Southern Caribbean Cruise - The Ship

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. 

Maxi Dress {only $20} | Fedora Beach Hat | Sandals 

1st smoothie of the trip - too cool for me!

Twist Bikini Top | Adjustable Bikini Bottom

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.

Cutout Midi Dress {available in 6 colors}

His Golf Polo

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! 

Tie Front Bikini Top | Adjustable String Bottom | Swim Trunks | Girls Ruffle One Piece

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.

Bikini Top | Matching Bottoms | Sunnies

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. 

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