A cruise through the Carribean

After our trip to Cuba was cancelled due to covid, we booked a last-minute 12 day Caribbean cruise, which slotted nicely into the timeframe of our schedule. Neither of us had been to the Caribbean previously. We'd only heard others' stories and seen photos in brochures, so it seemed the ideal opportunity to add to our portfolio of travels.

Before boarding our cruise, we had two nights in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, on arrival, we found our hotel was remote from all the main places to go - even restaurants. Everything seemed expensive, so it proved a pricey oversight with the cost of multiple long taxi rides. Nevertheless, we navigated ourselves around and went to the nearby sandy beach and did some shopping to make sure we had some suitable attire for the ship! Something we realised we ought to have checked and will do for our next leg in Asia.

On the day of boarding, there was a sense of trepidation. Martin hadn't been on a cruise before, and for Jacqui, it was some years ago - so working our way through the process with luggage and checking in proved challenging (with all the added covid checks, too!). Once onboard, we joined the already bustling restaurant to join others in a culinary feast.

Our cabin was perfectly laid out with ample storage and a balcony that was soon used with our now well-travelled washing line!

The start of our cruise consisted of two 'sea days', which were a pleasant way to relax and catch up on journals, blogs and other things we'd lapsed. The staff on board were an eclectic mix from across the globe. Some were from Ukraine, which was heartbreaking to hear about, the daily anxiety they are currently living with etched on their faces. We enjoyed speaking with them and finding out about their careers, experiences of working on ships and home life.

These sea days offered art seminars, quizzes and dance classes, all of which we embraced, soon making friends with the animated and eccentric art manager, Goca. Art, it turns out, is a big seller on these cruises, with some selling for almost $100,000.

The first port was St Croix, part of the US Virgin Islands. We made our way through the relatively sparse port to 'rainbow beach', which was beautiful in itself with crystal clear waters and contrasting white sands - something we would find to be typical of all the Caribbean islands. On our route along a pavement-less road, we took in the derelict and unkempt buildings - most of them resulting from hurricane damage, Hurricane Maria is the last one to hit St Croix in 2020. The port town itself was a similar mixed condition; this surprised us given the glossy holiday brochures we had seen at the Travel agents.

Antigua was our next stop the following day, and we eagerly stepped off the ship, hoping to find more than we saw at St Croix. After some time walking through town immediately placed off the harbour port, we found a very ramshackle area that greeted us again. To find out more, we meandered through the unkempt pavements and potholed streets to find the local fish market. Some local fishermen welcomed us and our interest in their marketplace and what goods they offered. 'Baby dolphin', one of them proudly stated; we had to hide our discontent, so we didn't offend him. Later someone told us this might refer to another local fish.

We found the old cricket ground, a ghost of its past, clearly now unloved, with a new ground down the road.

On our walk back to the main harbour area, we came across a taxi driver who had rustled up a group for a tour of the Island and needed just another 2 to make up the numbers. Being a born and bred Antiguan, our taxi driver provided a detailed commentary along the way, freely answering questions of which we had many. As with all the countries we've visited, we asked about the impact of covid on work and tourism. She said it was awful. 'I cried every day.' We were told the government gave them $200 a month, no more - they could barely survive, helping each other within the community.

Driving through many deprived areas with clearly self-built homes, we arrived for a stop at the Antigua yacht club marina. It was a stark contrast and clearly used by the tourist sailing community. It was very well kept, not in line with parts of the Island inhabited by locals. We could immediately see why people who enjoy sailing would choose Caribbean destinations for their holidays. With such a reliance on tourism to keep the economy going, it was a lifeline for many locals. Before finishing the tour, we spent some time swimming on a beautiful white sandy beach with a clear turquoise sea.

Despite this, we couldn't help but continuously feel ill at ease with the contrast between the 'wealthy' tourists and deprived local populations throughout our Caribbean travels.

Our next stop was Barbados, but Due to covid restrictions, we were advised that we couldn't venture further than the immediate harbour area without being part of an organised trip. Jacqui was keen to try snorkelling, so we took part in a catamaran trip which successfully resulted in an encounter with turtles, something Jacqui had always wanted to do. This spurred her to complete the PADI qualification later (see the Dominican Republic). We, therefore, didn't get to see much of the Island itself bar the immediate beach areas, so we concluded a return trip at some point might be needed.

