11 night Southern Caribbean 6/30-7/11/18

My2Qtz0205

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
We just returned from 11 glorious nights in the Southern Caribbean. I will share our highlights. Feel free to ask questions!

Who: Me and DH (40-somethings), DS (15), and DD (12)
When: 6/30-7/11
Where: Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, St. Kitts, San Juan, and Castaway Cay
Why: We chose this cruise because we had already done the Eastern and Western on the Fantasy, and I like to see new things! We had originally booked the 7 night Western Europe cruise, but this one was about the same price but more days, plus airfare would be much cheaper! This was our 4th Disney Cruise, so we are still Silver Castaway Club members.

We flew in to MCO from Dulles Airport late on the 29th. We stayed at the airport Hyatt. We got a room with a king bed and pull-out sofa, and they brought up a rollaway bed. The accommodations were nice. We got in so late (10pm) that we did not take advantage of the pool or the bar.

In the morning DH went down to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and coffee! We took our own luggage downstairs and checked in with DCL transportation. We were assigned a character so we would know when it was our turn to board. We loaded our luggage onto a box truck.

We were amongst the first in the terminal. We got a later boarding group (16–ugh), but we were onboard by 12:30. We went straight to La Piazza to sign up for Mixology. The wait was loooong. The computer was evidently not cooperating, and a couple of ladies in front of us wanted all the tastings! :drinking1We eventually made it to Cabanas, and while we were eating we were told that our cabin was ready.

We booked the Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah this time (#7580). We usually get Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, and unfortunately we could really feel the difference in the square footage. Lesson learned for next time. DH asked Guest Services about switching, but this cruise was sold out. Happily, however, we had the same stateroom host as our last cruise! It was nice to see him again. Another nice bonus was that our lifeboat station was in the Buena Vista Theater. We are usually on the deck in the hot, hot sun!

I’ll start covering our ports in the next posts.
 
Minnie came out to watch the ship dock, also!
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Our first iguana sighting

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After 2 sea days, our first port stop was Oranjestad, Aruba. We were headed to De Palm Island. De Palm is not far from the port. You do go through an industrial area to take the ferry to the resort. The ferry ride is less than 5 minutes. There is a water park, banana boat, snorkeling rental, trampoline, and food and beverages were included. We stayed on the beach, as my kids didn’t want to do the water park. The staff there was very friendly. One worker went into the kitchen to get my very picky DD some plain noodles with butter. Another staff member retrieved my lens hood from underneath the boardwalk when it popped off my camera. There were a lot of choices for lunch. The grill had hotdogs and hamburgers, and there were two places for a buffet lunch that included fresh fruit, bbq chicken, pasta salads, etc. There were also soda and juices.

Now, the downsides for us: DD and I like to snorkel, but the waves were very rough and the current was strong. There were many fish to be seen not far off the steps in the snorkeling area, but we did not see many further out. There is a lot of dead coral not far below the surface, and we had to be careful not to let the waves ram us into it. Did I mention the waves were rough? DD is a strong swimmer, so this was the first time I started to get panicked that I was going to lose her. She does not like to inflate her snorkeling vest because she likes to dive under the water, but I grabbed her at one point and inflated it for her. As I decided that we had had enough, I found myself swimming back over the rope into the snorkeling area. I did not even know I had swam over it earlier. By the time we made it back the waves had ripped my snorkeling tube off my mask. There are lifeguards, but they stay in the tower. If you truly got in trouble, they would be of no help.

This excursion was 7 hours long, but we were done after 4. White coral is hidden in the white sand, so watch your step! Many, many people stumbled or stubbed their toes right in front of our chair.

When we returned to the ship we heard many people saying how nice their beach day was. I think we just chose the wrong excursion. I hate to say that because the staff was so nice!
 
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You could see our ship from the beach.

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Swimming with the fishies

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Manta Ray

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No zoom needed


After another sea day, we docked in Bridgetown, Barbados. We did the Barbados Beach Break. Our driver took us just 5 minutes away (not counting traffic) to Harbour Lights Beach Club. We were given a short briefing about what our day included and what was extra, and a time we were to be back at the shuttle. We only had 3 hours here.
The first thing we did was buy tickets for the snorkeling excursion. They were only $10/pp, so it sounded like a great deal! The first boat left at 9:20.

