Paradise Islands

Travelling to the cruise

We flew to Barbados on the 1st January from Birmingham Airport. The night before our flight we had booked in at the Holiday Inn Express which also included parking for the duration of our holiday (15 nights parking). This package also included breakfast. The package cost £78 with Holiday Extra’s which was really good value. The hotel is a taxi ride away from the terminals at a cost of £15 each way.

Next door to the hotel is a lovely little pub called Little Owl. As it was New Years Eve we decided to go in to the pub and have a few drinks but not stay too long due to the flight the next day. Unfortunately a few drinks turned in to a few more drinks. We saw the New Year in and then went back to the room at this point it was 2am. The following day we were a little worse for wear but very excited about the Caribbean Cruise.

Executive Lounge

At the Airport we booked in the Aspire executive lounge as this was the only one available. The lady behind the bar serving drinks was very helpful and polite. The food was appalling to the point it was inedible. The sausage was so hard you couldn’t even bite into them. We reported this to a member of staff who gave us a glass of prosecco. Having not had breakfast at the hotel due to being booked in to the lounge we were very disappointed that we had to board the plane not having anything to eat. This was also reported to Holiday Extra who did not have the courtesy to respond.

Flight

On the flight with Tui to Barbados we were given a meal and a snack. Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks were also included. Although the flight was 8 hours and 50 minutes the time past very quickly.

It was a bit worrying when we looked out of the window and could see what only can be described has Duck Tape all over the wings of the plane.

We were surprised to hear that when we got to Barbados we would not be collecting our suitcase these will be taken straight to the ship. Another surprise was that we never had to go through customs in Barbados. From the plane we were directed on to mini buses which took everyone to the ship which was around a 30 minute journey. We never actually went in the airport.

Check in

When we arrived on the ship we were directed to the show room for a safety briefing which was around 20 minutes long. Once we had watched this we then had to go and show our passports and were given our room allocation as we had not booked this prior.

It was several hours before our cases arrived at our rooms but this was not an issue as were free to use the facilities on the ship. Therefore had a few drinks and a bite to eat. Although it wasn’t ideal being in the clothes that we had travelled in we still enjoyed the evening. Due to having a long day and a late night on New Years Eve we had a relatively early night.

Cabin

Our cabin was on deck 10 with no windows. The cabin’s are quite small but enough for everything you need. We kept the beds as single as this worked for us. There is plenty of wardrobe space and draw space to keep everything in. The bathroom was quite small but adequate with a small corner sink and a small corner shower. Not having a window did not bother us as we were not in there very long. The only downside was that you struggled to dry swimwear as there was nowhere to hang them to dry. The staff that clean the cabin’s were brilliant as it was immaculately cleaned everyday. Towels left in the shape of animals and chocolates left on the pillows which was a nice touch. There is also a turn down service.

Pool Scene

Having been on one previous Marella Cruise around the Mediterranean we expected this to be very similar but it wasn’t. On the previous cruise it was more of a party atmosphere around the pool. The pool was also designed different with places to sit in the pool around the edge where you were sat in a few inches of water to keep cool. Whilst saying this the entertainment staff are brilliant and try to get people involved in various activities around the pool (Trivia quizzes and music quizzes etc.). On most days there was live entertainment which was usually low key as opposed to the other cruise which was very upbeat.

One of the things we did not agree with around the pool was that on occasions they showed movies and gave people headsets to listen to the movie but turned all music off for other guests who didn’t want to watch the movie. Totally agree with people spending their holiday how they want and if watching a movie in the sunshine is there thing then that’s great but there are others who like to have music. Not sure why we couldn’t have both as they had headsets on. There are many area’s on the ship where you can lie in the sunshine and have quiet time.

Food and Drink

There are many places to eat on the ship some of which you have to pre book and are chargeable.

Market Place

Located on deck 11 it Is the usual buffet style restaurant with added bonuses. There is a deli that serves freshly made sandwiches and hot panini’s during the day. Also there is an afternoon tea serving from 3pm. We never tried this but when passing through it always looked lovely. Of an evening regular theme nights which cover cuisine from around the world, including Mexican, Chinese and Japanese. We didn’t eat here much as we found it a bit café like and we wanted more of a dinning experience especially on an evening. .

