Mother/Daughters Sunshine Cruise to St. Martin, St. Kitts, San Juan, Grand Turk

[jimbo5544]

Nice start to your review, and nice pics!

[blessedwith12]

LOVING your trip report. I think girl cruises are the best although I do love the time with my hubby on the ship. I only have sons so I rely on my 2 sisters, 2 sisters-in-law, and numerous nieces and friends to fill in for the girly trips.

 

I'm also from the Cincy area. We live in Milford but grew up in Madisonville, right next door to Oakley. I went to Marian High School and hubby to Purcell. We have ties to Childrens as my sis-in-law works in the colo-rectal dept and travels with the Drs without borders to depressed countries.

 

Your hubby has a long drive doesn't he? Aren't you from Columbus area?

 

Yes, girls cruises are fun and a whole different experience than a cruise with my husband! The girls bring a level of excitement and make me feel young again!

 

We live east of Hillsboro. My husband usually works in the Montgomery/Mason area and is currently building a home in Loveland. It takes him about 1.5 hrs to go to work.

 

Our bus would pass by Marian on our way to Walnut Hills!

[blessedwith12]

Nice start to your review, and nice pics!

 

Thank you! I wish I could pick up the pace a little but I think it's going to be a slow process for me!

[blessedwith12]

I don't think that I've mentioned that I'm fairly obsessive/compulsive when it comes to cruises! First, it's selecting an itinerary. Over to Cruise Critic to read recent reviews of different ships and itineraries. Over to the port pages to read about the different ports. Over to Trip Advisor to look at pictures of different ports. Then I book the cruise and the real planning begins. Time to evaluate all the private excursions at all of the ports. Time to read more reviews. Etc, etc. Whether it's a cruise with my sister, daughters or husband, I am always the person who does all of the planning. And that's fine with me because I(I'm also obsessed with worrying about getting on the ship. We all carry our own passports, but we also carry someone else's birth certificate and ID. If anyone's purse is stolen or lost - we are still getting on that ship!!)

 

Anyways, because I am such an obsessive planner, I can't believe I have somehow booked an excursion we might not make it on. But, I console myself with the fact that if we somehow aren't able to do it - maybe there's a reason why we are not supposed to. The girls have no worries - they are sure I am overthinking this!

[lauren0309]

Wow, 12 kids! What a blessing!

 

So...did you make the excursion?

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review as I will be on this cruise in April!

Edited January 31, 2016 by lauren0309

[Boozebabe]

I don't think that I've mentioned that I'm fairly obsessive/compulsive when it comes to cruises! First, it's selecting an itinerary. Over to Cruise Critic to read recent reviews of different ships and itineraries. Over to the port pages to read about the different ports. Over to Trip Advisor to look at pictures of different ports. Then I book the cruise and the real planning begins. Time to evaluate all the private excursions at all of the ports. Time to read more reviews. Etc, etc. Whether it's a cruise with my sister, daughters or husband, I am always the person who does all of the planning. And that's fine with me because I(I'm also obsessed with worrying about getting on the ship. We all carry our own passports, but we also carry someone else's birth certificate and ID. If anyone's purse is stolen or lost - we are still getting on that ship!!)

 

Anyways, because I am such an obsessive planner, I can't believe I have somehow booked an excursion we might not make it on. But, I console myself with the fact that if we somehow aren't able to do it - maybe there's a reason why we are not supposed to. The girls have no worries - they are sure I am overthinking this!

 

We travel LOTS. Mostly with a group of friends. I also do ALL the planning from fining a destination or cruise to booking EVERYONE'S flights etc. I have all my friends credit card numbers, passport numbers,frequent flyer numbers, cruise account numbers, next of kin etc. I have to be in charge or we would never do anything. My friends always say I have OCTD Obsessive Compulsive Travel Disorder. So far no one has complained about a thing. Sometimes I would really like some input but they all say "just do it". I am a Leo and we are known to be list makers.

[BattyL]

I'm loving your review and your style of writing. Your girls are beautiful young ladies, you are truly blessed! We are doing the same itinerary out of New York on the Sunshine in August, it's a journeys cruise and I can't wait. Looking forward to the rest of your review and pictures.

