Picture It with Priscila

Southern Caribbean Ports – Should I Book an Excursion?

The best part of a cruise, besides the unlimited food, only having to unpack/pack once, entertainment on board, luxuriation time, … where was I going with this? Oh right! The ports that you get to travel to! Although all of them are touristy, it doesn’t mean they’re not fun or full of cool and beautiful stuff to do and see. For this post, we’ll dive into Southern Caribbean ports – these are the ones I visited on the Sunny Miles of Tropical Isles itinerary that I booked with Virgin Voyages. Spoiler alert: The islands are Sint Maarten, Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico. If you want to know more about a Virgin Cruise, check out my previous blog here.

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

I would say No Excursion for this port. You can get a group taxi (~$10 each way per person) to take you downtown or to Maho Beach, the top 2 places to go (according to the Visitor Center I visited). We weren’t that impressed with downtown – it looked like a small village town with shops but nothing unique. Maho Beach is the beach you see on Instagram where planes land feet from a beach. It’s super cool to see a plane fly above you and then land, and it also makes for great photos. Just be careful when a plane is taking off – the exhaust blows the sand and it feels like little daggers hitting your skin. After you take all the fun airplane photos, there’s a bar next to the beach to get some food and drink (albeit a bit pricey). If that’s not your cup of tea, there’s apparently another beach pretty close to the cruise port where you can rent some chairs and have some beach time. 

Bridgetown, Barbados

I would say No Excursion for this port. There were plenty of beach clubs in Carlisle Bay where the farther you walked, the better the deal you got. TIP: You can negotiate for beach chairs along with a turtle snorkel tour for $35-40. There was only one turtle on our tour, but we also got to see a couple shipwrecks. Overall, Barbados had my favorite ocean water – the waves were fun and the blue color was super gorgeous. Definitely make your way out to experience the beach here. 

Castries, St. Lucia

I would say Book an Excursion for this port. There wasn’t much around the cruise port so a transfer would be required to go anywhere. The main attraction are the Pitons (dormant volcanic spires) which are not near the cruise transport so seeing or hiking near them would require transport. We did an excursion where we saw the island and the Pitons via car, had lunch, did a botanical tour, and then sailed a catamaran back to the port with a farewell view of the Pitons, and I would say it was worth the money. We also got a ~30 minute stop to swim and see the black sand when we were on the catamaran. It was super fun, and I think the highlight was the catamaran as it was way faster to travel as the roads have lots of switchbacks. 

Fort-de-France, Martinique

I would say No Excursion for this port unless there is something specific you’re interested in. We walked around the port area, took photos, visited the church and the library, went shopping, visited the market for fruit and souvenirs, and had a rum tasting. It was super fun and pretty inexpensive. However, we also heard other sailors mentioning taking a rum tour or a dive tour so there are definitely excursions worth going on if there’s an activity of interest to you. 

Basseterre, St. Kitts

I would say Book an Excursion for this port. This excursion will likely be a resort visit, so I would suggest researching ahead of time to see what resort you might want to visit. For us, we visited the Park Hyatt and really liked it! We were also lucky that it was relatively empty. The resort pass included an adults only section as well as a large family pool and a private beach – perfect for quiet, luxurious relaxation! We took a group taxi with people also heading there for $10 per person one way for about a 20 minute ride. The taxi driver also called out a viewpoint where you can see the water difference between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The ocean had stronger, bigger waves whereas the sea had calmer, smaller waves. 

San Juan, Puerto Rico

I would say Book an Excursion if you’ve only got one day in order to visit El Yunque. We booked one with AirBnB for convenience although it also ended up being for safety too! We walked through the rainforest from a gravel road (bring and wear socks for traction), slid down natural waterfalls, and jumped down from rocks so even if you drove yourself, you wouldn’t know where to park and/or how to navigate the slides safely. Then, they also introduced and gave us traditional snack foods and gave us some time on the beach. Perfect way to end a day of adventuring! Then, if you have even more time, you can walk around Condado Beach, enjoy a beachfront drink, and find a delicious dinner before your flight out (at least that’s what we did)! 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for helping you make decisions on what to do in these ports. They’re all amazing islands, and I hope you have a chance to visit one or all of them someday and on top of it, have a wonderful time exploring and getting to know the people, the culture, and the islands themselves. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!

“Everything” You Can Do on the Valiant Lady

I just went on my first Virgin cruise, and I can’t wait to share all about it! The Crew was so amazing – everyone always said hello, had a kind smile, and was there to make your vacation as best as it could be. All the waiters, attendants, and entertainment crew were amazing, but my favorite small moment was when we were doing puzzles in the middle of a closed cafe, and someone approached us to ask if we wanted something to drink. We asked for cups of water, and while it might not seem like much, it saved us a walk to a drinking station and we could continue to obsess over our puzzle. 

