17 Western Caribbean Cruise Ports You Must Visit

When you think of the Caribbean, you no doubt drum up thoughts of tropical islands. But really, the Western Caribbean doesn’t have many islands at all.

Most of the ‘island hopping’ itineraries in the Caribbean take place in the east, where you’ll find the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbados and so on.

That’s not to say the Western Caribbean doesn’t have islands at all, it’s just that a lot of the destinations are part of Central America instead.

So, here’s a look at the best cruise ports you can visit on a Western Caribbean cruise, ranked by popularity.

What Is Considered a Western Caribbean Cruise?

Western Caribbean cruises are those that visit ports west of Florida or south of Cuba. The primary countries visited on most Western Caribbean cruises include Jamaica, Honduras, the Cayman Islands, Belize and Mexico.

In fact, many of the top cruise lines will only sail to mainland Mexico or Belize on itineraries that they name as ‘Western Caribbean’. This includes anything in the Gulf of Mexico, and the western parts of the Caribbean sea.

There are 17 main ports in the Western Caribbean. This includes five on the eastern coast of Mexico and another five in Jamaica – the rest are split between Honduras and Belize, with Grand Cayman completing the set. 

What Are the Western Caribbean Islands?

The Western Caribbean islands include the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, and the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras. Other Caribbean destinations are on the mainland of Belize, Honduras and Mexico. 

Map of Western Caribbean Cruise Ports

Let’s take a closer look at each of the Western Caribbean cruise destinations. I’ve listed them all starting with the most popular in terms of annual cruise passenger numbers.

1. Cozumel, Mexico

Pier or Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• AIDA
• Carnival
• Celebrity Cruises
• Disney Cruise Line
• Holland America Line
• MSC Cruises
• NCL
• Oceania
• P&O Cruises
• Ponant
• Princess
• Royal Caribbean
• Seabourn
• Silversea
• TUI Cruises
• Viking Ocean Cruises
• Virgin Voyages
• Windstar Cruises

Cozumel isn’t just the number one port in the Western Caribbean – it’s also one of the most popular port cities in the entire world. And it’s no surprise why, when you realise just how much there is to do.

Firstly, it has some incredible opportunities for scuba diving and snorkelling, with clear waters and a wide variety of wildlife to discover.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, Cozumel’s restaurant scene is thriving – from casual to fine dining, authentic Mexican and seafood to global cuisine, there is something for every taste and budget.

Cozumel also has some incredible beaches, but just make sure you choose the right one. There are some nude and topless beaches that you may want to try, or avoid, depending on your confidence.

2. Belize City, Belize

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• AIDA
• Azamara Cruises
• Carnival
• Celebrity
• Holland America
• Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
• Hurtigruten
• Lindblad Expeditions
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• NCL
• Nicko Cruises (Mystic Cruises)
• Oceania Cruises
• P&O Cruises
• Phoenix Reisen
• Ponant Cruises
• Princess Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• Seabourn Cruises
• Silversea
• TUI Cruises
• UnCruise Adventures
• Viking Ocean
• Windstar Cruises

Belize may be one of the smallest countries in Central America, but it proves that great things come in small packages. This city port is host to a huge variety of excursion opportunities, including museums, shops, restaurants, historical landmarks, bars and more.

Ships arrive at a dedicated tourism region which is safe and has plenty to see. If you want to venture further afield, it’s best to do so on a guided tour or as part or a larger group.

3. Roatan, Honduras

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Azamara Cruises
• Carnival
• Celebrity
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• NCL
• Nicko Cruises (Mystic Cruises)
• Oceania Cruises
• P&O Cruises
• Phoenix Reisen
• Princess Cruises
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• Silversea
• TUI Cruises
• Viking Ocean
• Virgin Voyages
• Windstar Cruises

Roatan is a classic Caribbean destination. This island off the coast of Honduras is home to beautiful beaches and many exciting adventures, including plenty of excursions aimed at thrillseekers.

There are two ports on Roatan used by different cruise lines, but each is within a comfortable walking distance of sandy beaches and plenty of shops and restaurants. The largest barrier reef in the Caribbean is nearby, so definitely take up the opportunity to try any boat tours or snorkelling while you’re here.

