I chose to board the Carnival Destiny at Aruba. It's not that I have anything against San Juan or Puerto Ricans, it's just that I wanted to make sure that I wanted to make sure that I could combine my cruise with plenty of scuba diving as well as get a chance to scout out Dominica for a future trip. Had I been able to find lodgings at less expensive hotels near Puerto Rico's fine dive sites, I might have left from there instead. As it was, I was able to put in five days of diving before I took passage aboard the Destiny, and I didn't have to worry so much about nitrogen bubbles or outgassing as I would have had I flown.

I flew Continental Airlines from Austin, Texas, to Oranjestad, Aruba. Continental had a direct Houston-to-Oranjestad flight that eliminated a Houston-to-San Juan or a Houston-to-Miami dogleg. I breezed through customs from my Houston flight to curbside.

I spent six nights at the Allegro resort before boarding ship. The public areas of the Allegro are still good enough, but my room definitely could have stood renovation: new furniture, new wallpaper and new paint. On the other hand, the staff made an effort to keep the room and bath clean, the sheets were fresh and clean, the doors locked, the hot water was hot and the air conditioner worked. I had the all-inclusive plan, which for breakfast and lunch, at least, suited me just fine. For dinner, I could either dine at one of the hotel restaurants, or dine elsewhere. Read more