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For island hopping, one Caribbean eSIM covering twenty-six territories saves buying a plan on every island, which matters here because data costs about twice the global median. Check the list before you go: the Dominican Republic, Martinique, Cuba, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands are not on Simsima's Caribbean plan in October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Simsima's Caribbean plan covers twenty-six territories, Bermuda, Panama, Guyana and French Guiana included; the plan details show the current list
- The Dominican Republic, Martinique, Cuba, Anguilla and the US and British Virgin Islands are not on it in October 2026
- Data costs around $6.22 per GB at the median, double the $3.11 global figure (Simsima eSIM Price Index, 3 September 2026), from about $1.70 in Saint Martin to $8.15 in Aruba
- Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and French Saint-Martin are EU outermost regions, so EU phone plans follow roam like at home rules there
- The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and at sea a cruise ship's network is never part of a travel plan
Twenty-six territories on one plan, and the islands left out
Simsima's Caribbean plan stretches past the islands themselves. It covers the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Haiti and Puerto Rico in the north; the Leeward and Windward chain from Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten and St. Barth down to Guadeloupe, Dominica, Saint Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago; Aruba, Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands off the coast of Venezuela; and Bermuda, Panama, Guyana and French Guiana at the edges. Providers add and drop networks, so the plan details on the day you buy are what counts.
The missing names matter more than the count. The Dominican Republic is not on it, so a trip pairing San Juan with Punta Cana needs a separate plan for the second stop. Martinique is missing too, which catches travelers on the ferry route between Guadeloupe and Saint Lucia. Anguilla, a short ferry ride from Marigot, both sets of Virgin Islands and Cuba are absent as well.
Saint Martin is a special case. The French and Dutch halves are separate destinations for mobile plans, and phones switch between their networks near the dividing line, around Oyster Pond or on the road from Marigot to Simpson Bay. Both halves are on the Caribbean plan, which avoids juggling two plans on one island.
Why a gigabyte costs five times more in Aruba than in Saint Martin
On the 3 September 2026 snapshot of the Simsima eSIM Price Index, the Caribbean median was around $6.22 per gigabyte, double the $3.11 global figure and the highest of our regional guides. Saint Martin sat near $1.70 and Aruba near $8.15.
The causes are structural. Each island is its own regulatory market, so an operator's scale stops at the shoreline; submarine cable capacity is paid for by a small subscriber base; and most territories have only two or three operators. Where you land shapes the price more than which provider you pick.
the median price per gigabyte in 240 countries — island by island
Guadeloupe to Saint Lucia by ferry: a two-week hop in data
The fast ferries of L'Express des Îles link Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe with Roseau in Dominica, Fort-de-France in Martinique and Castries in Saint Lucia. A two-week trip on that line might spend a week on Guadeloupe, with Basse-Terre's rainforest trails and a day on Les Saintes, then three nights in Dominica for the Boiling Lake hike, two in Martinique and a final stretch in Saint Lucia.
Guadeloupe, Dominica and Saint Lucia are on the Caribbean plan; Martinique is not. Travelers with an EU phone plan can usually rely on roam like at home there, since Martinique is part of the EU. Everyone else should add a Martinique plan for those nights or plan on hotel Wi-Fi.
Around 3 to 5 GB covers the fortnight for maps, messaging and photo sharing. Signal fades on the crossings and on Dominica's interior trails, so save ferry tickets and offline maps before you leave the dock.
EU roaming in Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Saint-Martin
Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and the French side of Saint Martin are among the EU's outermost regions, part of the Union despite the distance. The French regulator Arcep notes that the roam like at home framework also applies when French customers travel between mainland France and its overseas territories.
For a traveler on an EU plan, that often makes a travel eSIM unnecessary on those islands, although tariff zones vary by operator and fair-use limits apply. It does not reach Dutch Sint Maarten, Dominica, Saint Lucia or any independent island, and Saint-Barthélemy is not on the outermost regions list, so read your operator's terms before relying on it there.
Hurricane season and cruise days
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with a peak around 10 September and most activity between mid-August and mid-October, according to the US National Hurricane Center. A major storm can knock out towers and power for days, as Hurricane Melissa did to parts of Jamaica's network in October 2025. Keep a battery pack charged and offline maps downloaded during those months.
On a cruise, the eSIM works in port, on the island's own networks. At sea, phones can pick up the ship's satellite network, which no travel plan includes and which your home operator bills as maritime roaming. Keep data roaming off on your home line for the whole voyage, and use the ship's Wi-Fi plan if you need to be reachable between ports.
the six alternatives to roaming fees — including the setting that stops the bill at the source
No local number, no calls: the trade-offs on the islands
- Data only: no local number, so boat operators, restaurants and taxi drivers who want to call need your WhatsApp contact
- Calls home go through WhatsApp or FaceTime, or through your home line at your operator's roaming rates
- Small cays, island interiors and boat crossings have weak or no signal whatever the plan
- 5G depends on the plan, the phone and whether the local network opens it to visitors
- An eSIM-compatible phone that your home carrier has unlocked is a precondition
Simsima recommendation
One plan across the islands
Simsima regional plans cover multi-territory Caribbean trips on a single profile.
Panama is on both the Caribbean and the Latin America plans. Mexico and Colombia are only on the Latin America plan, so pairing the islands with either of them means two plans.
how multi-country plans work at the border — and why the country list matters more than the region name
Or choose another country
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Curaçao
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Panama
- Puerto Rico
- Saint Martin
- Sint Maarten
- Trinidad and Tobago
Frequently asked questions
For several islands, a regional eSIM that lists every territory on your route, installed before you fly. For a long stay on one island, a local SIM from an operator such as Digicel or Flow comes with a number on that island's network, at the cost of a shop visit and an ID check.
For data, a travel eSIM added next to your home SIM: your number stays active for calls and SMS, and data runs on the eSIM at a price fixed before you leave. Carrier roaming makes sense mainly when you need your own number for frequent calls, so check your operator's daily rate first.
A SIM built into the phone and downloaded as a profile instead of inserted as a card. A travel eSIM is installed over Wi-Fi before departure, sits alongside your physical SIM and activates by itself when it connects to a network in a covered country. It carries data only.
Yes, if every island is on the plan's list. The profile stays installed and joins a local network on each island. Check the list against your route, since the Dominican Republic, Martinique, Cuba and Anguilla are not on Simsima's Caribbean plan in October 2026.
In port, yes, on the island's networks. At sea, no: the ship runs its own satellite network, which is not part of any travel plan. Keep data roaming off on your home line while sailing so your operator cannot bill maritime roaming.
It is data only, with no local number for drivers or restaurants. Signal is weak on small cays and boat crossings, a hurricane can take networks down for days, and your phone must be compatible and unlocked.
Often not, because both are part of the EU, where roam like at home applies. Check your operator's tariff zones and fair-use limits, and remember that an EU plan does not cover Dominica, Saint Lucia or Dutch Sint Maarten.
#Travel eSIM#Caribbean#Regional plans#Guide
Dimitri MorvanFounder
Founder of Simsima. A passionate traveler based in Barcelona, he helps travelers stay connected without breaking the bank on roaming fees.
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