Our adventure in the Caribbean, with a cruise out of San Juan Puerto Rico stopping at St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & St. Maarten!
Day 1 - Puerto Rico
We arrive in San Juan the morning of our cruise. As we do not have to be at the cruise terminal until 4pm we have ample time to explore Old San Juan. What a joy to explore with the kids the fortress of El Morro, the Plaza De San Jose and the Plaza Del Quinta Centerario. Discovering the history and authenticity of this gem which is remincient of an old European city. But alas, after just a short afternoon, it's off to the boat we go!
(If you are curious about Puerto Rico - I'll be posting another blog just about PR - keep a look out!)
Day 2 - Carnival Fascination
We arrive on our ship, Carnival Fascination. We have adjacent suites, each which can sleep 4 (but that makes for tight quarters). We did 2 and 4 in a King bed and 4 bunks, as we had the luxury of having my mom with us, who was willing to bunk with the kids (thanks Mom!). We get in, unpack and then explore the ship. With mini golf, multiple pools and a water slide, there is plenty to do, even though we only have one day at sea.
My favorite part of each day (on the ship) was dinner. Because you can order what you want (& as much as you want), it was a great way to have the kids try multiple foods that they wouldn't normally order out, because if they didn't like it, well, order something else. I have to say, I don't think there was anything that they didn't like. And they all tried everything. Another thing, we didn't get the wireless plan, so it was electronics free. We talked and laughed and discussed our favorite parts of each day. It was priceless!
Some people swear by the excursions they run on cruises. I, personally, typically find them overpriced for what you get and the crowds you get with them. I did my research and found many excursions that we were able to get a private tour, for just the six of us, and it was either even or less than what would have been charged through the cruise lines. You do have to be careful though that you get a reputable company, as many will not be held responsible if you miss your docking time, so you can't try to squeeze in more than you can, as the ship will not wait for you (they will however wait for excursions booked through them).
Day 3 - St Thomas - Water Island
What an amazing adventure we had with St. Thomas Adventure Tours on our private Turtle Beach Excursion!
The tour was described below:
Experience a relaxing time at a beautiful bay! Swim with sea turtles, learn about the history of the island and discover native plants, flowers and trees during a educational, guided nature-walk. Your guide will lead you to the area of the bay where you can swim with sea turtles. A perfect spot for first-time snorkelers!
After an introduction to the equipment, your guide will take you to the shallow water for a snorkel lesson. Your guide will remain with you in the water, leading you to the sea turtles discovering other sea life and taking your underwater photos (included). Watch turtles glide through the water right in front of you in the calm and protected bay. Turtles will come up for air, so that you will get a close look at these majestic creatures!
After snorkeling, you’l can relax under the shade of a tree or in the sun and enjoy the beautiful beach and views. Lunch is grilled and prepared to order (included). Beach chairs are also provided.
The description above does not even begin to do justice to the unforgettable day we had on this adventure! Our guide Jo was amazing. She was funny, talkative, knowledgeable and took wonderful photos for us to remember our tour (not that it is something we will ever forget).
Water Island, a smaller USVI off the coast of St. Thomas in the Charlotte Amalie Harbor is just a short taxi ride, followed by another short water taxi ride to a remote island with no crowds. Honeymoon Beach, the base for our snorkeling was private, calm and pristine. Perfect for observing the turtles as well as for relaxing on the beach while the kids splashed and played while we waited for a delicious lunch from Heidi's Honeymoon Grill, which makes a mean burger, fish tacos and cold beer!
Needless to say, our first adventure on our cruise was a great (& exhausting) success!
Day 4 - Relaxing Day at Sea
Day 5 - Barbados
We spent the day with Glory Tours on our own private custom tour of the island!
After a drive along the Platinum Coast and view some of the luxurious estates that are vacation homes to the stars, we head for our first stop, Cherry Tree Hill. At 850 feet above sea level, it has breathtaking views of the East Coast. Next we visit Harrison's Cave where we board electric trams and travel through the winding tunnels viewing majestic caverns and the stalactites and stalagmites which have been growing in them for many centuries. Another special feature of the caves is its streams, waterfalls and pools.
