On Monday, I recapped the Emerald Princess ship we recently sailed on for 10 nights to 6 islands in the Southern Caribbean (our favorite itinerary yet!). Today, I wanted to recap the islands we stopped at (4 of which were new to us - always exciting).
Princess Cays, Bahamas
We woke up on first morning in the Bahamas. After Lil' Miss got her hair cut, we grabbed some bottled water from the bar and headed down to the gangway. Last year, we were on the Carnival Spirit and docked in Half Moon Cay which was also beautiful. However, it was really hard to find loungers on the beach. Plus, the beach was pretty small and not that deep. We were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of available loungers in Princess Cays and lots more space for Lil' Miss to set up her beach buckets for digging in the sand.
Since this island is owned by the cruise line our drink package worked ashore, and a BBQ lunch was also included. It was nice not to have to open our wallets while we were enjoying the beautiful island.
St. Thomas, USVI
After a day at sea, we woke up while pulling into port in St. Thomas. We enjoyed a room service breakfast (always free!) on the balcony as we watched the ship dock. H and I had been to this port several times, so we decided not to book an excursion and explore on our own. We decided to take the ferry over to St. John to enjoy the beach and have lunch which turned out to be the perfect afternoon. It was sunny and beautiful in St. John, and we could see rain clouds over St. Thomas in the distance.
I mentioned in my recap of the ship that we only got off to explore Dominica for a little bit since we had been there several years ago. We have amazing memories of going up into the rain forest to see waterfalls and go river tubing, but the bus ride up the windy mountain gave H motion sickness. So, it was a one and done experience for us. We walked around the marketplace in the port, and enjoyed the rest of the day onboard in the pool.
This was our first time in St. Lucia, so we booked an excursion on a catamaran to go see the Pitons. Originally, we wanted to climb the Pitons but the excursions included a long drive to the other side of the island. A catamaran that picks you up right where the ship docks? Yes please! We stopped at a beach for swimming, and then sailed towards the Pitons. It was a little cloudy and rainy so the Gros Piton was partly covered by clouds, but still magnificent.
Fort de France, Martinique
Martinique was another new-to-us island, and ended up being one of our favorite stops. We loved the French influence, and felt like we were in a European village. We booked another excursion that took us to the other side of the island with a stop at the infamous bat cave and then over to a beach to see sea turtles and go swimming.
This was Lil' Miss' favorite island because she won't stop talking about how she got to drive the boat back to the port. She sat in the driver seat for a good 10-15 minutes on the way back, and was absolutely giddy over it. Priceless memories.
St. Johns, Antigua
Our final stop on the cruise was in St. Johns, Antigua which was also new-to-us. We had planned to take a cab over to the beach and relax for the day which ended up being the perfect decision. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous, and we were dropped off right next to the Sandals resort and soaked up the sun and crystal clear water.
Lil' Miss and I wore another set of matching bathing suits (her fav!) and she was excited to break out her beach buckets again. The morning started off cloudy, and then cleared up to reveal the beach in all it's natural beauty. Photos don't do it justice.
10 nights aboard the Emerald Princess ship in the Southern Caribbean was just what we needed after all the stress lately. It was the perfect amount of time where we felt like we got away without rushing back into every day life. 4 out of the 6 island stops were new to us (all 6 were new for Lil' Miss), and we planned our excursions accordingly. We had never sailed on Princess before, and have been choosing cruises lately based on the itinerary instead of the ship so we were excited to try out a new cruise line and of course explore new islands.
Itinerary
Ft. Lauderdale
Princess Cays, Bahamas
At Sea
St. Thomas, USVI
Roseau, Dominica
Castries, St. Lucia
Fort de France, Martinique
St. Johns, Antigua
At Sea
At Sea
Ft. Lauderdale
Today, I'm recapping our experience on board the ship and I'll recap the island stops separately. Stay tuned!
Ideally, we would sail out of Port Canaveral but when an itinerary pops up with mostly new to us islands we make the drive to Ft. Lauderdale with iced coffee in hand. After dropping off the pup to be boarded, we hit the road to Port Everglades. Once on board, we dropped our stuff off at our room, had lunch, and then got changed for the pool and sail away party.
