We drove down to Savannah, Georgia for dinner with my niece and her partner, and called my sister (my niece’s mom) for her birthday.
After spending the night nearby, we headed south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to set sail with my cousin Angel and her hubby, Kevin – our second cruise together.
We traveled on Princess Cruises’ ship, Princess Patricia, on the open seas to the islands of Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia, Dominica, and St Thomas. While we arrived at Grand Turk, the winds and seas were too rough to safely dock, so our ship sailed back out to sea.
Tuesday, April 23
Our first two days were at sea before we arrived at Antigua. There we went on the Catamaran and Lobster Lunch, Scenic Cruise & Swim tour. This was a six-hour cruise on a luxury catamaran. We stopped at Deep Bay Beach and swam in the warm waters while crew members provided drinks as we relaxed on the beach. Next, we stopped at another beach and again swam and relaxed, all the while crew was busy preparing a lobster buffet onboard. There was an open bar and Caribbean music playing as everyone enjoyed their meal and drinks. Some folks had a bit too much to drink, it was almost comical watching them try to keep upright.
Once back on board, we showered and joined my cousins for dinner at the Crown Grill.
Wednesday, April 24
Today we arrived at Martinique, a lovely island. For our excursion here we went on the Best of Martinique: St. Pierre & Rum Distillery tour. This was a half-day tour of popular sites and a visit to a rum distillery for a tasting – not that we are fans of rum, but the tour of Sacré-Coeur de la Balata was worth it. Sacré-Coeur Was built in 1925 as a miniature version of the Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre in Paris. From there we went on to a view of Mount Pelée, the volcano responsible for the 1902 eruption that resulted in almost obliterating the city of Saint-Pierre. Next up we visited Depaz Distillery where we got a tour of the facility and an opportunity to taste its rhum (French for “rum”) agricole. I bought some rum as gifts, and a sweetened bottle of coco punch. Next, we explored Saint-Pierre, the historic village that perished in the massive 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée, and visited the Museum of Volcanology to learn more about the disaster – it was quite sad. Along the way back to the ship we rode through a few small villages.
Thursday, April 25
Today I was struggling with my back and sciatic pain, so Alan went out on an excursion on St. Lucia without me. He went on the Best of St. Lucia: Sulphur Springs, the Pitons, Scenic Cruise tour. His tour began with a scenic ride through the capital city of Castries, with a stop for photos at Morne Fortune, the “Hill of Good Luck.” He then went on to Soufriere, the oldest town in St. Lucia, to see Sulphur Springs, the Caribbean’s only drive-in volcano. Next was the old estate, Morne Coubaril, a working farm. There he had lunch. Afterward he boarded a catamaran to sail and see the Pitons, stopped for a swim, then on to Marigot Bay before returning to port.
Friday, April 26
Alan and I split up for today’s tours. He went on a more nature oriented tour, while I went on a cultural tour.
Alan went on the Best of Dominica: Emerald Pool, Trafalgar Falls & Scenic Drive tour, an adventure for nature enthusiasts, which included a hike among tropical vegetation, and a view of some waterfalls. He went from Roseau to Morne Bruce for a photo stop and continued to the village of Trafalgar.
My tour was the Touna Aute Carib Native Village with Cultural Expert, a cultural encounter – experiencing the daily life of the Kalinago community. We went to the settlement of Touna Aute, an authentic, living village in northeastern Dominica. The community leader, a former Kalinago Chief, welcomed us to the community and provided a historical overview of the Kalinago people. Then, we watched some basket weaving, squeezing sugar cane juice and the making of cassava bread. We were also told about how they use herbs for healing. Then we enjoyed a very nice meal.
Back on the ship, we attended the Captain’s social – a short get-together of platinum, and higher, status cruisers.
Saturday, April 27
Today’s tour was Easy St. John Cruise & Panoramic Drive. We took a 45-minute narrated boat ride to see St. John from the water before arriving in Cruz Bay. There we boarded an open-air safari vehicle for a scenic review of the island. We heard about St. John’s history, flora and fauna, saw Trunk Bay (one of the most photographed beaches in the world), Hawksnest Bay and Caneel Bay from scenic viewpoints, and also saw the Rockefeller plantation. We went to Bordeaux Mountain, the highest summit in the Virgin Islands at 1,277 for some awe inspiring views. The tour ended back at Cruz Bay where we could shop (we didn’t) and grab a quick bite (we did).
Sunday, April 28
Today we were supposed to dock at Turks and Caicos, but the weather would not permit it, so the captain made the decision to leave port and make a slow go of it back to Fort Lauderdale.
The next two days were at sea. We met up with Angel and Kevin often for dinners, and some of the fun on the ship. Angel and I played a game of giant Jenga with other cruisers against the crew. I swam, got a massage, and had my hair done. Alan played a few of the trivia games, enjoyed some alone time on our balcony photographing some birds, and we just enjoyed relaxing. A few days before returning to port, we had dinner at Plank’s BBQ. It was okay, but it wasn’t as good as back home.
All in all we had a good relaxing time, learned some stuff, joined in on some of the activities, and just enjoyed ourselves.