L
lojo867
Guest
We just returned Monday from the Golden Princess Southern Carib. cruise. The ship was beautiful, and we had no problems the entire journey. There was a lot of families with children on the cruise, but they have an abundance of pools, so it's more relaxing if you hang at the adult only pool. The food was fantastic at the dining halls, and so we felt there was really no need to spend extra money at the other restaurants. The Horizon buffet court was great for breakfast, but I was not thrilled with their lunch or dinner options (some of the food was so dry it was gross). The only really disappointment I had was the absence of a really good bar with true atmosphere. Most of the bars, including the night club, were so cheesy that we spent most of our time drinking at night on our balcony. I suppose then that if you are really seeking a cruise that caters to the night life, you would choose a different cruiseline.
The embarkation process was a mess! I would not recommend boarding the ship until after 2pm. We left the airport straight for the port at like noon and the entrance was a total disaster in san juan---total bottleneck. There were cabs heading to the ship on both sides of the road, with other cabs trying to leave! We waited in the cab for about a 1/2 hour and then decided to walk it---with our luggage! I was so unhappy and I was totally wondering why in the world I would have to wait and wait to start my vacation on a boat. I was not happy. If you have a flight that day, go to a restaurant or tour San Juan so the port can digest the majority of people who board early.
As for excursions, we only used the cruise for one of them because it is more cost efficient to do so. We went to the beach in Barbados and jet skied, and then we took a cab tour of the island. So you know, 45% of the island is unemployed and they all get taxed 75% of what they make. The island is so poor its really sad. Give your taxi drivers a good tip, they only make about 20% of the total fare.
In St. Lucia we went to the tourist center right off the boat and booked a tour of the Pitons, waterfall, and volcano. I think the tour was $45. St. Lucia is so beautiful, but again very very poor. We were amazed at all the shacks on beachfront property. You can build a mansion there for $150,000 on the hill overlooking the ocean. The tour was long but worthwhile, and the roads are very bumpy.
In Antigua I was island toured out, so we took the Pirate ship that offered unllimited rum punch, dancing, and a trip to the beach. At the beach you could snorkel or do watersports. That was a lot of fun for all ages.
In St. Maarten I would recommend renting a jeep for the day. It cost us only 75 dollars for the whole day, and we saw the entire island plus about 8-9 fabulous beaches. This is the only island that drives on the US side of the road and on the correct side of the car. You can drive the island in about 2 hours or so. We ate lunch at the most beautiful restaurant on the east French side called Maa Tai, right off the main road, and we literally ate lunch under a tiki hut but 5 feet from the water. I ate with my feet in the sand. It was expensive, but awesome.
St. Thomas we got off the boat for good, as my best friend was getting married that day on the island of St. John. This was actually great because we didnt have to wait for hours to disembark. I would go to St. John over St. Thomas for sure. We stayed at the Westin and it was beautiful, with parrots, iguanas, flowers, and palm trees all over the grounds. You can actually go there and eat lunch, swim at the pool and the beach for the day. I saw a family do this that was from the cruise.
All in all, a wonderful vacation and very nice cruise. I'll respond to any questions.
Post Edited (06-10-04 11:08)
The embarkation process was a mess! I would not recommend boarding the ship until after 2pm. We left the airport straight for the port at like noon and the entrance was a total disaster in san juan---total bottleneck. There were cabs heading to the ship on both sides of the road, with other cabs trying to leave! We waited in the cab for about a 1/2 hour and then decided to walk it---with our luggage! I was so unhappy and I was totally wondering why in the world I would have to wait and wait to start my vacation on a boat. I was not happy. If you have a flight that day, go to a restaurant or tour San Juan so the port can digest the majority of people who board early.
As for excursions, we only used the cruise for one of them because it is more cost efficient to do so. We went to the beach in Barbados and jet skied, and then we took a cab tour of the island. So you know, 45% of the island is unemployed and they all get taxed 75% of what they make. The island is so poor its really sad. Give your taxi drivers a good tip, they only make about 20% of the total fare.
In St. Lucia we went to the tourist center right off the boat and booked a tour of the Pitons, waterfall, and volcano. I think the tour was $45. St. Lucia is so beautiful, but again very very poor. We were amazed at all the shacks on beachfront property. You can build a mansion there for $150,000 on the hill overlooking the ocean. The tour was long but worthwhile, and the roads are very bumpy.
In Antigua I was island toured out, so we took the Pirate ship that offered unllimited rum punch, dancing, and a trip to the beach. At the beach you could snorkel or do watersports. That was a lot of fun for all ages.
In St. Maarten I would recommend renting a jeep for the day. It cost us only 75 dollars for the whole day, and we saw the entire island plus about 8-9 fabulous beaches. This is the only island that drives on the US side of the road and on the correct side of the car. You can drive the island in about 2 hours or so. We ate lunch at the most beautiful restaurant on the east French side called Maa Tai, right off the main road, and we literally ate lunch under a tiki hut but 5 feet from the water. I ate with my feet in the sand. It was expensive, but awesome.
St. Thomas we got off the boat for good, as my best friend was getting married that day on the island of St. John. This was actually great because we didnt have to wait for hours to disembark. I would go to St. John over St. Thomas for sure. We stayed at the Westin and it was beautiful, with parrots, iguanas, flowers, and palm trees all over the grounds. You can actually go there and eat lunch, swim at the pool and the beach for the day. I saw a family do this that was from the cruise.
All in all, a wonderful vacation and very nice cruise. I'll respond to any questions.
Post Edited (06-10-04 11:08)
..Joanne