4. Costa Maya, Mexico

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Azamara
• Carnival
• Celebrity Cruises
• Disney Cruise Line
• Holland America Line
• MSC Cruises
• NCL
• Oceania
• Princess
• Regent Seven Seas
• Royal Caribbean
• TUI Cruises
• Virgin Voyages

Costa Maya is a hugely popular Mexican port, as you can tell just by the number of cruise lines scheduling visits. It’s in the Quintana Roo state, close to the border with Belize and so it is often added to itineraries which visit Belize City.

Costa Maya has a wide variety of activities you can enjoy – a taste of everything that Mexico has to offer. It has a waterpark and great beaches for family visits, or further inland there are some archaeological sites home to ancient Mayan ruins.

Plus, the city has a great shopping mall if you just want a bit of retail therapy. And that’s without mentioning the authentic restaurants and tequila bars too.

5. Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• AIDA
• Carnival
• Celebrity
• Costa Cruises
• Holland America
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• NCL
• Princess Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• TUI Cruises

The biggest and most popular port in Jamaica, Ocho Rios is situated on the northern side of the island and has a pier capable of hosting the largest ships in the world.

There are a lot of different options for excursions here, including swimming with dolphins or snorkelling through crystal-clear waters to see other native wildlife up close.

The town has a wonderful artisan village area that has recently been added – this hosts a variety of fun stores selling various crafted ornaments and gifts for guests to buy. There’s also a market with a bustling atmosphere.

Of course, guests can also just take it easy on the beaches or at the bars, while the food here serves up some authentic Jamaican flavours.

6. Grand Cayman Island, Cayman Islands

Pier/Tender: Tender

Cruise lines visiting:

• AIDA
• Ambassador Cruise Line
• Azamara Cruises
• Carnival
• Celebrity
• Disney
• HAL
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• NCL
• Oceania Cruises
• Phoenix Reisen
• Princess Cruises
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• Silversea

Grand Cayman is an interesting port – the main port of the Cayman Islands, it is host to some amazing shopping, eating and drinking establishments where guests can unwind and enjoy fantastic scenery too.

Yet the biggest ships are slowing down their visits. Originally a dock was planned to be built, to be partially funded by Royal Caribbean and Carnival, but that has been shelved with locals unhappy with plans. So it remains a tender port, which is putting off cruise lines from sending their largest ships.

Those that do visit – and there are many – will enjoy plenty of opportunities for fantastic watersport activities too with incredible rich blue waters to explore.

7. Falmouth, Jamaica

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Carnival
• Celebrity
• Disney
• Holland America
• Princess Cruises
• Royal Caribbean

Despite the relatively short list of cruise lines visiting Falmouth, it is still extremely popular, helped by the capacity of the pier to host the largest ships in the world. This vibrant destination has been undergoing a lot of redevelopment work around the ports, and now hosts a wide variety of restaurants, bars and stores selling all kinds of trinkets and crafted goods.

You can also head inland on guided tours to see the waterfalls and lagoons for which the island is famous, or you can try a more thrilling excursion including cave exploration, catamaran sailing and more.

And this is Jamaica, so if you like the taste of rum and want to know more about how it’s made, with sampling opportunities of course, then there are some excellent excursions here for that too.

8. Montego Bay, Jamaica

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• AIDA
• Ambassador Cruise Line
• Carnival
• Celebrity
• Costa Cruises
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• P&O Cruises
• Phoenix Reisen
• Princess Cruises
• TUI Cruises
• Viking Ocean Cruises

While Montego Bay attracts the most cruise lines of the ports in Jamaica, it doesn’t get the same number of actual ship visits throughout the year as the more popular ports of Falmouth and Ocho Rios.

Guests visiting can either stay in the port area to enjoy the fun bars, the scenic beaches and the fantastic restaurants (BBQ is a speciality here), or you can instead take a guided tour further inland to see some of the famous sights such as the Dunn’s River Falls or the sugar plantation houses from Jamaica’s history.

9. Progreso, Mexico

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Carnival
• Disney Cruise Line
• Ponant
• Royal Caribbean

Progreso is quite the unique port, in that it is home to the world’s longest cruise pier, clocking in at around 6.5 km long. Don’t worry though, there are shuttle buses to get you into the town – your visit isn’t just walking along the pier, turning around and coming back!

Progreso’s popular not so much for what the town has to offer, but because it’s the most convenient port for cruise lines to arrange excursions to Chichen Itza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

However, the town does have some other ruins nearby, and some excellent beaches. So if you’re not taken by the idea of visiting the Great Pyramid, then you’ll still have a fantastic visit.

