We flew into Puerto Rico and then cruised to St. Croix, St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, and St Thomas. The islands were all beautiful and fun to visit. They all had fantastic shopping that cannot be beat. One of the highlights was a submarine ride…Read More

We flew into Puerto Rico and then cruised to St. Croix, St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, and St Thomas. The islands were all beautiful and fun to visit. They all had fantastic shopping that cannot be beat.

One of the highlights was a submarine ride (the Atlantis) in Barbados. None of us had ever riden in a submarine before. It was definitely an adventure of a lifetime.

On Antigua, we found a great cab driver who was a retired police officer. He gave us a great tour of the island, and we got some beautiful pictures. His name is Steadman Harrigan. His phone number is (268)460-1449. You can call him ahead of time and he will pick you up.

In St Thomas, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Of course, it had the usual good food, but the location on the harbor was great and we got some beautiful pictures from there. I had a good driver there also. His name is Moses Williams. His phone number is (340) 776-4349. He took me around to some places to take great pictures. The view from above Magens Bay was spectacular.

If you get a chance, the Constellation is absolutely fantastic. Lots of activities, great service, a perfect vacation was had by all of us.

Our second port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. We love the beach and decided we wanted nothing more than to relax at the beach again. We waited until we were in port and took a taxi to a…Read More

Our second port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. We love the beach and decided we wanted nothing more than to relax at the beach again. We waited until we were in port and took a taxi to a beach. This is a little more difficult to do in Mexico due to the language barrier. The cabs are not that nice either, very old cars. Cozumel is a little more remote and undeveloped, especially after the hurricane, and it did make us a little uneasy. We went to a beach club called Playa Mia. The entrance fee was somewhere around $6 to $8 per person, but you got use of the lounge chairs, air mattresses, water trampoline, kayaks, etc. There was a bar, public bathrooms, music. It was like paradise once we got there. They even had activities for children, a pinata, etc. There were other Americans, but they were from another cruiseline. The kids loved lounging on the air mats in the still water. They kicked around for a couple of hours.

We took a cab back to the port, and there we shopped a bit for souvenirs. I guess the best shopping is downtown Cozumel. That is where you will get the best deals, but we didn't have the time to get down there. There was ample shopping where we were and we were ready to get back on the ship. Cozumel was wonderful, especially if you love the beach like we do.    Close

When coming in from, or leaving Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm Airport, don't pay the outrageous taxi or cruise line van fee. If you have the time use the Tri Rail and metro rail. The Tri Rail has a website but an all day ticket…Read More

When coming in from, or leaving Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm Airport, don't pay the outrageous taxi or cruise line van fee. If you have the time use the Tri Rail and metro rail. The Tri Rail has a website but an all day ticket to anywhere for one person is $4, you may have to take a taxi from the Tri Rail station to the port but for example if you take the Tri Rail to Miami Airport for $4 you can get a taxi for $12 a person to the port, a total of $16 versus $30 a person that the cruise line charges for transportation. This will take some time and on the weekend the Tri Rail only stops once an hour at various stations but you can check their schedule online, they have a link at the Miami airport transportation page, or do a search for Miami Tri Rail. You may have to take a city bus to get from the Tri rail station to the airport (you do at West Palm) but your Tri Rail ticket includes bus fare, we actually noticed several people doing this to get to West Palm Beach airport because it is much cheaper to fly from their than Miami in many cases. You can also spend a little less money and go from the Tri Rail transfer station to the metro rail and for $1.25 take that a little closer still to the port and pay even less for a taxi. Though to save hastle and time it is best to just go to the Miami airport. Also if you are thinking about driving remember that parking at the port costs $10 a day, a big expense when taking a 5 or more day cruise.   Close

First off you'll never feel like your on a ship. These things are built like mega resorts, or small cities. We went through a tropical depression with 40-foot high seas, and felt nothing more than a small rocking. so sea-sickness is not a factor. The…Read More

First off you'll never feel like your on a ship. These things are built like mega resorts, or small cities. We went through a tropical depression with 40-foot high seas, and felt nothing more than a small rocking. so sea-sickness is not a factor. The nights are the darkest black you can imagine and the starfield you see is second to none. Your staterooms are small unless you get a suite or a balcony, you shouldn't be in your room much more than sleeping so this won't be a factor. the staff is very helpful and take advantage of them, they can save you some time and aggravation with check-in and check-out customs, and lines. Overall crusing is one of the most relaxing vacations you'll ever go on.   Close

So skeptical was my mother who asked why anyone would want to go to a butterfly farm. Lucky for me that, per our agreement, I got to pick out the tours for that island. Ha! She was thankful that I had some insight, as she had…Read More

So skeptical was my mother who asked why anyone would want to go to a butterfly farm. Lucky for me that, per our agreement, I got to pick out the tours for that island. Ha!