Similar to what I did with my Disney cruise, I want to consolidate what I experienced over multiple days as a preview of what to expect since you won’t have access to the schedule until you get on board. Normally, I list the different experiences in the order of “must do” to “nice to do”, but honestly, a lot of the dining, activity, and shows were equally enjoyable so keep that in mind. Let’s get into it! 

Dining

  • Pink Agave – This restaurant served Mexican fare, but the highlight for me was the smoky ribeye with cheese. Couple that with the guac and a tortilla, you will have the best steak taco! Shoutout to the papas con chorizo as well! The best baked potato dish onboard.
  • Razzle Dazzle – This restaurant only exists on 2 of the Virgin ships whereas all the other restaurants are onboard all 4 ships. It’s trendy, with twists on American classic go-to’s and also a heck of a vegetarian/vegan menu. The Nashville hot cauliflower was a surprise hit – it had a delightfully crispy exterior and they were able to lower the spice level if you’re like me and can’t handle too much spice! Another personal recommendation would be to mix the mafaldine and lamb shank – the mixture balances the saltiness of the meat with the creaminess of the pasta. This is also one of two places that serves brunch, and I highly recommend the watermelon and sesame “cream” starter and the bacon. They were two of my favorite things that I ate onboard the ship. 

  • Test Kitchen – I think this is an iconic Virgin restaurant concept, and it lives up to the experience! You enter a kitchen “lab” where they have a 5 course set for both omnivores and vegetarians. If you have two people in your party, I definitely recommend getting one of each as some of the vegetarian options were even better than the omnivore course. We went twice since we wanted to try 2 of the 3 courses available. Menu C was delicious, but menu B was a bit lackluster.   
  • Diner & Dash (The Galley) – I ate breakfast here everyday so I was very attached to this location. In addition, it’s also THE place to get lunch and dinner on the ship if you don’t have reservations. We came back early after a port day once and had amazing pork adobo and fried rice here. It’s also open 24/7 so gotta love this place! 
  • Grounds Club – This was the coffee bar onboard where I frequented to get my Flat Whites and Shaken Espresso (known as the Angelino on the menu). The coffees were an upcharge, but a great treat if you’re craving a fancier coffee. 
  • The Wake – This was the steakhouse restaurant, and the steaks were fantastic! I ordered a filet mignon and it was cooked to my preference and of good quality. I wish there was a mac and cheese side, but otherwise, it’s a familiar upscale restaurant. The lemon cheesecake was also one of the better desserts onboard.
  • Extra Virgin – This was an Italian restaurant, and there was a nice variety of pastas. You could get half portions of the pasta so we got all of them to try. My favorites were the gnocchi, spaghetti alle vongole, and pappardelle al ragu. We were stuffed after the pasta and the apps, but otherwise, we would have loved to try a protein or main dish. Next time! 

  • The Pizza Place – The pizzas were all freshly made so how could anyone complain about hot, fresh pizza?! The crust was ok, but the quality and quantity of the toppings made up for it. I think it’s truly a fan favorite – I saw so many people carrying pizza boxes around the ship! 
  • The Daily Mix (The Galley) – This was my go-to breakfast spot for getting toast and avocado to make my own avocado toast in the morning. In the afternoon/evening, it became a salad spot with lots of beautiful green veggies to choose from! 
  • Well Bread/The Sweet Side (The Galley) – This was the spot to get savory bread, sweet bites, and fruit. I visited everyday to try a macaron or cake, and most definitely to get my scoops of watermelon and pineapple. 
  • The Burger Bar (The Galley) – This was the other late night spot on the ship so I hope you crave burgers after a late night dance party! It also has a rotating burger of the day if you’re just a fan of burgers.
  • Gunbae – This is a Korean BBQ restaurant where you’re seated with other sailors. I think the experience will really come down to who you’re seated with (we had a wonderful time), but I can see it being really awkward with the wrong people. I’ve been lucky to have amazing Korean BBQ so while the food was fine, it wasn’t my favorite restaurant.
  • Lick Me Till… Ice Cream – I loved the ice cream flavors, but unfortunately, the texture was more icy than creamy so not my favorite ice cream.
  • Bento Baby (The Galley) – They had great to-go options for you to take back to your room or the pool deck, but nothing we tried was spectacular.

