OK, hope this is of some help.
Most if not all the island have minibuses touting tours at the port - cheaper and just as good as the ship tours. Most tours take only 2-3 hours so there is no worry about getting back to the ship before sail-away because the ship does not sail until either 5.30pm or 6pm
All islands will accept US$ but experience shows use low value notes as the locals won't be happy if you pay for a 2 dollar drink with a 50US dollar note. Even think about taking some EC$ with you.
Barbados
Cruise ships sail straight into the capital – Bridgetown. This is where you normally start or end your cruise holiday with P&O.
The dock area has an excellent duty-free shopping area, the best for price and selection of any of the islands. If you are planning a take-home duty-free bottle or a major jewellery purchase then this is the place to buy it.
The ship is located some distance from the city; you will need to get a taxi or mini-bus into town. The mini-bus cost 1 USD pp one-way and a taxi about 3 USD. Bridgetown as mixed reviews some have found it warm, welcoming place with some attractive buildings but others say it is dirty and not very impressive.
Things To Do Here:
For a local tour operator: EL Tigre
The "Swimming with Turtles" trip in the sea off Barbados is good value, with free rum punch (but only after you finished swimming). P&O use Tiami Catamaran Cruises. However, they have their own website and facebook page.
Harrison caves are worth the trip.
Bridgetown is good for a walk around.
Atlantis submarine.
The Catmaran trip with EL Tigre cruises
Beaches:
You can get a taxi to Malibu on Brighton Beach, it is about 10 mins from the ship. There are beds and a bit of shade on the beach it is an absolutely beautiful beach.
You can just walk into Bridgetown then out the other side onto Carlisle Bay.
St.Vincent
This was the only island we felt uncomfortable in - but that was in the town itself. We would definitely either just stay close to the ship or go on an organised excursion.
Things To Do Here:
Walk up to the fort it's a long way but worth it to see and chat with the locals and there is a lovely refreshment stop part way up where you may meet a grey haired man who will tell you all about island life.
The Waterfall and Coast excursion to various places of the island including walk in rainforest to a waterfall which you can stand under/in (take swimwear) and the set of Pirates of the Caribbean and a nice lunch, then a cruise back to the port. One of P&O's better tours and makes the most of St.Vincent.
Beaches:
Just across the bay is the little known gem of Young Island. Just stand on the beach and a water-taxi will appear to take you across, as usual negotiate the price and you have to enter by wading into the water and exit onto a wet jetty. This is a private island largely occupied by a single hotel, but visitors are welcome with the restriction that you cannot use the sunbeds and hammocks belonging to the hotel. Just stretch out your beach towel and enjoy a lovely setting with excellent swimming, including a swim-out bar just off the beach. The round-trip cost 10 USD for the mini-bus and 2 USD round-trip for the water-taxi.
Try; Escape to Bequia – a catamaran across to Bequia where you have some time on the beach and lunch onboard.
Dominica
You dock straight into the capital Roseau a relaxed place with a great atmosphere ideal for cruise passengers as you can simply step of your ship and head to the surrounding shops, wander round the market and just enjoy it. The great thing about shopping in Dominica is that it is duty free; however shopping is not as prominent in Dominica as it is on other Caribbean Islands.
The old Market Plaza is one of the easiest places to pick up souvenirs, located just behind the Dominica Museum, in Roseau. Slaves were once sold here but know you will find handcrafted jewellery, T-shirts, spices, souvenirs, batik and lacquered and woven bamboo boxes.
Things To Do Here:
Old Market Plaza – one of the easiest places to pick up souvenirs, located just behind the Dominica Museum, in Roseau. Slaves where once sold here but know you will find handcrafted jewellery, T-shirts, spices, souvenirs, batik and lacquered and woven bamboo boxes.
Botanical Gardens- The 40-acre Botanical Gardens, founded in 1891 are the largest area of green space within the City of Roseau. It is a great place to relax, stroll, or watch a cricket match or simply view over 50 types of indigenous plants and imported trees as well as the Sisserou Parrot, the National Bird of Dominica.
This is definitely a place to take a local tour so that you get to see the rain forest, learn about the plants and animals, taste the fruits, see sulphur springs, impressive waterfalls and fabulous views.
For a local tour operator: Bumpiing Tours.
Emerald Pool – Quite possibly the most visited nature attractions on the island, this emerald green pool fed by a 50-foot waterfall is an easy trip to make.
