I went on an 8-day eastern Carribean cruise to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Antigua, West Indies, St. Thomas, Virgin Isles and Nassau, Bahamas. I am a 59 year old single woman. This was my second cruise ever and I had a great time. I stayed in cabin 8364 in a balcony cabin and it was very nice. I slept comfortably and had plenty of room and storage space. The shower was roomy and the water temperature was just right. My cabin Stewart was excellent, making funny towel creations each night, which made me laugh! He ensured I had everything needed and my room was cleaned twice each day.

I bought two onshore excursions from Carnival, 1) A catamaran champagne and lobster bake boat ride to two private beaches in Antigua which included free drinks, snorkeling, an hour each on two separate beaches, music and dancing on the ship and a lunch prepared right on the catamaran of grilled fresh lobster tails, (or chicken) and side dishes including salad, potatoes and dressings. The lobster tails were so tasty, fresh and huge! We formed a soul train line and danced and had a fun time and the island was so beautiful it was breath taking! 2) I also bought an on shore excursion to Atlantas in Nassau, which included time on the beach as well as "discover Atlantis" which was enjoyable and beautiful. In Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, I purchased day passes to two different Marriott Resorts, which allows you to use their beaches, pool, and restaurants for about $60.00. You can use their bathrooms to change clothes and towels, a lounge chair and umbrella are also provided at no cost. There was plenty of time to relax on the beaches, have lunch and I even had time to shop in the retail stores near the area where the cruise ships were docked at each location I visited. I would recommend not buying the on shore excursions in advance however, because when you get off the ship at each port, there are vendors waiting to take you anywhere you want to go for less than Carnival Cruises was offering. In Nassau, for example, you can go on a horse drawn carriage ride for $20.00, rent scooters, go on a catamaran boat ride which weren't offered by the cruise ship. Also, I don't recommend the bus tours in Antigua or the Virgin Islands, because although I got to see the beautiful views on the islands, you will also see the worst of the islands, which is where you see how poor the people are who live there. For e ample, in St. Thomas, I purchased a bus tour called "The Best of St. Thomas" and it was sad to see how the residents live. Many of the houses they live in have no windows or doors, are rotted out old wood shacks on dirt roads. It was really sad to see how they live on such a beautiful island and it made me appreciate more how blessed we are to live in the U.S. despite the problems we have with racism discrimination, homelessness and poverty.

The cruise ship is very clean and the entertainment was good. There is hand sanitizer everywhere and I saw the cleaning crew scrubbing down the hand rails, bathrooms and door handles frequently. Even though I was traveling alone, I found plenty to do to have fun. I worked out in the gym, used the sauna and steam room, watched a movie on deck, got a Swiss massage, used the adults only hot tub and pool, had a spa treatment, watched two shows which featured really good dancers and talented singers, went to health seminars for free, played the slot machines, and found some really good buys in the ship's jewelry store (bought a $300.00 watch for $200.00 and some really nice necklace, bracelet and earrings sets regularly priced at over $100.00 each for $20.00 each, all tax and duty free). The food was good and there was a variety of food to choose from 24 hours per day, including many healthy food options. Read more