Michelle did the research and the contact with the travel agency. All together we spent just a little over $3100. But, we ate a lot of that back in food.
My first impression on board the ship was, "even fat boorish people go on cruises." More on that later. The comparison between the help/staff and the passengers is stark and amazing.
We had four stops: Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas; St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands; San Juan Puerto Rico; and Gran Turk British West Indies.
Our two favorite places were Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. But, the other places were nice too. The water in Half Moon Cay was crystal clear and about 80 degrees. The sand was amazing. I saw numerous fish just sticking my head under the water. Most of them were clear or very light colored so they blended in well. I may have seen a two foot or so barracuda right near the shore. It was a long slender fish. I tried to corral him in the shallow water. But, there was plenty of room for him to get away.
In St. Thomas we just went to Sapphire Beach and hung out. I had wanted to do some SUP or surfing. Looking back, I should have at our first two stops. The only place there was ANY surf to speak of was at Sapphire beach. They do surf in Puerto Rico. But, we spent the day walking the old city and seeing the neat old Forts.
Grand Turk was quite the adventure because we did the Ultimate Snorkeling shore excursion. The guides were fun. Of course, they are paid to be charming. But, all of the guides and help and staff seemed to be sincerely helpful and solicitous. The first dive spot was about 25-30 feet deep and then drops off abruptly on a sheer 6000 foot drop. It was very impressive. I had to re-learn surface diving and breath management. I eventually worked up to where I could go down 30 feet and even stay a little while. The most important thing is equalizing the pressure in your ears, early and often. There was no way to go down even 10 feet otherwise. At the other dive spot we saw a ray and urchins and lots of fish and I finally found a shell to bring home for a souvenir.
Now back to my impression about the passengers. There were many I am sure who ate five 1500 calorie meals a day and then also drank at least $100 in liquor. I was probably the most conservative of all the passengers when it came to consuming food. And I overdid it a lot.
The help were very cordial (many from Philippines and India and other somewhat impoverished places) and sincere and I felt sorry for them having to work long hours. I hope/think they get paid well. But, they have to leave their families for months at a time. On the other hand the passengers seemed oblivious to all around them. Many were rude and loud and selfish and not conscientious about obstructing traffic areas and their overall impact on the experience for others.
With the Youngs we saw the shows that the a group of eight singers and dancers put on almost every night. They were overall entertaining and enjoyable. However, probably didn't need to go to half of them. Very talented and energetic performances though.
We may have to go back to Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk. Doesn't have to be by boat though.
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