Cruising Tip - Always book a balcony room over an inside room. You have a lot more space, and a private outdoor area to enjoy room service breakfast (always free) and watch as the ship pulls into a new port each morning. It's usually not that much more expensive to upgrade, and SO worth it. We also enjoy sitting on the balcony while getting ready for dinner.
Our first morning we woke up in Princess Cays, Bahamas. Lil' Miss was excited for her annual on board hair cut. Cruising tip - if you're considering any spa services head to the spa on the first day where they include massive discounts when booking on embarkation day. We received half off her chop, and she was loving every second.
We spent most of the day ashore, and since it was the cruise line's private island the BBQ lunch and beverages were included with our drink package. Cruising tip - when in doubt just get the drink package. We went with the Princess Plus package which included drinks, bottled water, specialty coffee, OceanNow for delivery anywhere onboard, gratuities for the crew, Wi-Fi, 2 fitness classes (I of course chose Pure Barre), 2 premium desserts per day (which I felt was excessive), and 2 a la carte restaurants.
It was so nice not to worry about how much we were spending every time we ordered a drink, or that our bill was racking up each day with the gratuities. Lil' Miss was also able to enjoy her smoothies/mocktails without us paying for each one on their own. Game changer!
Back on board after Princess Cays, we enjoyed some pool time before getting ready for dinner. After dinner, Lil' Miss begged us to bring her to kids club. She went for a little bit after dinner while we enjoyed a handcrafted cocktail and a comedy show.
The next day was a sea day as we sailed toward St. Thomas. We spent the morning as a family, and had lunch before Lil' Miss asked to go to kids club in the afternoon. While she was there, we enjoyed both adults only pools. There was one in the back of the ship and another called The Sanctuary near the gym and the spa at the front of the ship.
We enjoy the family pools in the middle of the ship which is where you'll find live music, fun challenges, and of course all the kiddos. But it's also nice to slip away and enjoy the peace and quiet at the adults only pools too.
The next morning we arrived in St. Thomas, and we enjoyed watching the ship pull into port and dock over our room service breakfast and a cup of coffee. H and I had been there several times already, so we didn't book an excursion and decided to take a cab to the ferry and head over to St. John for the day. It was the perfect idea.
The next day we docked in Dominica which is a BEAUTIFUL island full of lush mountains and waterfalls. We had been there back in 2009 - WOW that was 15 years ago! When we were there before we booked an excursion that took us up into the rainforest where we saw waterfalls and went river tubing down the mountain. However, H felt carsick on the bus ride up the winding mountain so we decided to skip an excursion this time. We walked around the marketplace in the port area before getting back on board, and spending the day by the pool. We definitely made the right decision, because we heard from several other people that did excursions there that either they or someone on their tour felt sick from the bus ride up the mountain. Definitely something to consider if you are prone to motion sickness to avoid an excursion that will take you up into the mountains in Dominica.
Lil' Miss enjoyed her first premium dessert that was a part of our Princess Plus package. She not only ate the sundae, but was wearing it all over face as well. Too cute! We also donned our matching bathing suits, and kept getting stopped by people around the ship asking where we got them. We were a walking family advertisement for Kenny Flowers, and I loved it!
Later that afternoon, I cashed in one of my free fitness classes and enjoyed a Pure Barre at sea workout. Climbing stairs the rest of the day was not fun, but burned so good!
We had an incredible room steward named Emmanuel who left towel animals and fun messages on the mirror for Lil' Miss. She shrieked each day walking into the room to find her latest surprise.
We also stopped in St. Lucia, Martinique, and Antigua before enjoying 2 at sea days as we sailed back towards Ft. Lauderdale to end the magnificent trip. More Kenny Flower pieces were worn by the pool, more premium desserts were consumed, another Pure Barre at sea workout, and lots of fun on board.
I was bummed that I didn't find the perfect mimosa until the second to last day. After the gym, I went to the Good Spirits at Sea bar on Deck 5 to grab a mimosa and met Raymond the bartender. He has perfected the art of filling the glass with mostly bubbles and adding splash of juice. I steered others in his direction when the topic of mimosas came up by the pool.
