What I Learned by 25

Our last cruise was a milestone of sorts—it was #25. It’s made me think of how much I’ve learned since that first one back in 2005, such as:

Gumby guarantees a good time. The weather's bad. Ports are missed. Someone gets sick. Luggage comes late. Luggage goes missing. We’ve had it all. Bending with the wind can rescue a precious vacation.

Homework pays off. Like knowing you need to sign up for Royal Caribbean’s shows before you go if you want to make sure you see them. Finding out if there’s a laundry onboard. The cost for a massage. The ship’s pros and cons. Perusing the cruise line’s website, reading cruisecritic.com’s boards and checking out YouTube videos are some ways to go about it.

 

To make sure you see "Blue Planet" on Allure of the Seas, be sure to sign up online before you board

A passport to the Caribbean. While you may be able to get by without a passport on a Caribbean cruise, you won’t easily get by government authorities without one if you’re stranded on an island. And the passport can’t expire within six months of your return to your home port. (If you skip the passport, you’ll need a driver’s license and birth certificate.)

Walking off means sleeping easier. There’s a lot to be said for taking your own bags off the ship. While it may be more convenient to let the ship take your luggage, it comes with risk. Our suitcase almost ended up 700 miles from our home because someone grabbed it in the terminal by mistake.

Specialty dining is worth the money. We fought off paying for specialty dining for the longest time. When we finally took the plunge, we never looked back. Better food. Attentive service. More intimate setting. Yeah, you’re paying for food twice. But it’s worth it.

 

150 Central Park on Oasis class ships comes with an extra cost, but it's worth it

Whatever comes on, goes back off. Two weeks at home, and your extra pounds will be gone. So eat and enjoy!

Changing it up keeps it fresh. If you’re a frequent Caribbean cruiser, working in something different each trip can add some new excitement. During one cruise stop in St. Thomas, we took an excursion to the stupendous island of St. John. Another time, we got the Unlimited Dining Package on Allure of the Seas. Yet another, we got a mini suite on a Princess ship.

 

Just one of the spectacular sides to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

It’s all in the fine print. We’ve missed so many great events because I’ve forgotten to study the daily newsletter. Increasingly, you only need to look at your phone to find out what’s going on.

Sanitizing is key—even when they don’t tell you to. We’re fanatical about staying healthy onboard. We load up on wet wipes before leaving home and use them before meals—and during them. The ladles in the buffet, menus in the main dining room, the salt and pepper shakers—these all can harbor germs. We clean everything in the stateroom, too.

Tipping for pleasure. Those extra dollars we give the crew when we leave is so important to them and their families. It makes us feel good too—even when we’re miserable that our trip is over.

Shore Leave: The Conclusion

Once on the street, Nigel raised his arm to flag a taxi, but after a few seconds, brought it back down. “Traffic’s too heavy,” he said. “Would take us forever. Can you run?”

They bolted down one street after another, maneuvering around locals laden with groceries and workers strolling their way home. At one point, the sidewalk narrowed and the cars came so close that Holly could feel their steamy exhaust.

“We will make it, won’t we?” she yelled to Nigel, who was a few feet ahead of her. The trucks drowned out his answer.

Though the sun was going down, the thick air was a sauna, weighing on the couple’s energy.

As they neared a cross street, they were forced to stop to let cars pass. Red-faced, breathing hard and light-headed, Holly wondered if she’d be able to keep up the pace.

“You okay?” Nigel said, as he tugged at the front of his sweat-stained shirt. Drops of moisture trickled down the side of his face.

Holly nodded and managed to say, “What time is—?”

Nigel looked at his watch. “6. Our only hope now is if they’re holding the ship.”

The couple was now running side by side, but as they shifted to avoid a rusty overturned child’s bike, Holly’s sandal caught the edge of the handlebar, and she tripped and landed on her knees. This time, she couldn’t stop the tears.

“Holly, Holly, don’t…we’re almost there.”