Next on to the Barbados Wildlife Reserve where we get to see the Green Monkeys at play along with a wide variety of other animals. After a morning of adventure we visit Bathsheba, famous for its breathtaking beauty and pounding surf and take our lunch stop to taste the flavor of Barbados with local cuisine and local beer.
Day 6 - St. Lucia
As we just visited St. Lucia just last year, we decide to make this a fun day for both the kids and the adults and go to Splash Island Water Park! Splash Island is an open water sports park in Rodney Bay Village, Gros Islet. The inflatables are in the Caribbean Sea, so it is different than any other water park we have experienced, and it is a blast!
The kids had a great time on the gamut of inflatables, while the adults chose to relax on the chaise loungers provided on the beach, next to the beach bar, and watch the fun. The water park is available to adults, but we chose to use it as a relaxing day. We were not disappointed, as the kids were active for hours on the inflatables and the life guards provided the security and attention that let us sit back and chill for the day while still enjoying the beautiful caribbean water and lush green hills that makes St. Lucia our favorite island!
(If you are curious about St. Lucia - I'll be posting another blog about our favorite island- keep a look out!)
Day 6 -St. Kitts
Our adventure for today, again, does not disappoint! We take a private tour with Rose & Jim's Taxi Service. Rose and Jim run a great tour, are great to communicate with and have impeccable customer service! We take the Island Tour & Cockleshell Beach. Rose & Jim meet us at the cruise ship, and we continue with Jim as our personal guide.
We start with a short tour of Basseterre before we head to Romney Manor and Wingfield Estate which is also home to Caribelle Batik. We tour the grounds which were once owned by by Thomas Jeffersons great, great grandfather! We see how the Batik is made and tour the beautiful gardens.
Next we are off to Brimstone Hill Fortress which is a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, cultural and architectural significance: a monument to the ingenuity of the British military engineers who designed it and to the skill, strength and endurance of the African slaves who built and maintained it. It is one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas and we had an amazing time exploring it.
Next we make a short stop at Gibbons Hill to see waves colliding where the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. The panoramic view of this stunning feat of nature is breathtaking. We continue on and drive by picturesque mountains along the coastline, taking in our environment as we head to the South East Peninsula where we finally reach Cockleshell Beach where we swim and relax to the sounds of Reggae music while getting some local grub at Reggae Beach Bar and Grill. A true and wondrous West Indies experience!
Day 7 - St. Maarten
As we were in St. Maarten 2 years ago, and since they are still in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma, we decide to take our only cruise excursion today.
THE BIG 3 - The Flying Dutchman, Schooner Ride and The Sky Explorer. We get to experience a very exciting new thrill ride as we fly across St. Maarten’s beautiful terrain. We board the Soualiga Sky Explorer (a chairlift that takes you almost 3000ft)! and head toward the top of Sentry Hill, St. Maarten’s highest point and home to the world’s steepest zip line known as The Flying Dutchman. Before we risk our lives strapping ourselves into The Flying Dutchman, lol, we get to experience a 360 panoramic view of St. Maarten from it's highest peak. It is breathtaking!
The zip line launches us on a 1,050 foot drop over 2800 ft and we reach speeds of almost 50 miles per hour. For those that do not want quite that much adrenaline, those that do not meet the height/weight requirements or those who simply want more, there is a second zip line that takes you on a flight over the picturesque mountain ridges of St. Maarten’s landscape. Finally there is the Schooner Ride (in case you are wondering what a schooner is, imagine snow tubing, without the snow!), where you’ll surf down the mountain in an inner tube twisting and turning on the specially designed track (we left this one for the kids and met them at the bottom). Overall quite a lot of excitement for the last day of our Caribbean Cruise Adventure!
(If you are curious about St. Maarten - I'll be posting another blog specifically about this island - keep a look out!)
Day 8 - Going Home
Always a hard day, but we had an awesome time on our Caribbean Cruise! Until our next adventure...