Sailing Home

Hello from the Atlantic Ocean! It’s not quite as exciting this time around however, as we are now heading back towards the cold climate of the UK. Since my last blog we have been more or less all over the Caribbean. We enjoyed a partial transit of the Panama Canal which was fantastic. We went through the Gatun Locks then enjoyed just over an hour in the lake before turning and heading back through. It was an experience I shall never forget.

We have also visited Jamaica, Roatan, Cozumel, Tortola and St Maarten and all were just as wonderful as each other. My favourite islands are Antigua and Roatan, with St Maarten following in a very close second.

Before the cruise we had heard so many stories about Jamaica but I have to be honest; I never once felt uncomfortable. However I would still recommend booking an organised shore excursion as the port is quite far from town. Our trip was breathtaking. It was advertised as a 4x4 Jeep Safari and it definitely did not disappoint, in fact it also included a visit to a local school and church which we had not realised but thoroughly enjoyed. Our overall destination here was Chukka and I can only describe it as a kind of adventure or Nature Park. The water in the lake was crystal clear and very warm, you could enjoy a quick dip if you wanted to... but this was also the place people descended upon for river tubing, kayaking and zip line tours. It was a day filled with blistering sunshine and just about as much rum punch as you could drink! At one point we stopped and our driver picked us oranges straight from the tree, the smell was so intense, I had never smelled oranges that were so rich, I wish I could have bottled the scent and shared it with you all.

Roatan was the island I was most looking forward to and aside from it raining most of the day this destination again definitely lived up to expectations. It’s not “over touristy” so you can get a real true feel for the island, its people and their way of life. We enjoyed the iguana farm, west end, monkey farm and just about the entire south end of the island. I really fell in love with this destination and it’s the one I am most looking forward to visiting again. The people were friendly, the small towns were interesting and the views from some of the points our guide drove us too were stunningly beautiful.

Cozumel we spent the day at a beach resort - Nachi Cocom - which a friend had recommended. This was a great beach! It was all-inclusive so you paid for nothing extra aside from water sports, your drinks, food, loungers, umberella and the use of the swimming pool and hammocks were all included. We made the booking before leaving the UK and anyone else looking at this kind of day should do the same. There were other resorts close by but they were all full to bursting as our call to Cozumel was shared with 6 other cruise ships. After taking it easy for a few hours we made our way back towards the port and of course hit the shops. I would say we didn’t buy much but our deputy captain pointed out the following day that he watched us struggling back along the dock with an army of bags... I shall let you make your own assumptions on whether that means we got a bit carried away or not...  ;-)

In Tortola we enjoyed the Best of Tortola excursion which again was very nice. Admittedly we couldn't really hear our guide, but the views from high up the mountain were jaw-dropping! I have never been so mesmerised with scenery in all of my 28 years. Overall the excursion was good, but we would have liked to have spent a bit more time at Cane Garden Bay than we did. Our call here was until 11pm and we were very excited about that. We returned from our trip, washed, changed and then made our way back into Road Town and stopped at Pusser's Pub where we enjoyed a bite to eat and a drink. From here we ventured next door to Le Grand Café, which was like a true Caribbean bar. Here we stayed until 10pm before making our way back to the ship.

In St Maarten we had planned to visit Maho Beach, but once we left the ship we were keen to grab the water taxi into Phillipsburg to do some shopping and relax on the beach, which was exactly what we did. The water taxi was $7 per person and this was for multiple trips, so you could come and go as you pleased as often as you liked. Phillipsburg was a great town, lots of shopping and a great beach which was bursting with beautiful coloured shells. It’s fair to say we have done of fair amount of shopping here, and I did enjoy a dip in the warm waters whilst trying to avoid getting shells embedded in my feet.

Our last port will be Ponta Delgada in a few days time; from there we have 3 days at sea before reaching Southampton. I am still trying to find a spot on-board where I can hide and remain un-detected until the ship has sailed for the next cruise... wish me luck!