Cayamo 2023 Hits the Islands: Fun Ashore in Tortola and St. Maarten

by Kevin Wierzbicki

Dozens and dozens of concerts make sure that there's non-stop fun during the Cayamo cruise, a floating music festival and celebration of Americana music that this year took place Feb. 10-17, 2023 aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Pearl. And the fun doesn't stop when the ship pulls into port, especially when those ports are exotic places like the Caribbean islands of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and St. Maarten, the island that is half Dutch and half French. The music aboard the Pearl was paused until the late afternoon so that cruisers could go ashore and not miss anything. And those who stayed aboard could enjoy all the amenities of the ship, like maybe a spa treatment.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers a wide variety of shore excursions in St. Maarten and Tortola; some Cayamoans purchased these before sailing and some bought them during the cruise. We took general island tours in each port and here's a look in photos at some of the things we saw.

St. Maarten

Colorful mural, St. Maarten

Fort Amsterdam, St. Maarten

Souvenirs of St. Maarten include real license plates

SXM beer is brewed in St. Maarten

Tortola

A typical ocean view in Tortola

Beaches in Tortola are not crowded

Roadside murals depict a bygone way of life in Tortola

The marina at Pussers, Tortola

Back on board the Pearl each shore day was followed by a full evening of concerts. In our next and final report from this year's Cayamo, more shows rock the boat on its way back to Miami!

Cayamo information is always available here.

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