I vacationed in Barbados, and when then cruise ships would pull into Bridgetown it was remarkable. They towered over the town like a skyscraper over a suburban apartment. The area around the docks, full of hawkers and stalls selling terrible cheap food, pulsed with tourists like a vein throbbing in a forehead. A few hours later they would be gone and the ship would depart, leaving eerie silence behind. We quickly learned to stay well away if anything was docked.