We had no problem finding 4 beach chairs together under two umbrellas, about three rows back from the water. There is also free WiFi, but you have to ask for the password, which DH did as soon as we dropped our stuff off.

Leaving DH with our stuff, the kids and I headed off to the boat. We made two stops, neither very far from shore. The first was a shipwreck from 1919. There were lots of fish here, and the guides were feeding them also. The second was to a known sea turtle nesting ground. We saw the manta Ray first, then the sea turtles! The turtles came very close to us, close enough to touch them. They cautioned us to touch only their shells, and to not chase them from behind as we would scare them off. This excursion was definitely worth the money!

This was, by far, our favorite beach! The sand was like powder. My kids loved playing in the water and rolling in the very gentle waves. Three hours went by much too fast! I would love to spend the whole day here.
There is food and alcohol available for extra cost. There are also vendors with souvenir trinkets and homemade jewelry and sarongs. They will take US $.

I would DEFINITELY return here again, but I would take a taxi so we could take our time and return at our leisure.
 
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Docking in Martinique at sunrise

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St. Louis Cathedral
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Inside of the library...it looks like a place Belle would love!
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Ceiling of the original library

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Old book press


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The cultural center with art exhibits off the center square


Martinique
was next. We did not have an excursion booked this day. Our plan was to just walk around the blocks surrounding the port. It was nice to be able to get off the ship at our leisure.

We walked down the street towards the cathedral, stopping at McDonalds briefly for a bathroom and WiFi break. You have to buy something to use the bathroom. Another passenger gave us the code from our receipt, but we didn’t know where to use it so we just moved on. I could not get the WiFi to work, either.

Our first stop was St. Louis Cathedral. The cathedral is open. We quietly walked in and admired the architecture, as there were worshipers in the pews. DH used his Google Translate app to read the signs on the walls.

Our next stop was the Archaeology Museum. The ladies from the tourism office at the port told us that the museum would take credit cards, but they were mistaken. The museum takes Euros only. We struck up a conversation with a very nice man there. He let DS use the restroom there and allowed us to wait in the shade of the lobby.

We moved on from here to the library. The original part is very old and beautiful. We took a break for water and WiFi here, then walked around the new addition, where we found A/C in the children’s wing!

After about a 20 minute break here we turned left past the police station to the old theater. There is an office-turned-museum upstairs, and the docent was more than happy to give us a tour and answer our questions.

Walking back towards the port we walked through an open-air square with a few art galleries. There is a monument on the other side of the square, and mango trees everywhere!

Exiting here, we continued on back to the ship. We passed by the mall, as we did not have any Euros, then through a very busy market area.

We dropped the kids back off at the ship, got some lunch, and then went back out to the port to do some shopping. They will take credit card and U.S. $ at the port. I bought a set of earrings and a beaded bracelet for myself, and a beaded bracelet for my daughter. DH got WiFi to work on his phone, so we caught up with family members for a while before heading back and getting ready for Pirate Night! If we had more time we would have explored the fort, but we contented ourselves with pictures from afar.
 


Basseterre, St. Kitts


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The view from Fairview Plantation

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Master bedroom. I could live here!

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The grounds of Caribelle Batik

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Batik fabric drying in the sun

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The process of creating a Batik print

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The bell tower formerly used to communicate with slaves

Our third consecutive port was St. Kitts, our favorite! :love: We did the Essential St. Kitts with Fairview excursion through DCL. Our tour guide was Bertram, and he was great! He is a native of the island, but attended high school in Houston and trade school in NYC. We took a shuttle, which made our tour intimate. Watch out for picture overload!

Our first stop was Fairview Plantation, which has been restored and is now used for conferences and wedding receptions. The grounds overlook the ocean, and are full of lush foliage.

Our next stop was Caribelle Batik, set near the rainforest. It is also set on a former plantation and is now a botanical garden that boasts a 400 year-old Saman tree. Inside the house is the workshop for Caribelle Batik. We were given a tutorial on the steps for creating a Batik print, then shopped for souvenirs. DH got a shirt, I got a swimsuit cover-up, we bought MIL a tablecloth, and DD got a fan. I also bought some jewelry here. The clothing is not cheap—DH’s shirt and my cover-up were $70 each, but we felt these souvenirs were unique and we could not find anything of similar quality in port. St. Kitts accepts only U.S. or Canadian dollars. Show your passport to avoid the VAT.

