I am going on a Royal Caribbean cruise. The ports are Bridgetown, Barbados, Castries, St. Lucia, St. Johns, Antigua Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. I want to relax on beautiful beaches. Do I have to take the beach excursions or is there a better and less expensive way of going to the beaches? Thank you for your input.

The best recommendation is to research each port of call and determine whether you will get a better bang for the buck. A case in point being in April my wife and I went on a Southern Caribbean cruise and on St. Thomas we wanted to go to both Coki Beach and Megans Bay. The taxi would have been $70 round trip to Coki Bay (at least what was listed at the cruise terminal) but for about $55 I rented a car, not only to go to both beaches but also stop for some shopping for the wifey and check out a couple of scenic overlooks. Did essentially the same in Aruba as we wanted to go see both the California Lighthouse and Baby Beach which were on opposite ends of the island.

You can also book tours that are not through the cruise line and they probably would be cheaper. Did a snorkeling tour this way in Bonaire. If you go to the each islands tourism sites there should be plenty of links to providers of tours and excursions. If you are only looking for beaches to hang out on you might be better off renting a car (for multiple beaches) or taking a cab to a beach for a day.

I have vacationed on Barbados and St. Martins. I enjoyed the day we spent at Folkstone National Park (there are facilities and snorkeling off shore). there are also some beaches near Bridgetown towards St. Lawrence Gap and Christ Church that are very nice. On St. Martins there is of course Orient Beach but probably most from your cruise ship will be there. I liked Friars Beach better, beautiful beach and places to eat and drink. Dawn Beach was nice but I understand there is a Westin Property there now. For a hoot go to Maho Beach which is across the road from the Airport and watch the jumbo jets land (they are literally 20 -25 ft above you on the beach). The Sunset Beach Bar is there and a casino is within walking distance.

Just remember research!

Have a great cruise

The best way would be to skip the cruise.. Seriously though, you may want to try the 'cruise board'.

Renting a car is a great idea. Most places, as soon as you get off the boat at the port there will be places to get cars.

In Barbados, if you have enough time (don't know how long your port times are) I would rent a car, and drive to Bottom Bay-the prettiest beach in Barbados. Then I would go eat lunch and hang out at Crane Bay. No facilities at Bottom Bay, and Crane Bay is high on a cliff-really gorgeous.

In Antigua, if you rent a car, I would check out Darkwood Beach-the prettiest in Antigua-and the drive has scenic views too. (I think the road is called Fig Tree?)

St. Martin, if the boat has excursions to Anguilla-take them! Anguilla's beaches are out of this world. If not, without having been to these islands before, I would then stick to St. Martin. While crowded, Orient Bay is fun, great people watching. You could also rent a car and head to Dawn Beach with less crowds. (Although I haven't been since they opened the Westin there, don't know how that adds to crowds.)

In St. Thomas, I would take advantage of any trip the ship offers to St. John. Once you get to St. John (Not Antigua's St. John, but Virgin Islands St. John) you can get a taxi to numerous beaches in St. John which are stunning. The reason for taking the ship excursion over though, is that you're guaranteed to make the boat.

Sorry, have not been to St. Lucia.

We've taken several cruises through the Caribbean. We also just want to go to a nice beach. We decide which beach we want to visit, get off the ship and just take a taxi. In St. Thomas it cost us about $8 to go to Coki Beach. About $10 to Megans Bay, etc. We did the same on Antigua and Barbados, etc.
On St. Maarten we took a taxi to Orient Beach which is beautiful. The ship's excursion there cost WAY more money and had a time limit. Going on our own let us stay there longer. You can arrange with your taxi driver to pick you up at a certain time.
About renting a car....I have NO sense of direction, plus some of the roads on these islands are not too great. Taking a taxi on your own is cheap and easy.

Depending how many beaches you want to visit in each port, you can actually walk to one of the best beaches on Barbados from the cruise terminal - a longish walk, but it's free. Fab beach with a couple restaurants - very nice Wispers on the Bay or casual Boatyard next door, casual Lobster Alive right there too.
St Lucia does not have the best beaches on the planet but is a fab island and might be a good one for hiring a car as navigating is really easy and there's lots to see.
Antigua has some good beaches, but don't miss out on Nelsons Dockyard.
But yes, lots of research required. You might find this site helpful - www.destinationcaribbean.net. Has lots of info on the islands.

Which islands should I take a taxi in and which should I rent a car in? Thank you again.