By Chris Owen from Chris Cruises

To many travelers, a trip to the Caribbean means disconnecting from the real world, trading work and normal daily tasks for a sandy beach and an umbrella drink. Those people might leave their electronic devices at home or surely in their hotel or resort room. But an increasing number of travelers come loaded with electronics for a variety of reasons that contribute to their lovely island experience. Still, if they don’t work at the destination, what can be a helpful app turns into a frustrating connection experience. Here are some top travel apps that are helpful to have on your Caribbean vacation because they actually work.

When There Is No Connection
Connectivity is a major concern for app-enabled travelers. The good news is that most Caribbean islands are connected. The not-so-good news is that using your device in the Caribbean will likely incur roaming fees. Back to good news: we have apps for you that work without a connection.

Aruba Travel Guide
screenshot_2014-09-13_05.32.57The official app of Aruba, the Aruba Travel Guide works offline and includes a variety of information useful when on location. Back at the hotel, use the app to share your trip with the folks back home. Helpful offline map and location-based GPS navigation will help find nearby attractions and give directions on how to get there.

St. Thomas Island Offline Travel Guide
screenshot_2014-09-13_06.07.55_107x105Working totally offline, the St. Thomas Offline Travel Guide is packed with information on attractions, restaurants, bars, beaches, hotels and shopping destinations. A bonus with this app is the ability to make personalized and automated trip itineraries. Add in reviews of those places, augmented reality and trip sharing capabilities, making the St. Thomas Offline Travel Guide a must-have before visiting.

See more at Paradise By Marriott, a quality travel brand and sponsor we are proud to support.

And follow along with Marriott, a very engaging company with a wide variety of Caribbean properties:

Facebook:
St. Thomas Frenchman’s Reef St. Thomas – Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort
St. Kitts – St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino
Curacao – Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino
CasaMagna Cancun – CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort
CasaMagna Puerto Vallarta – CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa
Stellaris Casino Aruba – Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
Renaissance Aruba – Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino
Grand Cayman – Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort
JW Cancun – JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa

Twitter:
St. Thomas Frenchman’s Reef – @frenchmansreef
St. Kitts – @stkittsmarriott
Curacao – @curacaomarriott
CasaMagna Cancun – @casamagnacancun
CasaMagna Puerto Vallarta – @marriottpv
Stellaris Casino Aruba – @arubamarriott
Renaissance Aruba – @RenAruba
Grand Cayman – @caymanmarriott
JW Cancun – @jwcancun

Instagram:
Curacao – @curacaomarriott
CasaMagna Cancun – @casamagnacancun
CasaMagna Puerto Vallarta – @marriottpv
Stellaris Aruba – @arubamarriott
Renaissance Aruba – @renaruba
Grand Cayman – @marriottgcm
JW Cancun – @jwcancun