Last spring we went on a cruise on Royal Caribbean.  We have already posted about the cruise experience, so now we want to follow up on a couple of destinations.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

There is something magical about pulling in to San Juan early in the morning.  We got a great view of the Fort as the sun came up.  For more information on the Fort, check out the https://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm

We booked a horseback riding excursion through Royal Caribbean.  After a short bus ride, we arrived up in the mountains, where we were introduced to our guides and our horses.  It was so much fun!  The land is beautiful and the guides kept it interesting for us.

After our ride, we had a little bit of time to wander around in San Juan.  The city has a charming old world feel.  We hope to get back someday to explore further.

St. Maarten

We decided to be a little daring in St. Maarten and book an excursion without going through Royal Caribbean.  We did our research on Trip Advisor, and decided to book a Beach, Sightseeing, and Shopping Tour through Bernards Tours (https://www.bernardstours.com).  The bus picked us up right at the port.  Our tour guide was both entertaining and knowledgeable, and showed us everything there was to see on the island.  He also provided some information not he background and history.  We had a couple of ours to enjoy the sun, sand, and water at Orient Bay Beach.  Tip: make sure you know which side is clothing optional so you don’t see more than you expect!

We went to a downtown area for some lunch and shopping from local artisans.  As a final treat, our driver stopped by a bakery so we could get European-style pastries.   We were back in plenty of time to get back on the ship.