Notes on a Western Caribbean Cruise

In March 2008, my husband & I made a welcome escape from a particularly harsh Ohio winter and flew to Florida where we embarked upon our very first cruise-a week-long Western Caribbean adventure featuring the sea, the sun, dolphins, pools, hot tubs, dancing, drinking, fine dining, gourmet desserts, buffets, conversation, reading, writing, lounging, sleeping, slot machines, waterfalls, continental breakfasts delivered to one's stateroom, fresh fruit, rum punch, room service, pillow mints, red flowers, hot showers, sunscreen, well-endowed fertility gods and more. All in all, it was a refreshing change of pace and a delightful respite. Here are a few notes, subjective perspectives, and informal reviews regarding our Caribbean cruise experience.

Our Western Caribbean cruise included time at sea, plus disembarking for shore activities at four different ports-Ochos Rios, Jamaica then Grand Cayman then Cozumel, Mexico then the island of Princess Cays in the Bahamas. During the time at sea, a plethora of special events and activities were available onboard the ship, as well as oodles of delicious food. While some of the onboard entertainment was a little hokey for our tastes or just not our style, the array of offerings was pretty impressive. Of course, the ship was graced with numerous pools and lounge chairs on which to recline and relax and soak up those bright rays of sunshine, but do keep in mind that most cruise ships are crowded and that lounge space is going to be in demand, so you might want to claim your spot early if you're in the mood for some poolside sunbathing. Remember to bring plenty of sunscreen and apply it liberally! Drink plenty of water, too, especially if you're also imbibing cocktails. You certainly wouldn't want any of your vacation time to be marred by an unfortunate hangover.

Speaking of cocktails, that brings me to another tidbit of advice about cruises. Even though cruises tend to be viewed as somewhat all-inclusive (your meals and your lodging and your entertainment are all included in one package deal), there are still going to be a number of other potential charges to anticipate and plan ahead for if you desire to partake. For example, despite the 24 hour all you can eat buffet (and room service) featuring all kinds of tasty foods, certain kinds of drinks do cost extra and that most certainly includes alcoholic beverages, which can really add up. Our cruise offered some special-priced beer packages, but those fancy-looking frou frou fruity cocktails were quite pricey and not even highly spiked.

Another charge to plan ahead for is the various shore excursions, which are optional, but I would recommend engaging in at least one or two. Sure, you can disembark at a port and do your own thing (or even stay on the ship, for that matter), but chances are, you're not going to be very familiar with your new location. Doing your own thing might not be as appealing as it sounds when you're in the midst of unfamiliar terrain, unless you have invesetd a lot of time into research and planning ahead. Pretty much as soon as you get off the boat, locals are going to be hawking their wares at you; some of these wares include tours and excursions that are not connected with or sanctioned by the cruise company. While some of these activities may be perfectly legitimate and enjoyable experiences, there are no guarantees and not much recourse if something goes awry. Thus, if impromptu risk-taking and relaxation do not exactly go hand-in-hand in your vacation book, you might feel more comfortable sticking to one of the excursions offered by the cruise ship. These run the gamut in terms of experiences and costs involved. Read up during your downtime and do your best to choose what sounds like the most appealing fit for you, but also try to stay somewhat flexible and open minded going in. Alright, that's enough advice for now. Onwards to the fun stuff!

Ochos Rios, Jamaica

The first port on our cruise was Ochos Rios, Jamaica where we had chosen to participate in a shore excursion involving climbing the popular tourist attraction, Dunns River Falls. This had been recommended to us by my husband's parents, who had found this excursion breathtaking on a previous cruise, and although we were a bit concerned this excursion might be a tad too touristy for our tastes, we ultimately opted to give their recommendation a try.

There were actually many different available shore excursions that involved the climbing of Dunns River Falls, combined with other components. For example, you could experience various island highlights including touring scenic gardens and then climb the falls. Or you could kayak through some grottoes and then climb the falls. Or you could take a bicycle ride and then climb the falls. We chose an excursion in which you take a trimaran ride to the falls, climb them, and then re-board the trimaran to be transported to a beach for some lounge time.

The beautifully scenic Dunns River Falls were about 600 feet high, steep, rocky, slippery, and very wet. The climb was more challenging than I had been anticipating, complete with slippery rocks hidden beneath swirling eddies and currents and sometimes waist-deep water. I found the climb uniquely exhilarating, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for the very young or old or uncoordinated or out of shape. An enthusiastic tour guide led our ascent of the beauteous Dunns River Falls, then we climbed back down via stone staircase, then headed back to our trimaran to be transported to a Jamaican beach.

Whereas our ride to the waterfall had been relatively calm, the waters en route to the beach were much choppier, which made for a highly tumultuous ride-and it was a blast! The incredibly lively and energetic boat staff danced and sang and served rum punch, but so many waves were crashing on board that the rum punchy was very salty! It was almost like an amusement park thrill ride, but better because we were upon a real sailing vessel within the vast and majestic context of the real sea, with real waves crashing over the front of the boat and splashing us, soaking us, assailing us, and making us hold on tight.

When we arrived to the small beach, we had a few hours at our disposal to lounge, swim, browse souvenir shops, and sip libations as locals danced to bawdy music. Maybe this was a tourist attraction kind of thing, but they seemed to place some kind of extra-special significance upon the penis, as during our stint in Jamaica, we were exposed to fertility god statues with giant phalluses, festive songs that suggestively referenced 'the big bamboo', and suchlike.

