My sister and I cruised on Oct. 28th on the Explorer of the Seas from Cape Liberty (Bayonne, N.J.) to Labadee, Dominican Republic, St.Thomas, and St.Kitts. One of the things we enjoyed doing while onboard was relaxing at the serenity pool and hot tubs. The casino was fabulous and stayed open late; which on many other cruises,the casino closed early! There was a "chocolate buffet that lined both sides of the Prominade Deck and was delicious. They also had a Caribbean night on the Prominade deck which offered samplings of island food! There was a "Mardi Gras" with great music, costumes, dancing, singing, and confetti that had passenger's joining in! The ice show was great, however, my sister and I were passenger's on the same ship which went to different ports, and we found it was a better show 2 years ago.

We took this cruise since we enjoyed all the amenities on the cruise we took 2 years ago, and thought that it was an opportunity to visit other ports. We enjoyed Labadee, although we were not going to get off in that particular port. We were invited to share a private cabanna with some wonderful new friends we met at our dining room table. Otherwise, we pretty much decided not to get off with the knowledge of "cholera" that had spread. It was a beautiful day. The island is truly beautiful. The water is crystal clear; although it has a lot of rocks in the water. There were many beautiful things to buy at the marketplace. We had a cook-out on the beach which was just "fabulous".

There were different areas on the beach including a water park for children, a zip line, and a roller coaster which I heard was one that could be controlled as far as speed. Read more