Not much different form any other cruise cabin.  Few drawers but big enough closet to compensate for it.  This cabin has a particularly good location: under the overhang from the deck above.  No weather or people able to look down onto the balcony.  Plus, it's about 10 steps from the rear pool.  There was never any noise from the restaurant above.  The air conditioning doesn't work very well.  It was always very hot while sleeping.

We docked on the southern dock which is further from town that the other.  Since we’d previously been to St. Thomas and found it be a dirty, expensive place, we only walked off the ship for 30 minutes or so to look at the dockside trinkets.  We didn’t bother leaving the dock area.

St. Thomas

One of our favorites.  We were one of the first off the ship and at the Front Street beach area.  We grabbed 2 chairs, an umbrella, and a bucket of beer for $30 in front of Antonio’s restaurant and spent the morning sunning and relaxing.  Then we went into the shopping area to look for linens and Absenthe…both of which we found plentiful and inexpensive.  We finished the stay there with lunch at Oualichi restaurant.

St. Maarten

A new favorite of mine.  
          We took a culinary demo and rum tasting.  The food was excellent and the chef's demonstration was fascinating.  The rum was minimal, but we tasted a wide variety of flavors.  This excursion was both interesting, delicious, and filling...well worth doing.
     We then returned to the port and explored there.  It's a larger tourist area than many, so we had much to explore.
     The people of St. Kitts are very friendly and seem more proud of their home than many other Caribbean islands.


Yet another island we love.  We took a bus and catamaran tour of the island.  Much of the driving was in mountainous jungle.  Very pretty views there.  We finished the drive in the city of St. Pierre and visited the ruins of the city from a volcano eruption in 1902.  Surprisingly, much of the ruins remain as they were with the city built around them.   The catamaran portion was simply a 45 minute ride back to the port...no sights.  We lucked out and chose the bus portion first.  The catamaran arrive in St. Pierre about an hour before the bus, so the boat passengers had to simply wait around for the bus ride while the bus passengers simply climbed on the awaiting boat and sailed away.
    Upon our return, we strolled over to a little cafe and had drinks before re-boarding the ship.


The first time I visited this island I found it be over-developed.  It was almost like visiting Miami with a Caribbean accent.  This time we skipped the ship's tours and simply grabbed a taxi to take us to Carlisle beach.  That was great luck!  We were dropped off at Harbour Lights bar and walked right onto the beach.  We walked down past the pay chairs and simply sat on the sand while we sunned, swam and snorkeled.  That provided me an appreciation for the beaches of Barbados; it was one of the best beaches I've ever visited.

The port area is heavily industrial, the water is chocolate brown and smelled of sewage.
     Maracas Beach is on the Atlantic side of the island.  The current was so strong that I waded out up to my waist and had to struggle to get back to the dry land.  My wife walked in water up to her calves and was pulled under the water by the undertow.  That beach's current is literally dangerously strong and there were no lifeguards. The beach area is dirty and strewn with rocks; not a good place to swim or tan at all.
     While there I wanted to try the Bake & Shark for which they're known.  I walked over to Richard's Bake & Shark on someone's recommendation and waited for nearly 10 minutes while the counter clerk talked with what appeared to a friend and utterly ignored me.  I walked away in disgust and went to Abbi's Ice Cream and Bake & Shark instead.  The young lady working there was very helpful and nice and showed me how the locals eat this dish.   Given the choice, I recommend anyone looking for Bake & Shark go straight to Abbi's Ice Cream and Bake & Shark.


Curacao is the New Orleans of the Caribbean.  We started the day on a driving tour/beach stop.  The tour simply drove us around the city; nothing of note except that the city is surprisingly developed and western.  We then stopped at Mambo beach.  The beach area is very modern and clean with shopping, restaurants, and bars.  We didn't want to swim, so we had lunch and some drinks.  It was a very enjoyable experience and we hope to return to spend more time there.
     When we returned to the port area, we hit the town and enjoyed the local food and drink.  There's a secluded area that we discovered on a previous visit that is down an alley, surrounded by tall buildings, and has 2 restaurants, a souvenir shop, and several outdoor tables.  We stopped there for a quiet snack and some drinks.  Sorry, but I can't find it on maps, so can't say how to find it.
     We ended our day at the Infinity pool bar of the port-side Renaissance Hotel.  The drinks are reasonable, the food good, and views outstanding.  I highly recommend it to anyone cruising through there.


We've been to Aruba a few times and wanted a new experience there, so I took the Atlantis Submarine.  I was apprehensive about the safety of the craft, but once aboard, when I saw the crew's safety measures, I was immediately reassured.  We dove to about 40 feet and viewed a beautiful reef with numerous fish and a few sunken ships.  Then we went down to 135 feet to show us that very little life exists that deep.  The total underwater time was about an hour and it was fascinating.
     Once I was back, we walked the beachfront area and settled into a couple of drinks at Lucy's retired surfers bar.  It was an enjoyable, relaxing place with a good view of the marina.
     We finished our day with a sunset sail on a schooner.  The sail was quiet with great views of the area and the sunset, but was considerably shorter than advertised. 


We've been to Aruba a few times and wanted a new experience there, so I took the Atlantis Submarine.  I was apprehensive about the safety of the craft, but once aboard, when I saw the crew's safety measures, I was immediately reassured.  We dove to about 40 feet and viewed a beautiful reef with numerous fish and a few sunken ships.  Then we went down to 135 feet to show us that very little life exists that deep.  The total underwater time was about an hour and it was fascinating.
     Once I was back, we walked the beachfront area and settled into a couple of drinks at Lucy&rsquo;s retired surfer&rsquo;s bar.  It was an enjoyable, relaxing place with a good view of the marina.
     We finished our day with a sunset sail on a schooner.  The sail was quiet with great views of the area and the sunset, but was considerably shorter than advertised. 

We stayed 3 days at an older hotel near the beach.  We've never had a bad time in Ft. Lauderdale!  It looks like Port Everglades is finally upgrading their facilities, and their customs process seems quicker than normal.

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Luckily, local Barbados security is very lax and no one asked to see my ship identification at the port terminal.In fact, one could argue there are too many people working there; you can’t leave a table for more food or a drink and expect to find your tableware or remaining food…one of the staff would inevitably clear your table the second your back was turned!

Caribbean Princess Review

Some minor flaws, but exactly what we wanted

Rating by category

Additional details

Cabin Review

Balcony

Port Reviews

St. Thomas

St. Maarten

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

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