount Gay, Cockspur, St Nicholas Abbey, Foursquare, four fundamentally different expressions of Barbadian rum, each worth understanding before you commit to a bottle. Bajan pepper sauce (the local hot sauce, made with Scotch bonnets and mustard) is lightweight, long-lasting and changes cooking permanently.

The Saturday morning market in Cheapside is the most local experience Bridgetown offers. Worth arriving before 9am.

Perfect from start to finish

My experience was positive from start to finish: embarkation, the welcome from all members of staff, especially the ‘cabin boy’, the room itself had everything I needed, food was excellent in the various venues where it was provided, entertainment and disembarkation were all efficiently seen to. When staff noted that I used a stick for walking (aftermath of stroke) they were particularly kind and helpful (eg seating me close to the buffet for breakfast).
I felt that our safety was very important to staff with doors being blocked etc when weather was rough.

– Verified Guest Review, Trustpilot

FINAL THOUGHTS

The best shopping in the Caribbean is the kind you do without a list and come home slightly unable to explain. The Guavaberry liqueur you didn't know existed until it was in your hand in Philipsburg. The Pusser's bottle opened on the last evening and finished over two nights. The aloe vera cream that works better than anything you bought at home. A Caribbean fly cruise is a holiday. But the things you bring back, it turns out, tend to earn their place.

Find Your Caribbean Fly Cruise

WANT MORE CARIBBEAN TRAVEL GUIDES, TIPS AND OFFERS?

Sign up to the Ambassador Cruise Line newsletter for expert advice, special deals and inspiring travel guides delivered straight to your inbox.

WHY CRUISE WITH AMBASSADOR

Experience more of the Caribbean with Ambassador. Sailing from UK ports with welcoming service, comfortable smaller ships and a wide range of destinations, it’s easy to discover local markets, unique crafts and memorable finds along the way.

For more destination guides, travel tips and must-see locations, be sure to read the articles on our blog.