San Juan was BEAUTIFUL AND FRIENDLY!  

WE stayed in a hotel in Old San Juan the night before our cruise (Hotel Plaza de Armas) AND an extra night after our cruise (Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza).  Both were wonderful!

Walking around Old San Juan is both charming and exciting.  If possible, eat breakfast at La Bombonera Restaurant!  They make something called Mallorcas.  YUMMY!  Old San Juan's streets are picturesque and the forts are work visiting.

San Juan

We did not book an excursion at this port and were very sorry we didn't.  The port was the least picturesque and it had all the same shops as the other ports.  Nothing original.  We were very disappointed.

I did hear other cruisers speak highly of their excursions, so if there is a next time, we will see some of this supposedly beautiful island.

St. Lucia

St. Maarten is another of those beautiful islands that you rave about when you get home.  We took an excursion the took us around the island by bus.  Our ship docked on the Dutch side and the bus took us to the French side, with at least one stop to take scenic pictures.  

Once on the French side, our tour guide let us shop or wander for about an hour before we were to board a double-decker sightseeing boat.  We ate french pastries at Sarafina's French Bakery--get at least one baguette to take with you to eat on the boat.  It melts in your mouth!  No need for butter!!!  

The boat took us around the bay back to the Dutch side.  On board was Shine, a calypso singer, who entertained us with music.  Rum punch and beer were plentiful!  There are lots of ships in the bays that were wrecked from the 1995 hurricane Luis.

St. Maarten

The was our first Catamaran trip and it was so relaxing!  They met us at the pier and took us off for St. John.  We sailed to Honeymoon Beach where we could snorkel or sun on the beach.  The water was very clear!  Not a lot to see snorkeling, but since this was our first time, what fish we did see were amazing!  The crew of the catamaran was very funny and informative, giving us the history of the area and the beach, as well as any lessons on how to snorkel.  The rum punch was good too!

We took a quick and relaxing excursion to Cockspur Beach Club (formerly know as Malibu Beach Club)on the south west coast of the island.  The price of the excursion was very reasonable and it included transportation, beach chair, umbrella, rum punch and entertainment (if you chose to participate.)  The beach was clean and wonderful and the water was refreshing.  

There were vendors that would approach you while you were on the beach, but they weren't bothersome.

St. Kitts is BEAUTIFUL!  We took another catamaran cruise to Cockleshell Bay.  On the way, we stopped at another area to snorkel.  It was not very good.  Huge rocks and not a lot to see.  We continued on to Cockleshell Bay and it was very nice.  The beach was not very deep,but is was long.  Walking along the beach was very relaxing.  My husband really loved going into the water there.

Very nice cabin. Window view adequate. Hallway not too noisy.  Great cleaning service.  Bathroom bright and comfortable.  Small shower.

ADVERTISEMENTS:  The cruise director's voice repeatedly came on overhead telling us of sales in the ship's shops, places to stop in port to purchase diamonds and gems, Art Auctions, and other things to spend money on.This cruise had a nice size window that always gave us a wonderful view if we were not in port.

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