She looked up at him from the ground and pushed her matted hair from her mascara-streaked face with the back of her hand.

Nigel reached out to help her up. “Come,” he said firmly.

The couple continued their run, past mango trees, hibiscus and coconut palms, toward their jobs, their friends and their ocean home. As they got closer, Holly said, panting, “We…we should be seeing it any minute now.”

“I know. The smokestacks.”

When they got to the yacht club, Nigel suddenly stretched out his arm in front of Holly to motion her to stop. “It’s not there,” he said flatly.

Holly stared at the spot where the Neptune had been. The pier was empty. She coughed a few times, slowly walked to the grass under a tree and sat down. She pulled off her sandals and rubbed her feet.

Nigel sat down next to her, stretching his legs out in front of him.

Neither said anything and the only sound was Holly’s wheezing and occasional cough. A foot-long scaly green iguana crept closer, but the couple didn’t notice.

“What do you want to do?” Holly said at last. “Find our way to San Juan?”

Nigel was silent. He stared at the sea and squinted, as if looking there for the answer.

When he finally spoke, his voice took on the softness he had used in bed. “We could always stay here and have a honeymoon.”

Holly looked up at him quizzically, unsure she heard him right.

“Yes, yes, that makes sense,” he said, more to himself than to his companion, as he nodded slightly. “Then we can fly back to London…Remember I told you my uncle offered me a job in his company when I came back…”

Holly pushed back all thoughts of the family issues that would inevitably lie ahead to get caught up in Nigel’s growing excitement.

 “Looks like I missed the ship, but I didn’t miss the boat,” Holly said with a small smile, gently falling back against Nigel’s warm, damp body.

A port guard, just coming back from his break, was taken aback to see the strange tourist couple sitting alone on the ground at the darkening deserted pier, on an island that was all their own. 

Watch for the Signs—Back with More

A while back, I did a posting Watch for the Signs—How the Ports Tease and Tempt You featuring comical and whimsical signs in ports. Well, I’ve had a few trips since then, and the Caribbean locals did not disappoint.

So, here, for your amusement is a new set of signs—look for them when you’re in port:

Everything looks better with a brewski--except the suitcases outside your door
on Disembarkation Eve (St. Maarten)

Don't bother slathering, just start slurping (St. Maarten)

Have I imagined this sign? (St. Thomas)

 Don’t stop what? 😏 (St. Thomas)

Where were you when I needed you? (Antigua)

More like warm cruiser needs frozen drinks (St. Thomas)

Port of Indecision—is that like the Ship to Nowhere? (Falmouth)

Do you have any to share? Drop us a line--we'd love to hear from you--and see your signs!

Don’t Come Home Without Them—Must-Buy Mementos from the Caribbean

Fodor’s recently did a piece on the nine must-buy souvenirs on a Caribbean cruise. Which made me think—what would be on my list?

So, this is what I came up with:

Woven wares from Dominica. They’re not sold at every stall in Roseau, so you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled, but the locally woven baskets make great—and useful—souvenirs to bring to those you left behind or keep for yourself.

Handmade, locally made in Dominica

The "Caribbean Gem." Mined in the Dominican Republic but available in many of the Caribbean isles, the lovely milky blue larimar can be found set in all kinds of jewelry and best yet, isn’t too expensive. I picked up earrings in a silver setting at St. Thomas’s Havensight pier for about $45.

Ceramics, onyx from Cozumel. While the silver jewelry is terribly tempting in Cozumel, each time I see the shopkeeper walking around with a calculator, it reminds me I can’t afford it. But what everyone can afford and is certainly worth it is Cozumel’s ceramics. They’re bright, cheerful and everywhere. You can get something as small as a spoon holder or as large as a serving platter. Also special are the onyx pieces, from figurines to chess sets.