She was thankful that I had some insight, as she had a wonderful time.

If you go to St. Martin, I would highly recommend going to the Butterfly Farm. They have a website you can check out, but seeing it in person is utterly delightful. They will teach you all there is to know about the very beginning to all the way to the end of a butterfly's life. It is informative, enchanting, and fun!!

P.S. By the way, I used 200-speed film for those who care - it caught these beauties quite well!

This poor island was cleaning up from a hurricane when we arrived. I think they had it under control pretty well, as we saw some beautiful things on both the Dutch and French sides. We took a half-day tour to get an idea about the Dutch/French…Read More

This poor island was cleaning up from a hurricane when we arrived. I think they had it under control pretty well, as we saw some beautiful things on both the Dutch and French sides.

We took a half-day tour to get an idea about the Dutch/French split. That is certainly recommended. You really get a better grasp on the politics and relationship of the two. We saw many sides of life there, from a flea market to a bicycle funeral to the downtown on the Dutch side, which looks almost like Disney with its bright colors.

Mom and I popped off the ship with shopping on our minds. After a look at a few shops, we found a little café and had lunch. We set out from there to find a tour of the island, and as luck would have it,…Read More

Mom and I popped off the ship with shopping on our minds. After a look at a few shops, we found a little café and had lunch. We set out from there to find a tour of the island, and as luck would have it, we ran into a great fella named "88."

"88" turned out to give us the best 3-hour tour I have ever been on. He took us to the highest and lowest points of the island. He showed us the best views and told us the history, government, school systems, cost of living, and working class. It was awesome. At some point on our way around, we met his wife, during her lunch, and his daughter, who was just getting out of school. This was one of the most memorable parts of our multi-island trip.

This is a private island off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The island is very small, so there isn't much to do, but it was an incredibly relaxing time. The boat had a beach barbecue, which was very good. We laid on the beach…Read More

This is a private island off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The island is very small, so there isn't much to do, but it was an incredibly relaxing time.

The boat had a beach barbecue, which was very good. We laid on the beach and swam in the clearest water of the whole trip. It seemed that the water got clearer and clearer at each island.

There were a few people there selling a few things, but not a ton of shopping. It sparked my interest to return to the mainland of the DR. Some people we were with went on a whale-watching excursion and they had an excellent time. It sounded like they saw a ton of whales.

This island was incredible. There are no beaches where you dock so we took a taxi ($6 a person) up and over the mountain to the other side of the island. When you get to the top, you look down and see the ocean and…Read More

This island was incredible. There are no beaches where you dock so we took a taxi ($6 a person) up and over the mountain to the other side of the island. When you get to the top, you look down and see the ocean and beaches at the bottom of the mountain. It was cool. You could rent chairs for $5, but we just laid on the sand (on our towels). It was incredible. I didn't see any restaurants, but I'm sure there were some somewhere.

Tortola is one of the British Virgin Islands. I now see why people sail in the virgin islands. They are much closer together than some of the other islands.

You can take a boat to Virgin Gorda. We couldn't do this because we were only there until 2pm and we were too late to catch the ferry. If you have an early time to get back to the boat, make sure you leave early enough to do this.

Before we got on the boat, we shopped a little bit. Not a great shopping place, but I picked up a few postcards and last minute gifts.    Close

We docked in the Dutch side of St. Maarten. We did not venture over to the French, but if you've always wanted to experience a nude beach you should head over. In the beginning of the day, we shopped. Of all the…Read More

We docked in the Dutch side of St. Maarten. We did not venture over to the French, but if you've always wanted to experience a nude beach you should head over.

In the beginning of the day, we shopped. Of all the islands, this had the cheapest prices for alcohol and cigarettes. I didn't check the prices on anything else, so I'm not sure how much of a difference it made. We wished that we had known this because we would have stocked up in St. Maarten. They also had the most luxury shopping.

I did buy some guavaberry liqueur, which is only available in St. Maarten and it is excellent.

After shopping, we headed to the beach. We went to the closest beach which is in the middle of the port city. Despite being small and in the middle of the city, the water and sand were beautiful. I'd highly recommend the beaches here.    Close