Nonna’s

This is an Italian restaurant on the pool deck which is open for lunch. You are given an order sheet where you pick either your pasta dish or pizza. There are then choices to add to your pasta for example sources, herbs in the form of tick boxes. There is also a help yourself salad bar. We ate here a couple of times and the food was ok but a bit bland for our taste. It is a small restaurant but there are also seats outside in the shade where you can eat. It is located on deck 11

Snack Shack

This is also on the pool deck and is open during the day from 10 -6. It serves chips, burgers, hot dogs and fish. There is a small selection of salad to add. To one side to the Shack there is a fridge that has freshly made sandwiches and salads. The fish bites here were so nice therefore we ate them on many occasions. It is located on deck 11

Kora La

This is an Asian restaurant which does charge extra. You also need to book this in advance. Unfortunately it was fully booked during our stay therefore we can not comment on the food or service. Guests who had managed to book stated that it was worth the extra.

Latitude 53

We ate regular at this restaurant as you can have waiter/waitress service for every meal (Breakfast, lunch and evening meal). Unfortunately some lunch times it was closed which we found disappointing as we liked to have lunch here.

Breakfast

At breakfast there was a range of options from traditional English to Delhi of the day. Service was usually very good. Food was of a good standard and was served with juices or coffee and tea.

Lunch

Lunch was 3 courses but you could add extra sides should you wish to do so. The menu did change on a regular basis with some items staying the same. The gourmet burger was one that did stay the same each day which we really enjoyed and had this on more than one occasion. During the day this restaurant is pretty quiet therefore service was very efficient.

Evening meal

On an evening this restaurant could get really busy therefore they would give you a buzzer so you did not wait in the queue which was great as you could go and get a drink. The buzzer would let you know when your table was available. The menu did change daily slightly. Again you can have 3 courses should you wish with added sides. The menu has a good choice with fish, meat, vegetarian and vegan choices. The food is always well presented. Even when it is very busy the service is good considering the amount of people that are dinning here.

Vista

On the lower floor of the Latitude 53 this is an Italian restaurant on an evening. We ate here on many occasions as we liked the food here. Although it is Italian you could also have steak. The food changed slightly each day but not enough. Again you can have 3 courses and additional sides should you wish to do so. Our favourite was the Carbonaro which has an additional charge of £4.99 which was definitely worth it. One of the waiters mixes the pasta with the cheese at your table. The deserts are to die for too. If you are on the premium package they offer desert cocktails too. If you are not on the premium package these are chargeable. We strongly recommend that you give these a try especially the Tiramisu Martini

Images of Vista restaurant

Surf and Turf

Prior to going on the cruise we managed to book in to this restaurant. There is an additional charge of £37 per person. Our starter was a sharer starter of sausage, BBQ spareribs and garlic bread. We had surf and turf and a sirloin steak for our mains which was all cooked to perfection. We also had various sides to accompany the meal (onion rings, chunky chips, sauteed mushrooms, mac and cheese). Our deserts were also lovely ( Profiteroles and cheesecake). Throughout the meal the waiters are constantly topping up the wine. Finally we had our dessert cocktails which were even nicer than the ones in Vista. The whole experience was lovely both food and service.

Images of Surf and Turf restaurant

The only downside was that we had booked a time to eat but there was a member of staff that had come on the cruise and was wanting to book. She obviously did not want to book through the usual channels as the guests and thought she was superior. She was also getting cross with the lady who was front of house at the restaurant. We have no problem with this apart from we were stood in a queue for sometime which was getting longer by the minute. Many of the other guests in the queue were also getting cross. In the end we spoke to a member of staff and asked to let us in for our meal and deal with her booking afterwards which they did. This did not give us a good start to the meal.

Indigo Bar

This bar is a late bar of an evening. It is also the venue for some live bands. There is a DJ until the early hours on some days. The music which was played ranged from the 70’s to present. Whilst we were there it didn’t get overly busy but that had its advantages as it didn’t take long to be served. This bar served some great cocktails especially the smoking ones which looked quite impressive. We visited the Indigo Bar on a number of occasions which is not a good thing when you have an early start the next day.

Squid and Anchor

This bar is allegedly to be designed like a modern British Pub. It looked nothing like a British Pub but it did not stop anyone from having fun. Here they host game shows like Mr and Mrs, quizzes and Bingo. It is good fun to watch or join in. As usual there were people complaining that it was more like Butlins than a cruise. There are so many bars on the ship if they didn’t like then they should have gone else where. A lot of people stated that this was their favourite bar.

