Having just returned from two weeks in the Southern Caribbean on the MSC Preziosa here are some general comments from the experience.
We chose the January 11th through January 25th cruise so that we could visit several new Caribbean locations. The cruise for us was actually a back-to-back cruise originating in Martinique with no sea-days. Once on the Preziosa we found that many of the passengers were there for one week or two week cruises that originated in Martinique or Guadeloupe but for British passengers, a two-week cruise starting in Barbados. Besides these three major ports there were some passengers transferring at every other port. We only performed the safety drill on the first day but there were other safety drills each day for the new passengers.
The majority of passengers were French, followed by British and German. Most announcements were made in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese! There were a noticeable number of families with small children.
We took a short walk to see the impressive Schoelcher Library
We found another couple and took a Taxi to the Botanical Gardens at Deshaires with a stop to see the Death in Paradise Police Station.
A member of our dinner group booked a vehicle and he took six of us around both the French and Dutch areas finishing up at the Sunset Bar & Grill to watch the planes landing.
We walked to the Botanical Gardens. Not too impressive.
Walked around town.
Walked around town.
Walked around town. At one point a lady approached us and told us that the area in the direction we were heading was not a safe place to be!
We found two other couples and took a taxi to get a general idea of the Island.
We walked around the area close to the ship.
We found a 3 hour tour outside the Port that took us to to the Pirates of the Caribbean filming area and also a one hour stop at a beach. The whole trip took almost 6 hours and was $25 per person for a group of ten.