Shore excursions!! (Pretty pictures galore)

Brady and I sat down last night and were looking through shore excursions, trying to get things pre-reserved. There's a lot of activities to choose from, from sea lion swims to sailing on Captain Jack's Black Pearl, to just relaxing on the beach. We're getting so excited for the cruise!

Princess Cays

We're going to scuuuuuba at nearby Eleuthra. (Pictured above) "The dive is usually along a beautiful inner section of the world-class south Eleuthera wall, covered with ancient hard corals and sponges and fringed with soft coral beds. The reefs are home to diverse reef fish, such as parrotfish, grouper, queen angelfish, eel, and snapper, and are often visited by passing open ocean marine animals such as loggerhead turtles and eagle rays."

The rest of the day will be a mellow beach day. The water is beautiful, especially to one side of the island. (I was there on a cruise in 2005)

Princess Cays

St. Thomas

We haven't officially booked anything yet, but we're considering taking a swim with sea lions! Nothing like a slobbery kiss from Andre's distant cousins.

There are some highly rated beaches on the island so we're still investigating which one we want to explore.

Antigua

Two words: ZIP LINE!!

Heck yes!

"After an orientation and safety briefing follow your guide to the first platform with a walk over a short suspension bridge. Once across the bridge there are nine ziplines that will take you through the forest crisscrossing a gorge along the way. The gorge is full of interesting plants and fruits that your guides will point out. There are ziplines that range from 52 to 328 feet in length and one “leap of faith” descent. The last zipline ends in a tree house where you will do a vertical descent. "

A beach visit is a must after all that excitement. Antigua has some truly beautiful beaches. Chances are if you've ever seen an island/beach/tropical calendar, you've seen some of Antigua's breathtaking beaches.

Barbados

After browsing the Cruise Critic discussion boards, we found out about resort day passes to Crane Beach Resort, which comes with rave reviews. For only $12.50 each, we get full access to the resort and its beach, lounge chairs, towels, etc....and we still get to use the $25 in the restaurant and bar for food/drinks. Not a bad deal at all! People can't seem to say enough good things about this beach. While not the best for snorkeling, it's great for some shallow swimming and boogie boarding! We (by we, I mean me) were drooling over the resort and beach photos...just amazing.

St. Lucia

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!

"Board the 140 foot, 19th-century tall ship Brig Unicorn at the dock, hoist sails, and cruise out of the harbor and along St. Lucia’s leeward coast. The ship’s cannon will be fired during a mock pirate attack. Then drop anchor at historic Pigeon Island where you can explore the ruins of 18th-century Fort Rodney, the scene of fierce naval battles between the British and French. The small museum depicts the island’s colorful history. Swim at the small beach, explore the island on a hike, or hunt for pirate treasure. Back onboard the Brig Unicorn, enjoy an array of snacks along with rum punch and soft drinks."

There's a zip line tour we were considering doing at St. Lucia instead of Antigua, but the pirates adventure is only in the morning. Krys + free rum punch + sunshine + dehydration = Safety liability :) We're still figuring out what we'll do in the afternoon. St. Lucia has rainforests and waterfalls I'd love to see. We'll keep researching!

St. Kitts

More than likely we'll go diving in St. Kitts. We found a dive operator who comes highly recommended. We're excited to find out what dive sites are likely for that day. There are wreck dives at this island, which would be fun to explore.

So we're still looking more into excursions, but this will be such an amazing cruise. In addition to the ports, we have several at sea days, which means lots of time to relax! Yaaaaaaay :)