Review Caribbean January 31, 2009

My girlfriend and I just returned from a 12 day Caribbean cruise on Journey. The cruise was excellent! We got to the port of Miami ~1200 and by 1205 we were on board with a glass of champagne in our hands. The rooms were available by 1300. The staff on Journey were gracious, accomadating and always greeted passengers with a smile. The officers were highly visible and engaged passengers in conversations-questioning if everything was to their satisfaction.

We met up with our cruise critic friends at sail-away (I had never done this before) and I must say meeting these people turned out to be a great experience! We enjoyed everyone's company and shared many experiences throughout the cruise. Thanks to John The Sailor- we enjoyed 2 great excursions at a big discount. John gave us contact info for St. Kitts Railway and Brimstone Tour ("The Tour Store" anthony@stkittstourstore.com) that provided a discounted price over the ships shore excursion - exact same tour.

Captain Theodoros Mitropoulous was wonderful -after experencing very rough seas after leaving Miami he announced he would change course for the comfort of the passengers. Thank you Captain!

The Ports:

Virgin Gorda: Took a taxi to The Baths- $3 per person. Spend a few hours on the beach. A nice day.

St. Barts: Walk around and look in the expensive shops. Walk to Shell Beach - suppose to take 10 minutes- took us 30 minutes. Use the Internet cafe- very cheap.

St. Martin: John contacted Bernard's Taxi Service and arranged a tour $35 per person for a 5 hour tour- our tour guide was Thomas or "Slim" who was excellent. This was the trip highlight! Thomas was wonderful- he served rum punch throughout the tour- took us to a nude beach (no bathing suit- no problem!), a souviner shop with great bargins and Sunset Beach right next to the airport (planes land and take off only a few feet from the beach). I highly recommend using Bernards.

Dominica: It rained like crazy all day- visited the shops at the port which are limited. Traflgar Falls is a highlight but we did not brave the elements.

St. Kitts: We did the St. Kitts and Brimstone Tour for $95 per person. It is a good way to see the island. This also includes a trip to Romney Manor- beautiful gardens, exotic flowers and Caribelle Batik.

St. Croix: John arranged an island tour- 7 of us at $20 per person for 3 hours. We arrive on Sunday so most of the shops are closed. Not alot to see and it rains intermittently.

St. John: We take an open air taxi tour of the island for $25 per person ~ 3 hours. I advise taking a tour because there is not much to see within walking distance of the port. The island is beautiful with lush flowers and plants, the beaches are fantastic and great for snorkeling.

Food: Very good to excellent. The only disappointment was Aqualina- the lobster was tough and extremely salty!

Entertainment: The best entertainment was Stan! Stan and Jyll were cruise critic guests and Stan sang for us a few nights accompanied by the harpist. Stan is excellent and very entertaining! Thank you Stan.

Disembarkation: For some reason this was disorganized. Everyone waited to get off the boat at the same time. We arrive in port at 0530 but did not leave the boat until 0845. Used the ship's transfer to the airport for $14.80 per person- left the dock at approximately 0920.

Thank you to all the cuise critic friends for making this trip so memorable. Barbara and I had a great time!

Cathy:D

Hi Cathy !

Thank you for your review. This was one of the sailings I was originally looking at, but work commitments got in the way. It sounds like I missed a wonderful cruise. We are sailing on Celebrity Constellation in March instead. Im happy to hear you had a great time. I hope to sail on Azamara again, when she is back in the Caribbean next year.

Thank you for the review, I really enjoyed reading about your travels,

Jancruz1

We have this cruise in 11 mo. and 24 days! :p

We've been to St. Kitts before. It is a beautiful Island. Did you hear about a nice beach there, preferably with snorkeling, to laze away the day?

Thanks for sharing.

I concur with Cathy (hello!). This was an excellent cruise, and the best one I have ever taken, thanks in great part to the CC group onboard. Kudos to Stan, as well. I sailed solo, but this group made me feel that I was sailing with a family. :D

The Journey is beautiful, and just the perfect size to make you feel that you are in a cozy country club, as opposed to an impersonal mega-ship. Indeed, Cruise Director Tony Markey, Captain Theo, and the other officers were seen everywhere. The food and service onboard was much superior to what I have experienced in previous sailings with mainstream lines like Costa, RCI, and NCL. I also enjoyed the lectures by Dr. Denny Whitford and Nikki Sepsas, which were very interesting, and the hilarious ventriloquist, Patrick Murray, and “Matilda.”

I look forward to sailing with Azamara in the near future.

I concur with Cathy (hello!). This was an excellent cruise, and the best one I have ever taken, thanks in great part to the CC group onboard. Kudos to Stan, as well. I sailed solo, but this group made me feel that I was sailing with a family. :D

The Journey is beautiful, and just the perfect size to make you feel that you are in a cozy country club, as opposed to an impersonal mega-ship. Indeed, Cruise Director Tony Markey, Captain Theo, and the other officers were seen everywhere. The food and service onboard was much superior to what I have experienced in previous sailings with mainstream lines like Costa, RCI, and NCL. I also enjoyed the lectures by Dr. Denny Whitford and Nikki Sepsas, which were very interesting, and the hilarious ventriloquist, Patrick Murray, and “Matilda.”

I look forward to sailing with Azamara in the near future.

Hi Estofon !

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Im glad you had a great Cruise on Journey. Glad to hear "Matilda" is doing well these days. I've seem them many times on Celebrity, and I always get a good laugh out of them. Welcome home !

Thank you Cathy and we had a great time meeting you and Barbara. We felt good having two of the best cardo nurses on board. It was always entertaining talking with you both while on board.

Hello to Luis and it was great meeting and spending time with you. I hope the next trip you have a better flying experience getting to Miami.

Thank you to Stan & Jyll you have a great voice and it was a pleasure meeting you and Jyll as you are an enjoyable couple. The martini bar was a relaxing place to start before dinner each night.

Nice sailing once again with Jack & Sheila and hope you both enjoy the Connie once again next year.

Nice meeting Bill & Sandy and good riding with you both on the Harley in St Martin.

A great ship with great experiences. Can't wait to do it again next year.