Southern Caribbean Cruise: 7 - 15 December 2019




We had been looking at this cruise for a while.  We have been East and West Caribbean that left a Southern trip.  This one left out of Ft. Lauderdale with stops at Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba, then Curacao.  Aruba and Curacao are as near to the equator as we have ever been, just off the coast of Venezuela.  Eight days total with 3 days at sea.  

This time we took a rental car from Lexington to Atlanta because Spirit has such a cheap flight.  $56.00 per person one way.  The catch, we found out, is the checked baggage is $40.00 each. Still a bargain compared to flying out of Lexington but there are a lot of hidden fees with discount airlines, just be sure to read the fine print.

Boarding a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale is not as organized as Miami.  A trick we learned was to do "Airport Checkin" before you leave the Ft. Lauderdale Airport.  You are then placed in the priority line at the port because you have already be processed for boarding.  The regular line looked like it was going to take several hours to get onboard.  We had about a 30 min wait.

The Magic is one of Carnival's larger boats and very spacious and we have found traveling after Thanksgiving and prior to Christmas is one of the cheaper times of the year.  One of the best things we like about this boat is the Serenity deck.  They have great recliners, hammocks, and cabanas.  The rest of the boat has most the same things that most of the other Carnivale ships...buffet, comedy clubs, theatre, casino, scheduled dining.

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas is Carnival's private island and was a great stop.  A full day of just hanging on the beach with hammocks and chairs all provided.



Grand Turk was another nice island.  We have stopped there before on a previous cruise but the weather was so much better on this trip.  We booked a last minute catamaran/snorkel/beach stop.  Nothing really special.  Anytime you see "guided snorkeling" be prepared for a quick  snorkel with a lot of crowding.




Day at sea then a stop at Aruba.  We booked an all-inclusive excursion on an island.  They had great snorkeling and equipment available at no cost.  Lunch and chairs were included.




 Last stop was Curacao.  We explored the downtown area



Willemstead is a very cool Caribbean town





If you are looking for a relaxing trip I would consider this one.  8 days with 3 at sea was a good mix.

Next stop New Orleans









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