[SenatorsFan]

Your Cruise Elegant pictures were lovely; thanks for sharing them and all your other pictures. I'm really enjoying your review and look forward to hearing about your excursions. Did you succeed in St. Maarten or not? :)

Heather

[RecoveryDude]

I don't think that I've mentioned that I'm fairly obsessive/compulsive when it comes to cruises! First, it's selecting an itinerary. Over to Cruise Critic to read recent reviews of different ships and itineraries. Over to the port pages to read about the different ports. Over to Trip Advisor to look at pictures of different ports. Then I book the cruise and the real planning begins. Time to evaluate all the private excursions at all of the ports. Time to read more reviews. Etc, etc. Whether it's a cruise with my sister, daughters or husband, I am always the person who does all of the planning. And that's fine with me because I(I'm also obsessed with worrying about getting on the ship. We all carry our own passports, but we also carry someone else's birth certificate and ID. If anyone's purse is stolen or lost - we are still getting on that ship!!)

QUOTE]

 

I am SO the same way! I plan, plan, plan!!! I enjoy being OCD a little when it comes to travel ... even tho I'm not really like that in my everyday life. However, when you travel you have limited time to have fun and I like to pack in as much as possible and spent time "smartly" while on vacation and be as efficient as possible. I don't schedule every second, as I like to relax, but I like to schedule "events" throughout the trip and we go from one "event" to another with free time in between. Plus, all this research and planning is FUN for me and keeps me occupied and thinking about the vaca months in advance and keeps me excited! :)

 

Like everyone else, I am ANXIOUSLY WAITING to hear if you MADE THE EXCURSION!!!!!

 

Great review, I'm in it for the info about the ports as I'm going to many of them next October

 

Cheers!

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude :)

[momin05]

Do you have a pic of the inside room with 5 beds you would be willing to post? We always sail Fantasy class and the inside and OV rooms are the same size, but we are sailing Sunshine in May and even though they advertise the insides are the same, they sure don't look like it!

 

Loving your review! Good for you and your girls for enjoying each other's company enough to share that room!

[Crazyrbbt]

I love the picture with everyone on the stairs lined up. So cute.

[Jeafl]

What a great review so far! I would love to do a girl's cruise someday with my two daughters! It's so nice that all of you get along so well. 😀

 

I'm really looking forward to the rest of your review. We are on the Sunshine in 5 weeks, although it will be a different itinerary. Can't wait!

[blessedwith12]

We travel LOTS. Mostly with a group of friends. I also do ALL the planning from fining a destination or cruise to booking EVERYONE'S flights etc. I have all my friends credit card numbers, passport numbers,frequent flyer numbers, cruise account numbers, next of kin etc. I have to be in charge or we would never do anything. My friends always say I have OCTD Obsessive Compulsive Travel Disorder. So far no one has complained about a thing. Sometimes I would really like some input but they all say "just do it". I am a Leo and we are known to be list makers.

 

 

Wow. You really have a lot to take care of!! I'm almost a Leo (July 23) and I'm a list maker too!

[blessedwith12]

I don't think that I've mentioned that I'm fairly obsessive/compulsive when it comes to cruises! First, it's selecting an itinerary. Over to Cruise Critic to read recent reviews of different ships and itineraries. Over to the port pages to read about the different ports. Over to Trip Advisor to look at pictures of different ports. Then I book the cruise and the real planning begins. Time to evaluate all the private excursions at all of the ports. Time to read more reviews. Etc, etc. Whether it's a cruise with my sister, daughters or husband, I am always the person who does all of the planning. And that's fine with me because I(I'm also obsessed with worrying about getting on the ship. We all carry our own passports, but we also carry someone else's birth certificate and ID. If anyone's purse is stolen or lost - we are still getting on that ship!!)

QUOTE]

 

 

I am SO the same way! I plan, plan, plan!!! I enjoy being OCD a little when it comes to travel ... even tho I'm not really like that in my everyday life. However, when you travel you have limited time to have fun and I like to pack in as much as possible and spent time "smartly" while on vacation and be as efficient as possible. I don't schedule every second, as I like to relax, but I like to schedule "events" throughout the trip and we go from one "event" to another with free time in between. Plus, all this research and planning is FUN for me and keeps me occupied and thinking about the vaca months in advance and keeps me excited! :)

 

Like everyone else, I am ANXIOUSLY WAITING to hear if you MADE THE EXCURSION!!!!!

 

Great review, I'm in it for the info about the ports as I'm going to many of them next October

 

Cheers!

