This was by far the best tour and we had an excellent tour guide, Helvig who was very knowledgeable and helpful. We visited the liqueur factory. I've been there before but it's always a nice visit. From there we visited an Aloe Vera Farm which was really interesting. However, the presenter offered samples of the juice which I didn't taste. I tested the lotion in the shop. Afterwards, we visited a Chi-Chi Doll Workshop. The dolls were colorful and the ladies painting them were very friendly, but just not my taste. 

Last year, I went to Maracas Beach, which was very nice but a long drive. None of the other tours interested me and I decided to stay on board after Cherry warned us to only walk around Port Spain in groups because of pick pockets. 

Port of Spain (Trinidad)

I did a tour last year and wasn’t too impressed. I would have liked to walk past the market stalls and along the shoreline to the town of Fort-de-France, but wasn’t sure if it was safe to walk alone. 



Martinique

Always a lovely island, but I had done an island tour a year ago and the tours offered didn’t interest me. I took the shuttle to the terminal shops, took photos and came back to the ship. We had two medical emergencies at this port. 

Barbados

We were there on Christmas Day. The streets in Basseterre were almost empty. At this time of the year, they celebrate Carnival every evening. I took a tour to see where the Batik cloth was made - very interesting and colorful. It was very humid inland. The driver took us to the other side of the Island where the rich folks lived. We could take panoramic photos from a hill. Vendors want to take your photo with the tiny green monkeys, but Cherry warned us to decline, as these baby monkeys are taken away from their mothers at a young age.  The driver seemed to be on "Island time" and we arrived back at the port 45 minutes late. 

 I was disappointed with my tour, because I had chosen it to see the Gold Mill. We visited the California Lighthouse, Alta Vista Chapel and Natural Bridge - all places I'd been to last year. When we reached the Gold Mill, the driver/guide swung round the parking lot, pointed to the mill and drove off. He then took us to see a couple of their rock formations, which wasn't on the schedule, and brought us back to the ship 15 minutes early. That's the time we could have taken to visit the Gold Mill. 

We didn’t disembark here this time. If you walk more than a few hundred yards, the neighborhood is not somewhere a female can safely walk alone. Cherry’s presentation showed the other side of the Island – Englishtown – was really pretty, so maybe I’ll do a tour there next time.

Antigua

We docked at Havensight – yeah! Good access to many shops. I just went to the pharmacy in building 5 to pick up a few extras I’d forgotten to pack. Reasonably priced and helpful staff. The view of Charlotte Amalie from the ship is spectacular. We’ve visited this port many times and done the tours, so we don’t mind staying on board. 

St. Thomas

We stayed overnight at the Embassy Suites. It's fine. Like the manager's cocktail hour. Toilets in bathrooms are extremely low - more suitable for kids.  

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Some of these events are good, but I don’t understand why they have so many, unless they’re under the misconception there’s a large audience in the Explorers Lounge each evening.She’s also a good organizer and game host.

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Holiday Cruise on Caribbean Princess

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Mini-Suite with Balcony

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Barbados

St. Thomas

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

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