19th Hole

This was a lovely bar that served great cocktails. As the name suggests this was designed in a golf theme with seats in the shape of golf carts. We liked to have a drink in here each evening as it was a bit quirky. If going on this cruise visit this bar. A lot of people completely miss this bar as it is not stated in the Tui information. We stumbled across it by accident.

Aperitif

This bar is situated directly outside of the Surf an Turk and the Kao Lak. It is a great place to have a drink or two before dinning. An extensive cocktail menu is another reason why this is such a good bar to visit.

Flutes

Flutes is a quieter bar with piano music playing in the background. This bar has a good range of Champagne and Prosecco. So if this is your thing than this is the bar to be in.

Entertainment

Unfortunately we can not comment on any of the shows as we didn’t see them. We did however go and see some of the specialist singers which were amazing. A lot of people commented on a comedian/magician which they said was fantastic and well worth seeing. The entertainment staff work tirelessly day and night to keep everyone entertained.

Itinerary

The itinerary for the cruise was as follows:-

Day 1 – Arrival – Bridgetown, Barbados

Day 2 – Roseau, Dominca

Day 3 – St Johns, Antigua

Day 4 – Basseterre, St Kitts

Day 5 – Philipsburg, St Maarten

Day 6 – Road Town, Tortola

Day 7 – At sea

Day 8 – leave/second week of cruise- – Bridgetown, Barbados

Dominica

Please see separate Information on Dominica which includes tips, things to do and weather. Please click on the following link Dominica

Antigua

Please see separate Information on Antigua which includes tips, things to do and weather. Please click on the following link Antigua

St Kitts

We hadn’t booked any excursions for St Kitts therefore just had a wander around for short time. There were many local tour guides selling island tours at around $20 – $25 USD when you get off of the ship if you did want to book an excursion last minute. As we had done the first two days with activities we felt that we would just have a relatively relaxed day. There are many shops to look around just in the port including duty free and some designer shops. Other guests on the ship had seen more of the island and said it was beautiful.

St Maarten

Please see separate Information on St Maarten which includes tips, things to do and weather. Please click on the following link St Maarten

BVI (British Virgin Islands)

Again we didn’t book any excursion and just had a short wander around the town. There isn’t much to see or do when walking around but we did come across some lovely churches and an extremely small prison compared to the ones in the UK. You were able to go in and look around parts of the prison. We were informed that if you visited anyone in prison on the island that it was compulsory to dress smartly in a suit.

There are many colourful buses offering tours of the island which are around $20 – $25 US dollars which seems about the average cost of a tour on many of the Caribbean islands. At the port there is a lovely little portable bar called the Crazy Coconuts. This bar served the most amazing rum punch which were in as you would guess coconuts. After only one it felt like it had gone to our heads.

Images of BVI

Weather in British Virgin Islands

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	29	29	29	30	30	31	32	32	31	31	30	29
Low Temp	24	24	24	25	26	27	27	27	27	27	26	25
Rainfall	70	50	50	60	105	75	85	110	145	145	130	80
Number of days	11	8	8	9	11	9	10	12	12	14	13	12

Summary

This cruise was amazing as we managed to see so much in such a short time. Everyone of the staff we came across were wonderful. The cruise was excellent value for money as we paid £1580 for two weeks. We did another cruise after this one called Taste of the tropics. Considering what we had paid the standard of the food and drinks was excellent.

Things to do

• Try the crazy golf.
• Watch the shows
• Watch a movie on deck on an evening.
• Go to the BBQ
• Eat at the specialist restaurants.
• Try the many dinning options on board
• If you like to party try Indigo Club.
• Join in the quizzes around the pool on a day time
• Try the cocktails
• Visit the Islands
• Visit the many bars on ship
• Try the silent disco as it is hilarious.

Top Tips

• Check out the drinks menu before you book to see if it is worth the upgrade. We felt the upgrade was worth it but it depends on what you like to drink.
• Book Al a Carte restaurants in advance as they get booked up.
• Check out destinations and if an excursion is necessary. Most of the destinations had people selling island tours a lot less than Tui $20-$25 US dollars.
• If booking an excursion with Tui book in advance as these get booked up too
• Do research about the destinations you are wanting to see as time is limited when you are there.
• There is a dress to impress night so take your glad rags.
• There is also a white night which is when everyone dresses in white
• Check out temperatures and weather before booking.
• Pack waterproofs just in case as many of the Caribbean islands have a lot of rain in certain months.
• The official hurricane season is from June to November.
• Check out our general travel tips. Click on the following link Travel Tips