Caribbean Time Zones
Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad — offsets, uneven DST, cruise and travel scheduling.
Caribbean islands span **UTC-5 to UTC-4** with **mixed DST policies**: Cuba (America/Havana) observes daylight saving; Jamaica (America/Jamaica) and Puerto Rico (America/Puerto_Rico) often use fixed offsets. Cruise ports and resort schedules need IANA city names—not a vague "Caribbean time."
Main IANA zones
- America/Havana — Cuba (CST/CDT, UTC-5/-4)
- America/Jamaica — Jamaica (UTC-5, no DST)
- America/Puerto_Rico — Puerto Rico, USVI (UTC-4, no DST)
- America/Port_of_Spain — Trinidad and Tobago (UTC-4)
- America/Barbados — Barbados (UTC-4)
Travel and business
- Cruise itineraries use port-local dates—1-hour jumps between islands are common
- US East Coast: Puerto Rico aligns with NY standard time; Cuba needs DST checks
- Land links: see Mexico Time Zones Guide, Central America Time Zones
- Use Convert for flight connections
North America: United States Time Zones Guide; DST: DST Guide.