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude :)

 

 

Yes, I love all the planning too! I always say I get half of my money's worth before I ever go! I enjoy the planning and anticipation stage.

[blessedwith12]

Do you have a pic of the inside room with 5 beds you would be willing to post? We always sail Fantasy class and the inside and OV rooms are the same size, but we are sailing Sunshine in May and even though they advertise the insides are the same, they sure don't look like it!

 

Loving your review! Good for you and your girls for enjoying each other's company enough to share that room!

 

We had 5 in a room on the Fantasy, and while it was crowded, we definitely had more room to move around than in this one. I'll look again to see if I can find a photo.

[blessedwith12]

I love the picture with everyone on the stairs lined up. So cute.

I thought it was so kind of the photographer to offer to take that for us and to in fact arrange us and take several pictures.

[blessedwith12]

Originally, St. Martin was going to be our "cheap" port day. Maybe just head over to the shopping district and hang out at one of the close beach areas. But, the motherly side of me kicked in and I couldn't help but think I will probably never again be in St. Martin with this group of girls. And especially since we would be in port from 9-6, we should do something memorable. So I booked a 6 hour snorkeling trip through Island Marketing. I had used them other trips and knew they were a reputable company.

 

On my previous trip to St. Martin I was with my husband and we went to Le Galion beach. It was a nice day - very uncrowded and non-touristy. But compared to my days at St. Kitts and St. Lucia, I was a little bit underwhelmed by St. Martin.

 

So, we are now docked and the ship was delayed about 30 minutes to disembark. Now, I have serious concerns about making the trip. We have our directions in hand and set out at a fast pace for the walk they had told us would be about 15 minutes from the port.

 

Grace has our reservation with directions and she and Mercy are leading the pack. We leave the main port area...past the first marina...and a cow in front of a store...gated boatyard....beach and boardwalk shopping...Bobby's marina...

 

Did I mention it's starting to sprinkle? I'm a little bit behind the girls scanning the sidewalk and roads, trying to be aware of our surroundings. We're all throwing in our opinions about whether or not we have gone the right way. :)

 

When, a man approaches and asks if we are looking for a boat trip. YES!!! they shout! Are you the Ramsey girls?? YES!!! It was Captain Tim and we were so excited to see him. He had come looking for us since the Sunshine was late! At that time the clouds opened and it was pouring. We all ran under some shelter and he asked if we still wanted to go. YES!! We were planning on getting wet snorkeling anyways. He led us to his boat where he half lifted, half caught some of us as we jumped in. "Watch out, that's a big step", he says, after I make a pretty hard jump into the boat!

 

Tim explained he had to pick up 5 additional passengers and that he was going to change the order of our stops a little bit. By doing so, he would take us in a circle all around the island! We were all for that! He also thought he could get out ahead of the rain, and he was, in fact, able to do just that.

 

Tim was a lot of fun and a perfect guide. He was professional, informative and fun!! He explained all the safety equipment he had on his boat and showed us where the life jackets were. He has dry storage where you can put your beach bags, etc.

 

We picked up the other passengers - also from the Sunshine. There were 2 couples about my age and an older gentleman.

 

Did I mention that Tim's boat went fast??? The girls absolutely loved it. They took turns sitting 2 at a time in the very front of the boat, bouncing like crazy over the waves. I was content to hold on from one of the side seats - and it was a blast!!! Tim would explain what we were passing by and where we were headed. First stop: Tintamarre Island.

 

Tim explained that since it was rather windy, we might not see any turtles. We got out and did some snorkeling anyways and I think our group saw one or two. There were a couple of other boats at this stop. If I did this tour again, I would skip the snorkeling and swim to the island instead. It is an uninhabited island and would have been fun to explore.

 

A word about the weather. I am VERY cold natured and the water was comfortable for me as was the air temperature - even getting wet and back on a speeding boat. We asked Tim how cold it got in St. Martin. He said the previous evening had been their coldest night so far and it was a low of 75! This is my kind of cold spell!!

[blessedwith12]

Throughout the day, Tim was staying informed about wave heights, etc and from what I could gather, conditions were a little out of the ordinary. Areas that might usually be calm were rougher and vice versa. Once again, he just gave us a very safe feeling because he was staying informed and kept us informed.

 

Next stop, Pinel Island.

