Caribbean Cruise Maps?

Exactly what are you looking for?

Do you want to plot the GPS coordinates?

If so, the place you need to start is with a NOA or British Admiralty
Navigation Chart. NOA charts cover the US waters, while BA charts cover
the world.

British Admiralty Chart 4400 covers the entire Caribbean. It shows the
shipping channels. It shows places that are too shallow to sail (in
blue). You will see things like shallow water hundreds of miles west
and south of Andros Island, where the ships can't go. Places where the
water is only 1 meter deep. To get to Jamaica from Miami (I tracked it
on my GPS) you sail south to Cuba (Cayo Romano) and then follow the Old
Bahama Channel around Cuba to the Windward passage. I've never gone
from St. Thomas to Miami since I got my GPS, so I don't know the route
the ship takes between those ports. But there are very specific "ocean
highways" clearly marked on navigation charts.

You would also need a GPS to take on your cruise. Then you could track
exactly where the ship goes, plotting points along the way.

I've done that for the Western Caribbean (Century/Grand Princess), the
Southern Caribbean (Infinity/Dawn Princess), Bermuda (Zenith), and
Canada (Destiny). There are just a ton of points that you have to track
and record. I do it just for fun (hey... I'm an engineer, we do those
kinds of things).

But, having said that, there is no such thing as a path that the ships
follow exactly. When they change sequence of islands (they vary by
ship, by year, etc.) the routes change. Princess does different islands
than Celebrity, even when both do the Western Caribbean. They do,
however use the shipping channels that are marked on navigation charts.

I would not recommend trying to track the routes on a regular map
though. Without the information available on a navigation chart, the
route would be meaningless to you. You wouldn't know where shallow
water is, obstructions, gas platforms, explosives, etc. On a chart,
those kinds of things are shown.

BA charts sell for about $44.

--Tom

fbj wrote:

I'm trying to collect and/or creaate maps that show the actual routes
followed by the major caribbean cruise lines. For example, when
going from Miami to St. Thomas exactly what path(s) are followed? If
anyone has access to such maps I'd really appreciate knowing about
them. Or, if you know the actual route(s) please let me know and I'll
create/share the maps.

I've looked at cruising guidebooks for this infor but have not found
it.

Thanks