I was a little nervous about cruising because I had heard mixed reviews from people. It seems that people either love it or hate it. We thought it would be a good way to get to see a lot of places in a short amount of time. I am so glad we tried it because it was so much fun!
I tend to get motion sick, so I was hoping I wouldn't be miserable the whole time. Fortunately, I didn't get sick at all. Actually, I barely noticed we were moving.
We flew in and out of Miami using frequent flier miles - love those free flights! We probably paid a little too much for the cruise itself since it was a busy time of year, but aside from that, we have no regrets.
We chose to cruise on the Norwegian Jewel. We liked the Norwegian cruise line because of its flexible dining options. Also, the Jewel is a newer boat, which we've heard makes a big difference. For anyone considering a cruise, we found http://www.cruisecritic.com/ and http://www.cruisecompete.com/ to be extremely helpful.
We were so happy with the boat. Everything was new and clean. Cruise ships in general are a bit over the top - like a little Vegas on a boat. That's not really my style, but I don't think you can avoid that when cruising, no matter which boat you choose.
We went with an obstructed view room. I think this was a great decision. We weren't in the room enough to enjoy a balcony, but it was really nice to have a window. Our room was in the center of the boat on a high level, which kept the rocking to a minimum. As you can see by the photo, we still had a great view, even though it was slightly obstructed. The room was also more spacious than I expected. The bathroom was a tight squeeze, but the rest of the room was comfortable.
The food on the ship was AMAZING. This was a totally unexpected surprise. I thought it would be heavy, greasy, cafeteria-style food. The buffet was actually quite fresh and delicious. There were six specialty restaurants to choose from, in addition to the two main dining rooms. I don't think we had a bad meal the entire time.
The best restaurant hands down was 'Le Bistro'. I think we had to pay an extra $15 each to go here, but it was totally worth it. I don't remember exactly what we ordered, but I do remember eating the most delicious French onion soup and escargot.
Here we are at 'Le Bistro'...
A note about cruise attire: you can easily get by without formal wear. I wore a lot of cocktail and sun dresses at dinner and I never felt out of place, even on formal nights. If you want to go even more casual, you can do that at the buffets.
Our first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico. We signed up for a tour called "Old and New" or something like that. Basically, it was a charter bus ride through - surprise - old and new San Juan. Our guide was very clever and entertaining, but it probably wasn't worth spending the money on the tour. The old part of San Juan was within walking distance of the port, and we could have done that portion of the tour for a tenth of the cost.
We stopped at La Fortaleza de San Juan, which offered beautiful architecture and views:
Here are some other highlights of the city:
Next we went to St. John's, Antigua. We took a guided hiking tour, which was well worth the money. Our guides were great - they told us about the different plants that we came across, warned us to stay away from the wild donkeys on the trail, and gave us fresh pineapple at the end of the hike. I would not have felt comfortable trying to do this hike on our own.
On the drive back to town, we passed by a lot of shacks, which stood in stark contrast to the beautiful landscape. It made me realize how much poverty exists in many of the Carribean islands. It is hard for a small island to be self-sufficient and the inhabitants pay high premiums on imports of basic items.
When we got back into town, Matt and I walked around, taking in the sights. We got snacks at this delicious vegetarian restaurant that reminded me of a spicier Calypso Cafe in Nashville. We also got fresh smoothies from a stand in the town square. I wish I could have brought both of these places home with me.
Next up was Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. This was probably the most picturesque of all of the destinations. We decided to forego the tours this time and find our own way. We knew we wanted to see Paradise Point, walk around downtown Charlotte Amalie and go to Magen's Bay Beach. We figured we could do that pretty easily, without spending a ton of money. We were wrong. It wasn't a disaster or anything, but it would have been cheaper and easier to take a tour. First we went to Paradise Point. We found the fee to take the Skyride was more expensive than if we had booked it through the cruiseline. Even so, when we got to the top, the views were definitely worth it.
We walked about a mile from Paradise Point to the historic district in Charlotte Amalie. The town was beautiful, but it was flooded with shoppers. Apparently St. Thomas is a big duty-free shopping mecca. People go there to buy diamonds and gemstones, among other things. We were not interested in shopping, so we just walked around.
Then we decided to take a cab to Magen's Bay Beach. We found a family of five who were also heading to the beach, so we asked them if they wanted to share a cab ride, assuming we'd cut the cost. Unfortunately, the cab fares in St. Thomas are per person, which is a total rip off. I think we spent at least $30 just getting to and from the beach.
Once we got to the beach, we had to pay a fee to get in. This was also annoying, but I'm glad we went. It was a bit crowded, but it was gorgeous. You can't really tell in the water, but it was the most beautiful turquoise color.
Our final stop was the Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. This was an island owned by the cruise line (most of them have one.) I didn't have high expectations for this stop, but it turned out to be wonderful. We spent the entire day just soaking up the sun.
A few more comments about the ship... Every night there were a lot of different activities to choose from. Most of the time, we'd just take our time at dinner and wander around the ship. Occasionally we'd go to one of the shows or watch people sing karaoke. There was never a lack of things to do. I should also mention that the fitness center on the ship was great. It was small, but it was never crowded. It was also really nice to jog on the outdoor track, although it did make me a bit dizzy.
Here we are at one of the bars:
This was at the finale of a Cirque du Soleil type show:
Sadly, our cruise came to an end. We took a quick visit to the Everglades on our way out. I wasn't that thrilled with the Everglades. It was interesting, but not that exciting. I guess it was somewhat anticlimactic after all of the other exciting ports.