 

Ceramics to liven up your home from Cozumel's Los Cinco Soles

Mopa Mopa art in Aruba. These don’t come cheap, but they’re unusual handicrafts native to Aruba. Buds of the mopa mopa tree are processed into resin that’s incorporated into wood and painted. You can find mopa mopa bookmarks, masks, wall hangings, and all sorts of decorative arts. You won’t find them anywhere else.

Anything painted in Labadee. The extensive artisan market in Royal Caribbean’s resort side of Haiti specializes in painted art, and the prices are very reasonable. And since the sellers promote bargaining, the prices get downright cheap. There’s a big variety of artwork—from magnets to mega canvases of beach scenes, with frames or without.

Color in canvas at Labadee, Haiti

St. Maarten guavaberry liqueur. It’s on the sweet side, but an only-in-St. Maarten kind of souvenir. Their colorful painted bottles alone make it worth the cost, even if what’s inside isn’t exactly your cup of—well, beverage of choice. 

Spices in Granada. The “Island of Spice” vendors have ready-to-go spice combo baskets that are tailor-made souvenirs. And if you feel yourself giving in to buying one of the spice necklaces the vendors assemble as you watch, beware that their shelf life is short—very short. By the end of the day, mine was beginning to self-destruct.

 

Necklaces of spice might be nice, but the baskets are much better

Rum from anywhere. I fell deeply in love with Bacardi’s 8 Anõs at its brewery in San Juan. But the Caribbean’s got more choices of rum than we have time to taste. Take some home and relive your cruise experience again and again, one happy shot at a time.

Musing’s Top Tip: If you’re thinking about a specialty dining package on an Oasis class cruise, check out Musing About Cruising’s new video on YouTube, with tips and photos, to help you decide if it’s right for you. And did you know you can now find out about new Musing postings by subscribing to Feedspot, which consolidates the latest from your favorite cruise blogs? 

Why Leave the Pier?

After all, it can be so enticing to stay. Stores galore. Cheap and fun places to eat and drink. Maybe even a swimming pool.

So, it begs the question: why bother to venture beyond those figurative—and sometimes literal—guarded walls?

Because this is what you’d miss:

That’s entertainment. A few blocks from the pier in a gazebo in Falmouth, Jamaica, women swirl and twirl their colorful skirts and kick up their feet to a drum’s beat.

Downtown Falmouth brings dancing and music to venturesome visitors

Hang a right outside the terminal in Cozumel to visit a new shopping plaza and watch costumed men swinging upside down from a high pole, to the melancholy sounds of a pipe. Keep an eye out for the man wandering around with a huge snake wrapped around him like a poncho. 

What awaits wanderers from the Cozumel pier

The street scene. At ports like Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Roseau, Dominica, the lunch hours fill the streets with giddy groups of kids in their school uniforms. In Coxen Hole, Roatan, local workers grab grub from steaming grills fashioned out of barrels. All manner of wares is sold along the sidewalk from pickup trucks in Castries, St. Lucia—including women’s lingerie. And in any of these ports, you might see mothers straddling their babes in one arm while shielding them with an umbrella against the blazing Caribbean sun with the other.

Bougainvillea and breadfruit. The Caribbean isles are awash in flowers and fruit, and it can be fun to get to know them. Bougainvillea in pink and fuchsia is everywhere. You might spy the bright Golden Trumpet, the showy hibiscus, a red bottlebrush or two and oh, so many kinds of palms! 

There's no mistaking the Golden Trumpet all over the Caribbean

Check out the mangos hanging like Christmas ornaments off the sidewalk on the trek from Crown Bay to St. Amalie. Or the breadfruit towering above the hair salon in downtown Falmouth. Bananas clumped and climbing from a tree in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic.

Breadfruit towers above the street in  Falmouth

Then there are the fruit and veggie markets—in downtown Roseau, and the floating market in Willemstad, Curaçao, across the pontoon bridge in the old part of town. And the markets where the fruits of the sea are cleaned in the open air—destined for a plate near you. There’s a big one on the walk from the pier to Bridgetown, Barbados, where hair-netted women and hatchet-wielding men silently set about their work.

