DESTINATIONS CRUISE |CARIBBEAN
TRIED & TESTED
Azamara Journey
Azamara Journey can accommodate 694 passengers and has a petite pool, spa and reading room. Main restaurant Discoveries offers formal dining with a regularly changing eclectic menu. On some sea days, it serves brunch accompanied by live jazz. Casual-dining venue Windows Cafe offers a breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet, with a terrace at the aft. Themed menus highlight French, Italian and Greek cuisines, to name but a few, while local dishes such as jerk pork are also served at lunch. The two speciality restaurants – Prime C steakhouse and Aqualina for Italian cuisine – require a reservation and cost extra. For foodies, offer the ‘three-table tour’, which includes three dinners across the two restaurants for $120, or recommend the chef’s table experience. The ship also hosts daily live music; on this voyage, St Kitts band Vibz performed at the sailaway party and there was jazz piano most nights in the Den. The Cabaret Lounge offers musical theatre evenings, there are Abba tribute shows and karaoke nights in the Living Room and Destination Immersion nights feature performances by local artists.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Grote Knip Beach, Curaçao; snorkelling off Bonaire; Willemstad, Curaçao PICTURES: Kanstantsin Karatysheuski; Lorenzo Mittiga; Michel Verdure
being stung by a small jellyfish can’t dampen my spirits – and thankfully, the crew are well prepared with a soothing vinegar-based remedy.
ISLAND VIBES On neighbouring Curaçao, the largest of the ABCs, I opt to go deeper on land rather than at sea with a coach tour to the Hato Caves. This ancient network is 60m above sea level and once served as a sanctuary for runaway slaves, as it sits opposite the site of a notorious plantation, now the location for Curaçao’s airport. Today, the caves’ only inhabitants are hundreds of long-tongued fruit bats, which can be seen fluttering around and nesting in the roof. Their home is made even eerier by the fact that little light is allowed in, to protect the rocks from corrosive algae growth. The dark caves contrast well with the next leg of
the shore excursion: a walk around Curaçao’s vibrant capital, Willemstad. We start in the Santa Maria area, which has one of the oldest and largest synagogues in the Americas, built in 1732 for the Sephardic Jews who settled on the island. Our next stop is the floating market – filled with local food as well as Venezuelan produce – and the old harbour with its candy-coloured buildings. Our guide, Siegfried, tells us he used to be in the island’s special forces and proudly shows off laminated
76 23 JANUARY 2025
33The islands have enough culture, history and nature to charm even repeat Caribbean visitors time and again
old pictures of each location, including a picture of himself at the ceremony unveiling Curaçao’s flag in 1984. He explains that despite the rainy day, it was a proud moment and one the island commemorates each July. There’s far more to the ABC islands than I ever knew, with enough culture, history and nature to charm even repeat Caribbean visitors time and again. At the end of our exploration of Curaçao, Siegfried extends an invitation to return: “We are here with our arms wide open to welcome you.” I hope, one day, to take him up on that.
TW BOOK IT
Azamara’s Azamara Quest will sail a similar 11-night Caribbean Quest cruise departing Panama City on March 15, 2026. Prices start at £2,549 per person including drinks, gratuities and laundry, but excluding flights.
azamara.com
travelweekly.co.uk
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