I went on the Norwegian Cruise Lines "Western Caribbean" cruise to Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Cozumel, and Playa del Carmen (Cancun)in 1991. The ship was called the Seaward. It was my first cruise, too. I found out that I really don't care for cruising - I'd rather spend my time in some exotic place rather than on a ship most of the time. But each to his/her own...

The ship was nice enough, and we got a nice room with a good-sized window. If you get a room with a window, make sure it's not blocked by a lifeboat. Your travel agent can help you pick one out with the aid of a map of the ship. Generally, the food was adequate - no more, no less. You'll be assigned to a table with some other people whom you will hopefully find to be good dinner companions. There is a gourmet restaurant on the upper deck of the Seaward which I would HIGHLY recommend. It's definitely a 4-star place, with prices to match. But the food is heavenly....French...exquisite...perfect service. If you go to the gourmet restaurant, tell them it's your anniversary or birthday or something. The chef will make up a fabulous dessert just for you! Room service on the ship left much to be desired. The pool on the ship is very tiny and usually filled with people, as is the jacuzzi. Probably it's better while the ship's in port, but who wants to waste valuable time in port on the ship? The masseuse did Swedish and was very good. Ping pong tables are located close to the pool, and the top deck has rows and rows of chaise lounges for sun worshippers. The ship has a casino but we didn't gamble, having heard that the odds are even worse than Las Vegas - and that's not good. But if you want, go for it!

I'd recommend spending all the time you possibly can in the port cities. This will take up most of your days, with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 days on board ship. To fully take advantage of the ports, you'll need to be up fairly early to have breakfast and get on the tender (smaller boat that ferries you from ship to shore). That may mean bypassing the midnight buffets. I seem to remember having about 8 hours in Cayman, the private island, & Jamaica, 6 hours or so in Cancun, and 12 hours in Cozumel. So as you can see, your time is limited. We did not take any of the shore trips which were offered, except the bus ride from Playa del Carmen to Cancun, which I wouldn't take again (even tho I did win a bottle of Mescal on the trip!). If I had to do it again, I WOULD take some sort of shore excursion on Jamaica. Jamaica is the sort of place where a tour group is advised. We hired a taxi to take us around, and it cost us $45/day. He did take us to some nice places - Carinosa Botanical Gardens (including a wonderful bird collection - recommended) comes to mind. But he also kept stopping at various tourist-trap type places owned by his friends. I f we bought anything, the taxi driver got a kickback. He took us to Ocho Rios Falls, too, which was nothing but a beautiful waterfall *filled* with tourists climbing it. Ugh. Ruined it.

Try some jerk pork or chicken while in Jamaica. Lots of folks got their hair done in dreadlocks in Jamaica, too.

There won't be much to do on the private island, which is just as well since it's the first day, and it gives you time to get geared down into vacation mode. Swimming, sunbathing, eating, and snorkelling are the preferred activities there. Watersports are again the main activity on Grand Cayman. If you want to dive or snorkel - this is definitely the best place to do it because the water is clear as a bell. Visibility is 100+ feet. This was my favorite port of all. We took a taxi directly to 7-Mile Beach (the main beach) and set up on chaise lounges in front of the Holiday Inn. There's a dive shop and beach bar there, and all the watersports equipment you'd want to rent.

Go out about 50 yards from shore, and you'll begin seeing the most incredible sea life you'll ever want to see snorkeling). If you dive, I'm sure that the ship will offer some sort of dive trip. For a real adventure underwater, go to Sting Ray City to swim among the manta rays and to feed them. Be sure to take or rent an underwater camera if you snorkel or dive. You'll get some *great* shots! I wouldn't drive or bike around as there's not much to see or do on Cayman other than watersports, with the possible exception of Hell, a city whose name is its only distinction. Lots of folks like to send postcards from Hell to the family back home, doncha know. Food is very expensive as is shopping. No real deals except for gold in some stores. Everyone speaks English, and it is safe to walk around, unlike some poorer Caribbean countries like Jamaica. The boat also stops in Playa del Carmen which is a sleepy little beach town in Mexico, not far from Cancun and some Mayan ruins. The ship offered the Cancun day trip, which we took and regretted. We did not like the city of Cancun at all. The city and water were dirty, and the shopping was nothing to write home about. Another day trip was to the Mayan ruins. If I had to do it over again, I'd stay right there in Playa del Carmen and enjoy the beach, but that's me....

Cozumel is a wonderful town - clean and filled with great restaurants and shopping. It's also a highly acclaimed place for diving and snorkelling. Liquor is very cheap here, and we bought a bunch and brought it back to the ship, thus saving a lot of money on drinks. This was my second favorite port.