10. Port Antonio, Jamaica

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Oceania Cruises
• Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
• Seabourn Cruises
• Silversea

Port Antonio isn’t quite as big as the other ports in Jamaica, but it is a pleasant visit. Typically it’s the luxury cruise lines that tend to call here and the resort has a bit more of an upmarket feel.

That’s helped by a ban on vendors, so you aren’t surrounded by locals trying to sell you their wares. Instead, you can just enjoy exploring the scenery at your own pace, either by walking around the port area or jumping onto a cruise line arranged guided tour to see more of the nearby sights.

11. Kingston, Jamaica

Pier/Tender: Tender

Cruise lines visiting:

• Marella Cruises
• Silversea

While Kingston is the capital city of Jamaica, it is not the most popular cruise destination. It’s still a large sea port, but most ships dock elsewhere.

Because it’s the capital, there is still a lot that you can see here, including Jamaica’s best collection of museums and art galleries. The Royal Botanical Gardens is also a fascinating attraction if you enjoy discovering unique, beautiful flora.

But if you just want to take it easy, cruise lines may arrange a day pass at one of the beach resorts in the city, where you can laze in luxury and sip fine cocktails.

12. Placencia, Belize

Pier/Tender: Tender

Cruise lines visiting:

• Lindblad Expeditions
• Ponant Cruises
• UnCruise Adventures

Considered a large village rather than a town, the population of Placencia is just 3,500 which tells you something about the peaceful nature of this destination. It has a small marina where you can wander to see various pleasure boats moored, but it primarily serves as a gateway to other attractions.

Chief among those is the Payne’s Creek National Park and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, although you can also enjoy boat tours of Monkey River. At each, you’ll see beautiful scenery and fascinating wildlife.

13. Dangriga, Belize

Pier/Tender: Tender

Cruise lines visiting:

• Lindblad Expeditions
• UnCruise Adventures

The quiet town of Dangriga is a great choice for anyone wishing to see more of the culture of the Belizean region. It’s most popular as the gateway to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park, which is a beautiful reserve with three scenic waterfalls and some fascinating Mayan ruins to explore.

14. Punta Gorda, Belize

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Ponant Cruise
• UnCruise Adventures

Another smaller port limited to only a handful of ship visits, Punta Gorda is still worth your interest. The town only has a population of around 6,000 but it is home to some international hotels and charming bars.

Snorkelling excursions are available, while there are Mayan ruins nearby which can be visited on a guided tour.

15. Puerto Cortes, Honduras

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• Nicko Cruises (Mystic Cruises)

Puerto Cortes is a smaller port on the northern side of Honduras. Only smaller cruise lines tend to visit this west Caribbean destination, as the port is more used for shipping purposes, but there are some interesting sights to explore.

Chiefly among them is Coca-Cola beach, named after the soft drink due to the bottling plant nearby. The area is known for banana production too, and tours of plantations may be available.

16. Campeche, Mexico

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• None currently

One of the smaller port cities in Mexico, Campeche is located on the Yucatan Peninsula. Don’t expect the big cruise lines to visit here, it was only American Queen Voyages that included it on itineraries, and as of February 2024 that company has ceased trading.

The port offers some pleasant scenery for a relaxing walk, although most people prefer to book one of the guided tours of the inland area which focus on some of the Mayan ruins, along with the colonial architecture of the town.

17. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Pier/Tender: Pier

Cruise lines visiting:

• None currently

Playa del Carmen is one of the smallest Caribbean cruise destinations – a very small port city that only welcomed a handful of cruises with American Queen Voyages. Again, now that American Queen Voyages has ceased trading, there are currently not port calls scheduled.

It’s located in Quintana Roo, and it is home to some fantastic white beaches that are often very quiet. However, many people prefer to use the time in port to take a quick trip to Cancun, which is widely known for its own (busier) beaches along with its excellent restaurants and lively bars.

To Conclude

Many of the cruises to the western half of the Caribbean focus more on the popular countries of Mexico and Jamaica, and they are fantastic destinations. They’re packed with history and culture, as well as offering stunning food and places to unwind when you just want to soak up some tropical sunlight.

It’s a breathtaking part of the world, but if you want a little more variety, then you may prefer a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean instead – there are more small island nations, as well as many islands or resorts owned exclusively by cruise lines that are packed with exciting things to see and do.

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