Pinel Island can be accessed by ferry and I think some people even paddle kayaks over. It is a beautiful beach - and one filled with iguanas!! There is food available and restrooms. And something I had never seen before - tables out in the water.

 

Tim went in as close as he could and we then swam to shore. He had to move his boat to a different location once we unloaded. We spent a great deal of time watching the iguanas. Tim had told us where to go and there was an area where there were dozens of iguanas. More in the trees. I was amazed at all the different colors and sizes! We thought about Tess back in Georgia. She is our animal lover and would have loved seeing these in action.

 

We used the facilities and took some pictures.

 

Grace had given me a dry bag for my camera for Christmas. I also bought a 20L dry bag for myself. So, I put my phone and camera in the smaller one and put that into the larger one along with a cover up, towel, etc. This came in handy for the times we had to swim to shore! I tried to swim with one arm and keep the bag above my head - not totally trusting it to be waterproof. I had purchased mine very cheaply on eBay. But by day's end, it had been soaked pretty good and everything did stay dry.

 

We swam back to the boat and Tim helped us back on board. Some of us required a bit more help than others. :)

 

Pinel Island was very picturesque and I'm glad we made a stop there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

More from Pinel Island:

 

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

I hope I'm not adding too many pictures, but I always enjoy living vicariously through other people's reviews, so...Here come some more from Pinel Island:

 

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

And a couple more....

 

 

[blessedwith12]

My opinion of St. Martin as just an "okay" port was quickly changing. I was loving all the beautiful scenery. One of the reasons I wanted to take the daughters to see the Saints was because I love beaches that have views of mountains of cliffs. This trip allowed us to see so much of the coastline from different angles and I loved it!!

 

At some point, Tim showed us menus from the Rainbow Cafe and he placed our order so our food would be ready when we got there.

Rainbow Cafe is in Grand Case. If you look at pictures of it online, it will show cute little tables and chairs out front. Those were not there the day we were because the tide was high and almost to the front of the restaurant. The waves were picking up and the swim into the restaurant was more challenging than the swim into Pinel. One of the ladies in the other group was pretty much washed ashore. She couldn't get up. She found the humor in it and was laughing as were the others in her group. It really was pretty funny to watch and Tim had to go over and help her up.

 

We went up to our table and all of the food was waiting for us. This would make you think it probably wasn't hot or fresh - but this was not the case at all! Some of us had a hamburger and fries, and some had salads. (Yes, it would be Grace and Hannah that had the salads! I sat next to Mercy and Abby!!) The fries were served in miniature fry baskets and were piping hot. All the food was wonderful and we had a gorgeous view. So funny to see Christmas decorations in such a tropical setting.

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

More from the Rainbow Cafe:

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

And a few more from Rainbow Cafe:

 

 

 

[blessedwith12]

As I look at these photos, the water looks deceptively calm! The swim back was a little more challenging. Tim had brought a very large dry bag that we could all put our stuff in. So, I had decided to let him bring in my bag this time! :) On the way back to the boat, he helped the woman who had some difficulties coming in. He looked at Mercy and said, "Hey lifeguard, you can carry this!" (Mercy and Grace are both certified lifeguards) So Mercy ended up with the large bag and we all swam back out. It really wasn't too bad once you got past the initial surf. I had one wave push me back in and I thought it was going to be my turn to be the middle aged woman rolling in the surf! But, I made it! Tim had helped the one woman make it back in and then he wanted to get the elderly man on board quickly too! So we all tread water near the rocking boat waiting for our turn. Somehow Hannah managed to fall off the ladder which got us all laughing again which was a challenge while treading and trying to stay close to the boat. Once again, Tim hauled us all back into the boat and we were off to Creole Rock to do some more snorkeling. The elderly gentleman was so funny - every time we got up to go snorkeling again he would ask us, "Are you going to get wet again?" I think he was shocked that we enjoyed snorkeling!

 

At Creole Rock, Tim showed us where to head to see the most fish and he was right. There was one rocky area that had some nice snorkeling, but not as good of snorkeling as we would have in St. Kitts and Grand Turk. We knew going in that the snorkeling would probably only be so-so, so we really weren't disappointed. We just enjoyed being out in the water on such a lovely day in such beautiful surroundings! I have to admit I was a little bit nervous swimming too close to Creole Rock. I had visions of getting too close and being thrown by the waves to crash against the rocks!