Ritz-Carlton Caribbean Cruise From Puerto Rico To Fort Lauderdale

A Great Ritz-Carlton Caribbean Cruise From Puerto Rico To Fort Lauderdale

We finished the year with a luxury Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.  A luxury Caribbean vacation was the perfect way to end a travel year that started with a stunning expedition cruise in Antarctica.  

A trip on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Evrima was on our travel wish list since the ship was launched the year before.  We really wanted to explore the ship and enjoy the luxury pampering we expected from the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz.  We picked a Caribbean itinerary with some ports we visited before.  So we planned to do only a few shore excursions and enjoy time on the ship when many others were ashore.  

Our Caribbean cruise took us to the warm, sunny south when winter was settling into Toronto.  We enjoyed some fun shore excursions and delighted in the water fun on the Marina Deck on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht. And we had a lot of time to enjoy this first Ritz-Carlton yacht experience.

Our Caribbean Itinerary

Our trip started with a luxury stay at the St Regis Bahia Bay outside San Juan in Puerto Rico.  Boarding the yacht Evrima in San Juan, we began our first cruise on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht.  

A quick overnight cruise took us to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).  A short hop that night took us to the second BVI port at Jost Van Dyke.  We had a fairly calm day at sea and then arrived in Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos.  From there we visited our first Bahamas port in San Salvador.  And then spent a day in Nassau, Bahamas.

The cruise finished up in Fort Lauderdale.  Not yet done with pampering experiences for the year, we spent another 5 days at the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale.  And then it was time to face reality and return to Toronto in winter.

Boarding In San Juan, Puerto Rico

After a luxury stay at the St Regis Bahia Bay we booked a driver to get us to the port.  We were always glad when drivers checked cruise port assignments.  Our port for the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Evrima was different than on our paperwork.  But we also knew never to leave our transportation to the port until we saw our ship!  

We arrived about 1pm and were immediately checked in.  In advance of boarding, we uploaded photos and credit card information so we got our room cards and moved onboard.  A long line of Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz greeted us as we moved onto and around the yacht.

We were shown to our emergency muster station and then in the cabin the mandatory safety video was started.  This was our first cruise on the Ritz-Carlton Yacht and some of the cruising processes were a little different.  We met the Concierge assigned to our group of cabins and made our dinner reservations.  Unlike most of our cruising experiences we could not book dinners before boarding.  Shortly after that we met the room attendants and our luggage arrived.

We enjoyed lunch on the outside deck at the Pool House.  Then wandered around the yacht and explored our new home for 7 days.   

Returning to our room we unpacked and dressed for an early dinner.  We again ate outside on the deck at the Mistral Restaurant.  It was the perfect opportunity to watch as the yacht departed the San Juan harbour.  

All settled in, we were excited to start our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.

Exploring Virgin Gorda By Land

We awoke early and sat on our balcony for our first sunrise at sea.  The water was calm and looked just perfect for our day trip excursion on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Our yacht was anchored in the bay.  A short tender ride took us to shore. We looked back at the majestic Ritz Carlton Evrima out in the water.

The Tigers Taxi jeep was waiting for us.  We headed off for a tour around the island.  We stopped at three different viewpoints: Savannah Bay Viewpoint, Soldier Bay Lookout and Little Bay (North Sound) Lookout.

When the jeep pulled over we got amazing views of the islands from above.  Each view was a little higher than the last. We looked back and saw the route we had climbed.

The turquoise waters were stunning.  Far below we saw a large multi-masted sailing ship. We got a closer look at this on our boat tour on the waters around Virgin Gorda.

The stunning views of Virgin Gorda from above excited us on our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.

Virgin Gorda From The Water On Our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean Cruise From Puerto Rico To Fort Lauderdale

Slowly our jeep headed down at the other end of the island.  We arrived at the Virgin Gorda port and boarded the Bell Arosa catamaran.  The captain took us for a slow ride along the coast.  One of the staff members gave a running narrative as we passed by sights. Another staff member made sure glasses were filled with rum.

We saw the Club Med multi-masted sail ship and the Club Med beach club. We moved slowly past the Saba Beach Resort and made a note of this lovely spot for a return visit to Virgin Gorda. Next our guide pointed out the islands owned by Richard Branson.

We motored past the beach at Devil’s Point.  Next the boat went past the granite boulders and the white sand opening to The Baths.  Up on the cliff we saw the Top of the Baths Restaurant and Bar which was a great spot for an island stop with a view. Some of the cruise ship excursions included a swim through the rocky caverns and tide pools at The Baths.

