Jamaica & Grand Cayman Cruise

Jennelle Michelle
Apr 26, 2017
3 min read

Brandon and I decided to put our lives on "cruise" control for 5 days and set sail on Carnival's Sensation cruise ship. We left Orlando at the crack of dawn to catch our party boat. Five hours later (due to parking drama) we were on our temporary floating home, ready to enjoy vacay!

Tip #1: Arrange you're parkingAHEAD of time in order to get the cheapest rates and ensure your vehicle has a safe home while your away on vacation. We used Park N Fly which ended up being a mess - I recommend avoiding this company. They had terrible customer service and booked us at the incorrect location

Tip #2: If you check-in for your cruise at the airport, you can bypass the insanely long lines at the port. Save yourself some time and aggravation.

Carnival Sensation

I lost my Carnival Sensation virginity 2 years ago on a trip to the Bahamas. This is one of Carnival's older ships , and it shows...no shade. The ship's decor sends you into a spiraling time warp, where you're then visited by feelings of nostalgia from the 80s. Again, no shade. We paid less than $100 per night, so who am I to complain..right? This ship includes free meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), various restaurants and dining rooms, activities for all ages throughout the day, a swimming pool, 2 water slides, and most importantly booze! You can choose to purchase a liquor package on board which typically runs for around $50+ per night. We opted out of this deal and just snuck our liquor on board instead. #Rebels

Tip #3: Sneaking liquor onboard is definitely doable. We found the easiest way was to buy Rum Runners/Cocktail Caddies online , put our liquor in them, and pack them in our luggage. Your best option is to check the bags you've put your alcohol in at the port and not carry them on yourself. You can usually bring 2 bottles of wine and a case of canned soda/bottled water/bottled juice as well - be sure to check with your cruise line.

On board the ship , we really enjoyed soaking up sun on the deck, the adult comedy shows, adult scavenger hunt (my personal favorite), and hanging out on the serenity deck which was specifically for the 21+ crowd. Some people enjoyed the buffet style of eating but we did all our meals at our assigned dining room, where we could get waited on. #Bougie

Jamaica

My mother land! Well technically, it's my mother's land, but I claim it as my own. Because my whole family is from Jamaica, it holds a dear place in my heart. This also means we didn't want to do the typical tourist activities. Instead, we opted to go on a tour of Ocho Rios with one my local friends. We visited The Blue Hole , a spring / waterfall that separates St.Mary and St. Ann (parishes of Jamaica). You get to climb, hike, swim, and jump off rocks all in one! After working up an appetite, we stopped at a local food hot spot and picked up some signature dishes such as curried goat and oxtail (don't knock it until you try it!). Getting to drive through the mountains and forest of the islands was breath taking.

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman is very much like the Bahamas in terms of being very colonized. Did you know that their dollar is worth more than your's in the U.S.?! #TheMoreYouKnow There wasn't really anything to do on this island except for tourist activities. We decided to be adventurous and go swim with the sting rays. We had a blast playing with the sting rays and snorkeling in the open water. I've never seen water so crystal clear and beautiful in my life. It was absolutely stunning.

Tip #4:

I personally never buy onboard excursion packages due to the fact that they are insanely over priced. Once you get to your port, there are typically a variety of excursion representatives that you can purchases tickets from for half the price the cruise ship charges. This is the way to go if you're looking to save some money. Sometimes you're even able to negotiate a lower price than they are offering!

Blue Hole with Cruise: $145 + tip for tour guides

Blue Hole Entrance Fee: $15 + tip for tour guides

String Ray City with Cruise: $70

Sting Ray City at Port: $45