An easy 30-minute hike takes you through magnificent overhanging trees and lush vegetation to the shimmering pool, which appears green in the tree-filtered sunlight. If you go for a dip, you can swim right up to the waterfall!
On your way back there are two viewpoints where you can see the Atlantic Coast and Morne Laurent to your left, rising to an elevation of 2,248 ft. Breath-taking!
Morne Trois Pitons National Park – A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this 17,000-acre swath of lush, mountainous land in the south-central interior (covering 9% of Dominica) is the island’s crown jewel. The Park is named after its highest mountain, Morne Trois Pitons, meaning mountain of three peaks Undisputedly the highlight of the park is the Boiling Lake. Reputedly the World’s largest such lake. The two to four hour (one way) hike up to the lake is challenging so ensure you are wearing the appropriate attire for a strenuous hike, and a guide is a must. During your hike you will come across a number of waterfalls including Sari Sari Waterfalls the sight of water cascading 150 feet into a large pool is worth the 45 minute hike. In facts the falls are so large that you can feel the spray from hundreds of yards away.
The Arial Tram in the rain forest here is good.
Beaches:
It is not an island for beaches, but does have good snorkelling on the reefs especially "Champagne Reef"
St Lucia
Sometimes this is a tender port and sometimes you may dock. This will depend on the number of cruise ships in port that day. There are two docking areas, Town side rather or the Point Seraphane side (duty free area). There is normally a shuttle ferry over to Point Seraphane should you be berthed there!
Lots to see, a beautiful island, and the dock area at this location is probably the nicest you will see on any of the stops. The duty-free shopping for booze and jewellery is second only to that in Barbados.
Things to do here:
Castries: St. Lucia's bustling capital is home to several of St. Lucia's historical sights, like the La Toc Battery, and beautiful architecture, including the uniquely decorated Cathedral and the Central Library. There is excellent shopping in the town market and Bagshaws, where the art of silkscreening can be observed.
Derek Walcott Square: Located in the capital, Castries, a 400-year-old samaan tree shades the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1897.
Morne Fortune (Hill of Good Luck): Overlooking Castries, this was a key battleground during the period of skirmishes over colonial possession of St. Lucia. The French began constructing a fortress at this strategic outpost in the 17th century, but it was the British who finished it when the French surrendered in 1796.
For a local tour operator: Cosol Tours or Spencer Ambrose
Try a tranquil and unique journey of an aerial tram into and over the treetops of St Lucia's lush rainforest, the walk through the rain forest is great as well
Land and Sea Excursion - catamaran trip, visit to sulphur geysers and gardens, drive around the island. The Sensations trip was probably one of the best Things To Do Here for me. A really great day out.
Cruise to the Pitons. Not too expensive and in a huge catamaran, the largest we have seen yet. We made passage under power the whole way and the return trip was about 4 hours plus. We were taken into a small bay to see the wonderful scenery and the moored yachts then to a second where we had a swimming opportunity.
Try hiring a mini-bus to Rodney Bay beach which is very nice and excellent for swimming. The round-trip was quoted as 16 USD pp for 2, we negotiated 10 USD pp for 4. Enjoy lunch at Chef Xaviers new eatery.
Marigot Bay: Another vital wartime base, where a British Admiral once ambushed the French by camouflaging his fleet with palm fronds. This picturesque bay is now a yacht haven and one of St. Lucia's most beautiful spots.
Anse-le-Ray & Canaries: An afternoon visit to these tiny fishing villages offer an interesting study of one of St. Lucia's main traditions, fishing in dug-out canoes.
Beaches:
Pidgeon Point, a small national park with a tiny but nice beach, a bit of walking and a small museum. As it is a national park you won't get hassled and can leave stuff on the beach when you go to the cafe or go for a walk. It is about 25/30 minutes away from Casties and costs around $30US one way, plus a $5US pp entry fee.
Choc beach is also a good place. However, there are no chairs for rent and very little in the way of restaurants and bars
Reduit Beach where all the taxi drivers try and take you is always packed and busy. A cab would be about $25US one way
Try Spencer Ambrose Tour to Jalousie Beach - absolutely fabulous, and highly recommended.
Antigua
Cruise ships sail straight into the capital – St John’s.
In bright blue sky and warm sun, Antigua looks lovely. Some good shopping to be done (diamonds and cosmetics etc) by where you dock.
Things to do here:
St. John's is a lively hub for shopping and dining. On the downside the taxi drivers, hair braiders etc around the terminal constantly pester you.
