We spent the first two days at sea, then for the next eight days, we were in eight different ports.  Then three days at sea heading back to New York.  The first two days gave us a chance to explore this vast cruise ship, have dinner with the group and plan our excursions.  It was a very ambitious schedule and by the end of the eighth day, I think we were all ready to relax and recoup on the ship, lazing by the pool and enjoying the entertainment.

There was so much to do on the ship.  Some great Broadway shows, 25 different dining options, 14 bars and lounges, water slides, mini golf, walk the plank, the casino, a two lane bowling alley, dance clubs, a teen lounge, daily entertainment and contests.  If you were bored on this ship, it was your own fault.

We did an excursion in St. Thomas.  7 of us went on The Cat, which is a catamaran to go and snorkel and see the turtles at Turtle Island.  It was absolutely amazing.

We did a lot of shopping, picking up souvenirs at most of the other ports of call, enjoying the beaches.  Some of the family went beaching every day, but we hadn’t gone to the beach and I wanted to make sure that we did that, so we went to the beach in Barbados.  It was so beautiful.  But, we were saving our big excursion for St. Kitts.  Our cousin Kevin actually lives there and he arranged a tour of the island for the entire group. Everyone went, and we had a blast.  But, that being the eighth port in eight days, I was super tired, but it was still very enjoyable.

We had a group dinner on our first night, and a group dinner on our last night.  It was an amazing vacation that I will never forget.  The best part was being able to spend quality time with family.  Like I have said before, don’t be surprised if some of our family reunions take place on a cruise ship.  🙂

So, now that I have done a 7 day cruise and a 14 day cruise, from my perspective, I thought the 14 day was too long, but the 7 day was too short, so I would love to plan a 9 or 10 day cruise in the future.

If you are interested in checking out our next friends and family cruise, you can go to Escape with Colleen and Kim, or our Warm Winter Getaways Facebook page.  We get group rates which will save you some money if you book early.

Another option is to:   Find Your Perfect Cruise Vacation from Cruise Critic!

Here are some pics from our cruise. Enjoy!  Oh, and happy planning your next vacation.

Kim