There’s a much smaller market right on the beach in George Town, Grand Cayman, a few blocks from your ship, where the array of the day’s catch is spread out on a table like souvenirs.

 

Can't get any fresher than this in George Town, Grand Cayman

What matters cast in bronze. History and culture come together in the statues that commemorate key events for the islands, like the conch blower of Freedom in Frederiksted, St. Croix and The Three Queens outside Blackbeard’s Castle in Charlotte Amalie. Then there’s Anne Frank on her pedestal in Oranjestad’s Wilhelmina Park, reminding us of Aruba’s Dutch heritage and of values that resonate around the world.

Shop like a local. Hit a busy side street and browse the shops the locals do—the supermarkets, clothing and hardware stores, for a feel for the real island life.

Culture, cuisine and wi-fi at the library. In Roseau, the library is just a few blocks from the pier and a window to the world of Dominica—with the added treat of free wi-fi. On a recent visit, there were posters displaying local birds and recipes of traditional Christmas foods.

Then, when you’ve drunk all this in, top off your Caribbean cultural immersion with one, two—or a bucketful—of made-right-here brewski.  

End your day by drinking like a local

15 Shades of Blue

Think of the Caribbean and you think blue, right? In fact, there are many “shades” of blue when you cruise the Caribbean Sea. 

Blue is the color of:

1. Your passport—Don’t leave home without it! And be sure it doesn’t expire within six months of your trip.
2. The sky above your balcony—With no powerlines to obstruct your view, the sky seems bluer, bigger, bolder. And if you’re headed for the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), you’ll see more of that blue sky than anywhere else. Aruba gets only 16 inches a year of rain; compare that to 46 for New York.

   

   The sky seems bluer, bigger and bolder from your balcony
3. The water below your boat—If you’ve never cruised the Caribbean, know this: those photos you’ve seen are real. The waters of Bonaire, St. Maarten, and the U.S. Virgin Island gems of St. Croix and St. John are just that blue, just that clear, just that calm.

   

   Blue as far as you can "sea" in Bonaire 

4. The resorts the lines call their own—Carnival’s private resorts of Princess Cays (Bahamas) and Mahogany Bay (Roatan), and Royal Caribbean’s Labadee (Haiti) boast blue hue water that’s tranquil and see-through, perfect for swimming, sunning and snorkeling. And when your ship comes in, you (and your 2,000-6,000 fellow travelers) get the resort all to yourself.

   

   Calm and comfortably cool is the blue water at Princess Cays

5. The pools of port—Three neat port pools that come immediately to mind are at Grand Turk, Costa Maya and Carnival’s newest resort in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove. These three pools are big, with plenty of room for making a splash.

   

   A part of the vast winding pool of Amber Cove

6.  The flags of Barbados and Curaçao—Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean and Curaçao in the South—both great ports to visit—use blue as the primary color of their national flags, to reflect the sea and the sky.
7.  The iguana of Grand Cayman—This blue lizard, according to Wikipedia, is a special variety found in Grand Cayman and is on the endangered list. In fact, the only one we saw on our visit was this guy below:
   
8. The cobblestones of old San Juan—Pull into port in San Juan and you’re just a few steps away from cobblestones made from adoquine, a blue stone cast originally brought over on Spanish ships.
   
9. The logos of the lines—Not surprisingly, the mermaid, ship, anchor and X logos of Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are all blue.
10. Curaçao’s namesake liquid—Made from local oranges, with a little help from food coloring, curaçao liqueur is unmistakable in its color and squat round bottles.

    

    
    

11. The delft and faux delft trinkets of the ABCs—Browse the tourist shops of the Dutch isles of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao to find some of the real hand-painted stuff, but more of the mass-produced kind. These are inexpensive, and make great Christmas tree ornaments, magnets and collectibles.