The skyline of St. John's, the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, is dominated by the magnificently evocative white baroque towers of St. John's Cathedral, built in 1845. The towers are the first sight of Antigua for about half of the island's visitors each year, many of whom arrive by boat.
Museum of Antigua and Barbuda: This charming museum tells the story of Antigua and Barbuda from its geological birth through the present day. Visit their website at:
http://www.antiguamuseums.org
On Friday and Saturday mornings, be sure to visit the vibrant farmers market on the southern edge of the city. Folk crafts, colourful tropical fruits, and a buzzing crowd make for a lively morning.
If you really want to DIY then Buses run fairly frequently on weekdays and Saturdays from early morning till around 6pm but on Sundays there are very few buses, if any at all. The buses don’t run to a timetable, but they leave when they are full, or when the driver decides! To get to the West Bus station from the dock, you walk straight up the road beyond the ship gates till you come to Market Street where you turn right. Then it's a short walk and you'll come to a fork in the road where you bear right (by the statue) in front of the public marketplace. Just after that, you’ll come to the bus station on the right. The walk probably takes about 10 minutes.
Here are a few routes for you to check out:
Buses 15 & 17 are available until midnight
Bus 15 from St. John's to All Saints road & Liberta Cost EC $2.50
Bus 17 from St. John's to Falmouth Harbour, Cobbs Cross & English Harbour Cost EC 3.25
Bus 22 from St. John's to Crabb Hill, Johnston's Point, Urlings and Old Road Cost EC $3.25
Bus 20 Golden Grove, Antigua State College, Creek side, Ebenezer Jennings and Bolans for those going to Jolly Harbour Cost EC $3.00
For a local tour operator: Antigua Premier
Their North Tour visits, Betty's Hope Sugar Plantation, Devils Bridge, Nelson's Dockyard*, Shirley's Heights. Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours. USD$140 for 1-4, 4+ USD$35pp
Their "Tropical Trails" costs USD$70pp for a Land Rover of 8 persons. You are taken through the sugar cane and rain forest over very rough roads (pot holes you could get lost in) and then a run round some of the island sights.
If you make your way up to Heritage Quay and arrange a taxi, rates are fixed or they should be.
A typical tour is a journey to Nelsons dockyard, Shirley's heights and a look at Eric Clapton's house and back to town for $20 each. This takes around 2 1/2 hours and in a lovely clean air conditioned mini bus. Kent was our driver, who pointed out many places of interest and told us quite a bit about the island.
Most people don't know that the admittance fee to Nelson's Dockyard includes Shirley Heights, in 2013 this was USD$8pp
The helicopter tour (Montserrat) is fantastic. Really was value for money.
The island is small enough that you could do a circular coastal route - which would capture the magnificent beaches - the rain forest, the black pineapple plantations, Betty's Hope and the old sugar plantations.
Beaches:
It has 365 beaches so take your pick, they are all beautiful. Be careful, the beaches shelve rapidly so you must be a confident (or reasonably confident) swimmer.
Valley Church Beach is beautiful. We were met by a very bossy but lovely local lady called Claudia, who got us organised with sunbeds, umbrellas etc, and nothing was too much trouble for her. She wasn't looking for a tip either, but we used the beach cafe she recommended, and we had a great day. When we left she made sure we were ok, and that we had had a good time.
Take a local taxi to Dickinsons Bay. It does get very busy and although the sunbeds are reasonable at $5 pp, it costs $12 for the parasol.
St.Kitts
The capital Basseterre is a very pleasant little town, worth having a good look around.
Things To Do Here:
For a local tour operator: Sir Walter Tours
The trip with P&O, the "Railway Tour" which cost about £52 pp (= 87 USD pp). There are two times for this trip, the early one you have a 10 min bus journey to the rail terminus followed by a 2&1/2 hours rail journey then a 45 min bus return. The later trip reverses this sequence. On balance we preferred the earlier time as you get to the train and are on the trip within a short time, versus the later where you have a 45 min bus journey then have to wait for the earlier trip to arrive at the terminus. The train trip was enjoyable, we got free drinks and small cake snacks and were entertained by an on-board choir. It's probably the best way, although expensive, to see the island which is largely undeveloped and has few main roads.
