Janet and I walked onto this Vessel as a newly engaged couple :). Travelling with close friends of ours, we flew to Fort Lauderdale a few days before embarkation. I pre planned a private dinner at one of the posh, boutique restaurants in Florida “The Pillars at New River Sound”. Long story short she said yes in front of an absolutely gorgeous private Cabana, overlooking the night sky and the sparkling waters of the Intercostal Waterway.
We boarded our Vessel two days later, giddy to embark on rest of our lives off with a bang.
Princess Cays was our first port, Princess’ private peninsula. BBQ and Beach day. Cold Cerveza, cute girls, great company, hot BBQ. Best way to start the Trip.
Second port was St Thomas, great spot for jewellery collectors. All kinds of jewellery, any kind of jewellery, salesmen everywhere! Nice port, great locals and fun bartering. Princess Cruise Lines had courses and presentations on buying jewellery in St Thomas. They also provided a map of reputable business’ to visit in the pursuit for that fabulous deal you could brag about when you get home.
St Kitts is a tiny island. We took a lengthy hike, following our tour guide we enjoyed many beautiful animals and massive trees. The smells were unforgettable, fresh flowers all over. Our tour guide was great, she took us to an abandoned, almost primitive sugar cane factory for pictures. Extremely friendly island, locals were inviting and took pride living in this oasis they called home.
I remember suggesting to Janet we should honeymoon Antigua. Some of the most fun we had was on this friendly, welcoming, laid back port of call. Ill never forget the Van we toured the island in, our driver took us to all the spots he thought very important tourists see. He also had “WHO GOD BLESS” across the windshield of the van, it added a sense of relaxation and amenity to the experience.
Antigua is the island where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. “WHO GOD BLESS” took us to a cliff that represents the two bodies of water, then to a cute little bar on a cute little beach for some cute little Cerveza. The bar is what you see on the right side of this picture.
This night we dined the “Chefs Table” which we booked with our Travel agent before we left Winnipeg. For a premium we were able to get a tour of the food functions of the ship. We saw the galley, the storage, how they feed so many hungry Cruisers. At the end of the tour, the head chef cooked us an exclusive swordfish and Leg of Lamb dinner which only we got to enjoy. Great company around the table, everyone is there for the same reason, to enjoy the food. All cruises seem to revolve around food, and I have yet to be disappointed. The food with this meal was particularly delectable.
If you haven’t heard of Les Pitons in St Lucia, google it. It is a World Heritage Site admiringly protected for its massive beauty. An absolutely awe inspiring landscape.
Also in St Lucia the four of us rented a cab to drive us to La Soufrieres “Drive Through Volcano” where we saw local kids playing in a geothermal waterfall. The water was warm! Great Island and we can’t wait to go back.
Barbados was hot. We went on a mission to find a beach with a cool little bar, like in Antigua. We were referred to a spot where Paul and I talked up the bars proprietor, who ended up taking us fishing for a few hours. We caught a bunch of little reef fish using our hands, fishing line, and chum.
Nice guys, The Captain of this little fishing boat was named “Smokey”. The girls took a cab back to the ship while Smokey ripped Gauthier and I around the island on his boat and back to the dock, where the Emerald was tied.
This blog thing is great, bringing back fond memories. Click to view for another “Adventure” 👉👇
Seas the day 