Now for another quick word of advice about potential extra charges to be aware of. You will be solicited by some of the locals to purchase goods or services that may or may not be to your liking. Indeed, the first solicitation that came our way in Jamaica was from a man who wanted to sell us some "really good weed" and did not want to take no for an answer. Several woman approached me wanting to braid my hair, everyone from bus drivers to street performers heavily hint about tips, the proprietors of the souvenir shops are very persistently persuasive (but are also willing to haggle, so if you're truly interested in a piece of merchandise, chances are you can talk them down from the initially advertised price), and so forth. Try not to feel badly about saying no if you're not interested and be very aware that you are under no obligation to partake of any of these goods and services. Don't get me wrong, if you feel like a particular service provider or entertainer deserves a tip, by all means feel free to bestow one, but if you tip everyone who asks, it's really going to add up, so if you have a weakness for that sort of thing, then you might want to allot a substantial chunk of tip money into your cruise budget. On a similar note, the cruise personnel itself will offer for sale all sorts of extras related to the shore excursions, ranging from sundry keepsakes to cheesy photos. I recommend you take your own photos, although admittedly that can be tricky during some of the more athletic and watery excursions. If you really relish capturing your experiences on film, then a waterproof camera might be a good investment. My husband & I enjoy photos, but oftentimes during our cruise, we found that we were too immersed in our new experiences to take the time to capture them on film.

Grand Cayman

Our second port was Grand Cayman where he shore excursion we chose to partake of was called the Stingray Snorkeling Adventure. This involved taking a catamaran ride to a sandbar highly populated with stingrays and then getting off the catamaran and snorkeling or otherwise hanging out amongst the rays.

I was a little nervous about this excursion, as my comfort levels with deep water, swimming underwater, and the like is somewhat low. I had no experience with snorkeling and I have mixed feelings about unusual sea creatures, finding them both fascinating and heebie jeebie inducing and sometimes even strangely intimidating. Maybe it's just a variation on fear of the unknown. I did not want to be unadventurous, but nor did I desire to find myself panicking in strange waters. My husband is a strong swimmer and experienced snorkeler, though, so I hoped to be able to rely upon his expertise while giving something new and different a whirl. It turned out my nervousness was largely unwarranted, because the water on the sandbar was only about waist deep! Once you climbed off the trimaran, you simply had to swim through a few feet of deeper water before you were standing on the sandbar, surrounded by stingrays.

I would have to say that the description of the Stingray Snorkeling Adventure was a bit misleading, as snorkeling was not really a component unless one had brought along her own snorkeling equipment. My husband did have his own snorkeling equipment, so he was able to take advantage of that-and the catamaran that we rode in on (a much more peaceful voyage this time or perhaps I ought to call it an idyllic passage across calm clear turquoise waters) did have underwater masks and vests available for use, but not full-fledged snorkeling gear. Also, the excursion was presented in a rather touristy fashion, complete with photo ops galore, but it was still a uniquely fun and worthwhile experience.

As our catamaran approached its docking point, we could see a profusion of large dark gray shapes in the water. These were the stingrays and the main feature of this excursion was to interact with these stingrays. The female stingrays were considerably larger than I might have expected, larger than small dogs! The male stingrays were smaller (about 1/3 the size of the females) and stayed near the bottom. The females swam at the top.

Prior to disembarking the catamaran, a crew member offered us tips on handling the stingrays. We were to avoid the spines on their middle upper bodies, the mouth on their undersides, and the tails which house their stingers. Everywhere else we could feel free to touch. Someone commented that they felt like portabella mushrooms and I'd say that was a pretty accurate description of the texture of their flesh-soft, smooth, and ever so slightly slimy. As I stood there, waist-deep in water, with big stingrays swimming around me and brushing against my legs, I felt a bit intimidated at first, due to the size and unfamiliarity of these creatures. Soon enough though, it became a pretty memorable experience.

Cozumel, Mexico

Our third port was Cozumel, Mexico, where we had booked an excursion called the Passion Island Beach Adventure.

The proceedings started off on a disorganized note, with our excursion getting off to a late start because we had to wait for some stragglers in our group. Then there was a longish bus ride to a smallish, catamaran-ish vehicle, which transported us to the private beach at Passion Island.

Passion Island Beach is actually the site where some scenic Corona beer commercials were filmed a few years ago. It was a very pretty, semi-secluded landscape adorned with white sands, calm aqua waters, short palm trees, extra-special beach loungers, little curio shops, bars, and various rentable water sports equipment. We enjoyed the water and sun, lounged, drank, and browsed the shops. This particular excursion included an open bar and a Mexican buffet-style lunch (with yummy guacamole, fresh fruit, chicken, fish, pico de gallo, and more). It was a fun and relaxing day and after our private beach time, we imbibed huge margaritas at the sidewalk table of a Mexican café.

Indeed, this was the one day of our cruise during which we overdid our drinking a bit and ended up sleeping through dinner. This was rather regrettable because each evening's fabulous dinner menu was a different, delicious multi-course affair in which one was encouraged to choose an appetizer, then a soup, then a salad, then an entrée, and then an utterly glorious dessert-all presented in a wonderfully gourmet style. At least the 24 hour buffet was always available, though.

Princess Cays, Bahamas

The final port of our Caribbean cruise was in the Bahamas, at Princess Cays, a private island owned by the Princess cruise line. We lounged, enjoyed a few fruity beach drinks, and stationed ourselves near a reef area of the beach, where my husband gave me a lesson in how to snorkel-and perfect timing because the reef area was teeming with tropical fish!

My husband and I returned from our active Western Caribbean cruise with a few souvenirs and a whole assortment of fun-filled good memories!