
It was August 2008. I had won the Freedom Travel Raffle at the parish where I was volunteer teaching English As A Second Language. The grand prize was five thousand dollars, including a twenty-five hundred dollar gift card to Liberty Travel. It was time to put the winnings into action. I decided on taking a Princess cruise out of Brooklyn to Bermuda and the Caribbean. My parents drove my brother and I to the Brooklyn Red Hook Cruise Terminal.

Our ship was the Caribbean Princess, a beautiful vessel. We were on board in record time. There wasn’t much of a wait at the check-in area. We were on board in fifteen minutes. Minutes later, we met our cabin steward, Larry. He was very welcoming, and told us he would get us anything anytime..including chocolates. Our balcony cabin was very nice and very spacious. Our cabin was on the starboard side, facing the Statue of Liberty.
As soon as we finished unpacking our bags, we went up one deck to the buffet area for lunch. After that, we took ourselves on a tour of the ship. We scouted out the ship’s theater, the dining room, the casino, the outdoor movie screen, and the Skywalker Nightclub. It is located in the stern overlooking the entire length of the ship. Around 4 pm the crew began the life boat drill. When it concluded, we went back to the room and got our cameras.

At 5 pm the lines were pulled in and we were off. It was a beautiful afternoon leaving New York City. We passed under the Verrazano Bridge, and out into open ocean. Our cruise kicked off with a bang. The sail away party on the pool deck was a lot of fun. Later, we had dinner in the dining room. The food was absolutely fantastic. Every night on the cruise, whether in the dining room or at the buffet, the food was wonderful. The food on any cruise ship is addictive! The food on board the Caribbean Princess, for sure, was both inviting and over-the-top fabulous.
On our first day at sea, we went to a demonstration called “The Art of Entertaining”. We learned how to entertain dinner and party guests “Princess style”. The next day we docked in King’s Wharf, Bermuda. I have never been to Bermuda before. My brother went to Bermuda when he was six months old. My brother and I took the EZ Rider electric bike tour. We saw a lot of the island by bike. It was a real fun experience. I had never gotten so much exercise in one afternoon. We left Bermuda late in the afternoon. Next stop, San Juan!

At sea, we attended a wine tasting, which was fabulous. We got to taste an array of white and red wines, along with an assortment of fruits and cheeses. A day and a half later, we docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We took the tour of El Yunche Rainforest. It was the most picturesque and the utmost peaceful part of the island. There was nothing but trees, mist, and tiny waterfalls. I have been around downtown San Juan, but never have I experienced the peace, tranquility, and beauty of Puerto Rico’s natural side. We heard absolutely nothing but those little coquis croaking in the background. We left San Juan late in the evening, en route to St. Thomas. While departing San Juan, there a party boat with Latino music blasting out. San Juan sure knows how to keep the party going. 24-7, San Juan is always alive and kicking. Next stop,
We arrived at Crown Bay in St. Thomas the following morning. In St. Thomas, we did the On Deck sailboat race excursion. That was fun! My brother hurt his thumb on board, but still managed to handle the lines. It was fun to enjoy the sunshine and the splashing of the ocean in my face. After that, we did a ton of shopping and headed back to the ship. Shopping-wise, St, Thomas has plenty of it. We purchased two boxes of duty-free alcohol. We had it shipped to the pier. By late afternoon, everyone was on board. There we got our last look at beautiful St. Thomas. At 3 pm, we bid St. Thomas a fond farewell. We were off to our final port-of-call, Grand Turk.

We arrived in Grand Turk the following afternoon. There wasn’t that much to the area. My brother and I did some browsing in the stores, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and Piranha Joe’s. After browsing, we went to the beach. The beach at Grand Turk was very nice. It was just one hundred yards from the ship. After swimming in the ocean and reading a bit, we went back to the stores. No place had a nicer beach than Grand Turk. It was the most social atmosphere imaginable. Grand Turk is a definite must-return on my cruising list. We bought what we liked and headed back to the ship. By 5 pm, everyone was on board. At 6 pm, we departed Grand Turk. We were headed back home to Brooklyn.

Two nights from arriving in New York, the fun was in high gear. The second to last night was the most fun night ever. It was the night of the champagne waterfall party. There were conga lines going on all three decks of the ship’s atrium. The piano player, Bert Stratton, was doing his last show of the cruise. He stole the show every night on board. Sadly, all of the fun died down. Before we knew it, we were back in Brooklyn.
To tell you the truth, I found it very difficult to leave the ship that morning. It was one of the best cruises I’ve ever been on. It was a trip well worth the money. Princess’s on board staff went out and about to make sure our cruise was the utmost enjoyable. They truly outdid themselves. I am definitely looking forward to sailing on Princess again soon.