Experience Virgin Voyages Eastern Caribbean Cruise

It is time to revisit Virgin Voyages Cruise Lines, which offered a great deal on an Eastern Caribbean cruise with 2 new islands for me to visit. These added to my list of countries visited, making it 102 now. After a scary landing the night before, we had to go around because another plane was on our landing runway! Not sure how close we were, but the landing gear was down already. After countless flights, this was definitely a first for me!

Then, fortunately, the next day, it was an easy embarkation in Miami, Florida, with Virgin at their own private terminal V. They are very strict with their check-in arrival times with long timed lines, so do not arrive any earlier than you are scheduled. But once you are advanced inside, the process is very quick and orderly. NCL can probably get some tips from them!

Since all of the Virgin Voyages Ships are pretty much identical, it is very easy to be familiar with the layout right away. This time, I am on the Brilliant Lady as we depart from Miami at 5 pm. There is always a nice sunset experience from that port. This was followed by a day at sea, and we arrived in our first port of Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos. Since this was a new island for me, I had booked the Virgin excursion Duck Boat Tour, which is a bus/boat combination. A tour around the small island, then a dip in the water, made for an interesting few hours to be able to see most of the small island.

Front view of a colorful Duck Tour vehicle featuring a cartoon character with sunglasses, parked under a blue sky. — Duck Boat

Modern white two-story house with a gray roof, surrounded by trees and parked cars, near a body of water under a blue sky. — Duck Boat

Grand Turk is the capital of a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic, featuring Cockburn Town and the territory’s sole cruise ship port. Known for its history, Bermudian architecture, and exceptional diving, the island offers a quiet, relaxing atmosphere with popular sites like Governor’s Beach, Gibbs Cay, and a large Margaritaville.

We are on our way after a day at sea to reach St. Johns, Antigua. Here I have booked a bus ride around the island with a stop at Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nelson’s Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, located in Saint Paul on the Caribbean island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda. It is the only continuously working Georgian-era dockyard in the world. It was built in the early 18th century and abandoned by the British Royal Navy in 1889.

Historic building with a weathered facade, featuring large windows and an iron fence, set against a partly cloudy sky.

Two statues, one of St. John the Baptist on the left and another figure on the right, stand on stone pedestals at a site with a wooden walkway and road signs. A woman in a white polka dot shirt is visible near the statues.

Our next day is right over to Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis islands. Here, I booked a train ride around the upper end of the island with lots of historical references due to the old sugar cane producers. Basseterre is the capital and largest city of St. Kitts and Nevis, located on the southwest coast of St. Kitts island. Founded in 1627 by the French, it serves as a major, walkable port with a blend of British-Caribbean colonial architecture, including historical sites like The Circus, Independence Square, and the National Museum.

A large welcome sign to St. Kitts with a scenic beach background, featuring a woman in a patterned dress standing nearby. — Nevis Island

Tourists boarding the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, featuring a colorful train with a flag design, under a blue sky. — Nevis Island

Then we head over to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which, as you know from my previous posts, is an old haunt of mine, so I decided to stay on board.

The next morning is disembarkation, and since I have a flight the next morning, I decide to do a Hop On Hop Off tour. Of course, Miami port was crazy with 8 ships in the port that morning, and it made our departure late, and there was lots of traffic to get going. It drags out a bit for several hours with so many people around the city, and we end up getting caught up at the end in a huge thunderstorm! That was not a fun experience after such wonderful weather for the whole cruise. Corraling our luggage and heading to the airport drop-off, where I will catch a shuttle to my overnight airport hotel. Leaving early the next morning, I am back to my home in Puerto Vallarta around midday, feeling like another great cruise adventure accomplished!