After our 1st cruise ever (3 day Mexico Cruise) I was hooked. We decided to try a different itinerary, a Caribbean cruise this time. We had never been to Caribbean before and those beautiful, white, sandy beaches tempted us to book a 5 day Caribbean cruise leaving Miami.
Itinerary:
- Flight: LAX – MIA: Continental Airlines
- Hotel (1 night): Circa 39, Miami Beach
- Cruise: Carnival Destiny
Day 1: Depart Miami
Day 2: Day at sea
Day 3: Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands
Day 4: Half Moon Cay ( Private Island)
Day 5: Nassau, Bahamas
Day 6: Arrive Miami
- Flight: MIA – LAX: Continental Airlines
We arrived in Miami early morning after a red eye flight. We picked up a rental car from Avis. We were staying at the Circa 39 Hotel on Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.
Check in was easy and we decided not to waste any time since it was already lunchtime. We decided to explore South Beach for a place to eat.
We got to South Beach and had trouble finding public parking at first. We settled on paid streetside parking and then explored some restaurants. The prices definitely seemed on the high end, but after all this was South Beach!! We went to one of the restaurants and I could die of shock looking at the menu. 15$ for a hamburger meal !! Anyways, we were here and we were on vacation so there we go.
While we were having lunch, it started pouring outside. I mean full blown tropical monsoon style. It didn’t stop the beach-goers from walking around in swimsuits. It did stop after an hour or so and we made our way back to the hotel. By this time it started raining again and we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in the room.
The Federation Cup final was on between USA and Brazil and I ended up watching most of the game. It sucked watching USA lose after leading 2-0. Around 4 pm the rain had stopped and we made our way to the beach.
The ocean was very calm. I mean calm like a swimming pool. You walk 60 to 100 ft into the water and still be only knee deep !!. I had never seen such a beach in my life before and it kinda made up for all the crappy weather we had all day.
After a couple of hours we came back to the hotel, and after a shower we were ready to go out for dinner at South Beach again. After dinner we came back and used our coupon for the complimentary drinks at the hotel bar and called it a night.
Next day we woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel. Just standard eggs, bacon, fruits and some cornflakes.
We went back to the beach again and spent some time in the water. It started drizzling again and we were worried that it was gonna rain all through our vacation, but we ended up being lucky. Luckily the bad weather stayed in Miami and the rest of the vacation was warm and sunny.
We returned our rental car at the airport and took a cab to the cruise terminal. The cab fare from the airport to the cruise terminal is 26$.
By the time we got to the cruise terminal it was crowded because 2 ships were sailing on the same day. We opted not to check in our luggage to the cruise porter desk but rather carry it ourselves to the ship. We later heard that 2 families had their luggage stolen on our ship and we were happy with our decision to carry our own luggage.
After check-in, we got on the ship and made our way to the room. Being the cheapskate that we are, we had chosen the cheapest rooms on the ship, an inside cabin with a bunk-bed. However, since we would only be sleeping in the cabin, we would rather take our savings and spend it on more worthwhile expenses…like shore excursions and booze. LOL.
We went to the top floor of the ship (always called Lido Deck on Carnival Cruise Lines) and had a late lunch. Pretty soon we had the compulsory emergency drill and we were on our way out of Miami.
We ended up exploring the ship and then later attending the introductory show with a variety of songs and 2 comedians. We had opted for a late dinner seating at 8:15 pm. We were placed on a table of 4 with a young Indian couple. That would end up being the only down part of the entire trip. Every night during dinner they would complain about everything and it just made us wanna move to another table. Some people are just such downers !!
Day 1:
The first day was a day at sea. There were plenty of activities on the ship and we attended a drink trivia quiz at a bar and a couple’s game. The couple’s games are always a blast on these cruises.
Day 2:
The ship anchored at the pier in Grand Turk early in the morning and after our breakfast we were onshore.
The beach at Grand Turk is rocky at places and we were kicking ourselves for forgetting to bring water shoes. We were having a great time in the water but slimy rocks and pebbles took away some of the enjoyment.
After staying in the water for about 4 hours we did some souvenir shopping and used the free gemstone coupons to get some gemstones at the stores in the island and made our way back to the ship.
Day 3:
Today’s port of call was Half Moon Cay, a private island owned by Holland America, the parent of Carnival Cruise Lines. A “tender system” is used in this port of call. What it means is that there are boats (called “tender boats”) that take passengers from the ship to the island and back. Since the ship stays on this port of call for around 6 hours, we had decided that we would be one of the first ones out in the tender boats and the last ones in so as to maximize our time on this island. This ended up being a great decision because this island would end up being my most favorite beach so far.
When we got to the island, we made our way to the beach and found a couple of beach chairs in shade. There are some beach cottages on the island, available to cruise passengers to book for 1000$ for the day. I would never pay that much when getting so little (basically a room, private shower and that’s about it). We did see some of these cottages were occupied by the cruise parties.
The beach was fantastic. Out of the world. Better than any beach I have ever seen. The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the beach and the island. The sand is soft and white, the water crystal clear and the temperature was warm and perfect for swimming in very calm waters. You can be in chest deep water and still see your feet clearly, that’s how transparent and still the water is. It’s like you are in a salt water pool and not the ocean.
The ship brings the cooks and attendants to the island to host a barbecue party for lunch. I had the standard fare, some hotdogs and hamburgers. And then we were back in the water. I had never as much fun on a beach as I had here.
Pretty soon it was 2 pm and time to leave. We were so sad to leave this island. I feel so lucky to be able to be here and hope that I am fortunate enough to be back here again in the future.
Day 4:
Our last port of call was Nassau, Bahamas. This was the only port of call we had booked a shore excursion. Although there are some beautiful beaches on this island (most notably the Cable Beach), we wanted to experience the “swimming with stingrays” at the Blackbeard’s cay. We got off the ship and gathered along with other passengers who were taking the same tour. We took a boat ride about 45 minutes long and pretty soon we were there.
The sting rays are housed in a cordoned off area and when you get on the island from the pier, you can see them on your left side. That side of the beach is exclusively for the stingray experience and the right side is just for swimming and enjoying the beach.
After feeding the stingray we went to the regular beach and swam for a couple of hours. After returning to the main island we did some souvenir shopping in the streets of Nassau.
Day 5:
The ship returned back to Miami early at 9 AM. After a quick breakfast at the Lido Deck, we disembarked and after a quick immigration and customs, we were on our way to the airport.
Cost (Total for 2 travelers):
- Hotel: $ 111 (including 38$ parking + resort fee :x)
- Airfare: $ 724 (excluding 15$ additional luggage fee each way)
- Cruise: $ 1153 (including service charge (read tips!!) of $196)
- Cruise Excursion: $85
- Rental Car: $ 15
- Cab: $ 55
Miles/Points/Certificates Redeemed:
- None
Miles/Points/Cash-back Earned:
- 9,372 (4686 x 2) Continental OnePass miles for flight
- 3,000 Continental OnePass miles for booking through Continental Cruises website