Activities

  • Scarlet Night – This is the most iconic party on Virgin Voyages, and it lives up to the hype! Everyone is dressed in red, and everyone joins the fun so don’t forget to pack something red! There’s Cabaret-style shows, karaoke, and dance parties. If you have time, it’s fun to visit the Glam Station before for a bit of glitter and pizazz! 

  • Workouts – A real cool thing about Virgin Voyages is that all the workout classes are included. You do have to sign up for some of them (with a no-show fee) but not all, and they’re a fun option. It’s always a great feeling to do an activity that includes extra movement and gives you extra stomach space. 😉
  • Puzzle Challenges – This was a new one for me, but not for other people considering how popular they were! My advice would be to get there 15-20 minutes early. Essentially, you have/form a team to try to complete a puzzle within an hour, ideally completing it first. We did one and got 3rd place! 

  • Club Caliente – This was the dance party on the last night of the cruise. It was fun but definitely not as crowded/vibrant as Scarlet Night. 
  • Karaoke Room – This was so cool to see on a cruise, but nothing novel compared to things on land. You could book a time slot for a private karaoke room for free, but make sure to get there early as slots do fill up! 

Shows

  • Around the World with The Diva – This was a show featuring The Diva, their resident drag queen, and it was a lively show with great jokes, fun music, and dancing. 
  • UNTITLED DANCESHOWPARTYTHING – This was the last show for us, and it focused purely on dancing. It was definitely fun to dance along, but it was also really cool to watch super talented dancers dance difficult choreography.

  • The Magnets – They’re an acapella group, and they were a surprise hit for me! We enjoyed their first show so much, we came to their second since it was a different show.

  • Stand Up Comedian – Our comedian was fantastic and so popular that we still couldn’t get seats to his last set 30 minutes before the show since people kept coming back. It’s not as unique as the top shows but still great entertainment and a wonderful way to spend time onboard. 
  • It’s a Ship Show – This is the variety dinner show that you’ll need to reserve, but there’s multiple time slots. We ate dinner before our show so we were just there for the entertainment. The singers and the dancers were great, but I just don’t think I’m a fan of the variety format. However, the special acrobatic performers were MAJOR highlights and it was worth sitting through to see their performances! 

  • Cabaret Shows/Lounge Singers – These were great ambiance entertainment sets. It was really impressive how often these singers performed and the catalog of music they knew! 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for understanding what you can expect on Virgin Voyages, especially on the Valiant Lady! I hear that the ships are similar to each other so hopefully, some of this can be helpful even if you’re not going on the Valiant Lady. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!

“Everything” You Can Do on the Disney Fantasy

I just went on my first Disney cruise, which was also my first cruise ever! It was the Disney Fantasy (and yes, it was a “sweet, sweet fantasy” – thanks Mariah!). Side note, did you know that she’s actually the godmother of the ship? It’s only right I pay homage! 

While I loved all the tips and tricks and vlogging videos I saw on social media, I had a hard time finding a place where things were consolidated over multiple days so hopefully, this is helpful for someone like me! I wrote the different experiences in the order of “must do” to “nice to do” in the main categories of dining, activities, and shows. This will all be based on what I’ve personally experienced so you have a good preview of what to expect as you won’t have access to the schedule until you get on board. However, if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to know what activities relate to all the fun videos you see on social media as I like to think I did accomplish all the “must do’s” on the ship!

Dining

  • Remy – This is an adults-only, extra charge dining on the Dream and Fantasy. It’s French inspired, and the brunch menu is a collaboration between Chefs Arnaud Lallement and Scott Hunnel who have both worked in Michelin starred restaurants. For dinner, they have each curated a menu and they do change so you should see a new menu each time you sail (unless you sail the Dream/Fantasy more than once a year).

  • Enchanted Garden – This is one of the rotational dining locations, and this one had my favorite menu. For apps, the tuna tartare is solid. For entrees, you are spoiled – the prime rib is great, the scallops are delicious (but skip the couscous), and the fish is wonderful. If you had to choose, I would go with the fish, but if you’re feeling more hungry, a surf and turf of the prime rib and scallops is a great way to go! For dessert, get the sticky date pudding and the lemon mousse bomb. Spoiler alert: the no sugar-added options on a Disney cruise turned out to be pretty good! 
  • Royal Court – This is the second of the rotational dining locations, and my second favorite menu. For apps, the deep fried brie is the way to go. While the lobster/shrimp app sounds exciting and is ok, it might not be what you were expecting. For entrees, the lamb chops and the salmon were the highlights. The duck was a bit too overcooked for me. However, for dessert, both the souffle and the creme brulee were great! 
  • Animator’s Palate – This is the last of the rotational dining locations, and while the ambiance is my favorite, the menu was the least exciting for me. For apps, the black truffle purseittes are unrivaled on DCL. For entrees, we went with the beef tenderloin and were happy with our choices although it was probably not the most unique. For dessert, the cheesecake is really good, but also really rich and the lemon icebox pie is a great balance of tart and sweet. 
  • Cove Bar – This is another adults-only, extra charge coffee bar. I actually didn’t mind the free coffee that was included so I was able to fight the temptation of a latte, but I did indulge on an espresso martini and realized I was missing out! Do not make the same mistake I did and in case you didn’t know, there’s a creamy option so it’s like a mocha martini! 