The tour boat did a fast pass by the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Evrima and we got a great view of the yacht at the water level.  We saw that the Marina Deck was open and ready for more outdoor fun.

We got a great view of Virgin Gorda from the water. Our first shore excursion was a lot of fun on our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.

Fun On The Marina Deck On The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Evrima

When we got back to the yacht we immediately changed into bathing suits and went down to the Marina Deck.  We submitted the extensive liability waiver before we could even head out onto the dock.  

The Hobi Cat sailboat was docked on one side of the back deck.  On the other side we found regular double kayaks and single pedal kayaks.  We have kayaked many times but never tried the pedal kayaks so that was our choice.  We grabbed life jackets and proceeded to board.  

Much like our kayaking experience in Antarctica, getting into the kayak was the hardest part.  We were quickly provided with instructions on how to go forward, backwards and how to turn.  Once we were launched it was fun and easy.  We could only kayak close to the back of the ship to keep us well within recovery distance.

After we returned the kayaks we jumped in the small swimming area created at the back of the dock.  We had to swim in life jackets and I bobbed like a cork.  So after we got cooled down we retreated to the deck and enjoyed a little more sunshine on our day in Virgin Gorda.

Snorkelling At Jost Van Dyke 

After a very short overnight cruise, the next day we arrived at Jost Van Dyke.  This was our second port in the BVI.  It was again sunny and mostly calm.  It looked perfect for our snorkelling day. We took the yacht tender to shore and were immediately transferred to the Ocean Girlz catamaran. 

It was a small group so the captain quickly pulled out to head along the shore to our first snorkel spot.  The crew handed out snorkelling gear.  We brought our own mask and snorkel but took the fins provided by the boat.  

When we planned to snorkel, we both also travelled with thin skins as rash and sun protection.  We saw jellyfish in the water on the previous day. And after being stung by jellyfish in Sicily earlier that year, we were not taking any chances.

When the boat pulled up to the small dock we all headed towards shore with our gear.  It was a short walk across the sand before we waded into the shallow weedy waters.  We headed for the rocks and deeper water to check out the underwater world.  The water was a bit murky but we found corals and small fish as we slowly moved along.

We swam back to the boat and got in to move to the next spot.  We knew we arrived when we saw the long sandy beach at Sandy Spit.  When we looked down we saw clear water and sand.  So we knew we really would not see anything snorkelling here.  But we still donned our gear and swam to the shore and explored the long sandy spit with the 2 palm trees.

We were glad to enjoyed the turquoise waters on our day trip in Jost Van Dyke.  Another fun outdoor adventure on our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.

A Short Port Day In Grand Turk

After a full sea day, we arrived at the port in Grand Turk in Turk and Caicos with winds gusting above the operating tolerances for the ship.  This meant the captain could not safely try to dock.  When the winds finally settled down, he quickly got alongside and apologized for the delay on an already short port day.

Grand Turk replaced a previously scheduled stop at Long Island in Bahamas.  And we were only in port for about 6 hours.  So we decided not to book an excursion.  This let us move at a slow leisurely pace when we got up and then we went off the ship in late morning.  

We saw the long stretches of sandy beach as we walked down the pier.  And the sign welcoming us to Grand Turk.

The pier ended at a large cruise port area that looked like so many others we visited.  Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville was right outside the Duty Free shop we had to walk through to exit the ship.  We wandered around the large pool area at Margaritaville and imagined this place when there were lots of cruise ships visiting Grand Turk.

There were many stores in the cruise port area.  But with less than 200 people onboard the Ritz-Carlton Yacht, many of the stores were closed up.  We found a memorial site to Grand Turk as the splashdown site for Friendship 7 and American astronaut John Glenn.  A large Christmas tree was all decorated for the holiday season. Strolling on the beach we found a fun beached whale statue.

It was good to get off the ship and stretch our legs for an hour.  But our slow lazy morning meant we really did not have time to grab a cab and explore more of the island.  So we headed back onboard and enjoyed the luxury ship before the excursion groups returned.  We enjoyed a quiet day on this stop in Grand Turk on our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.

Enjoying The Ship In San Salvador, Bahamas

We cruised in the Caribbean many times and visited many ports.  When we booked our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise, we were ok to just stay on the ship for a few ports to just enjoy the quiet ship on our own.  That was our plan for our day in San Salvador in the Bahamas.