    

    Mass-produced delft, but that everyone can afford

12. Larimar—The lovely baby blue stone is from the Dominican Republic, but sold on many of the islands at a very reasonable price (note that they vary in quality). We picked up good quality earrings in St. Thomas’ Charlotte Amalie for about $40.
13. The female cruiser—What cruising woman can resist a shirt with blue-and-white stripes in classic nautical style (or “nausical” as one retailer calls it). Navy blue, says Wikipedia, got its name from the dark blue uniforms traditionally worn by many navies around the world.
14. That sign that it will come to an end—Alas, blue is also the color of the Customs card that appears on your bed—sometimes as early as the second day of the trip.
15. My mood…when it’s all over.

The Must-Do Excursion in St. Thomas

The must-do excursion in St. Thomas? Going to St. John.

St. John, sister island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is probably one of the most-photographed places in the Caribbean. For good reason. It’s flat-out gorgeous.

Yet, it’s surprisingly under the radar, though the Mamas and the Papas found themselves there. During their very early (and broke) days, they camped on the island until they wore out their welcome and ended up back in St. Thomas.

Kicking up some spray

The cruise lines run excursions to the island, ferrying you over in a 20ish-minute ride along the St. Thomas coastline, past massive mansions peering down from their hillside perch.

Ours was an invigorating ride, as we sat on benches on the narrow ferry deck, hovering over our cameras as the boat kicked up some spray.

There was narration, but we would’ve got more out of the PA system in a Manhattan subway station.

The road up and around

In Cruz Bay, St. John’s compact little harbor, the blue water sparkled in the sun. A few shops and cafes lined the street along the water, but they’d have to wait. Our open air van was ready for us.

From there, we climbed and climbed, winding round and round, along an impossibly narrow road, white-knuckled from our vise-like grip on the handle bars.

And then paradise

The van pulled over four or five times, each overlook more stupendous than the next. Like a theater curtain going up, the tropical brush would open up to nearly empty pristine beaches, un-built up, unspoiled, nature in the raw. 

Paradise along the road.

But Trunk Bay is where I gasped. 

The horseshoe-shaped beach, with its unblemished sand and gently flowing water, fringed by foliage—all against a panorama of ocean dotted by islands and small sailboats—was just too much beauty to absorb. See what we saw in this brief video clip.

The magnificent Trunk Bay.

Chic shopping to end the day

Our tour of the island ended all too soon and we found ourselves back in Cruz Bay with just enough time for a quick peek into a few of the cutesy boutiques at Mongoose Junction Shopping Center on North Shore Road. The shopping is predictably dear—you’ll find no bargains here. But it’s fun to browse just the same.

 

Bring lots of dollars to shop at Mongoose.

The last word

Laurance Rockefeller, conservationist and philanthropist, and son of John D., appreciated the uniqueness of St. John enough to buy up most of it. Then in the ‘50s, he gave it away—to the U.S. government, with the caveat that the land never be developed.

Today, it’s a National Park, which guarantees that when you finally make it there, you’ll find it just as I’ve described it.

Musing’s Top Tip: If nature calls when you get off your bus ride, behind the shops at Mongoose Junction Shopping Center is a separate building with clean bathrooms. If you can’t find it, one of the shop folks can direct you.

Monkeys and Chickens and Lizards, Oh My! A Walk on the Caribbean’s Wild Side

Your idea of a wild time in the Caribbean might be endless buckets of beer by the sea.

But there’s another wild side to the Caribbean—and you’ll want to take your camera for this one. 

Look out for this fauna and flora to fawn over when you get back home:

The fauna for ya

Iguanas—They’re everywhere. All over the rocks at Crown Bay pier in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. In Aruba’s Oranjestad, wandering around Wilhelmina Park. In fact, they’re so common in Aruba, their likeness shows up everywhere—even on flip-flops.

