If you've never cruised before, the drill is that there are usually excursions offered by the cruise company, which passengers can book if they wish, while on the ship. It's also possible to take a more informal excursion, with a local taxi driver. These drivers are very often waiting at the docks when the passengers disembark. You can often hook up right there and then, with fellow passengers to make up a small group.

In Willemstad, Curacao, we visited the factory where the Curacao liqueur is made. Small bottles make terrific little gifts for people back home. The town itself isn't spectacular, however, the streetscape of the main street by the water, looks like Holland with its Dutch colonial architecture. One very interesting thing to do is to visit the old synagogue, which is the oldest in the Western hemisphere. http://www.snoa.com/

In St. Thomas, the duty-free shopping is legendary. You can get good deals on gold, diamonds, semi-precious jewellery, watches, etc. In fact, tourists have been known to buy a lb. of watches! The town of Charlotte Amalie also has a very old synagogue http://www.onepaper.com/synagogue/ which you can tour. Both of these synagogues are fascinating. The island itself is pretty, with hilly topography, and it's nice to take an island tour.

In addition, if you take an island tour of your ports of call, it's always fun to just wander the streets of the town for a few hours.

Smooth sailing! Margaret and Les in sunny Toronto