Hi! My last blog was about my anticipated cruise port ratings, so in this blog, I will give you my actual ratings. I loved the new experiences I was able to experience during this experience (lol). Before our cruise, we stayed at this mini resort near Miami and the beach there was absolutely beautiful. My family and I went for a sunrise walk and it was honestly the best thing to wake up to. We got onto our cruise ship that Monday and it felt like complete deja vu because the cruise ship we were on was very similar to the ship we were on in 2018. I quickly learnt that Princess Cruises has pretty much the same outline and structures for most of their ships. The ship we were on was called the Enchanted Princess, and she was a pretty new ship (built during COVID) so that was pretty cool! The rooms, piazza, restaurants, and Lido Deck were all the same as I remember. I kind of wish we went on a different cruise line so we could have a completely different experience, but it is something family and I will keep in mind for next time!

Port 1: Bahamas 6/10

The Bahamas went pretty much as I expected. The beach was the same as last time and since I knew how it was going to be, I was able to set my expectations accordingly. I took the longest nap, ate some burgers from the buffet, and made a little sandcastle. It was a pretty chill spot.

Port 2: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 10/10

This place was absolutely breathtaking. St. Thomas was genuinely the most beautiful out of all the islands I visited. The island itself was so high, green, and had so many boats/yatchs. I went on a catamaran to these coves and drove an underwater scooter eight feet deep. I was able to see a bunch of fish and a shipwreck so it was pretty cool!

Port 3: Antigua 7/10

In Antigua, we went on a catamaran ride to a bird island and hiking trail. I kind of did not enjoy it as much since we got onto a boat after getting off from another boat. The bird island was really really small and the hike was simply a staircase. However, the ride was really pretty as I was able to see the Caribbean and the Atlantic Oceans mix along with various historic sites. I absolutely love viewing historical sites, it reminds me of how far the world has come and how life was so different than we know. The view on top of the staircase hike was also beautiful and I got an ariel view of the island and the two oceans coming together.

Port 4: St. Lucia 8/10

St. Lucia was also beautiful. It was so mountainous and it had Pitons (which are like island peaks). I was kind of in a bad mood and tired that day but other than that, the actual island was gorgeous. We went on a bus tour which was a nice break from all the water tours we took. I loved seeing the island life. We also got to go to sulfur springs and a drive-in volcano. It was pretty cool but also very similar to the Yellowstone trip we took a few years ago. By this time of day, I was super hungry but the tour still included a botanical garden and by the time we got to go to lunch, we were received with a disappointing menu. But other than those two things, it was a pretty decent day.

Port 5: Barbados 9/10

I have a few regrets about Barbados. Some family friends and I went on a submarine which was insane. I got to see the ocean floor, corals, and some pretty cool fish. The submarine was an hour and we went back to the ship after that. My parents, however, went on a tour of Barbados on a bus. When they came back, they told me how absolutely beautiful Barbados was. I wish I had planned to go into Barbados and see more than just the submarine but I still loved the experience.

Port 6: St. Kitts 9/10 

St. Kitts was pretty fun. It was the day after Christmas so the entire island was having a festival; it was interesting to see the island coming together for their traditions. We went on the most wild bus ride ever. It was an open bus and the driver was driving like it was a race track. My hair was absolutely tangled, everyone was flying around everywhere, and not to mention that St. Kitts is a pretty rainy place, so random bursts of water would hit us inside whenever we would drive through a rainy patch. I got to see some pretty beautiful sights and walk through a rainforest!

The cruise was pretty fun, but it was also a little long. I was so stressed when I came back after because I had to take my finals. But overall, it was an experience of a lifetime!