Bring some iguanas home from Aruba's Oranjestad

And now, the real thing--posing for the camera in Charlotte Amalie's Crown Bay pier

Chickens—Unless you grew up on a farm, the sight of roosters roaming around may be a bit startling. But you’ll see them in downtown Charlotte Amalie; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; and Frederiksted, St. Croix.

Monkeys—You don’t have to venture far into St. Kitts to see the little local vervet monkeys. Just a stroll down the pier in Basseterre will do. There are several on the arms (or heads) of the locals, picture-ready for a fee. 

All dressed up and ready to go--into your arms for the camera and a fee in Basseterre, St. Kitts

Cats—San Juan has a cat problem. They’re on top of cars, under cars, roaming the streets, lying on sidewalks. But, like most animals, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. And some of them are so pretty and robust, you’d swear they were pets.

Checking out the tourists from the sidewalks of San Juan

Caribbean parakeet—I once had a parakeet in a cage. Imagine my surprise to find several pecking away high up on a palm tree on the busy L.G. Smith Boulevard in Oranjestad. It’s yet one more reminder when you travel: look up.

Don't forget to look up when you're in Aruba's Oranjestad--you don't want to miss the parakeets

Fish—With water so clear—particularly off the pier in Kralendijk, Bonaire and to some extent, Princess’ private Bahamian island of Princess Cays—fish become entertainment. It’s yet one more reminder when you travel: look down.

In Grand Cayman, take a left from the pier, and walk a few blocks along the water. You’ll come up to a small fish market on the beach. After they’ve cleaned the fish, the vendors toss the remains into the water and you can watch the live stuff—some of them several feet long—zooming in for an easy meal, like pigeons descending on a hunk of bread.

Stop and smell the flora

Bougainvillea—These paper-thin flowers come in some 300 varieties and many bright colors, and you’ll find them all over the Caribbean, climbing the walls and hanging down planters.

Palms—They’re on the beaches, in the streets, in the yards, in the gardens. They’re tall and top-heavy. They’re useless when you’re in search of shade, and they break easily in storms. But what would the Caribbean be without its palms?

Cacti—The ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao are super dry, despite being in the middle of the ocean. So, it’s not unusual to see cacti and palms sharing the same front yard.

Unlikely neighbors in this yard in Kralendijk, Bonaire

Hibiscus—Big, bold and colorful, the hibiscus is common in the tropics, and is the national flower of Haiti. But its petals are not just for admiring—they also find their way into tea in Mexico, and are even dried and garnish desserts.

Cozumel has its own share of the showy hibiscus

Plumeria obtuse—White and yellow clumps of loveliness, these West Indies natives can be found in the Bahamas, Mexico, Barbados, Belize and other warm places.

These were blooming along the waterfront of Barbados' Bridgetown

Frangipani—This multi-colored beauty is known for its fragrance and is sometimes an ingredient in perfume. It’s been said that its smell becomes most intense at night—to lure moths for pollination. Don’t let their heady smell tempt you to touch them, though, the sap is an irritant.

These frangipani caught our eye while shopping in the Pelican Village Craft Centre in
Bridgetown, Barbados

Mango—A staple of the Caribbean diet, when they’re in season, you’ll see them hanging from trees at ports like Roseau, Dominica and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Bananas and plantains are plentiful too, as are coconuts, throughout the Caribbean islands.

Not quite ripe, but appealing just the same, hanging off a tree in St. Thomas' Charlotte Amalie

Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, allspice—These are all grown in Grenada. The island is the world’s second-largest producer of nutmeg—the spice is even on the Grenadian flag. Baskets of pre-packaged spices are sold in the port city of St. George’s and make great holiday gifts for the cooks on your list.

Put more spice in your life with these souvenirs from St. George's, Grenada

When I look at this list I’ve just created—and it’s only a sliver of the Caribbean’s charms—it’s easy to see why the islands were seized, battled over and settled on. And are so much fun to visit!