On return to the ship each evening, we would gravitate to the indoor pool area, and if the timing were right, we would sit in the jacuzzi from which to watch the ship leave the port. It was here that we met Matt, a seasoned diver who informed us he had just used the ship as a 'diving taxi' - a genius idea, we thought. He would enjoy regaling his adventures underwater and show us the highlights on his GoPro - some impressive video and photo footage which spurred us on, even more to want to have a go at diving ourselves!

St Lucia was the same as Barbados concerning covid restrictions, so we booked an organised trip in a minibus which proved disappointing. The vehicle itself was not very comfortable, and the commentary from the guide was sparse. We drove through a very lush rain forest to a viewpoint overlooking another of the Caribbean 'manicured' harbours and then back again. We boarded the ship and spent the rest of our time by the pool.

The next stop was Grenada, and with no trip pre-organised, we were pleased to find a local water taxi to take us to Grande Anse beach, a recommendation from a friend. It was stunning, and having had the foresight to take our snorkel, we were able to see more turtles and tropical fish. It was just lovely. The beach stretched as far as the eye could see, and with relatively few tourists still, we felt like we had it to ourselves. Feeling we ought to know a bit more of what the Island had to offer, we found a taxi to take us back to the town, stopping at a derelict fort after seeking advice from a beach lifeguard. We were free to walk around and noted a sign saying the mayor and others were shot at the fort in 1983 during the USA invasion. Whilst up there, we, unfortunately, had an encounter with a local who tried to get money out of us for entrance fees. With no signs around, or indication of a formal 'office' for the fort, Martin quickly challenged him refusing to be drawn to a less observed "ticket office", and we walked away as he swore about the British. A shame because this will remain our memory of the Island and something we have already told many fellow travellers.

Nothing in the town was open, and all fishing boats were moored up in the harbour, which we found to be pretty and authentic. However, several processions took place in the town as it was labour day. The three main 'parties' each had their own colourful displays and banners and were working through the streets singing and shouting; it was quite a carnival atmosphere.

Our penultimate shore day was to be at Dominica, where we'd pre-arranged a river tubing trip. It was a great experience, meandering through the river, which was, in parts, like white water rafting! The rainforest, hugging the river, was lush and full of wildlife. On returning from this mini-adventure, we decided not to wander around the town/port area as there didn't seem to be much there. It was, again, relatively deprived across many parts of the Island from our observations of houses, cars and shops we passed by.

Our final stop seemed in quite a contrast to what we'd seen on other islands. We had a tour of St Kitts organised and, after first impressions getting off the ship, we eagerly joined others in boarding what the best minibus we'd been in throughout our Caribbean trip was. Our driver/ was excellent, and we concluded that the Island's government had set up an excellent strategic business plan for improving the infrastructure, tourism industry, education and living standards for locals. There are medical and veterinary schools on the Island, attracting students from the USA and other countries. We were impressed with their healthy-looking cows until we were told they were used for "teaching" animal biology.

On the tour, we visited an old plantation house that we have already mentioned in our piece on slavery. Then we drove on to a fantastic and popular viewing point. It sat at a point with the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other side. Locals had set up stalls selling local beer and crisps; we were so excited to have a packet of Crisps, having missed them since we left the UK.

We decided this was our best island visit so far (recognising we didn't see much of Barbados, so that would need a return trip!)

We noted other things about St Kitts, firstly Chinese influence - there was some property development with Chinese firms underway. Secondly, there seemed to be significant thought to long term planning for the Island - for example, the hotel and tourist infrastructure is well designed. Finally, whilst they had relatively good benefits and medical care available to locals (compared to other islands), they pay high taxes for some things (e.g. 80% on top of the price of a car!!).

In terms of our cruise experience, it was excellent. Everything was clean and well maintained. There was a great range of entertainment, including singing and comedy shows. The food was good, and the service was excellent. Whilst we felt the ship moving, it was pretty minimal and didn't interfere with our enjoyment.

Returning to Ft Lauderdale, the dock had 2 US navy ships in, and F1 racing was being held in nearby Miami, busy, and the weather was unseasonably hot at 37c. We had a little extra time before our flight to the Dominican Republic, so we took time to cruise the canals around fort-Lauderdale on the Jamaican queen, a traditional-looking paddleboat, before our next flight to the Dominican Republic.

M&J