  • Cars-inspired eateries – These are your pool deck eateries that are open for lunch and remain open even after Cabanas (aka the buffet) closes. This is where you can slide up and get a slice of pizza, a burger, chicken tenders, burrito bowl, tacos, wraps, and salads. It’s also a great place to get a pre-dinner snack especially if you’re in the second seating! 
  • Cabanas – This is the buffet of the ship and most importantly… where you get the churro waffles on that one special morning during each trip! Other than that, it’s a great place to grab a variety of things for breakfast or lunch as it’s not open for dinner. 

  • Eye Scream – It’s crazy how one of my favorite places (the ice cream place!) is actually close to the bottom of the list – I think that notes how wonderful the food on the cruise is. It’s actually lovely soft serve that has rotating flavors although I am quite loyal to the chocolate/vanilla swirl.
  • Europa – This is the area of the cruise that is a collection of lounges that serves as family spaces in the daytime and adults-only after 9 PM. I only had one drink of the day during some entertainment, and it wasn’t my favorite, but I think that’s due to my ordering.  

I will say that while I wrote about how wonderful the food is, I should note that in general, it’s not food that you dream about (churro waffle and Remy excluded), but it is food that you really enjoy at the moment. And most importantly, consistently enjoying. I don’t think I had one meal that I was sad about because you could literally get or ask for something else that you did enjoy. Having a myriad of choices is definitely a privilege, and I do dream about that. 

Activities

  • Sailing Away Party – Classic show, and I’ve heard it’s a slightly different version on each of the ship classes. I loved this show – it was exciting, energetic, and the best way to start the cruise!  
  • Mickey’s Pirate of the Caribbean – A Disney classic that ends in fireworks! Bring some pirate clothing or accessories and join the fun! 
  • Art of the Theme Tour – If you love details and history, this is the ship activity to prioritize! You learn so much about the design of the ship and it’s a great way to explore spaces you might not have paid as much attention to earlier. 

  • Detective Midship Agency – This is an activity exclusively for the Dream and the Fantasy so take advantage! If you don’t know what it is, it’s an interactive game where you go around to the active paintings to get clues to solve 1 of 3 mysteries. It’s a great way to get steps, see different parts of the ship, and have fun. 
  • Aquaduck – This is the water roller coaster onboard, and it is more fun than it looks! Plus, it’s oddly serene floating above everyone on the pool deck. 
  • Match Your Mate – Apparently, this is the classic couples’ game on cruises so while not novel or unique to Disney cruises, it is still great adult entertainment. 
  • Trivia – I’m guessing this is also on other cruises but classic fun. Plus, you can win a medal if you do win! 
  • Character Dance Party – We stumbled on this after our Remy brunch, but it was super cute! Fantastic music and you can learn some cool moves from Mickey and Friends. 
  • Learn to Draw – I love the animation classes at Disney California Adventure Park, but unfortunately, the classes on the cruises aren’t quite like those. You don’t have a live artist showing you the steps. Rather, it’s a video of an animator guiding you through the steps. For me personally, I found it harder to follow along, but you do get more chances to draw unique characters such as Nick from Zootopia or BB-8 from Star Wars. 

Shows

  • Believe – This was my favorite show since it was completely new. It’s a collection of Disney songs that weave together a sweet father-daughter story and magic. Definitely don’t miss it! 
  • Aladdin – This was a retelling of the classic Aladdin story. I was worried it was going to be like the old Disney California Adventure Park show or the Broadway show, but it was its own thing, and it was really good. Great special effects as well! 

  • Frozen – This was a retelling of Frozen but like the Aladdin show, it was also different (and may I say better?) than the old Disney California Adventure Park show and the Broadway show.
  • Victrophonics – This was a concert-like event on Pirates Night where villains’ songs got a 1920s twist. Great live music entertainment, but not a must if there’s another activity you may want to do instead. 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for understanding what you can expect on the Disney Fantasy! Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!