Our last stop was Brimstone Hill Fortress, a former British fortress set on a cliff. The views all around are amazing! We only had 45 minutes here, so we did not have time to see everything.

Bertram was very knowledgeable about his home, and the intimate atmosphere of the shuttle allowed us to ask questions. Bertram took us on a different path back to the port so we could see as much of the island as possible before heading back to the port. He dropped us off in the shopping district. We walked the kids back to the ship, dropped off our purchases and had lunch, then DH and I headed back to the shoooing district. After going in many, many shops we settled on a couple of t-shirts for DS and a baseball hat for DH and a floppy hat for FIL. We sat in the outside bar and went through our pictures while DH tried a Carib beer.

St. Kitts was AMAZING and we would love to go back there again!
 
St. Kitts continued:



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Brimstone Hill Fortress

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Cultural dancers in port
 

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Next up was San Juan, Puerto Rico. We did the New and Old San Juan City Tour through DCL. We did NOT care for this tour. It was an 8:15 departure, and the port itself was a disorganized mess, with tour busses clogging up the busy street in front of the dock. The Carnival ship was also in port, and I believe they were disembarking, as I saw luggage on carts in the terminal. After a while we were led on to our tour bus. This was a large motorcoach, unlike our intimate shuttle in St. Kitts. Our tour guide was on his first job with this company, although he said he had been a tour guide for 6 years. He is also an actor, so he was very upbeat and loud, and trying to be funny. Did I mention it was early? :coffee:

The first stop was in front of the government building. It seems that everything historic and interesting was on the other side of the bus, but there was not enough time for me to walk down a block or so to take pictures. We did get pictures of the Puerto Rican Teacher’s Monument, which I just loved since I am a teacher! :teacher: It was nice to see some love.

From there we went by the new convention center, but did not get out. We also got on the interstate and saw the mall. :confused3 I guess some people are excited about going to the mall in San Juan (like our bartender), but it was safe to say that is not why we were there.

Our next stop was in the resort area. The tour guide mentioned Ben & Jerry’s, but they weren’t open. DD and DH got in line at a waffle place while I walked with DS down to the beach. We took a few pictures then I used the public restroom while DD enjoyed her waffle and Puerto Rican coffee. Our tour guide had gone on and on about the Puerto Rican coffee, but when DH asked the girl at the waffle shop if she had some of that good coffee, she just shrugged her shoulders. At this point some of our traveling companions took a taxi back to the port.

Fed and caffeinated once again, we got back on the bus and stopped in front of the art museum, but again did not get out. Finally we made it to Castillo San Cristobal. The guide told us to hurry as we only had 45 minutes here. Seeing the ship docked two blocks away, we decided that we would abandon our tour and spend as much time as we wanted at the fort. This was the best decision ever! We ended up spending 2 hours at the fort! It did rain at one point, but there were lots of little rooms for us to duck into while we waited for the rain to pass. The fort was awesome, definitely the highlight of our day. We explored just about every inch of it.

If I had been familiar with San Juan I would have just walked to the fort on our own instead of taking a tour. We were not impressed with “new” San Juan at all. It was dirty, with graffiti and black trash bags on the curb. They are obviously still in the rebuilding process, as many windows still had plywood on them.

The rain made it extra humid when the sun came out, so once we went back to the ship we stayed there! Port Authority was tight here. We were wanded and our bags were searched. We also saw a K-9 unit checking out the bags of some entertainers just coming aboard. We watched for a while, long enough to see the dog pee on one of the bags! :rotfl:

Right before sail away there was a Goodbye, San Juan deck party. That was fun. DH and I left Deck 13 to check that out and got up close and personal with Goofy and Minnie.

Pictures in the next couple of posts.
 
San Juan photo dump, part 1:


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Holocaust Memorial

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You can see how close our ship was.

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Fort San Felipe del Morro further up the coastline


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Overlooking Old San Juan

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There were many iguanas here!

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The oldest garita in the fort, closed to the public and reputed to be haunted (according to signage)
 
San Juan photo dump, part 2:


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Ancient graffiti

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Shadow of a garita

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It was a bit breezy up top, but it felt good!

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Family selfie

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Sailing away


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Next stop: Castaway Cay!
 

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