How to make a 10 day Caribbean Cruise an Epic Adventure
Three years ago, my husband and I opted for the easy honeymoon. We booked a 10 day southern caribbean cruise with 8 ports of call. Some people hear the word “cruise” and cringe. Thoughts of lobster-red burned, loud, and obnoxious tourists slugging back ridiculously expensive fruity drinks with umbrellas poolside may come to mind (and that is fair).
Maybe you think of old ladies hitting the slots.
Maybe you think of over the top ice sculptures and never ending buffets.
Four meals a day, with the option of three entrees at dinner -at once- and a plethora of desserts…. I definitely gained 10 pounds on my honeymoon (but it was fun).
Look at all the desserts! What is that, 10? Count ‘em!
A cruise wedding. One on every boat!
OK, so most of the stereotypes are true. The difference in an active cruise, however, is the ports of call and what you do with your time there. For example, if you just want to go on a cruise to lounge around a boat pool, eating and drinking all day long, (which, let’s face it, is why many people choose to cruise), then you would probably opt for a 3 or 4 day trip from Florida to Cozumel or maybe Nassau.
If you want to see a variety of the Caribbean and visit as many islands as possible, then you may choose the type of cruse we did, a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Cruise Lines.
We were very proactive in planning our port activities. We opted for two prearranged cruise tours, then figured out our own plans for the rest. I found it helpful to use the cruise online bulletin to connect with people on our cruise to get advice and to form private group tours. We met a neat couple from Austin who became our dive buddies!
It’s essential to put in the research, to find out what each island has to offer. Do you want to see the highlights? Do you like hiking? Diving? Alan and I wanted to have a variety of experiences. We love scuba diving, so we picked the best two islands for diving and focused on that. We hiked up a volcano in Grenada. We rode a train around the island of St. Kitts. We mingled with locals and wandered around port towns. We scoped out the best beaches that Babados and Aruba had to offer.
The beauty about a cruise is, most of the planning and work is done for you. There is no unpacking and repacking as you go. Food is always available. You don’t have to worry about renting a car or catching a flight. It’s kind of the perfect honeymoon situation. It was for us at least. We wanted to explore many places, have varied and enriching experiences, but we wanted to be a little lazy too. That’s what the honeymoon is all about!!
So, check in with the blog over the next couple of weeks, and I will disclose more details about each of our fabulous ports of call: St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao, Aruba, and Puerto Rico.
Have you been on a cruise? Would you ever consider going on one?
Please leave comments!
P.S. As you read this, I am on a sailboat in Thailand with Alan and the rest of my family. If I am able to post while traveling, I will notate with *LIVE POST*