When the ship arrived in San Salvador, it stayed out in the deeper water and used the GPS-controlled dynamic-positioning (DP) and hovered in place all day.  The seas were a bit rough so we were happy for a late breakfast start and a lazy onboard day.

We were delighted when we found the quiet 9th deck by the gym and spa.  There were lots of loungers on the front bow and shaded loungers along the side. We chose the unusual clam-shell like day bed and stayed in some shade. The ice bucket held wine, champagne and water.  The whirlpool on this level had jets on all sides, was shaded and the water was warm.  

When we needed a change of lounging scenery, we wandered down to the Marina Deck level.  Since we were not anchored, the water sports was not open.  We found the vast lounge area mostly empty.  Another great spot to enjoy a quiet day on the yacht.

About 2pm people started to return from their shore excursions.  We were a bit envious when we learned a small group managed to plan a great private scuba diving trip.  This might have changed our plans for the day.  But we were still very happy we took a full day off on our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale. 

The Busy Nassau Port On Our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean Cruise From Puerto Rico To Fort Lauderdale

When we planned our cruise, we checked each of the ports in advance to see how busy they were.  We were not surprised when we learned there were 6 cruise ships and as many as 20,000 passengers in Nassau the day we visited.  That alone would have discouraged us from booking a shore excursion in Nassau.  As the day went on, the cruise terminal became a crazy mass of humanity.

Luckily we visited Nassau many times.  Our best friend had a condo in Nassau and was actually there when we arrived.  We avoided the expensive “bait & switch” taxi scams at the port and headed for the local jitney buses.  The #10 or #12 bus would take us quickly to Cable Beach for all of $2.50 US for 2 people.

We spent a lovely few hours with our friend and had lunch at the Royal Blue Tavern on the golf course at the Baha Mar Resort.  While most people off the cruise ships spent their day at the closer Atlantis Resorts, we felt the newer Baha Mar complex was a better option for a day pass.

We factored the crowds in port into our timing and made it back to the ship.  An easy way to visit with a friend on our Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale. 

Docking In Fort Lauderdale

Many of the cruises in the Caribbean did a 7 day loop starting and finishing in either Miami or Fort Lauderdale.  We started in San Juan in Puerto Rico but finished in Fort Lauderdale.  It made it a bit more complicated to book flights.  But the direct flight home to Toronto from Fort Lauderdale was quick and ran several times a day.

Since we stayed in Fort Lauderdale after the cruise for a few days, we were not in a rush to depart the ship.  We had a slow leisurely breakfast and then stopped for a coffee.  It gave us a chance to properly say goodbye to the many officers and crew we met on this trip.

We were lucky that we were the only cruise ship in Port Everglades when we disembarked.  We were escorted through the long empty corridors and picked up our bags.  With no line at customs we were on our way quickly to our final stay at the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale.  We had one final luxury stay before we returned to Toronto.

A Luxury Trip Onboard The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Evrima

We enjoyed our port stops on the Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.  But we were so glad we got the time to really enjoy our first Ritz-Carlton yacht experience.  The Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz delivered on the brand promise with the service excellence we loved from Ritz-Carlton.  This was by far the best customer service we have had at sea!

We had a lovely suite with a balcony.  Good food was available in multiple venues throughout the ship.  And each day the barista Vishna delighted us with coffee art.

The yacht was elegantly designed and had great indoor spaces for lounging.  Outdoor spaces provided small pools and deck space to catch the sun.  There was an exercise room and complete spa too.  We had lots of time to just relax and enjoy the yacht.

There were two theme nights and we enjoyed both.  Dressed in white for En Blanc night we had a good selection of food in a well-decorated room while people enjoyed the onboard musicians.  On Havana night, we switched from white clothing to colourful Caribbean attire.   The music was upbeat and immediately filled the dance floor.  

We were very glad we finally booked our Ritz-Carlton yacht trip for this Caribbean cruise.

A Great Ritz-Carlton Caribbean Cruise From Puerto Rico To Fort Lauderdale

We started our year with an amazing cruise to Antarctica. And our first Ritz-Carlton yacht experience was exactly what we wanted to finish up our 2023 travels.  We enjoyed many port stops on the Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale.  And we found lots of time to explore the Evrima yacht and delight in the Ritz-Carlton service excellence. It was a great part of our luxury Caribbean vacation.

We learned a bit about the future expansion plans and new ships coming to the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection line.  And knew we would be back for more great yachting trips.

Have you done a Ritz-Carlton Caribbean cruise from Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale?

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