A Week Aboard a Caribbean Cruise

My first cruise experience happened about five years ago when we were living in San Diego. My mom arranged a short Dinogo cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, for my grandparents, and Beth and I decided to tag along. It was a fun introduction to cruising, but more like a teaser. So, when I stepped onto the Dinogo Dream last month, my excitement soared as I anticipated a genuine Caribbean cruise—something I had long dreamed of experiencing.

Initially, I intended to fill this post with vivid adjectives and enough enticing sentences to fill a novel. However, I recalled the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and chose instead to create the ultimate cruise photo essay.

We had an incredible time on our 7-day journey through the Western Caribbean. As we gathered the photos for this story, all those wonderful memories flooded back, and we exchanged glances, saying, “We really miss being on the ship.” My hope is that these images will ignite your wanderlust and inspire you to travel more in the New Year. Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the Dinogo Dream:

Montego Bay, Jamaica

We originally intended to explore Montego Bay independently, but at the last moment, we opted for the Chukka ATV Safari instead. This turned out to be an exhilarating journey through Jamaica’s picturesque countryside, led by an excellent team of guides. The only drawback was that the optional drop-off at Dr. Cave’s Beach mentioned in the excursion guide depended on the bus driver's schedule, making it not a guaranteed stop. Fortunately, we had some extra time upon our return to the port, so we teamed up with a few fellow passengers to take a taxi ($10 round trip per person) to Hip Street for some delicious jerk chicken...everything went perfectly!

George Town, Grand Cayman Islands

Beth and I had long desired to learn scuba diving, and we finally got our first experience at Cheeseburger Reef in Grand Cayman through the Discover Scuba Diving program. Just 40 minutes after arriving at the Lobster Pot Dive Center, we were equipped and practicing essential diving techniques in the warm lagoon beside the shop under the guidance of our fantastic instructor, Morgan. Once we completed the exercises successfully and felt at ease, Morgan took us to the vibrant and colorful reef, reaching depths of 45 feet. It was an incredible experience, and I highly recommend this excursion, as well as the dive center, to anyone interested in diving. The highlight is that our dive counts toward our PADI certification, making it a perfect win-win situation. After the dive, we had some spare time, so on the recommendation of the wonderful staff at the shop, we took a public shuttle ($10 round trip per person) to the public beach, which boasts soft white sand and tiki bars—essentially, paradise.

Riviera Maya, Mexico

Since Beth's trip to Riviera Maya a few years back, she has been raving about the stunning waters there, and I must say, she was spot on! While Grand Cayman boasts some breathtaking waters, Riviera Maya outshines it. The mesmerizing turquoise blue waters off the mainland of Mexico are among the most beautiful I've ever encountered, and they’re wonderfully warm, too. Given that our port of call was in Cozumel, we hopped on a ferry for an approximately 45-minute journey to Riviera Maya, where we were greeted by our amazing guide, Lucy, who is incredibly passionate and well-informed about the area. The Turtle Cove and Cavern Snorkel Adventure offers an exciting experience divided into three parts: swimming in a freshwater cenote (say-NOTE-ay), snorkeling with sea turtles in the bay of Akumal, and enjoying a meal at a private beach resort featuring traditional Mexican cuisine and endless margaritas. By the time it’s time to return to the ferry, you’ll have experienced enough of Riviera Maya to know you’ll want to return someday.

This article is part of our partnership with Dinogo. As always, the views, thoughts, and insights shared in this post are entirely our own.