Mindy

Age: 20
Occupation: Student/Receptionist
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Destiny
Sailing Date: July 18th, 2004
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean

First just let me say- if you do not enjoy a VERY slow-paced and VERY laid-back vacation, cruising is definately not for you. If you do enjoy that and you think that there is any slight chance that you may possibly get sea sick, take some kind of motion sickness medicine because you can definately tell that you are on a boat. It's not really bad, but you can feel the movement enough.

I went on a 7-day cruise with my now-fiance (Rory) and his family. Seven days was definately long enough. We boarded at San Juan, Puerto Rico (don't worry when you get there, the other ports aren't that humid) on a Sunday. You really should watch it leave the dock, it's pretty cool.

In the morning when we woke up we were in St. Thomas. It doesn't look that appealing from the dock, but further into the island it is gorgeous.

I highly recommend going to Magen's Bay- it is incredible! The ship has an excursion that takes you to Magan's Bay and Paradise Point (an excellent place to see the whole island and do some shopping). Go in the morning!! It becmes pretty crowded in the afternoon. You could also take a taxi on your own if you do not want to go with the ship. Either way, go to Magen's Bay- you'll be so glad you did.

Next we went to Dominica, which actually is very pretty. It was raining the day that we went, but the cabin steward said that there were some good places to swim (both fresh and salt water). I would have rather been there on a mission trip myself because it is quite poor, but the people are beautiful. Dominicans make & sell wonderful hand-woven baskets.
Next was Barbados, which was my personal favorite- it is where Rory proposed to me!!. Go to the Boat Yard- it is $12 a person for access to a beautiful beach and use of bathrooms, showers, beach chairs & umbrellas. I believe it also includes rental of snorkel eqipment and maybe even jet skis (not sure though). They also give you tokens for food in their little restaurant, which is really pretty good. It is by far the best deal you'll find, and is relatively close to where the ship docks. Your taxi driver may try to talk you out of it because they're not allowed to pick you up there, but don't let him! There are taxis there that will take you back to the ship for $3 a person. At the bar area there is loud music, but if you move down the beach a little it's not bad at all.

Next was a day at sea. These are tough because everything (esp. pool area) is VERY packed. Bring cards, games, or something you can do in a remote area if you're not into being crammed in with other people. If you're into that sort of thing, hey- more power to ya.
Aruba was next- it is very nice also. If you only snorkel once, do it in Aruba. It is packed with coral reefs and beautiful fish that will swim right up to you. We took a taxi on our own to De Palm Island, which was pretty nice (just take water shoes- lots of coral that you tootsies will not like). Later we heard that Palm Beach was the best. Oh well- you live & learn. They have neat jewelry, bags and other locally made stuff at the little market places.
Now onto the nitty gritty- the food is incredible, which I know you've already heard. I am a vegetarian, and even the meat-eaters in my group loved the cuisine available to us veggies. Most people gain weight on a cruise, but if you skip dessert, avoid room service & the 24-hour pizza & ice cream, and move around a lot you should be okay. They also have low-fat (just as good as any of the other food) and low-carb options, plus lots of things wih fruit and vegetables.

This is important- make friends with your cabin steward and waitstaff. Not only are they extremely nice and good-humored, they can offer more information about places to go & things in do in port and at sea than anyone else you'll meet. They are by far the most helpful people around.

The cabins are very small, so you may want to spend the extra for a suite or at least a balcony, esp. if more than one person is staying in a room. I had a cabin to myself and it wasn't bad.

They have nightly shows on the ship, which are kind of hit-or-miss. One Vegas-style show was terrible, the other was good; one comedian was hilarious, the other wasn't... you just have to go and see what you like.

Just to warn all my fellow germ freaks out there- bring hand sanitizer and USE it often. If you do there is little chance that you will get sick. The lido restaurant and the pool decks are not very clean, especially toward the end of the week so always wear some kind of shoes. The pools are saltwater, so you'll probably want to shower really well after swimming.

Oh, and PLEASE don't forget sunscreen!! I was covered in it constantly and still got a nice tan. You really have to be careful when snorkeling because the sun beats down directly on your entire back-half. I got burned despite my inch-thick layor of SPF 30. It might be tough, but pull yourself away from the fishies and reapply often.

I think that's all I can think of. If you want to e-mail me with a question I will answer it honestly as best as I can. Have a nice day! :)

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