My First Cruise

This was my first cruise, so I was not sure exactly what to expect. Especially since we were dealing with Hurricane Matthew during my cruise.  We were rerouted around the storm with San Juan being added to our ports of call instead of Cococay.  Frankly, I was very happy with this change.

Overall I was very pleased with the experience. As a first time participant, I wish there was more time at each port to allow for more than one excursion.  This probably would mean adding an additional day, but I personally would be willing to pay more to have more time on the island. The staff members on board were always very friendly and helpful.  The ship was clean, well maintained and seemed to be operating well.

My excursion to St John (from St Thomas) was very disappointing.  The Island itself is amazingly beautiful.  However the experience of getting there and actually touring the island was very disappointing.  We were almost an hour late leaving St Thomas, which took an hour off the time available on St John.  The two buses were loaded and there were still 7 of us standing in the parking lot.  They tour staff moved people around, couples could not sit together, to accommodate the size of the group.  The tour staff packed us into the "buses" and made the two hour ride uncomfortable and unpleasant.  The driver of the bus I was packed on was extremely rude.  I asked him his name while we were waiting to get started.  His reply was "You don't need to know my name, get on my bus!"  His tone was abrasive and he was certainly not "joking around".  I will not take this tour again!

Again, overall the cruise was a great experience.  William M.