San Juan is great as an evening port as I enjoyed walking around and taking in the culture. The sail in to San Juan is not to be missed! It is just breath taking. As this was the Quantum's first sailing to San Juan folks were lined up along the shores to greet us. The pier that we docked at was newly dredged to accommodate the Quantum and they even rolled out a red carpet to welcome us. We happen to be in port during the Fortaleza Food Festival and ate dinner at Genesis (YUMMY!). As Christmas was just around the corner there were some great little craft markets set up around town that made Christmas shopping so enjoyable.

San Juan

Another wonderful ports with lots of things to do and see. We have been here many times as this is one of the most visited ports in the Caribbean. It was very cloudy during our visit so we decided to take the water taxi down to front street/back street and walk around.There are plenty of shops with great sales, don't be afraid to haggle. There are many sights to see as well in town. We found some great sales on liquor and the store even delivered our purchases to the ship free of charge. Lots of the stores/restaurants offer free wifi. We sat near the beach for a while just relaxing, before heading back to the ship.

St. Maarten

After reading some reviews I was a bit nervous about visiting, however I was pleasantly surprised and did not experience any of the negatives that other had reported. First off there was a small market set up on the pier that accepted US currency, with a large variety of trinkets for sale.The pier itself had lots of signage detailing how to identify the stores that accepted US currency and spoke English. I had no problems communicating with any of the locals.The main city was just a short walk from the pier. In general there were no folks on the streets begging and I felt safe walking around on my own. I did not purchase any euros and the US dollar was widely accepted, however it should be noted that there is a fee for use of the public toilet so you will need some Euros in the event that you need to use the facilities. I got lucky the security guard at McDonalds allowed me to use the bathroom for free. There were tourist guides wearing red vests on most of the corners providing lots of helpful information in English.The sidewalks were very narrow and for the most part were very clean. I saw a few folks from the ship struggling to push wheelchairs along the sidewalks into town (not something I would recommend). I popped in and out of a few of the souvenir shops (most were selling mass produced items made in China). We went into the local bookstore (across from the cathedral) and spent sometime talking with a teenage about life in Martinique. He suggested that we visit the green market up the block, as per his suggestion we headed on our way. As we were in town on a Saturday a lot of locals were in town shopping so the streets were a bit crowded. After our visit to the green market we headed back towards the cathedral for a visit. The main entrance is currently under construction, but it did not interfere with our visit. The cathedral had lots of natural beauty and charm. Next we headed down towards the park it was open and very green. The park is on both sides of the street that cuts through the Fort. The pier (including the park) itself is a large area which leads up to the fort. There is a small beach along side the fort where many from the ship were laid out soaking in the sun. Next to the beach is a small marina with stadium seating along the water. Hubby and I sat on the dock for a while admiring the Quantum, before we headed back to the ship for late lunch. I hope to make it back to Martinique some day for an island tour.

Martinique

One of my favorite ports. We took a taxi to Carlisle Beach/Lobster Alive for $5pp and rented 2 chairs for $10. Once you pay for the chairs they give you a wrist band and a ticket for a half priced drink at the bar. The rum punch gave me a real punch... There were plenty of water sport activities for a fee, with the most popular being the glass boat out to see the turtles. The water was crystal clear and warmer than I expected. There were a few vendors walking up and down the beach, everyone was pleasant and understood no-thank you. It was easy to catch a taxi back to the pier. The ride is about 5 minutes. As we visited on a Sunday most of the shops in town were closed so we took advantage of the many shops at the pier.

Barbados

By far my favorite Caribbean port! Having been to the island several times we wanted to try a new beach. While walking around the pier we met a taxi driver named Gregory who suggested that we head over to South Friars Beach for the day. We gladly accepted his suggestion and headed away from the port. While on our way to the beach Gregory shared some history of the island and made a stop at the peak for us to get some pics. It was a great view of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. They had a small trinket stand set up at the stop with some great prices. He dropped us at Cramabola Beach Club and after we agreed to a pick time he suggested that we pay him on the return trip. As there were 4-ships in port today the chairs had all been rented, so we laid out our towels and headed to the water. The water was very clear and you could see the fish swimming between your toes. It was a very relaxing day. The resort is very up scale with one of the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen at a beach. They had bar/food service available. As promised Gregory picked us up at 5pm and dropped us back at the pier so we could do a little shopping before we began our trek back to NJ.

St. Kitts (Port Zante)

Cabin had plenty of storage space and functioned well for us. It was noticeably narrower than the Explorer Balcony Cabins, but no complaints.The redesign of the bathroom was warmly welcomed, especially the nightlight feature. The shower had great water pressure and was roomier that the Explorer.The curtains really darkened the room and allowed for some great sleep. The corridors were extremely quiet, we very often felt like the only ones on board.

If you hang around there are always one or two people who don't show up so it's fairly to get a flight without a reservation.The show on the next to last night had to be canceled due to rough seas so folks packed the theatre on day 11 to see the show.

Quantum of the Seas Review

My Awesome Quantum Vacation; December 1 to 12

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Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

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