Winter Solace

TheJewishWeek.com, 10/22/2004
by Lisa Alcalay Klug

Sailing Along

Celebrity Cruises is the luxurious venue for a kosher Caribbean cruise for singles Jan. 16-23 organized by JSinglesCruise.com. Experienced cruisers will delight in the five-star Millennium, a ship I recommend based on my experiences on its (general audience) maiden voyage of the Baltic Sea in 2000.

The upcoming voyage features group parties as well as the usual extravagant dining traditional to the cruise industry. In addition, special on-board guest Sheryl Giffis, a professional life coach, is offering a complimentary one-hour session to singles.

The ship departs from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and includes several days at sea as well as international ports of call. These include Caso De Campo in the Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas; and Nassau in the Bahamas. Guests explore ports independently or book group excursions.

Like all leading cruise ships, Millennium offers an array of options, including guided shopping, city tours, sightseeing, parties and sports. Most excursions last two to four hours.

In Casa De Campo, the many possible shore excursions include a catamaran “Sail and Snorkel” ($54); skeet and trap shooting ($88) and horseback riding ($60); countryside tour ($45), 4-by-4 “Cane Adventure” ($59); and a “Water Eco Adventure” ($64). The Water Eco Adventure begins with a bus ride to the beach, where speedboats shuttle guests to Palmilla at the entrance of Catuano channel. Aboard wooden boats, guests explore among the mangroves — amazing structures that grow amid a rich variety of fauna. Wooden oars allow you to explore this home to red-breasted frigate birds and jellyfish.

Guests depart via motorboat to a natural swimming pool, where guides dive to collect starfish. A Dominican band serenades aboard while guests swim in shallow waters or relax on deck with complimentary soft drinks, beer and rum.

The second port of call, San Juan, offers such excursions as the “Bioluminescent Bay Kayak Tour” ($77) at the Bioluminescent Lagoon of the Las Cabezas Preserve in Fajardo, about an hour and a half outside of San Juan. Kayaking here offers up-close glimpses of wildlife, including the stunning, glowing effect of microorganisms.

These and other excursions are available for purchase online up to 10 days prior to departure. After that date, excursions may be purchased on board.

For kosher cruises, Millennium’s dramatic two-story, white linen restaurant serves up ocean views with glatt kosher, cholov yisroel, award-winning gourmet cuisine prepared under the strict supervision of Maritime Kosher International and guided by world-renowned master chef Michel Roux. An extensive breakfast buffet is served in a special dining room area reserved especially for guests of JSinglesCruise.com. And like any great sailing, the cruise also includes afternoon tea as well as “midnight nosh.”