Southern Caribbean Cruise

Just before Thanksgiving, 1997, we enjoyed the first of what we hope will be many cruise vacations. Aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, we sailed from San Juan, PR for 7 days with stops at St. Thomas, Martinique, Barbados, Antigua and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Here are just a few of the many photos we treasure from this dream vacation.


The view from our room at the San Juan Marriott before we sailed. Two nights at this lovely hotel melted away the stresses from work and worry . . just what we needed to get ready for our adventure on the seas.

I took this photo from the ship's sun deck after a steamy walk in downtown Martinique.


One of my favorite times aboard ship was early morning . . . a hot cup of coffee and the sunrise. What a lovely way to start every day in paradise!

Several tries were necessary to catch the surf pounding the rocks just so . . what beautiful beaches!

The Captain told us the night before of an early morning pass by the active volcano of Montserrat on our way to Antigua. By far the largest early morning crowd of the week came up for a view, cameras and camcorders in hand. Many island residents have been forced to flee their homes as eruptions occur frequently. The last according to one Internet source ocurred the week after this picture was taken.