P&O do a "Nevis sailaway"- brilliant! Catamaran trip to Nevis island and a beach BBQ. Great fun but you do need to book quickly as it gets full up. Its about £75 per head. Also you need to be able to clamber on to the catamaran
A good value tour is with Sir Walter Tours open sided mini bus by knowledgeable driver. Walk through the port shopping area and he is usually there waiting for passing trade. His mini bus just sits on the road at the port entrance. $20 for a full 4 hour tour round the garden with time spent at ex US Presidents plantation gardens which are beautiful on the outskirts of the rain forests. The driver also has a bar in the back of the bus where he dispenses rum punch etc. Far better value than P&O's overpriced fares.
Brimstone Hill Fortress is worth a visit
Beaches:
Take a taxi to South Friars Bay. The taxi driver will try to persuade you to go to a different beach of his choice, (Dickensons Bay, I think), but insist on South Friars bay. It is a very good choice. The Carambola Beach Club there is immaculate, and although the food and drink is a little expensive, the facilities, especially the toilets are worth it.
Tortola
The town itself is pretty basic. You could wander round the market close to the ship or get a taxi to Pussers Landing but there isn't much to see there other than expensive shops and yachts. Beware, do your planning, everything is closed on a Sunday.
Things To Do Here:
The Tortola excursions are cheaper than the other islands.
Escape to Virgin Gorda is said to be the best excursion by far but you do need to be able to walk up a slope. It is about a 45 minute ferry or fast motor boat ride across but it is an amazing place.
There is a small but pleasant Botanic Garden on Tortola. About 10-15 minutes walk from the boat. There's plenty of shade there.
An island tour on an open-sided bus is good. The driver gave us a wonderful insight into his island - the people and the way of life. Going up some of the steep hills with a view of the sea on one side and the wonderful Caribbean flowers and shrubs on the other was lovely - and the smell of the pines and the herbs - it was just magic!
There are plenty of taxis available to do an island tour for $15-20' or a trip to the beach. Taxi prices are displayed in the small terminal where you dock.
Beaches:
For a nice beach go to Cane Garden Bay. It is very nice, but can be crowded if more than one ship is port.
This is easily available by local open sided buses and cheaper than the ship excursion costs just allow plenty of time to get there and back.
Jost Van Dyke – a 45 minute motor boat ride through Sir Francis Drake Channel takes you to an island on the other side of Tortola where you have a couple of hours on a fine white sand beach White Bay. There are a couple of bars here and you get a snack and a drink included in the price. Good value and a nice excursion.
Skyworld and Cane Garden Beach – great value if you have not been to Tortola you see the island have a great photo opportunity (Skyworld is in fact a restaurant in the middle of the island where you can go on the roof and see for miles on a clear day) then go to Cane Garden Beach for lunch and time on the beach.
St Maarten
The island is divided into Dutch and French sectors. You actually dock in the Dutch sector capital of Philipsburg and the French sector capital is called Marigot. However, check which day of the week you are in St Maarten - if it's a Sunday then don't go to Marigot as most of it is closed.
Get off the ship follow all your fellow passengers to the water taxi into the main town in the docks, these run back and forward - you can see Philipsburg from the ship. About $7 dollars return.
Things To Do Here:
The shops in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, are wonderful the shopping there is the best I have seen anywhere but watch out for fake designer brands!
A drink on the front {beach} people watch --then a look round the Diamond shop - Leave you CC on the ship if you are easily tempted
For a local tour operator: Bernard's Tours.
Bernard’s do an Island tour which finishes up at Maho beach. The larger planes arrive later in the afternoon but you may have to leave before then as the traffic on the Island can be horrendous due to on-going road works. The drivers are very aware of this but you will get to see some planes landing
Take a tour with one of the many taxi/minibuses just by the shops. Not expensive (you share with others, 4, 6 or 8). Plenty of photo stops including Maho beach & a local market.
Try the Explorer Cruise and Island tour. Don't drink too many rum punches on the cruise part of the trip.
Americas Cup Sailing is great fun. One of us was iceberg lookout and the other something equally outrageous.
Try the Honky Tonk Bar for a couple of drinks. Free wifi.
Beaches:
Many good beaches.
Philipsburg beach, close to where you berth, is a water taxi ride or a ten minute walk from where the shop docks. It is narrow but long so there's lots of space. There are sun loungers and shades available with the town stretching along the back if the beach. There's lots of bars behind the beach with plenty of waiters to bring you your relaxing drink there are buckets of beer available, at $2 a bottle. There's also free wifi if you buy a drink.
Maho beach by the airport and watch the planes land, it is a great spectacle and not for the faint hearted.
