We chose this cruise for the itinerary. We flew to Puerto Rico to meet our ship. The airport has a very organized process for getting passengers to the ship. I have never taken a cruise from Puerto Rico and we thought we would be able to wonder around the city for the day. When you take a cruise that stops in Puerto Rico, you walk off the ship and are very close to the forts and downtown shopping. The ship that originates from Puerto Rico is docked in a different location due to Port Authority checks and security. We arrived early to sit for several hours before departure and didn't get to spend any time in San Juan. It was a little disappointing but if you don't know the difference-its our issue, not royal caribbean's issue.

Our first stop was St. Thomas. Its a beautiful place but the area the ship pulls in is mostly american workers. We booked a discover dive excursion. The water is beautiful. The staff for the dive was informative, patient and overall great. We went to a restaurant on the docks after the excursion for lunch. The food was good, the service was excellent. I only wish we would have ventured out a little more to see more of the local island culture.

Our next port of call was Curacao. We booked a tour of the island as well as a Sea Trek Helmet dive. The island tour was in an air conditioned bus with a stop at a museum, the Hato caves were fun. The snack bar was reasonable with fast service. The curaçao liquor factory was interesting. They have historical information about the process and samples of the liquor with a snack bar that sold frozen beverages for additional sampling. Overall, it was a great tour. The Sea Trek Helmet dive had a mixed review. I LOVED it, the rest of my family-not so much. However, we have done scuba and snuba so they prefer the freedom of those activities rather than the helmet experience. It was the best coral reefs I've seen in the Caribbean yet...and we have seen most of the islands. Read more