Has anyone been? If so, how did you like it? Some of my family and friends are planning a trip for Feb, and none of them have been there before.

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 09:06 am:

It is one of my *dream* places to go! We are going there NEXT December (2009), so I will look forward to hearing what they have to say about it.

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 10:15 am:

I see it is a Caribbean island. I was just thinking recently, that I'll probably never get to a Caribbean island, because hubby doesn't like to lay on the beach, or swim. What else is there to do, if you are on a Caribbean island? We really can't afford that kind of trip now, anyway, but it would be nice to see blue-green water and palm trees once in my life.

By Happynerdmom on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 11:45 am:

I was there on a cruise, but I'm not much help! We just got off the ship, walked around town a bit, and bought some Swiss watches. LOL. I'm sure it will be lovely, and it's so easy to research places with the internet!

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 12:32 pm:

Dawn, there are any number of things to do on these islands - cave tubing, waterfalls, ruins, exploration, ziplining, island tours, jeep rentals, snuba, horseback riding on trails or beaches, swimming with stingrays or other sea life, snorkling, scuba, eating local food, and of course - shopping - LOL ......the list goes on and on.......the waters are breathtakingly beautiful!

DH and I have always opted for the *water* excursions when in port, because we like to snorkel. However, at this point, I'm really interested in seeing the actual islands, and learning about the people and their cultures..... there really are a lot of things to do on the islands, you just have to research the particular island and see what they have to offer....

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 07:14 pm:

So, there is a lot more to do, then. We really wouldn't be planning a trip like that now, anyway. We have too many other things to pay for.

By Karen~admin on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 08:12 pm:

Dawn, there is plenty to do!

You could do a western Caribbean cruise cheap - Curacao is actually southern Caribbean, so it's a longer cruise, just to get down there, and generally those are 11-14 night cruises, and they hit 8 - 10 ports.

But you could do a 4 or 5 night western Caribbean cruise (which usually hit 2 or 3 of these ports: Key West, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Belize City, or if you cruise on a line with their own private island, it might hit those) with an inside stateroom cheap - you could all probably stay in the same stateroom, depending on what you book. After that, you'd just need your flights. Don't count it out! You could do it as a family - say, to celebrate graduations.... hint hint...... LOL

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 10:00 pm:

You are so optimistic. DH didn't even let us take a local vacation this year. Now, he just penciled in his vacation at work, but it will just be stay home vacations. He was wondering why he's all burned out. (duh!)

By Jackie on Saturday, September 13, 2008 - 10:24 pm:

Karen is so right about so many things to do on these islands. We just returned 2 weeks ago from our cruise. We "opt" not to do the water sports/snorkel stuff. We actually normally do the tours around the Islands. It fascinates me to see how different people from different cultures live. On our last cruise, the most interesting stop was Domincan Republic(A town called Samana). For most people, they do not like this port, they say it is because it is a very poor country. Yes, it is a very poor place, but so interesting to take the tour bus up in the mountains and right through these towns where people live.It fascinates me to see the house(all with no windows), with the women washing clothes in big buckets right on their front porches etc..
The only water activity we did was when we went to Royal Caribbeans only private island in the Bahamas called "Coco Cay"...Then we all just floated around on our beach mat all day long ...What a life LOL

By Marcia on Sunday, September 14, 2008 - 12:10 am:

I love to see how the local people live, too. We do some tours and lots of beaches, but no real water activities. There are too many of us to pay for any of those things.

By Karen~admin on Sunday, September 14, 2008 - 08:30 am:

Jackie, it sounds a lot like Jamaica (Montego Bay). And truthfully, St. Maarten as well....many of these places are very poor, even 3rd world. If nothing else, it gives you a greater appreciation for the life you have....

The fact is, if you take the time to scratch beneath the surface (the piers and shopping), many of these islands are so beautiful, and you will see and experience things unlike anything at home.