April 17 – May 1, 2015
Ft Lauderdale – 14 day Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 174 – 9th deck Verandah Deck
Typical balcony cabin but seemed larger than any cabin we have had in quite a few cruises. The length of the cabin was longer which allowed for a full size desk area with many larger drawers, a night table with drawers on each side of the bed, and a full-length couch. The bathroom was a nice size and we always like the tub for showering and cleaning our snorkel equipment but I’m very mobile and seemed to still always hit my leg on the edge when getting in. Great storage space – so much that I had shelves to spare. Balcony had enough depth for a lounge chair.
Like staying at the Embassy Suites for location to stores and restaurants and trolley to the beach. Close to the airport and port. Typical Embassy Suites amenities
Been there before. Okay place to walk around particularly the marina area. Expensive shopping. Have done the Odyssee snorkeling excursion before and it was pretty good - this time it was cancelled due to low interest.
In ST. LUCIA, no snorkel excursions were offered and we were afraid to go on our own as the snorkeling spots aren’t close to Castries and the ship was leaving at 4 p.m. to sail down to Soufriere to pick up some people on excursions. Fortunately, the ship docked at the nicer Crown Bay but of course things are cheaper in Castries. So, we walked into town and did some shopping at the market there. This is not a dangerous walk as far as safety but it is a walk mostly without pavements and the pavements that do exist are narrow. We saw some people with mobility issues trying to maneuver and even someone with a type of scooter getting stuck in all the ruts. Taxis are there to take you back and forth. I would never make that walk if I had mobility issues. I think most people got 1/3 there and then didn’t know what it would be like and just tried to keep going. They probably don’t realize how dirty Castries is and are expecting some great shops. We have been to the market before and it is the typical dark, crowded place of rows of the same things over and over. However, we have become used to dealing with it and we bought quite a few things there at almost half the cost at the port area.