For our first time cruise, this could not have been any better! It was easy embarkation and we were on the ship by 12:00 Noon. We had booked our own flight and the cab to the pier was easy. We took the rest of the day for site-seeing in San Juan. Our luggage was in our room by 5:30 and we took the late afternoon before dinner to unpack. We were told it was open seating for dinner and we were to come at 6:30. We elected to still go at 8:30 and there was no problems.
I highly recommend a room with a veranda, we are spoiled and will never do without! With late seating for dining we spent most late afternoons (the ship left ports around 6:00 pm every evening) enjoying the view and room service. Breakfast on the veranda was also a treat. It is amazing to see that most of our pictures of the island themselves were taken from our balcony!
First stop in DR was one we would have done without, but as it was our first cruise, we were excited to see anything available. Other than the Casa De Campo resort excursion, most passengers agreed this was not worth the stop. Our day at sea was fun and spent by the pool meeting other cruisers and enjoying the activities provided by the staff. In Barbados we booked the 5 Star Catamaran excursion and it was wonderful! Strictly 5 star! The boat, activities, and food were all amazing. We did not see much of the town or island, except as we cruised in the catamaran. In Grenada, the town looks very pretty from ship, but is extremely poor and somewhat depressing. We took our own cab to the Grand Anse Beach, which was pretty, but really rough surf and the vendors hounded you constantly. Not our thought of a Caribbean getaway. Antigua was pretty and we enjoyed shopping. We did our own beach again and went to Dickinson Bay. Very pretty and enjoyable. There were some good buys from the vendors, but they did not approach you, they were set up in 'shops' along the beach. Found some good gifts to take home to family. Several restaurants there as well. St. Thomas was by far what we had been waiting for. Very, very pretty. After doing some shopping in town (great place to buy a digital camera) we did another beach and went to Coki Beach. This was by far what we had been looking for all along. Something right off Gilligan's Island! Calm, clear as a swimming pool, and great amenities.